How to Become a Self-Employed Consultant: 5 Steps to Starting Right

Starting a career as an independent contractor is exciting, but it’s normal to feel unsure about whether you’re fully ready. Preparation is key to building confidence and making an informed decision.

Establishing a strong network, getting your finances in order, and defining your unique value will position you for a successful start. These five steps will guide you toward building a solid foundation for your independent career.

1. Confirm That Self-Employment Is Right for You

Self-employment offers many perks including the ability to be your own boss, control your own schedule, and do what you love. However, successfully managing your own business venture does require dedication, passion, and hard work. Take this quiz to make sure that independent consulting is the right path for you before deciding how to proceed and prepare.

2. Develop a Strong Network

Networking to grow your business is one of the most effective ways to get a pipeline of clients in place before you start work. Honing both your networking and skills as well as your elevator pitch is helpful to build confidence, practice speaking about your services, and get advice from other industry professionals.

Consider attending networking events in your industry to learn about the latest trends and to learn about what other consultants are doing and offering. Finding a mentor is another way to obtain valuable business-related guidance and advice. A mentor can be especially valuable when you’re first starting out because they can speak from experience, and provide recommendations on the steps you need to take to start your business.

Join online marketplaces for independents to expand your network and build your pipeline. A marketplace can expose you to a wide range of clients that would be difficult to network with otherwise. Some platforms, like MBO’s, have ways for hiring managers to contact you directly and chat about potential projects to see if you are a good fit.

3. Use Social Media to Market Your Skills

Creating a social media presence is helpful to stay in touch with your network, establish yourself as a trusted authority within your industry, and market your future business. Use LinkedIn as a virtual resume and as a platform to network with people you are interested in working with. Twitter and Facebook can also be used to maintain professional relationships and share interesting articles.

Blogging is another way to showcase your knowledge. Starting a blog may be helpful to practice writing about topics you are considering centering your services around. Blogs can be used to educate and engage a target audience and can even lead to more connections and future work.

4. Build Your Personal Brand

The public will perceive your future business through your personal brand, so developing a strong brand is an essential part of preparing to become self-employed. From your brand, future clients should be able to quickly and easily ascertain exactly what you do and what services you offer.

When building your personal brand, think about what will make your business unique, and what type of message might be helpful to showcase those offerings. Building a brand goes hand-in-hand with marketing and developing a social media presence, so be sure to incorporate your branding and messaging across all social media channels.

5. Evaluate Your Finances

If or when you decide to transition to self-employment, you’ll want to make sure you’re in a good financial position to do so. Saving now can help you be prepared for when you start your business. It’s a good idea to have a cushion of several months’ income so that when you do start working, you have some time to secure future projects.

Thinking about what your bill rate might be before you start work can help you set financial goals and expectations. Your bill rate is the foundation on which you’ll build your business, so determining this amount ahead of time will provide peace of mind.

With these resources in hand, you’re well on your way to becoming a successful independent consultant. If you’re considering becoming a full-time independent consultant, learn how to prepare yourself by reading: How to Transition from a Full-Time Job to Self-Employment.