The World of Consultants
If your image of being a consultant is wearing custom business suits, eating at the finest restaurants, and having a limo at your beck and call, you're right — and wrong. Yes, a few top-level business consultants live in penthouses and fly around the world to offer advice-for-a-price. However, most consultants live more modestly. Some drive Cadillacs, but many drive Chevys. They are consultants because they love problem solving. They sincerely want to help others find solutions. The money is vital to continuing their career, but it doesn't define what they do.
If your goal is to become rich as a consultant, you must reach the top of your field. This is no easy feat; many are already overcrowded with people trying to become rich. If you instead choose a field that fits your personal and professional goals and skills, you may not become monetarily wealthy, but you will find riches and independence that no employee can enjoy.
Attend a conference or seminar for professional consultants in your field or a related field. You will be able to meet with working consultants in meetings, at meals, and in the elevator. Be ready with a few succinct questions that will help you understand what you're getting into. Other people often love to help if you make them feel important.
Your Life as a Consultant
What can you expect your life to be like if you decide to become a professional consultant? That depends. If you're a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, you will be uncomfortable. If you don't enjoy solving problems and using your skills to help people, you will probably be miserable. If you're looking for a way to get rich quick, try another line of work. But if you enjoy helping other people, have good communication skills, experience and/or training in your field, and the need to be an independent businessperson, offering consulting services may be a rewarding way to make a living.
In addition, operating a successful consulting service can help you develop the lifestyle you desire. If you enjoy traveling, consulting can pay you for doing it. If you'd prefer to work from home, consulting can fund a home office. If you enjoy meeting new people, consulting can make you both well known and popular.
Most important, a well-managed consulting service can help you find financial security and a sense of significance that few other professions offer.
Typical Business Day for a Consultant
There are no typical consultants, so there are really no typical days for a consultant. That's what makes it fun. One successful investment consultant in California works during New York Stock Exchange hours, quitting about 2 p.m. Pacific Time each afternoon, an hour after the market closes. She is then ready to greet her three children as they come in from school. An export consultant who specializes in Pacific Rim countries works late at night when Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese businesses are open. A successful home decorating consultant prefers to work weekends and only by appointment.
Want to know what a consultant does all day? Go to work for her. Get any job you can so that you can observe business operations. Be a receptionist, a trainee, or even a janitor. You should not try to take clients or proprietary information, but you can learn much by observing how the consultant works and what she does.
Most important to a consultant is time. Getting the most value from each minute is important, especially when someone is paying you $1 to $5 for each of those minutes. Depending on the type of consulting, appointment schedules may be kept and closely followed. Besides tools of the trade, the two most important tools for most consultants are an appointment calendar and a priority list. A successful consultant in nearly any trade will refer to these tools many times a day. Chapter 14 will show you how to work by priority.
