Advice on growing my consultancy

[RyanB11]

Good Morning all, first time posting here so thanks for having me

I'm currently a one-man-band offering development/consultancy/freelancing Business Intelligence services to mostly SMEs

I don't actively advertise or go looking for work, fortunately most of it is through contacts, recommendations or linkedin.

Over the next year I really want to grow my business. I admit I can't do it all myself and realise that I would need at least 1 more consultant to come on board but also some additional staff like someone with B2B sales or recruitment experience and possibly someone for marketing.

Can anyone recommend a business consultancy or some other channel that can help me create a growth strategy or simply guide me on the next steps ? I'm not sure what to look for. I've been searching for business mentors, coaches, etc but ideally I need advice specific to growing a consultancy in the IT/Tech sector

Much appreciated
Thanks

 

[Dandan2]

Hi,

If I were in your shoes I would use my personal account on Linkedin and post educational content to show your audience and future audience what value they can get from your services.

 

[Clinton]

Can anyone recommend a business consultancy or some other channel that can help me create a growth strategy or simply guide me on the next steps ? I'm not sure what to look for. I've been searching for business mentors, coaches, etc but ideally I need advice specific to growing a consultancy in the IT/Tech sector

Hmm. I'm a consultant. I get all the work I need and I turn away the less desirable clients. However, that position was achieved by building my personal brand, writing articles, becoming <puke> a "thought leader" in my field.

But I'm confused by one thing - why do you have trouble finding people who can help a consultancy business grow? I used to be inundated in LinkedIn by people offering to help me grow my business.

Okay, whenever I got these approaches, I blocked the people concerned and that flood of DMs has now stopped, but my point is that LinkedIn is simply crawling with these people. If you have even a half decent LinkedIn presence you should be getting bombarded by salespeople - sorry, "business development executives" - wanting to speak with you "to learn more about what you do" (yeah, sure!), asking to meet up for coffee etc!

They are all looking to sell you some sh*t or the other and I'll venture that at least 50% of them want to pitch about how they can help you grow your business.

Maybe you need to learn how to use LinkedIn better. Try James Potter, the "LinkedIn Man". I haven't used his professional services, but I know the guy and I can vouch for him. His advice should help you.

 

[Peter Morris]

Teaming up with another independent professional can increase your profits by freeing you to focus on growing your influence, market share, and revenue.

 

[IanSuth]

Good Morning all, first time posting here so thanks for having me

I'm currently a one-man-band offering development/consultancy/freelancing Business Intelligence services to mostly SMEs

I don't actively advertise or go looking for work, fortunately most of it is through contacts, recommendations or linkedin.

Over the next year I really want to grow my business. I admit I can't do it all myself and realise that I would need at least 1 more consultant to come on board but also some additional staff like someone with B2B sales or recruitment experience and possibly someone for marketing.

Can anyone recommend a business consultancy or some other channel that can help me create a growth strategy or simply guide me on the next steps ? I'm not sure what to look for. I've been searching for business mentors, coaches, etc but ideally I need advice specific to growing a consultancy in the IT/Tech sector

Much appreciated
Thanks

As an ex recruitment consultant (perm IT for 27 years) i doubt you need your own recruitment person. What you need is someone you can chat to when you have a new project in the offing and who will give you a decent steer on current availabilities/costs and in return get some commission on finding you said person.

I used to deal with several firms in that manner - i am sure there is a recruiter you have dealt with in the past who actually has some knowledge and who would help with that. DO NOT just look at who charges
the least % , the last thing you need is someone trying to hike up likely salary/rate so they get a larger payout as you will put that higher figure into your costings. You need a trusted partner and you can ONLY gain one of those through time working together (same as the way you get your work currently).

I for instance wouldnt be much use to you as I am 18 mths out of the game, was specialised in a geographical area (rather than your specific area of BI) and don't know you and how you work - but i reckon if you think back to who you have spoken to about jobs in the past who actually impressed you with their insight they would be a good place to start.

 

[simon.harrison@selectdist]

Good Morning all, first time posting here so thanks for having me

I'm currently a one-man-band offering development/consultancy/freelancing Business Intelligence services to mostly SMEs

I don't actively advertise or go looking for work, fortunately most of it is through contacts, recommendations or linkedin.

Over the next year I really want to grow my business. I admit I can't do it all myself and realise that I would need at least 1 more consultant to come on board but also some additional staff like someone with B2B sales or recruitment experience and possibly someone for marketing.

Can anyone recommend a business consultancy or some other channel that can help me create a growth strategy or simply guide me on the next steps ? I'm not sure what to look for. I've been searching for business mentors, coaches, etc but ideally I need advice specific to growing a consultancy in the IT/Tech sector

Much appreciated
Thanks

Hi Ryan,

I can directly relate to your situation, although I did have a lot of industry experience experience heading up Business Analytics for Sports Direct for 10 years

After leaving Sports Direct I joined an IT consultancy who wanted to build out their own Analytics practice, with Business intelligence and data management, I built that up from scratch for 3 years into a successful practice but it took a while to get to revenue

The comments about building your personal brand are highly relevant, and that is what I did

I set up my business stand alone in 2021 and benefitted from a good first year, but this was helped by having lots of LinkedIn connections, being a regular poster and having a clear plan

Happy to connect and help the best I can, hopefully we can find some synergies too


All the best
Simon

 

[Marketingthi]

Good Morning all, first time posting here so thanks for having me

I'm currently a one-man-band offering development/consultancy/freelancing Business Intelligence services to mostly SMEs

I don't actively advertise or go looking for work, fortunately most of it is through contacts, recommendations or linkedin.

Over the next year I really want to grow my business. I admit I can't do it all myself and realise that I would need at least 1 more consultant to come on board but also some additional staff like someone with B2B sales or recruitment experience and possibly someone for marketing.

Can anyone recommend a business consultancy or some other channel that can help me create a growth strategy or simply guide me on the next steps ? I'm not sure what to look for. I've been searching for business mentors, coaches, etc but ideally I need advice specific to growing a consultancy in the IT/Tech sector

Much appreciated
Thanks

Congratulations on your success as a one-man-band BI consultant! Growing your business can be exciting. Here's how to get started in the IT/Tech sector:

• Build Your Team: Recruit a B2B salesperson with experience in IT or tech consulting services, and consider a marketer with a tech background for lead generation. You can outsource initial recruiting or hire a recruiter specializing in IT/Tech.
• Scale Strategically: Define your ideal client and create standardized service packages to onboard new consultants easily. Utilize marketing and sales automation tools to free up your time for strategic growth.