BUSINESS CONSULTANT - TIPS

How to Be a Small Business Consultant – 18 Step Checklist

by Karyn Greenstreet

How do you grow your small business consulting practice? What skills do you need?

I've been a small business consultant a long time, and these are the essentials that have worked for me. I think they'll work for you, too.

Here are 18 steps to becoming a small business consultant. Whether you call yourself a consultant, coach, advisor or mentor, these steps will help you develop skill sets as well as grow your business.

The Coach-Consultant Concept

A small business consultant works with clients on strategy, planning and problem solving, and helps clients develop business skills and knowledge. These topics range from designing a business model or marketing plan, to determining which marketing techniques to use and how to use them. You'll often help clients learn how to plan and implement projects. A small business consultant gives advice, teaches skills, and brainstorms with the client to produce practical results and enhance strategic thinking.

A small business coach helps clients to create success by focusing on personal development: time management, self-sabotaging behavior (like procrastination and distraction), finding clarity, decision making, and getting into action. When you  put on your coaching hat, you don't give advice. Instead, you help the client find the answers from within themselves.

There is a lot of confusion between what the ICF (International Coach Federation) calls a "small business coach" and what the rest of the world thinks a "small business coach" is. Don't get hung up on titles unless you want to strictly follow the ICF definition. You can call yourself a consultant, advisor, mentor or coach, and most clients will understand that it means you'll help them solve problems and grow their business. Pay attention to the outcomes the clients seek. (If it helps, I call myself a "coach-consultant" to show I use both coaching and consulting techniques when working with clients.)