Billable at the Beach® Articles
Valuable articles about starting and running your 6-figure consulting business.About Me
My name is Amy Rasdal, and I’m the founder of Billable at the Beach®. I traded my corporate job for consulting 15 years ago and make more money than most executives. The advantages are freedom, flexibility, control, interesting work and excellent pay. Work when you want, where you want and how you want. I have been running my own multiple 6-figure consulting business for more than 15 years. I have helped hundreds of people start their own successful consulting businesses through speaking, workshops and various programs over the past 10 years.
Top Seven Things to Know About Starting Your Own Consulting Business
Have you been in the corporate world for a while? Have you been wondering about consulting? Would you like to learn more? Here are the top seven things to know about starting your own consulting business.
#1 – It Really is Easy to Get Started
It’s surprisingly easy to start your own consulting business. All you need is a computer, a phone, brainpower and business experience. The work is the same as the work you’ve been doing in your corporate job only better. If you start right away, you can...
#2 – Now for the Hard Work and Risk
A solid consulting practice is built through hard work and a willingness to take risk. No check goes into my bank account unless I go out and win the business. In consulting, you have to hunt what you eat. I get out the binoculars, climb the mountain, scout the...
#3 – People Buy Your Experience
A few years ago, I had a client who was a CPA and started her career in public accounting. She went on to work for several other companies, always in tech and always in finance and accounting functions. She said, “I’m tired of tech and I don’t want...
#4 – This was My Biggest Surprise
I speak at least once on a month on how to start a successful consulting business. It’s common to have at least a couple people who were laid off from their corporate jobs and had consulting projects fall into their laps.
#5 – Always Be Selling
The hardest thing any consultant does is bring in the business. Doing the billable work is the easy part. Always be selling.Do you NEED to make six figures?This is less about the six figures and more about needing to make money. Unless you need the...
#6 – What Do I Love?
I love being a consultant. The advantages are freedom, flexibility, control, interesting and engaging work, good pay and sometimes equity. You rarely get caught up in company politics and nearly all of your work is direct value add. I work when I want, where I want...
#7 – What Do I Hate?
On the minus side, there is no regular pay check, no benefits, no IT department, and no one to blame but yourself if something goes wrong.No check goes into my bank account unless I bring in the business Remember earlier I said that no check goes into my...
10 Pearls From 15 Years of Hard Knocks U
People sometimes ask me, “What can I learn from you that I couldn’t figure out on my own?” I reply, “Absolutely nothing, but it took me 15 years, how long do you want to wait?” Today I am sharing 10 pearls of wisdom I learned the hard way.1. It’s...
Clearing Roadblocks to Revenue
My job is to clear roadblocks to revenue. I want you bringing in revenue as quickly as possible. Let’s be clear, I work for the money and I think you should too. If I didn’t need the money, I would be busy, but I would be doing something different. The...
Charge What You Are Worth
Why don’t new consultants charge what they are worth? FEAR. Fear that they won’t get the work if they price too high. Fear that they are not worth it. Fear that if I say, “My rate is $150 an hour,” the client will laugh in my face.STOP right now and...
Networking Mechanics and Metrics from a Former Wallflower
Networking is your single most important business activity. It is the best possible career insurance. It is the best possible use of your business development time. And the sooner you embrace it, the more successful you will be. You must develop a clear strategy to...
Shhhh, Don’t Tell! My Secret to Meeting with Important People
Today I am sharing one of my best secrets. I’m not sure I should be doing it. It’s like sharing your secret parking spot at the best beach. If everyone knows about it, your secret will be lost. Oh well, here goes… The hardest thing any consultant does every day is...
Hourly Billing is Not Sexy
Billing by the hour may not be sexy but it works. It has kept my family fed for 15 years and it’s the easiest place to start. We recently had a good discussion on pricing strategies in Land a Project NOW!. Someone posted a link to a podcast featuring Jonathan...
Can Your Target Clients Afford You?
Are you running into clients who say you are too expensive? Then you need to lower your prices, right? WRONG! First, you need to make sure your target market can afford you. You may need to make a shift. Second, you need to learn to spot the bottom-feeders...
You Are a Water Faucet Resource
As a consultant, you are a water faucet resource – easy on, easy off. A big part of your value proposition as a consultant is being able to throw you in on a big problem or special situation, often very quickly if it’s urgent, and shut you off as soon as...
Work Is Something You Do, Not Somewhere You Go
I do 98% of my work remotely. I have occasional on site client meetings but I never take up residence. I have some clients that I have never met in person. Because I work remotely I am mostly available to all of my clients from about 7:00 am to 11:00 pm seven days a...
There Will Never Be a Better Time
10,000 Baby Boomers retire each day sending shockwaves through the American work force. Filling the workforce gap will be a challenge. The ranks of the Gen X workers are simply not enough, while many Millennials lack the needed work experience. Now is...
Finding the Perfect Workspace
Oh, how I hated cubicles… I thank my lucky stars every day that I don’t sit in a cubicle any more. What a miserable way to work. What a terrible way to spend so many hours of your life. Open office plans are just as bad. The extroverts can’t focus...
Prosperity is Yours for the Taking
Somebody has to be first, why shouldn’t it be you? Be clear about why you are working. I have a lot of passion for my work, but if I didn’t need the money, I would be doing something different. Do what you love and the money will follow is a myth. Money is a...
Happiness is a Journey Not a Destination
I have news that may shock you. You are never going to get THERE. Where is THERE anyhow? THERE is HERE, and you are THERE now. What??? This is starting to sound like a “who’s on first” joke…I used to have a quote on my cubicle wall that said, “Quality...
What is Your Why?
Why am I sitting here writing to you? I am sitting here because I am passionate about empowering 6-figure earners to have meaningful careers with the freedom and flexibility to live the life of their dreams. What is your why?I’m not really asking about...