Does Your Career Reinvention Include Solo Consulting?

• Think long term - given economic forecasts and the shifting employment contract, today’s freelancers and consultants may be on their own for quite some time. Those who approach their time as a profession that needs cultvation and investment as opposed to “something on the side,” are often more successful.
• Offer expertise that is too expensive or used too infrequently for a single company to hire a full-time permanent employee to do.  The article mentions examples such as technical skills, launching a new accounting software program or a temporary graphic-design project.
• Retain and enhance your skills by attending workshops and training courses.  And when you can, be the teacher and lead a course so that you stay focused and up to date.
• Network – both the noun and the verb.  Every consultant needs to be out meeting new people and cultivating a wide range of relationships.  In addition, it helps to be part of a network of consultants who together can share resources and opportunities.
• Professional Work space – make sure you have a place where you can control the noise and meet with clients.  Some people also like to have access to space outside their homes because they miss having an office to go to and colleagues to work with.
• Have a clarity of purpose – developing a mission statement and an understanding of what work you will do or will not do is important in building credibility and a long term stream of business.

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