Comments on: 15 reasons why you might want to be a consultant

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Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:00:25 +0000

[...] from brip blap wrote a two piece report on 15 reason you might and then 15 reasons you might not want to be a consultant. Both great posts. Thank you, [...]

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By: Luke @ Money & Fitnes Blog

Luke @ Money & Fitnes Blog — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:44:51 +0000

Great article and some really good points. I am sure I have missed it but have you talked about where to start when trying to be a consultant? I assume you would need a very extensive network to start but am curious about it.

By: Curmudgeon

Curmudgeon — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:07:09 +0000

Ah, yes, I hate bill collection too. I recently had a client e-mail me to ask if I had billed for a particular project. Alas, it had slipped my mind, and I appreciated the reminder. Not everyone will be that nice.

By: Steve (Brip Blap)

Steve (Brip Blap) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:38:29 +0000

@DGI, Bsen, fathersez: Thanks!
@Bubelah: I do think that’s the source of a lot of anti-consultant bias. They don’t really have a “stake” in keeping things quiet, so regular employees get irritated with them.
@Ken: You’re right. I have more trouble with it in terms of the blog (although it’s less time-intensive, I do feel I need to work on it sometimes instead of spending time with my family).
@Curmudgeon: True, simply by performing a task you are in effect selling your client on the ability to do the NEXT task. I find that it’s fairly easy to sell, but I do such long-term consulting contracts (2 out of the last 4 have been for more than a year) that it’s a different type of selling than other types of consultants have to do.

And you’re right, I work for a company that doesn’t provide support of any sort (they don’t give me supplies or computers or a boss or admin assistants, etc.) but they do provide two critical functions: they do “lead searches” and find potential clients for me (I have to close the deal myself) and they do bill collection (and THAT is something I would hate to do). So you are correct, I don’t have to generate leads for business from nothing as a truly independent contractor would. At the same time, I am free to do identify clients on my own and I do, on occasion. It is not entirely without incentive, either – if I identify my own clients I get a kickback on the “finder’s fee” normally paid to our lead generators.

By: Curmudgeon

Curmudgeon — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:02:04 +0000

Whether this is a why or why not depends on your disposition, and you allude to in several of your reasons, but every moment you are working and interacting with your client, you are selling yourself. Doing the job you were contracted to do quietly is not enough. You have to walk a fine line between getting the follow-on contract, and meeting the right people to move on to another contract, yet not coming off sounding like an obnoxious braggart. Being at best a reluctant sales person, that is one of the toughest things I find about being a consultant, and one that keeps me doing it primarily in a moonlighting role.

Steve, I’ve assumed that you work for a company that finds consulting roles for you, and places you into those roles (correct me if I’m wrong). That makes it a bit easier (my skills are too eclectic for someone like that to take me on, so I have to find my own clients). However, you do yourself and your employer a great favor if you are on the lookout for opportunities.

By: Ken Clark - CollegeSavings.About.com

Ken Clark - CollegeSavings.About.com — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:24:10 +0000

Point #2 is so hard for some of us though… It takes real discipline to not work (especially market via the net) when you should be spending time with your kids!

By: fathersez

fathersez — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 02:41:33 +0000

You have given a good balanced view.

I liked your closing para, a summary of the consultant’s job.

Helps a lot to clarify the thoughts of those of us who think a consultant’s job is the ultimate.

By: BSen

BSen — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:37:28 +0000

Having worked in a big consulting firm (and having some long-term independent consulting ambitions of my own) I really like your pro and con points lists!! I already know (and agree with!) some of them, but there’s a lot of new stuff here for me as well.
BTW — love the photo of Memorial Drive!

By: Bubelah

Bubelah — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:40:35 +0000

I have to add something to point 14, from my personal experience:
I was hired into a new department and looked at their processes (I was an employee, not consultant). Some of the processes proved to be ancient and the first thing I did was to get rid of paper reports and automate the reporting via queries and online software. I saved my department about $20,000 on printing costs, my job was easier and my bosses were ecstatic. BUT! My co-workers were so unhappy with me because now they couldn’t claim the 2 hours they were spending shuffling the paper reports. I disturbed their sense of routine and “balance”. They could no longer scream that they are SO BUSY, SO BUSY when managers tried to give them more responsibilities. So, I did gain the respect of the management, but not my fellow co-workers. Maybe they were just plain jealous!

By: Dividend growth investor

Dividend growth investor — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:07:04 +0000

Thanks for sharing the pros and cons of being a consultant BripBlap. I thoroughly enjoy your work related articles