People ask me all the time, “How do I become a small business consultant?” and “How do I grow my existing small business coaching firm?”
I’ve created a checklist of 18 steps I think are essential if you want to be a coach/consultant/mentor for solo entrepreneurs and micro business owners. I’ve been a small business coach-consultant for 17 years and out of all the tasks you could do, these are the essentials.
Here’s the article and 18-point checklist, How to Be A Small Business Consultant. I hope you find it helpful in growing your consulting practice.
I also give my interpretation of what the words “consultant” and “coach” mean, because the ICF sees it one way and the most of the rest of the world sees it another. You need both consulting skills and coaching skills in order to be effective and provide real value. I rarely find a small business owner that doesn’t need both coaching and consulting. It’s true: they almost never approach me and ask for straight coaching. They ask for consulting. They ask for practical advice and brainstorming. But in the search to find solutions and to map out a strategy, a small business owners will stumble unless they do both the personal development work and the business development work that leads to success.
Whether you call yourself a consultant, coach, advisor or mentor, these steps will help you develop skills set as well as grow your business.
There are millions of solo entrepreneurs and micro business owners out there who need your help. When you make sure your own business is on a sound footing, it will free you to help those who seek your services.
