:: Leslie became a member of Women In Consulting nearly 20 years ago when she first took the leap to become an independent financial consultant. She had spent a number of years building a career at Bank of America rising to a V.P. of Investments for their Investment Services division working with the banks clients. Having left the bank, she was starting from a blank slate as a consultant. Another self-employed friend recommended she join the newly formed Women In Consulting group. The Value … [Read more...]
How to Combine Productivity with Mindfulness
May 1, 2018 By Leave a Comment
:: You may have heard of a productivity method called the Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique allows a user to choose a task and focus on it for 25-minute intervals. A pre-set kitchen timer will ring once the minutes are up, allowing the user to take a short break before picking the task up again. After completing four cycles of 25 minutes each the user is encouraged to take a longer break. Since the inception of the Pomodoro Technique, several … [Read more...]
Focus Client Communications on Value, Not Rate
April 23, 2018 By 3 Comments
:: As a website developer and communications consultant in the competitive Bay Area, I must be ready to pitch my services at the drop of a hat. Over the years, I have honed my elevator speech and endlessly rehearsed talking to potential clients about their website and media needs. However, conversations invariably turn to that sticky question…“So, what’s your hourly fee?” The best answer? A gracefully phrased, “Let’s focus on your real question.” In my experience, clients are not actually … [Read more...]
WIC Lessons Learned #2: Karilee Wirthlin
April 10, 2018 By 2 Comments
:: Karilee Wirthlin started KL Consulting (http://klconsulting.com/) 19 years ago to provide break-through marketing with her expertise in digital strategy and, what is now called, “martech.” She joined WIC about a year later to find a network of like-minded business people. When she looks back at her years of success, being part of the WIC community has been a key factor in her success. You are the President and CEO of Your Company “WIC members are dedicated to growing a business. They may … [Read more...]
Invest 15 minutes : Gain insights on strategies and tactics to help grow your business
April 2, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Many consultants are also business owners which means we have a lot of different aspects of our business which we need to manage. Learning what works for other consultants can be an important way to define and prioritize strategies and activities. Women In Consulting’s The Best Practices Survey Report is cited by many consultants as key to gaining insights on what choices and activities have the strongest positive impacts on their business. This year is our 16th year conducting the Best … [Read more...]
How does your consulting business stack up? Take our 16th Annual WIC Best Practices Survey (open March 14-April 7) and find out.
March 13, 2018 By 1 Comment
A comprehensive analysis of the state of consulting businesses - Yes, it’s that time again. This is the 16th year for WIC’s best practices survey. Over the years, it’s offered useful insights into the evolution of Bay Area consulting businesses, such as billing and marketing tool trends, consulting expertise and specialties, structure and operations. Also over the years, we’ve found more and more consultants implementing the best practices and seeing the positive impact on their businesses. … [Read more...]
Consultant or Vendor? Pick only one!
March 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Consultants and vendors both bring expertise to the marketplace. But they operate very differently in that marketplace. Vendors typically offer thoroughly designed and tested products. It might be a course in time management or project management or a one-day team building retreat. Maybe it is a "package" of marketing materials for a new product launch. Or it might be a 3-session package on presentation skills. Role of a Vendor The biggest advantage of being a vendor is the ease of marketing … [Read more...]
WIC Insights #1: Lessons Learned by Deborah Henken
March 1, 2018 By Leave a Comment
:: For twenty years, WIC has been helping consultants help themselves through an exchange of ideas, best practices, and networking. In celebration of those countless conversations, this WIC Insight series hopes to share how long-term members learned lessons that applied directly to their business so new members can jumpstart theirs. Deborah Henken is a business management consultant/marketing strategist at Highland and Team and now an Encore Fellow. In all that success, Deborah joined WIC … [Read more...]
The Mind-Mechanics of Doubt
February 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
:: When I was young and envisioned myself as an adult, I pictured a radiant, glowing person who carried herself with compassion, grace, ease, and certainty. It didn't occur to me that doubt, fear, and indecision would be ghosts in the machine, casting their vote all along the way. What happened? The brain forged and fortified neural pathways into superhighways of doubt-related 'chemical fixes.' You were framed. Between the ages of 2-16, our brains were quite literally programmed by our … [Read more...]
Tax Change…3 Things I Now Know
January 29, 2018 By 1 Comment
:: If you were at all like me…you ignored all the tax legislation discussion in December hoping somehow it would all go away or get sorted out without rocking your own personal boat too much. If you didn’t put your head in the sand then I openly congratulate you for being proactive and informed. Luckily for the rest of us, WIC member Rebecca Cafiero organized a free conference call earlier this month for WIC members with her tax and legal expert, Scott Burnett. It was painless, informative … [Read more...]
