Small Business Start Up Consultant – What is a business consultant?Why hire a business consultant?What does a business consultant do?Types of business consultantsWhat about consulting firms?How to choose a business consultantDesign a business consultant agreement or contractHow do you measure the success of a business consultant?Business consultant FAQs
Managing a small or medium-sized business is difficult because of the large number of tasks required to be successful. From accounting to human resources to tech support, it’s nearly impossible for business owners to do everything themselves. But, thanks to the ease of hiring consultants, they don’t have to figure it all out on their own. We’ll explore what a business consultant does and how one can help your business thrive.
Small Business Start Up Consultant
A business consultant is a professional with a wide range of skills who helps business people with their endeavours. Consultants are experts because of their education and previous experience.
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Additionally, business consultants provide management consulting to help organizations improve their efficiency and effectiveness. These professionals analyze businesses and create solutions helping companies meet their goals.
Business owners should consider hiring business consultants when they need help or perspective on their chosen path, or a catalyst for change in their companies.
There are several reasons why business owners should consider hiring consultants. Consultants offer a wide range of services, including the following:
If your company serves some customers in the European Union, consider finding a GDPR consultant to help you meet GDPR requirements for transparency and control of consumer data.
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The first step for any business consultant is the discovery phase, where the goal is to learn about your business. A good business consultant takes the time to learn as much as possible about the business from the owner and employees. The consultant will do the following:
During the discovery phase, the business consultant will discover the details of your company mission and current operations.
Once the business consultant has developed a deep understanding of your company, they enter the assessment phase, with the goal of identifying where change is needed. This phase includes identifying your company’s strengths and weaknesses as well as current and foreseeable problems.
After your company and the consultant agree on a plan, the consultant must enter the third phase: the restructuring stage or implementation of the plan. In this phase, the consultant builds your assets and eliminates liabilities. They also monitor the progress of the plan and adjust it as needed.
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A business consultant can help you conduct a competitive analysis to learn relevant information about market saturation, new opportunities and industry best practices.
Business strategy and management consultants can bring industry expertise to your business to help you scale, gain new opportunities and drive revenue.
Business consultants who specialize in operations can help you improve day-to-day processes. These business consultants take stock of your current business model and figure out the best way to produce the same high-quality results at a fraction of the cost and time. These consultants also help with quality control and understanding how to adjust and optimize your production for better results.
A financial consultant can show you the broader scope of the financial health of your business. They primarily assist in investment decisions and help you find the best way to handle the assets and liabilities of your business. Financial consultants may have even more specialties, including financial planning and advising your business on taxes, day-to-day expenses and the best retirement plans.
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The best HR outsourcing and independent HR contractors can help you with your HR functions. These consultants can take over your day-to-day HR tasks, such as recruiting and retaining employees, processing payroll, performing administrative tasks, and managing employee performance.
Marketing consultants help businesses identify their strengths as a brand and amplify them to create brand awareness and exposure. Whether your business needs a new logo or a social media strategy, a marketing consultant can be an asset to expanding your business’s reach.
While you can hire a freelance professional, you can also hire the services of a specialized firm for your consulting needs. Large firms such as McKinsey & Co. and BCG wouldn’t necessarily suit the needs and budget of a small business, but a local company might work well.
To get started, do a Google search on your pain point and location — such as “Seattle brand strategy firm” — and examine your results. The search will likely turn up companies you’ve never heard of before, but a closer look at their projects and customer reviews can help determine if they’d be a good match. Additionally, hiring a local firm means you have a better chance of finding someone you know or have crossed paths with on their client list.
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Whether you should choose a consulting firm or an individual depends on your business needs and preferred work style.
Choosing a business consultant that is right for your business needs can be a daunting experience. Whether you’re looking for someone to help with your high-level strategy needs or a niche, solution-oriented specialist to improve your SEO or product sourcing processes, it’s essential to know where to start and take it one step at a time.
Finding the right business advisor can be the most difficult part for the owner or management. The consultant should have a passion for their work, a drive for excellence, and an eye for organization and detail. It is essential to find a consultant who has expertise in your industry or experience with the types of problems your business faces.
If your potential consultant’s references are excellent and they have proven to be reputable and effective, meet with them to make sure they are the right person for the job. Clearly outline your pain points and expectations, and see if you are comfortable with their style and personality. If the consultant checks all your boxes, it may be time to move on.
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Once you’ve found a great consultant, done your due diligence and vetting, gotten satisfactory and verifiable references, clearly outlined your pain points and expectations, and made sure you’re comfortable with their style and personality, it’s time to confirm the arrangement.
Consulting agreements or contracts are typically drawn up for three to six months with the option to renew. Agreements usually include details such as the names of the responsible parties, consulting parameters, fee structures, payment schedules, outlined deliverables and established deadlines.
A defined and confirmed deadline ensures that your consultant has sufficient time to deliver the promised results, while encouraging timely progress.
Design your contract in phases, ensuring logical stops in the workflow. That way, if the partnership ends up being a bad match, you can always part ways with your consultant on friendly terms.
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Unlike an employee performance review, there is no widely accepted, objective methodology for measuring consulting performance, but it is reasonable to set goals and measure deliverables. This process is similar to Peter Drucker’s management by objectives and SMART principles for managing employees.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for a management consultant was $87,660, or $42.14 per hour, in 2020. But consulting costs are usually higher to cover business expenses.
Consultants do not always charge by the hour. According to a consulting fee study by Consulting Success, these are some popular fee arrangements and the percentages of consultants who favor them:
According to the study, 40.5% of consultants earn up to $5,000 per project, although some earn more than $100,000 per project. The size, scope and length of the project will determine the cost.
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Business consultants are a considerable expense, but their suggestions and planning can help you increase business and boost profits by eliminating problems and identifying opportunities to ensure future success.
You measure ROI by examining specific key metrics to determine the consultant’s performance. Most companies look at their net profits in the quarter before hiring the business consultant and then estimate their net profits in the next quarter or two after they implement the consultant’s recommendations. You should deduct the cost of the consultation before calculating the ROI.
Considering ROI is a crucial part of hiring a business consultant. If you are paying a business consultant more than $5,000, you want to see an established ROI after the project. Established business consultants should be able to show their past ROI data to prospective clients.
According to The Predictive Index, 27% of surveyed businesses chose not to hire a consultant because the consultant could not demonstrate ROI. This is the most common reason for companies not using consulting services, and it is up to the consultant to use big data to demonstrate past ROI. [Learn more about big data solutions for small businesses.]
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Hiring a consultant can be a significant expense. Given that fees vary, it is essential to establish a realistic and reasonable budget. Consider setting the consultant’s fee as a fixed percentage of your total sales. For example, if your monthly sales are $10,000, paying a monthly consultant fee of $5,000, which amounts to 50% of your earnings, may not be advisable. A 5% fee on $100,000 of income seems more reasonable.
If you establish clear phases for your consulting project, you can reduce costs and risks by evaluating the progress at each stage. For example, if you use the consultant’s marketing expertise to bring a range of products to market, evaluate their efforts after the
