TradeMark Express Blog: All Things Trademark

Starting a Business Series: How to Start a Consulting Business

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the Small Business Administration
, Entrepreneur, Start Up Journal, Wall Street Journal &Nolo’s Starting a Business – Resource Center. All four are great informational resources for the new/small business owner.

Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet.

• Association of Professional Consultants
• Association of Management Consulting Firms
• Listing of Consulting Associations

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

• How to Start and Run a Successful Consulting Business by Gregory F. Kishel, Patricia Gunter Kishel
• The Consultant's Quick Start Guide: An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business by Elaine Biech
• Successful Independent Consulting: Turn Your Career Experience into a Consulting Business by Douglas Florzak
• The Consultant's Manual: A Complete Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice by Thomas L. Greenbaum
  

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Here's just a handful:

• How do You Set Consulting Fees? by J. Stephen Pope
• Eight Skills of Highly Successful Consultants by Kevin Eikenberry
• We Are All Consultants by Kevin Eikenberry