All people who are a little over 19 and a little under 60 are experts in certain issues and topics. But, only certain ones. If you look carefully at other people, it turns out that they do not understand anything about your topic. And you can help them, advise them, guide them free of charge, for 500-600 rubles. And they will gladly pay you. This is consulting, to a first approximation. And now more details.
The indicators being monitored can be related to process input, the process itself, or output. For many processes, the most relevant indicators are those related to their results. It is also important to periodically analyze the indicators. At different stages of development of a process or organization, some indicators may become less relevant and need to be replaced by other indicators that allow evolution and development.
One solution would be to create a separate department that would provide the skills needed to implement the function at the organizational level. Even though the implementation steps may be clear to the organization's leadership, buy-in for the entire company must be achieved. Every employee has a role in at least one of their processes and should be informed about this new procedural approach.
Consulting (consulting) - activities related to consulting executives, top managers, managers and other management personnel. The purpose of consulting is to help the management system achieve its stated goals with the best result.
Who needs consulting?
If you already thought that consulting is the domain of large companies, then this is not so. Consulting, in its truest sense, is suitable for any company that needs a fresh idea, expert assessment, experience and knowledge, as well as a competent opinion to resolve controversial situations in leadership, to adopt a common opinion, and simply help in completing a major project.
Service options
They will quantitatively translate into lower costs, flexibility and agility in actions and decisions, and employee and customer satisfaction. For organizations to remain competitive in business environments where rapid change occurs, they need to explore methods that can provide process differentiation and create a quality customer experience. Working on processes is an indispensable activity for ensuring the progress of an organization. Launching an implementation can be complex and resource-intensive, but long-term results ensure the organization's competitiveness.
As you can see, everyone needs consulting. It’s just that not everyone understands what they need and is at a loss. This is what the consulting business is built on.
Despite the fact that consulting can be done in any area of life and business, there are several top areas that are extremely popular and in high demand. And if you are a specialist in one of these areas, then... why aren’t you still involved in consulting?
If support is requested for construction, reconstruction, major renovation or infrastructure works, technical design or project proposals with budget must be submitted along with the application for business support in rural areas. Selection criteria for projects. Estimates are distributed over a longer period of activity in the village, less intensity of assistance requested, more jobs or family business, project area, etc. the applicant is located in a rural area of a functional entity that, prior to the date of application: The applicant is a resident of a rural area for at least 1 year declared place of residence in a rural area - 5 points The applicant is at least one year registered in a rural area and at least at least one year of work in rural areas 5 ratings Lower support intensity required: support intensity from 20% to 49 percent inclusive - one baht for each percentage point.
- Accounting consulting- a legal way to redistribute financial flows in a company, put accounting documents in order, save where possible and, especially, where not. All this lies in accounting consulting.
- Financial and legal audit- a broad area in which almost all financial components of a company are used. After all, you can save on everything - from utility bills to large production expenses. That’s why consultants work with everything they can.
- Business development and expansion- Most novice entrepreneurs need advice from more experienced colleagues. Therefore, if you have the latter, you can easily advise the former. And the first ones will pay you for consultations. It can be anything. From establishing business processes to developing your own earning scheme.
- Tax consulting- the gold mine of this business. For example, in the USA, tax consultants live in penthouses and eat Margot cream whenever they want. Our tax legislation There are still very few years and not everyone knows it inside and out, so most of us have a real chance to make money from tax consulting.
- Legal consulting- a vein that lies somewhere near taxes. Tax advice can be varied - from registering an inheritance to correctly drawing up a marriage contract. Agree, a great job for law graduates from local universities.
- Consultations on business ideas and job changes. Timely advice about where to go to work is worth a lot. Professional counseling in building a career, organizing a startup, changing jobs and much more that will affect people for the rest of their lives.
- IT consulting. Newest direction consulting. a profession of the future that has become the present. Equipment selection, software, building effective computer ecosystems, searching and hiring specialists of a certain level and knowledge - all this lies within the scope of this consulting.
- "Headhunters". Consulting in the field of personnel search and hiring. This is now for us HeadHunter is a site for finding personnel. However, this term has a completely different meaning. This is the search and poaching of specialists from competitors. The work is dirty, but highly paid. Requires subtle knowledge of psychology. If this doesn't appeal to you, read about the next niche.
- Personnel Management. Personnel consulting and supervision. Increasing their corporate unity, proper motivation, retention and protection from headhunters. Consulting managers at all levels on how to work correctly with subordinates.
- Marketing. Consulting in the field global development companies. Business planning and ideas for enterprise development.
- Public Relations. What needs to be done to make the authority and visibility of the company more significant in society. Non-standard PR, subtleties of brand development. And other things that advertising may be based on.
- Advertising consulting. Yes, how to correctly and more accurately achieve your goals in an advertising campaign, what to use and what not. Creating advertising campaigns that will work for a long time.
- Gardening and landscape design. It would seem... many people know how to grow potatoes. But not many people know how to grow it with weight gain, and not like this - plant a bucket, collect a bucket. Joke. Garden consulting is a very popular service. Construction of gardens and winter greenhouses, plant care, use various systems watering, planting and garden planning are a small part of the questions for which people are willing to pay for answers.
- Healthy eating. ABOUT! You've encountered this. Detox. Diet for 7 days. We don’t eat raw, we eat cooked and vice versa. Where do legs come from? From healthy eating consulting. Preparing individual diets and workouts is the basis of this niche.
- Image consulting. This tie matches your face very well. And it matches the eye color. And what else... thousands of fashion trends, the formation of an individual style, selection of accessories. Shopping support. The beauty of this niche is that it does not require any education, just having taste and the ability to dress with taste.
Of course, this list is very limited and can be found in any article where the word “consulting” is mentioned. Believe us, in the area where you are an expert, we cannot even advise you, you must advise us. This is the essence of this business.
The project is being implemented in a municipality where the unemployment rate is higher than the Lithuanian average unemployment rate of 10 points. Conducting a family business or licensed activity. The project intends to carry out an activity that involves the applicant and at least one of the applicant's family members or the applicant intends to carry out a licensed activity 25 points The applicant undertakes that the project will develop and the project monitoring period has established new jobs for rural residents: 5 or more jobs in rural residents 25 points 4 jobs for rural residents 20 points 3 jobs for rural residents 15 points 2 jobs for rural residents 10 points 1 jobs for rural residents 5 points Real estate planned to carry out project activities, the applicant owns 10 points Applications complying with horizontal principles:. applicant - individual or the applicant is a legal entity - the main shareholder of which is under 29 years of age 10 points the applicant is an individual or the applicant is a legal entity - the main shareholder of which is from 30 to 40 years old, 5 points the applicant is a woman or the applicant is a legal entity - the main shareholder is a woman 5 points.
Good luck to you in starting this interesting business!
Stop! And money?
- What money? Maybe I can give you the key to the Audi A6 where the money is?
The economic activity of any enterprise should be based on an understanding of business processes, a strategy developed by managers, which includes the definition of the ultimate goals of the enterprise and methods for achieving them. But it is no secret that today entrepreneurs are people who are far from economics, who poorly understand the peculiarities of the functioning and life of a particular business, who only have an idea, but do not know how to put it into practice.
Small businesses very often have huge prospects of its development, it supports most of the market and the existence of the entire economic system in which they are involved public services, all types of enterprises and end consumers. Understand all the connections and features of the interaction of all elements of this complex system Only people who have undergone special training, who understand perfectly what economics is and what it is based on, and who also have considerable experience working with business entities can do. different types and directions. Sometimes the help of such specialists is critically needed not only for beginning businessmen, but also for large enterprises that already have their share in the market and relatively well understand the specifics of activity in their chosen field. Often, resolving a crisis is impossible without the intervention of third-party specialists who can impartially assess all elements of the enterprise and identify it weak sides and identify strengths, give recommendations to management on optimizing and improving their business processes.
In Russia, the word business and economics are generally misunderstood. Despite the developing institute for training economic specialists, today entrepreneurship is carried out by people without education, who have gained a lot of experience, but do not understand the theoretical intricacies at all. Many organizations still survive due to methods that were developed at the end of the last century, but even more such organizations fail because they cannot adapt to new market demands. The policy of the organization is to help it get out of a difficult situation or simply increase its efficiency, business consultants, who are those specialists who have undergone training and gained experience, are called upon. You can hardly expect that someday amateurs will completely stop trying to build their own business; it is better to learn how to make money from this by offering your help to budding entrepreneurs. In many cases, this will support a unique idea that gives impetus to general development, brings something new to the life of society and supports small and medium-sized businesses that are so necessary for the effective development of the economy. This feature of capitalism and post-industrial society, when business and free competition, creative development and improving the standard of living of mankind occupy one of the most important parts of modern society.
Today, services for consulting entrepreneurs on existing and possible business processes are called consulting. This word is simply fashionable; at its core, it is consulting, only accompanied by assistance in resolving absolutely all issues regarding business. Consulting is not just recommendations, it is a whole range of services aimed at truly improving the situation of the consulted enterprise. Consulting can radically change economic activity enterprises, and ultimately can affect the situation on the market as a whole. It is clear that only professionals who do not invent anything should deal with it, but act in accordance with economic laws and personal experience. In this regard, opening your own consulting agency is the prerogative of people who understand economics in general and the peculiarities of entrepreneurship in particular.
Investments from 570,000 rub.
However, a talented economist can begin his activities in consulting enterprises as an additional expert who, on an equal basis with the company’s top managers, examines difficult questions, analyzes the activities of the enterprise, finds non-standard solutions, develops and optimizes all areas of activity, acts as a freelance professional who is turned to for advice in difficult situations. You shouldn’t even try to engage in consulting if you don’t have knowledge and experience, or at least talent, a desire to develop and quickly learn everything new. If a layman takes up consulting, sooner or later this will become known to clients, the reputation will be hopelessly damaged, and it will be difficult and uninteresting for the entrepreneur himself to engage in this type of activity.
Consulting can be general and private; consulting on business development issues is general. economic development. Special cases of consulting are consulting only on ecology, finance, training, marketing, IT, HR etc. Consulting differs from outsourcing in that it does not take on the responsibilities of the entrepreneur, but looks for ways out of the situation with him. Consulting does not require the client to understand the issue, but aims to educate one’s own knowledge and provide qualified support; the consultant works together with the company’s employees, often acting as an observer or even a manager. The agency offering consulting services, in this case, must provide general consultations on the business as a whole and on its individual elements, that is, be able to resolve all issues in specific cases of consulting. This is what can be called business consulting. Hence the need to maintain a large staff of employees who are knowledgeable in any field of activity: from accounting to operational management.
A company engaged in consulting services may carry out its activities in accordance with the law Russian Federation without obtaining a special educational license. You just need to register as a subject entrepreneurial activity, and in this case it is more preferable to register a legal entity. In order to be able to use simplified system taxation, it is better to choose the form of limited liability company. However, it is worth considering that consulting activities fall under the definition (OKPD 2) 70.22 Advisory services in the field of enterprise management, and the OKVED code is selected in accordance with this. However, you can provide business consulting services by working alone, rather than organizing a large enterprise, and then you can simply register as an individual entrepreneur.
We can say that for a beginner in this type of business, it is better to start by opening a small company, in which only the entrepreneur himself actually works, because a newly opened enterprise does not have the trust of clients, and the businessman is faced with a very serious task of earning his reputation. To start collaborating with large organizations, you will first have to engage in consulting for individual entrepreneurs and small firms. Of course, in this case you will not have to count on large fees, but at this time the entrepreneur earns invaluable experience, learns in practice to understand the peculiarities of running different types of business and independently faces all the difficulties that await entrepreneurs in general. A business consulting specialist is a generalist who will subsequently work with diverse professionals, but the manager must be able to understand absolutely any issue in order to help even his employees in controversial issues.
Profitable franchises
After you have managed to work with a large number of enterprises and entrepreneurs, study different areas of business and encounter various kinds of problems, and most importantly, when you already have a reputation in the consulting services market, you can begin to actively promote your offers for large and successful companies that turn to consulting expecting to receive help and experience from specialists who understand more than full-time top managers. At this stage, the organization should already employ a considerable number of people, each of whom is engaged in his own business and advises on a narrow range of issues.
In this case, the company’s office should be located in the business districts of the city, which helps to increase confidence in the consulting company. The representative office itself will employ employees who are engaged in more auxiliary activities, these are statisticians, analysts, financiers, marketers who study the market for products and services, identify consumer needs in general and find new non-standard ideas for promoting types of products. A separate category we can identify people who develop new concepts, create new products or improve old ones (we are not talking about production directly, but about design). These are people who do more scientific activity than direct consulting. This is necessary in order to offer our clients completely new, unparalleled developments, which is also part of consulting.
In order for consulting services to be as effective as possible, the company needs to conduct a comprehensive study of the internal system of the corporation and the external system that surrounds this corporation. In other words, you need to be able to identify not only the strengths and weaknesses of the company, but also all the factors surrounding it that affect performance indicators and directly affect business processes. We are talking not only about SWOT analysis, but about obtaining the most complete data on all industries and areas of the company. This is exactly what general specialists do, who are directly business consultants. After they have identified the problems and identified the business processes that need optimization, specialists of a more narrow profile come into play, who engage in more detailed analysis and offer solutions.
Thus, consulting is inextricably linked with marketing. Conducting marketing research is critically necessary to obtain reliable knowledge about the external environment; without it, consulting simply cannot be consulting. Moreover, the consulting company constantly conducts marketing research for its client, collects statistics and determines the development opportunities that the external environment provides it with. After receiving this information, the financial and other capabilities of the enterprise are determined, capabilities and resources are compared, and on the basis of this, methods for achieving the goals are identified. Consulting is always designed for the long term; work with the customer should ideally be indefinite, so research is carried out not only to achieve the goals stated by the customer, but also to improve the entire company’s activities as a whole.
Profitable franchises
This is followed by strategic planning of the company’s business processes, painstaking and thorough development of plans, improvement of organizational structures, improvement of management systems, optimization and logistics, and work with personnel. At this stage, consulting begins to resemble the work of training companies and assessment centers. The same principles are used here, training employees, assessing their performance, certification, identifying the level of interest in achieving the company’s goals (motivation), determining organizational structure personnel management, and, if necessary, a complete change in the company’s image as an employer or a change in personnel policy. In order for this stage of consulting to be as effective as possible, the team must include not only HR specialists, but also psychologists and conflict experts.
The further implementation of the task depends directly on the goals set, and therefore various methods can be used to achieve them. Consulting is usually turned to when there is a shortage of new ideas. This includes companies that are expanding their sales market, trying to increase their product range, or trying to attract new categories of consumers; they cannot resist competitors who simply experience stagnation in development or even regression. Start-up companies often need other people's experience and knowledge; a consulting company that has worked in the market for many years can give beginners a lot of valuable information and significantly change their position in the market. In this case, consulting becomes more of a support, an opportunity to receive valuable advice from more experienced specialists.
Profitable franchises
Consulting often acts as a company that can help a customer complete a complex project or complete a task it has accepted from its customer. In this case, it may be necessary to have competent specialists completely different areas knowledge, including engineers, builders, technicians, IT specialists, etc. Here, consulting is more like a professional team of specialists for performing certain work, from which execution is required, and not consulting directly. In companies with a complex management system or simply imperfect, it is often necessary to attract specialists who can become a link between the company’s departments and resolve administrative issues, as well as teach the customer’s managers how to effectively manage. Finally, many large firms need to involve third-party experts who evaluate a completed project or possible risks, based on their assessment, a decision is made by the customer’s management, but the method of expert assessments may not be taken into account in further activities. Here, the consulting company provides experienced experts who come to the project once and do not participate in it anymore.
The pricing system in the consulting services market is quite complex. Currently, there are several types of payment, but everything can be roughly divided into three various types, and also highlight a combined payment, which includes the amount of funds calculated different ways. The simplest is a lump sum payment, saying in simple language, fixed. In this case, the consulting company has its own list of prices for certain types of services and offers them to its customers only at the price that was initially set, while various unforeseen factors that can significantly simplify or complicate the task by the consultant are usually not taken into account. On the other side, this method used where risks are minimal: training, analysis, certification, and so on. The second type of payment is similar to a lump-sum payment; it is called time-based and is calculated based on the actual time spent on completing the customer’s task. Next view payment is a percentage of the cost of the completed object or depending on the result obtained. In this case, the consulting company is especially interested in the effectiveness of its activities.
It can be noted that today the cost of services of a consulting firm in Russia is significantly lower than in developed capitalist countries, this is due not least to the fact that consulting by many firms is considered a non-priority expense item. It is quite difficult to give average figures, because a lot depends on the task at hand, but in the case of percentage payment, it rarely exceeds 5% of the project cost. Also, many firms today prefer to pay consulting firms through barter or the transfer of shares in their company, and in the latter case the consulting firm is especially interested in good performance order because higher economic efficiency increases the value of their shares.
Consulting occupies a leading position in the market for providing business services.
For entrepreneurs who are interested in how to open a consulting firm from scratch, and how profitable this field of activity is, we have compiled detailed business plan with calculation of profitability.
What is consulting?
Consulting is the provision of consulting services to firms, enterprises, and individuals on business development issues. The consulting agency employs specialists in analysis, finance, marketing, management, personnel, and IT technologies.
An organization can hire a permanent consultant on issues of interest. Then it will be internal consulting.
External consulting is the conclusion of a service agreement with a consulting firm. The most popular consulting services:
- Business process analysis and productivity assessment.
- Suggestions for improvement.
- Personnel training and selection.
- Activity audit.
- Advice on lending.
- Development of tactics and strategy.
- Assessment of business risks.
- Registration, certification, licensing.
Tips for organizing and maintaining economic activity are required by representatives of both small and big business. Therefore, the consumer audience of consulting agencies is huge:
- trading enterprises;
- light industry;
- heavy industry;
- building sector;
- financial sector;
- energy;
- mining and processing enterprises;
- telecommunications sector.
There are main types of consulting:
- Financial.
- Managerial.
- For tax issues.
- In the field of design work and medicine.
The work of the agency is usually organized on the principle of sending specialists to the enterprise with which the contract has been concluded. Consultants collect information, delve into the business processes of a particular organization, in order to then draw conclusions and provide recommendations for increasing productivity and profitability.
Business plan
Before opening a consulting firm, you need to draw up detailed instructions for launching a project, calculate the amount of starting investments, plan expenses and income.
- business registration;
- office location;
- equipment;
- staff;
- advertising;
- financial calculations.
One of the areas of consulting activity is assistance in starting a business for aspiring entrepreneurs, which includes developing a business plan and assistance in its implementation.
Download for free as a sample.
Registration
Experts recommend opening a consulting company in the form of an LLC. A legal entity inspires more confidence in clients than an individual entrepreneur, and reputation is the basis for successful business in the consulting business. Another argument in favor of LLCs is that the legislation for individual entrepreneurs provides for restrictions on the number of employees, taxation and types of activities.
It is more difficult to register an organization than an individual; you need to collect a package of documents:
- Charter
- Memorandum of association.
- Establishment decision or protocol.
- Confirmation of payment of the state registration fee.
- Certificate of legal address.
- Statement.
IN statutory documents contains the name of the company, its choice must be approached with all responsibility - it is not as easy as it seems. Firstly, given the huge number of already operating enterprises, it is difficult to choose a unique name. Secondly, the name should correspond to the direction of the agency’s activities, not be too long and easy to remember.
Legal entities they work on a non-cash basis, so you need to open a current account in a reputable bank with more than five years of existence, which will also have a positive effect on your reputation.
To start a consulting business, no special permits or licenses are required. You need to register with tax office and choose the optimal taxation system.
Room
You can open a consulting firm without office space. In conditions of shortage of funds, the optimal solution would be to organize work over the telephone and at the customer’s premises.
If you immediately put your business on high level, then a spacious office in the business district of the city will give additional weight to the company in the eyes of wealthy clients. When concluding an agreement with the landlord, it is necessary to stipulate the possibility of redevelopment of the premises. Each employee will need to be allocated a separate office, as well as organize a large room for meetings and receiving visitors.
A reputable company will always offer drinks and snacks to its customers, so it is necessary to provide a storage area kitchen utensils and making tea.
The premises in an office center are most likely already prepared for work and equipped with electricity, heat supply, water supply and sewerage. It is enough to make cosmetic repairs in strict business style, bring furniture and equipment.
Equipment
The main criteria for choosing office furniture are practicality and comfort. Since work in a consulting agency is mostly sedentary, it is better to take care of clients and employees and purchase comfortable chairs and armchairs.
The list of necessary furniture, equipment and materials includes:
- computer tables;
- big table to the common room;
- cabinets and racks for documentation;
- computers;
- office equipment;
- means of communication;
- blinds;
- lighting;
- Electric kettle;
- microwave;
- stationery.
In consulting, the client and the customer often correspond by e-mail Therefore, it is necessary to ensure constant access to the Internet.
Employees
Consulting as a form of business is entirely based on the professionalism of its employees. The income of the company and the success of the entire project depend on the qualifications, experience, knowledge, and communication skills of the staff.
You can open a small agency with 2-3 generalists. This will be cheaper than hiring an employee for each consulting area.
To provide consulting services on a wide variety of business issues, the consulting firm must have experts in:
- Financing.
- Lending.
- Accounting, tax, production and management accounting.
- Property valuation.
- Business activity analysis.
- Enterprise management.
- Legal issues.
- Recruitment and training of personnel.
- Marketing.
To confirm qualifications, the applicant must have diplomas, certificates, recommendations, and evidence of work experience in the consulting field.
At the initial stage, the founders of a consulting firm can invest in highly paid specialists or hire employees through a recruitment agency, where the rates will be at the industry average.
It is almost impossible to open a consulting company and attract clients without advertising. In order for potential customers to decide to contact the agency, you need to post information about the services provided on the Internet, business magazines, catalogs, and on the streets.
The Internet is the best place to find clients. You need to create a website, fill it with quality content, and pay for promotion to the top lines of search engines. Can be used social media and banner advertising.
At first, the cost of promoting a business amounts to 50-70 thousand rubles a month, which pays off in the first half of the year.
Video: how to open a consulting company?
Economic calculations
To draw conclusions about the profitability of the consulting business, a calculation of initial costs, planned income and expenses is drawn up. As an example, we take a mid-market company with an office in a business center.
Starting investments:
| № | expenditures | Amount, rub. |
| 1 | Authorized capital (minimum according to law) | 10 000 |
| 2 | Registration fees | 5 000 |
| 3 | Rent of premises for 2 months | 40 000 |
| 4 | Redevelopment and renovation | 100 000 |
| 5 | Equipment and materials | 115 000 |
| 6 | Salary for 2 months | 120 000 |
| 7 | Advertising | 60 000 |
| 8 | Other costs | 50 000 |
| Total | 500 000 | |
Monthly expenses:
With the development of the company and an increase in the volume of orders, expenses will increase due to costs for staff development, bonus payments and other motivational activities.
The agency’s income in the first months of its existence depends on the advertising campaign and employees, who have their own expertise and client base. New customers are easy to find among novice entrepreneurs. Pricing policy is developed based on the average cost of services in a given market sector. Clients are offered several types of payment:
- hourly;
- fixed;
- Each service is priced separately.
Constant cooperation will become more attractive to clients if discounts are provided depending on the volume and time of work.
The average profitability of a consulting business is 25%, the payback period is 1 year. To do this, the agency must receive 220,000 rubles per month. income.
Consulting is a low-cost business based on the intelligence and professionalism of consultants. How more clients contacts the agency, the higher the income and profitability of the enterprise.
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Any person sooner or later is faced with the need to obtain the necessary information, advice or help, no matter in what area. The important thing is that this happens. This means that those people appear in his life who can provide this service, consultation, give advice, provide their knowledge, or help in obtaining this knowledge. This kind of consulting activity is called consulting. This business idea is valuable because it requires minimal costs for its implementation. In this material I will tell you how to open a consulting company and what you need for this. The main point in this direction is a clear understanding and definition of the product, field of knowledge, or understanding of the process of activity in which you will advise.
In order to open a consulting company, you can go in three ways:
- Make an agreement with professional consultants, qualified specialists, trainers, coaches that you will represent their services. This way, you will be an intermediary (or, if you prefer, a kind of “provider”) between the one who needs the information and the one who can give it. If you go this route, take one important piece of advice: always learn from your experts in everything to become a real pro.
- Use personal experience and own knowledge in the area in which you are truly strong. In this case, decide on one direction, so as not to be scattered in many directions, select personnel with specialized education so that a single team of specialists arises.
- Become an independent representative Which — some large company, study the necessary information, and promote the product or service of this company. You will gain the necessary experience and position yourself as a person engaged in consulting activities.
Whatever path you choose, one piece of advice is appropriate: always build a client base, attend exhibitions, conferences, expositions, etc. – there you can find potential clients.
What do you need to start a consulting business?
The initial investment in this business is not much more than zero. In order to open a consulting company you will need:
- Room. Most often, clients prefer to meet with consultants on their premises, which is why an office is necessary. There may be several options here: buy, rent, or use for meetings public places: cafes, coworking centers, etc.
- Furniture and equipment. Choose the style of your office: cozy, so that the client feels calm and relaxed, or strict formality, so that it is clear that professionals who work here do not accept anything personal in their work.
- Office equipment: computer, fax, printer, etc.
- Advertising. Create a business card website describing your services, ask friends and acquaintances to tell their interlocutors about you, make business cards, advertise in the media.
At first, you can open your own consulting company without officially registering your activities - in private. By the way, the most “venerable” consultants work this way, but they are masters of the highest level. In addition, the peculiarities of the legislation of our country are unlikely to allow you to work in this mode for a long time. I wrote how to open your own individual entrepreneur or LLC in my previous publications. Read, weigh, and decide! Good luck to you in your endeavors!
What is business consulting? How to improve your business with coaching? Where can I order the services of a consultant to assess the state of my business?
The popular online magazine “HeatherBeaver” welcomes its readers! The author on duty and part-time editor of the publication, Denis Kuderin, is in touch.
I'll start with a statement that doesn't require proof: successful business- this is a constant increase in profits, capturing new markets and eternal movement forward - towards progress and perfection. Not every businessman can achieve this. There are a lot of reasons - competition, economic instability, unreliable partners, unprofessional performers, inflation, entropy, fools and roads.
But there is great way If you do not eliminate all these factors, then minimize the damage they cause. You just need to ask for help knowledgeable people, or rather, order business consulting from a reputable and competent company. We’ll talk about what business consulting is, what it’s served and eaten with.
So let's get started!
1. What is business consulting and why is it needed?
Any operating business is a living organism. And like any organism, it goes through the stages of birth, growing up, formation and maturity. At any of the listed stages, failures and errors are possible - let's call them diseases.
Diseases can be short-term or long-term, dangerous or not so dangerous. Other entrepreneurs self-medicate their business or use traditional medicine. Sometimes this temporarily eliminates the symptoms, but does not cure the disease itself. These methods are ineffective.
Another thing is professional therapy. – this is a qualified doctor who heals a business according to all the rules. First, he conducts laboratory studies and diagnostic tests, then identifies the disease and only then prescribes a course of treatment.
The methods used by specialists are strictly scientific and tested in practice. In addition to treating a business, consultants are engaged in its prevention in order to prevent relapses.
The scientific definition of consulting activity is as follows:
– is consulting to managers, management staff and other employees of the company on issues of economic, administrative, financial, legal and production activities.
Changes in modern business occur rapidly and non-stop. Technologies are improving, new markets are emerging, and customer needs are growing. If the enterprise does not change tactics and strategy in time in accordance with the conditions, it will cause stagnation and regression. In other words, your competitors will bypass you, just as a racer bypasses his opponent on a bend.
Consulting is an intellectual activity with practical benefits. Professional counseling consists of identifying a problem, analyzing it, developing a “rescue plan” and putting it into practice.
A competent consultant does not abandon the client until the problem is solved. Good consultants are expensive, but their costs almost always pay off. Profits increase, the production process speeds up, work becomes easier and more fun.
Each consulting firm has its own tools and working methods. For example, such a method of consulting as coaching is popular and in demand.
The peculiarity of this technique is that the coach (trainer) does not give the client ready-made instructions and recommendations. He asks the right questions, puts him in such conditions that the client himself finds a way to solve the problem assigned to him. In this way, the student’s personal and business qualities develop.
Examples of problems that business consulting solves:
- development of an effective business plan;
- assistance in investment decisions ();
- complete audit of business processes;
- Creation marketing plan and implementation of new sales strategies;
- strengthening the company's management staff;
- training in new technologies.
A professional consultant is able to eliminate in a few days, in a minimally costly way, a problem that the director of the company and his closest assistants have been struggling with for months. And this is not because the consultant is too smart, but because he looks at the situation from a different angle and has already encountered a similar problem in his practice.
2. What services does business consulting include - 5 main services
The main task of business consulting is to increase the efficiency of the company. The means to achieve a goal depend on the situation. In one case, it is necessary to radically change the approach to resources at the enterprise, in another - to establish interaction with clients, in the third - to modify the management structure.
Let's look at the main services that professional business consulting includes.
Service 1. Business valuation
This is the main form of activity of consultants. Specialists analyze and evaluate the company's performance, explore sales markets, determine the reasons for the decline in income, and identify areas that need strengthening.
The result of this work is detailed list recommendations for increasing productivity, modernization and development of the company. Consultants restore ideal order to the enterprise: after their visit, business mechanisms begin to work in a new mode - more efficiently, economically and measuredly.
A separate area of consulting is .
Service 2. Preparing a business improvement plan
Based on the analysis, consultants develop a step-by-step plan to improve the company’s performance and increase profits. The plan takes into account the economic and financial capabilities of the enterprise and human resources.
No self-respecting adviser will be guided only by experience or intuition: all conclusions of specialists are justified and supported by an evidence base.
Service 3.
Not all companies have full-time marketing specialists; maintaining such an employee is not always cost-effective. At the same time, every businessman is aware that successful promotion of products to the market is the main engine of trade.
Marketing consultants will be able to optimize the advertising budget and find new media channels for promoting services and products. Correct positioning of products on the market is half the success. The second half is effective interaction with the target audience.
Service 4. Assistance in personnel management
The coordinated work of management structures is the framework on which the entire work of the enterprise rests. Without management, a business will disintegrate into elementary particles, and they will be swallowed up by primordial chaos.
Service 5. Business development consulting
In English, “consulting” is translated as “consulting”. Advisors give recommendations to everyone who needs it - directors, heads of departments, technologists, lawyers, accountants and watchmen of the company.
The table clearly shows the practical value of consulting services:
3. How to improve your business with the help of consulting - 5 simple steps for beginning entrepreneurs
First of all, the services of consulting agencies will be useful to those companies that have specific problems - production, management, financial and legal. But even quite profitable business You can always improve and modernize.
Therefore, large companies cooperate with consultants on a regular basis. For example, once every six months, consultants come to the enterprise, conduct a full-scale audit, identify weak points and eliminate deficiencies at the embryonic stage.
Now - detailed instructions for beginner businessmen.
Step 1. Choosing a consulting company
Finding competent consultants is not easy, given the fact that in Russia the consulting industry is just beginning to enter a stage of intensive development.
If we continue with the medical analogy, then you should look for a good adviser in the same way as good doctor. It is best to ask acquaintances, friends and business colleagues (not competitors). Real reviews are 150 times more valuable and reliable than the delights of anonymous people on Internet sources. Although you shouldn’t neglect online reviews - sometimes you can find exclusives and incriminating evidence there too.
Criteria for selecting a consulting firm:
- work experience (more than 10 years - take note);
- number of implemented projects;
- the presence of permanent partners from well-known and large companies;
- qualifications and authority of individual employees;
- a well-designed and functional website.
And remember that you will have to work with specific specialists, and not an abstract organization. So the main thing is to choose smart people.
Your goal at this stage is to distinguish a certified doctor from a charlatan. Ask the candidate questions, be intrusive. Professional consultants love to talk with clients, amateurs prefer to remain silent, and if they answer, it is at random.
Step 2. We conclude an agreement and pay for services
A prerequisite is the conclusion of an agreement with the company.
The document must indicate:
- timing of work;
- a complete list of services and their costs;
- conditions for early termination of the contract;
- responsibilities of both parties.
Both one-time agreements and long-term contracts on a subscription basis are practiced. Method of payment – depending on the agreement.
Step 3. We provide the necessary data for analysis
Consultants will need documents that will help them comprehensively study and analyze all aspects of the company’s activities. Trust your advisors, and they will respond to you with hard work.
The more information specialists have at their disposal, the more effective their work will be.
Step 4. We approve the plan for implementing the changes
After developing a change plan, advisors agree on it with the customer.
At this stage, it is worth checking whether the company has enough resources to implement the planned changes in practice.
Step 5. We implement changes and organize a control system
The final stage is project implementation. Management needs to take control of the task. If necessary, employees must be trained in new skills and the meaning and objectives of innovations must be explained to them.
4. Where to order consulting services - review of the TOP-3 companies providing services
The market for consulting services is relatively young in Russia. Not all companies of this profile are competent and experienced.
To make it easier for our readers to choose, we have prepared a review of the top three organizations specializing in business consulting.
1) Business consulting
The Business Consulting group of companies provides clients with legal, personnel, auditing, and accounting services. Employees will help develop a business plan, increase the efficiency of existing businesses, and help the company with the reorganization of its structure.
The company was founded in 2002. This is one of the leading consulting companies in Russia. The main advantages are a professional approach, the involvement of advanced technological resources, optimal terms for providing services, affordable prices, strict confidentiality.
Year of foundation - 2006. Main areas of activity - strategic, managerial, operational, consulting, business training, personnel training. Tagline - " We make the world a better place!" Motto – “ You have a problem, we have a solution».
The company's specialists are not afraid of complex problems and use innovative methods of their own development. The company has more than 800 closed projects for optimization and business management. As part of business consulting, employees commit to reducing costs by 50% and increasing sales growth by 80%. average cost services – 100,000 rub. for the project.
The company was founded in 2005. Provides entrepreneurs with advice on business issues, as well as business valuation services, machinery and equipment, shares and intangible assets.
If you need a professional financial and economic analysis of an enterprise, effective business plan– feel free to contact the specialists of “Assessment Consulting”. The company's employees will conduct a full audit of your company, help automate business processes and reorganize management.
5. How to choose a consulting company for a beginning businessman - 4 useful tips
Hiring the first company you come across for consulting is a disastrous practice.
Choosing consultants requires a thoughtful approach - the future of your company directly depends on the qualifications of the partner.
Read, memorize and put expert advice into practice.
Tip 1. Pay attention to the period of activity of the company
The longer consultants work in their field, the more practice they have. Let the newcomers be chosen by those who do not mind their own funds.
10 years in consulting is the minimum you should aim for.
Tip 2. Analyze company reviews
Previous customers will tell you much more about the level of service and quality of services than impersonal information on the service provider’s website.
Owning your own consulting agency is an opportunity. Many have heard about this business, but not everyone understands its essence. But this is quite a promising and profitable business. What are consulting services? Let’s try to figure it out in this article.
Business Features
Any, even the most popular and productive company, periodically has to turn to professionals for help, that is, to real highly qualified specialists. Experienced employees of consulting companies provide clients with consulting services on a paid basis that help the client optimize his business.
First of all, they analyze the problem, after which they draw certain conclusions. Based on the data received, professionals draw up an action plan that will help cope with difficult situation. The services of a consulting company are quite in demand nowadays, so such a business can safely be called profitable and promising.
Advantages of consulting as a business
- Small initial investment. To get your first profit from this type of activity, it is enough to have a telephone and a computer with Internet access.
- You can work in this business without special education. To get started, all you need to do is learn how to compose commercial offers and conduct marketing analysis;
- , you can grow professionally. Not every hired job provides such an opportunity;
A consulting business will allow you to create an image successful person. Even if you someday change your direction of activity, you will still remain a professional in the eyes of your clients.
Flaws:
A consulting company can provide various services. Among them, the most promising and in-demand areas should be highlighted:
Credit consulting
It is difficult to find a company that, throughout its entire history, has never... Even economically stable companies sometimes need such financial injections. To expand your business, you need to have the funds to do so. It is unprofitable to withdraw them from circulation, so many companies turn to competent consultants in the field of lending;
Management consulting
Any business cannot develop and make a profit without competent management. Providing consulting services in this area allows us to solve many problems;
Small business consulting
Small companies that have limited financial resources often turn to competent specialists for help. It is too expensive to keep experienced consultants on staff, so consulting services for a business that is at the development stage are usually provided by third-party specialists. Thanks to their work, the company’s profit begins to grow, so the work of professionals quickly pays off;
In general, the field of consulting services includes many different areas.
Registration
Before opening a consulting firm, you need to collect authorized capital size 100 minimum wage. This is a mandatory condition, without which you will not be able to start working. In addition, you will need a bank account.
After this, you should register the company in the Single Center and assign general director. It is also important to choose a unique name for the newly created enterprise. You can check his individuality in a special registry.
You will receive confirmation of registration within 10 days. After this, you can rent a legal address. This will cost 6-6.5 thousand rubles per year.
To register a company, you need to collect the following documents
- Memorandum of association;
- Company Charter;
- Applicant's signature (certified by a notary);
- Receipt for payment of state duty (2.1-2.5 thousand rubles);
- Statement.
If you turn to specialists for help, setting up a consulting firm will not take much of your time.
Location and office
To organize consulting services you do not need a large office space. Renting an expensive office is a waste of money.
The premises must be equipped with a separate room in which company employees will work with clients. In addition, you will need a place to store information and documents. Another room should be equipped as the manager’s office. The presence of such premises will indicate the seriousness and solidity of your company.
It is advisable to rent an office in the city center in some modern business center, where many large companies are concentrated.
Equipment
To work in the field of consulting, you do not have to buy special equipment. It is enough to purchase furniture, computers and office equipment.
Since you will be working with clients in the office, this important point should not be overlooked. If you don't have the money to buy stylish furniture, you can rent it. It will cost you much less. But you will have to allocate your own funds to purchase computers.
Staff
The selection of employees for an agency must be taken seriously and responsibly. You can promote this business in different ways, but the most effective of them is competent, qualified personnel who have experience in this area.
You can recruit employees through advertisements in the media. But for this you will have to spend a lot of time. Many aspiring entrepreneurs turn to special agencies for help. They take small commissions for their work, but at the same time show fairly high-quality results.
At the formation stage, you should not promise employees a high salary. This could cause you to go bankrupt a few months after opening your business. Over time, if things go well, the salary can be added.
Business promotion and level of competition
There is a high level of competition in the consulting business. Nowadays, offers come to the market much faster than consumers might need them. Therefore, in order for your business to develop, you need not only to develop a competent business plan for a consulting company, but also to create a website on the Internet. You need to put it on it full information about your company, as well as a list of services.Don’t forget to constantly promote the resource so that it is in the TOP 10 search queries. You can also use the advantageous location of the office and advertising in the media.
Business profitability
For a business to be successful, you need to develop a large customer base.
There are several ways to do this:
- Agreements with start-up companies;
- High competence;
- Providing additional services that competitors do not offer;
- Development of a specific market segment;
- If you hire qualified employees and properly build an advertising campaign, the initial investment will pay off in 3-4 months. The profitability of such a business is quite high.
Consulting business Consulting business
Financial investments
Before opening a consulting company, you need to correctly calculate all expenses:
- Authorized capital and registration – 15 thousand rubles;
- Website development and promotion – 30 thousand rubles and more;
- Logo, business cards, printing – from 10 thousand rubles;
- Office furniture and computers – from 3 thousand dollars;
- Rent of premises and utility bills - from 20 thousand rubles and more, depending on the location;
- Telephone and Internet – 5 thousand rubles.
To open a small company you will have to spend 6–7 thousand dollars. Also, do not forget about employee salaries, they are not included in this amount.