Are you earning what you’re worth? Take the quiz.

dollar sign

It's probably safe to say that most of us would like to boost our incomes. How do you do that without burning  yourself out? How do you break the income barrier, especially when the economy is poor, unemployment is high, there are many consultants competing for the same business, and clients are trimming budgets? Perhaps you've wondered why some consultants maintain high incomes in good times and challenging ones. Take this simple quiz developed by Linda Popky, a million-dollar consultant … [Read more...]

Client Compatibility: Check it Out Early to Avoid Big Problems

compatibility

Recently I upgraded my Office software to Office 2010 when I got a new laptop. Little did I know that Office 2010 isn’t totally backward compatible with previous versions of Office. It caused major headaches when creating a PowerPoint presentation that my client and I were both going to be editing: formats were lost, charts needed to be reworked, etc. It was a MAJOR headache and caused the client a lot of extra work…not my favorite thing! Going forward I will definitely be integrating … [Read more...]

The 7 Secrets To Creating A Fashionable Brand!

If you’ve ever been confused about branding your small business, here’s a simple way to think about it: Branding Is Your Business’s Fashion Statement. Here’s how branding is like fashion: When you’re picking out a fashionable outfit for a night out on the town, there are several angles to consider, like: 1. Your fashion style. Do you consider yourself a sporty dresser, vintage, a bohemian, urban, or a little bit rock and roll? A trendsetter or more classic style? Your … [Read more...]

Acknowledging Your Own ‘Stock Value’

Recently, I had a big ‘personal event’ in my life (I got married!) and for the week before and the week after the wedding, it was difficult to stay as focused on my work and my clients as I normally am. I had every intention of working on client projects right up until the day before the wedding and to return to work the following Tuesday since we weren’t taking our honeymoon right away—I wanted to minimize the impact of my marriage on my clients. However the clients I had active … [Read more...]

The Strengths of Women-Owned Businesses

Research from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, as outlined in "Women Business Owners to Lead the Nation in Job Creation " by Rieva Lesonsky, shows that by 2018, women entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating between 5 million and 5.5 million new jobs nationwide," more than half the new jobs expected. According to the article, Guardian's research shows that when women become their own bosses, they're more likely than male managers or entrepreneurs to: Diligently … [Read more...]

Here comes 2009!

Welcome back to work, everyone...hoping that everyone took some good family time off over the holidays since it sure seemed like our clients did! The great thing about taking a little break is that it gives perspective--and I come back optimistic and eager about the new year...I saw trends over the holiday that are quite promising...I was asked to submit 3 different proposals, which doesn't normally happen...I have 3 projects booked for this month, which doesn't normally happen.  With those … [Read more...]

Getting — and Keeping — Clients Means Focusing on Them, Not You

I just finished reading an article on Raintoday.com (yes, their weekly newsletter just came out, featuring five of the year's best articles on better serving your clients) that focused on "the power of taking your clients interests to heart." I found this article interesting on a number of levels, but I'll limit my discussion to two: Motives Matter a.k.a. Doing What's Right First, the whole concept is a no-brainer to me. It's how I operate. When I was employee, I made decisions based on … [Read more...]

Work as if Your Client’s Business Is Your Business…

...it's a philosophy I've always followed. And it's one that I know has made a difference in the quantity and quality of work that I receive. Well, as it turns out a small survey (Ensuring Sustainable Value from Consultants) conducted by UK-based Management Consultancies Association (MCA) supports my party-of-one "research." Act as if You're an Employee RainToday.com (you'll begin to see a regular thread in my posts, as I often read articles by them that I think others would find … [Read more...]