Streetwise Independent Consulting

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Presents a clear road map for starting and maintaining a successful consulting business. Whether you are already a consultant or thinking about becoming one, this guide has everything you need. This book shows you how to: - Create a business plan - Set your rate - Select the legal form of your business - Set up retirement funding - Choose appropriate insurance - Market on the Internet - Understand basic record keeping Also included is a recommended resource list and sample worksheets to help you start and maintain your consulting business. If you are an experienced professional at a crossroads in your career, this book can point you in the right direction.

This authoritative work shows how to: - Decide on the best structure - Establish proper accounting methods - Handle taxes - Protect personal assets

Designed as the go-to reference for managing a consulting business, The Business of Consulting is candid, practical, and eminently useful. Fine-tuned to address the changes in today’s business environment, this vital resource outlines the basics for managing a consulting practice and shows how to: Develop a business plan Market your business Charge for your services Build a client relationship Grow the business Ensure your continued professional growth Make money in the profession

The Consultant's Quick Start Guide offers a practical approach to setting up a consulting business. Throughout the guide, Elaine Biech--author of the best-selling The Business of Consulting--shares both her own secrets as well as those of numerous other successful consultants. With a focus on the business side of consulting, Biech takes you through a painless, fill-in-the-blanks, step-by-step process for setting up your consulting firm. New sections include: Why A Consulting Career—Five Reasons Why You May Be a Good Investment How Much Will Clients Pay? Your first "To Do" List What to call your business Creating and writing Business Plans Office Location Options Setting up your office, including Furnishing Your Office and planning your Technical Needs Electronic Records, including Monthly Expense Records, Revenue Projections, and Invoicing Staying Organized, including a Session Planner Determining your market niche Creating your marketing plan Developing your website Reviewing your first year with your family Electronic resource list, available online Skills And Knowledge Required of Consultants

The need for consultation and evaluation among nonprofits and government agencies has soared in recent years, as funders have demanded accountability and agencies are ill-equipped to provide the types of data-based information needed. Consulting and Evaluation with Nonprofit and Community-Based Organizations fills a critical gap in the academic literature for nonprofit management. This unique text is a collection of advice and voices from a diverse group of successful, practicing consultants who work with nonprofits and government agencies. Through surveys and interviews, these experts relate detailed information on how they got started in consulting, what types of services they provide, what types of clients they serve, the biggest challenges they face, and much more. The book also integrates current topics from a wide variety of sources so that interested readers can easily access important information all in one book. Book jacket.

Every great business begins with a great business plan! Nearly half of all new businesses fail within the first to years. To beat these odds, your new business needs a plan. Streetwise Business Plans with CD shows you how to create a professional business plan in no time. This book explains how to use a business plan to establish a sound business, develop a complete marketing strategy, and forecast change. Streetwise Business Plans with CD features multiple samples of prewritten text for every part of your plan, as well as two complete sample business plans. Streetwise Business Plans with CD includes sample material to be used in creating the ultimate business plan. The CD walks you through all of the basics and includes important topics such as Your General Executive Summary, Company Summary, Services & Products Summary, Market Analysis, Strategic Summary, Management Summary, and a Financial Plan. Whether you're expanding an established enterprise or opening a one-person shop, the best way to get your new business off to a good start is with Streetwise Business Plan with CD!

You're a business owner, not a "numbers" person-but you still need a basic understanding of accounting and finance if you're going to stay in the black. StreetwiseFinance & Accounting for Entrepreneurs is the easy-to-understand primer you need to set up and maintain effective financial records. Streetwise Finance and Accounting for Entrepreneurs will give you a solid foundation and a basic understanding of accounting and finance. Author Suzanne Caplan covers everything from financial statements to understanding credits and debits and establishing budgets. This revised edition also includes strategies for rescuing a struggling business, and developing an exit strategy for selling or bequeathing your business. Includes advice on: Controlling costs Planning a budget you can stick to Organizing and maintaining your own books If you're not making and maintaining a budget, then you're not managing your business. With Streetwise Finance & Accounting for Entrepreneurs, you'll devise a startup budget as well as an operating budget. You'll learn to plan for growth and to use your budget to control costs. You'll read and create financial reports, profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow projections. No matter who does the actual record keeping for your organization, you need to know where the numbers come from, how they are reported-and what they mean to your bottom line. Streetwise Finance & Accounting is your key to knowing how much money you need for your business, where to get it, and how to manage it.

Packed with information, illustrations, graphs, forms, and worksheets, the Streetwise “RM” books provide everything business-people need to get up and running in the fast lane. Readers benefit from the expert advice of seasoned professionals in all areas of business, from motivating employees to marketing, building website traffic to financing.