Consulting Blog

Figuring Out How Much To Charge for Consulting

Setting a consulting bill rate is one of the biggest challenges facing start-up consultants. What you have to offer as a freelancer or independent contractor is your skills, time, and expertise -- all unique to you. But without a starting point, quantifying these characteristics is difficult. Add in the market value of your skills, the economic climate, and the value of your competition and simply deciding how much to charge isn’t so simple anymore! So how can you set your consulting rates without pulling your hair out . . .

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The (No Longer) 9-5 Dilemma

When you ditched your office job, did you also ditch the 9-5 workday? Since then have you found yourself wondering what effect it’s had on your productivity? Among the many other advantages, the freedom to work whenever you want is one of the most obvious and immediate benefits of freelancing. But, what happens when demands around the house start taking the place of work . . .

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Moonlighting Has A New Twist -- Co-Working Late!

Moonlighting is a old term for taking on additional work projects after hours, and for many freelancers and consultants, is one way to get started in self-employment. After all, if you can start your own consulting business while you still have some steady income flowing in during the day, that can make for a safer financial transition to independence. But a group of freelancers and consultants by the name of the New York Nightowls is taking the concept of moonlighting literally. They've started a co-working meetup group . . .

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Happy Independent's Day to All Self-Employed Professionals!

This Fourth of July, on behalf of everyone at MBO Partners, I'd like to wish you a Happy Independent's Day! We invite you to celebrate not just the liberation of our country, but the liberation of talent. More specifically, your own. Whether you've been self-employed for some time, or you are just beginning to start a consulting firm, you are the new workforce. We are entering a new era where every individual is in command of their own career. The "rugged individualism" that made America what it is today has come home to roost in the way we work. Your career is not something that is given to you by some employer . . .

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The Repulsive, Yet Strangely Compelling (and Fun!) Fiverr

This week, I stumbled across the strange new world of freelance job marketplaces that is Fiverr. Fiverr -- The place for people to share the things they will do for $5.  Of all the places newbies should look to begin their freelance careers, this is perhaps NOT one of them. [For reasons of sanity!] In fact, anyone who is distressed by the downward pressure on their consulting rate due to the increasingly global and liquid talent market should probably steer well clear of this website, or at least put any sharp objects out of site . . .

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Freelance Camp PRO SF Nearly Sold Out

Wow, the first ever FreelanceCamp in San Francisco, Freelance Camp PRO SF, is nearly sold out! Last we heard from the organizers, only four tickets remain at their ticketing website on eventbrite. We are really excited to attend this event. By community request, the first Freelance Camp SF will be a Freelance Camp PRO, targeting experienced independent consultants, freelancers, and independent contractors who have been running a full time business for one year or longer. The event, organized as an "unconference" a la BarCamp, will be a full day of sessions created on the spot, according to what sorts of freelance tips the attendees wish to explore.

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Watch For Falling Rocks: The New Freelance Economy

Last weekend I was roadtripping through Arizona on my way to a conference focused on the new freelance economy. As I drove through one particularly gnarly stretch of the journey -- the switchbacks from Flagstaff down into Sedona -- a road sign caught my eye: "Watch for Falling Rocks." I am not sure who came up with this gem, but as I continued to make my way down the road through this corridor of impending doom, I reflected on this not-very-helpful advice. . .

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Freelance Accounting: How Pro Bono Work Adds Up

It may sound counter-intuitive that you can make money becoming a consultant by working for free, but sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction! This gem from our secrets of consulting vault is called pro bono work, and if applied correctly for your freelance career, it can be a powerful business development approach. Pro bono means “for the [public] good,” but can be good for you too, and may be one of the most underutilized consulting strategies. Pro bono consulting or freelancing gives you an opportunity . . .

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Are Consultants More Recession Resistant?

Recent news articles conclude that as much as half of the jobs created during our emerging economic recovery will be contract based. And meanwhile, other experts are now convinced we are in a "jobless recovery," if not headed toward the dreaded double dip recession. Perhaps there are no "permanent" jobs anymore, and we are all, in a way, self-employed. Are people who have wrapped their heads around the idea of being a consultant better equipped than their employee peers to weather this recession? Read on . . .

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Enhance Your Personal Brand With A Business Portrait

When looking for a picture to post in an online profile, most people only spend a small fraction of the time that they would devote to getting ready for an interview or client meeting. When someone sees you for the first time - whether it's online on in person - your appearance "brands" you. How are you branding yourself?

Whether you're camera shy or a big ham, and whether you're incredibly photogenic or loathe pictures of yourself, it's important to tackle a critical element of your personal branding project: your headshot. When you're networking on LinkedIn, building your website, writing your blog, submitting an article to a trade publication, or just want to attach a photo of yourself when you're emailing a prospective client, you want to make sure that the face that they put with your name is one that represents who you really are. Most of us remember faces more easily than names, and you want to make sure the face that your peers and clients remember is friendly, professional and trustworthy.

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