Independent Consulting in the COVID Era

So I’m launching a new course today: Independent Consulting Jumpstart.

It’s a blended course, the first part is a collection of self-paced activities split into 4 modules (business goals, market finding, pricing, and marketing). The second part is a live group coaching sprint (a series of 4 calls), the first call of the series will take place over Zoom on October 6.

I want people who could stand to benefit the most to join, so it’s $99 for everything and includes forever access.

When I first started consulting I had the opportunity to work out of a busy co-working space. And while there I was surrounded by other small business owners. Some were peers with just as little experience and others were mentors who had lots more.

During this time I would also attend a good number of networking events and meetups. Pretty normal behavior for a new consultant. These spaces and events provided something I wouldn’t get working out of my home…people.

Now as life continues to move forward in the COVID era, the network events, meetups, and co-working spaces that fueled my personal small business growth are either nonexistent or completely restructured.

Independent consulting was already on the rise. The mix of enabling technologies, workplace culture changes, and shifting management philosophies were turning full time employees into self-employed consultants at a fast rate.

And that was before COVID pushed the unemployment rate sky high, which can only lead to accelerating that pace.

Many new consultants (self-included when I was at that stage) tiptoe their way into business. And if you have plenty of time for self-discovery, that’s a fine way to do it. But if you want to design a business that makes enough money to keep your family fed, you should have a better strategy.

Over the last few months I’ve been having more calls with prospective consultants. Just offering advice and a little moral support from a distance. And for the people I’ve connected with thus far, the advice seems to be helping.

This course is an attempt to scale that support. To offer insight I have collected over the years and create temporary spaces for peer connection/support.

If you are currently in the position of starting your own independent consultancy (or thinking about it) I encourage you to check it out. It’s not a long course, but it asks hard questions that might take some time to answer. If you can’t make the coaching sessions, they will be recorded, and I plan to lead another series sometime in the next couple of months (which you would also have access).

And if you have a friend trying to start an independent consultancy, please forward this along.

Cartoon Gallery on Pinterest

Trying again to make it easier for everyone to keep track of my cartoons. I’ve been drawing more and they are ending up in different spaces. So I’ve decided to pick back up on using Pinterest.

Each time I create a post, either here or elsewhere, that includes new cartoons I will simultaneously save the cartoons to Pinterest. That way it will be easier to scroll through without all these pesky words getting in the way.

“Book Tour”

Another perk from putting about a book of cartoons, I have been getting invitations to be on internet shows and podcasts.

I’ll be joining Pieta Blakely, Cynthia W. Rojas, and Rebecca Tuttle on their Facebook Live show Coffee Time with Masterminds this Friday (10/2) at 10:30 AM.