Six steps to help you unblock the road to independent consulting
Six tips for unblocking the road to independent consulting*Why not? What"s holding you back from independent consulting? Write, draw, mindmap and brainstorm reasons you feel keep you from independent consulting.
*Go deeper. What"s scary about those reasons?
*Can you do anything to resolve those fears? For example, if you"re worried about having a stable income, perhaps you would start consulting part-time, use that income to build up an emergency fund, secure some stable clients, and plan to have a part-time job when you do move to full-time consulting.
*Are any of your concerns all or nothing scenarios? If you see things in black and white, are there any opportunities to bring in shades of gray? For example, if you see working on your own as a huge risk, could you involve partners, find a mentor, join a professional association, take a course or get involved in an online community?
*Talk to others to find out how they have tackled similar problems. Sometimes, by reaching out to others - whether they are mentors, teachers or colleagues - we can learn from the wisdom of experience, without having to suffer for that experience.
*Work on a plan for becoming a consultant.
Becoming an independent consultant may well be within your reach - if you"re willing to work out a plan for getting there. It"s often the lack of a plan that makes things feel out of control. If you can work out goals and obstacles and a plan for dealing with both, you may find yourself on the road to independent consulting. I should know - I became a Vancouver marketing consultant one step at a time.