Perhaps it’s time to go into business for yourself. Perhaps it’s time to become a consultant, a coach, a speaker and trainer. The thought is exciting, albeit a little frightening. You’re current salary is certainly respectable for a person with your skills and experience, and the health insurance and retirement plan are comforting benefits that you don’t want to relinquish. But none of these factors have been able to sufficiently scratch that darned itch that keeps telling you it’s time to start your own nonprofit consulting business.

Going into business for yourself as a consultant, coach, or speaker (or all of the above) requires determination, a little self-sacrifice (in the beginning), and a lot of experience. People hire consultants because they need the expertise of someone who has been there and done that.hundreds of times. There are consultants in literally every career field, and once they become accustomed to the process of generating clientele, they can make over double what they were earning as employees. In fact, recent statistics show that successful and established consultants can make anywhere from $1,200 to $5,000 per day.

There is power and prestige in consulting that can rarely be found in management positions, even executive positions. The power comes from calling the shots as a business owner and making sure people know they need you; the prestige comes from being the very best in your field.and making sure people know it.

But there’s a not so subtle difference in owning your own business and owning your own consulting firm. Lots of people own businesses. My fiancé owns a deli, my father owns a small publishing business, and my mother owns a bakery. But owning your own consulting firm lets people know that you’re the crème de la crème in your field - and if they want to rise to the top like you have, they’ll hire you to help them.

Consulting firms, like the one you will soon own, can be anything from a one man show to a large agency boasting senior and junior associates. Most consultants make their day to day income from coaching and mentoring individuals in the field - charging anywhere from $300 (for junior level staffers) to $500 (for senior executives) per hour. They also assist clients with organizational development, strategic and financial planning, and a host of other services including workshop facilitation and board and staff retreats. And if they like to speak in front of audiences, many consultants make thousands of dollars simply talking to a crowd for a few hours about their experiences and knowledge.

While it’s not as easy as 1-2-3 to quite your job and start making $5,000 a day as a consultant, it’s certainly not as difficult as it looks - especially if you’re very very good at what you do and have expertise that few can match. Start off as a moonlighter, which is the term used when someone has a “day job” but works on their own business in the evenings. Make a simple business card for yourself and during your lunch hour at work, go to chamber of commerce or rotary meetings where you can network and talk to people about your new consulting practice.

It’s really BIG dollars rather than dimes… at least that’s my experience over many years. Thousands can be GONE quickly if you fail to plan and work your plan toward success. That said, the first step - baby size - should be at the ‘feet’ of one who has been there… done it!!

Invincible, right? If anyone can do it, I can!! Looking back over many years - 40 plus - it’s written all over the decisions made during my early attempts at starting a new business. Yes, I spent most of my career as an entrepreneur, owning or co-owning a business. Sometimes for the ‘right’ reasons, at other times it turned ’south’ and belly-up.

At the time it didn’t seem like much… my first venture out of business college. ‘Excited’ to say the least. 21 years old, eager, energized, ‘ready to roll’ was more like it. NOTHING could go wrong, but it surely did.

Somebody [I won’t call any names] sold us a bill of goods. Just beware, everyone is NOT truthful or trustworthy in business.

You need to know… that goes for Internet gurus too. Lots of hype but not much substance is often the case. Unfortunately, distance keeps you at arms-length long after your money is gone.

It’s different when you have no personal [in the flesh] contact… you’re usually thousands of miles apart and most often it’s NO answer when you call.

Just be careful or your funds can/will be depleted in a flash. Been there - done that, too.

On the contrary, there is that 1% +/- group of Internet gurus as honest and trustworthy as you’ll find anywhere. It’s like ALL business dealings with homeowners - business owners - it pays to KNOW the reputation of the person and source in advance of spending your cash.

ONE MORE TIME –

Lots of stuff happened… for 5 great years, I had a wonderful BOSS who was supportive to the utmost. Held an Administrative Executive spot on the management team; super staff personnel; private office; in the days when a good cigar was A-OK [those were the days!]

Today, it’s beyond belief but times do change, sometimes for a cleaner office environment.

Anyway, the spark ignited again… about 6 months later, it was NOT
called the ’spark’, but the ‘torch’ or a “call to disaster” - the beginning of a sad downhill slide without a parachute. This time I had a bride and 2 sons who required food and shelter… an added challenge for sure.

We made it, but certainly not on easy street as we had planned earlier.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

NOT having a REALLY good reason to start a business should be warning enough - DON’T do it!!

Unfortunately, some of us think owning a business is the only way to hit the BIG time… fast cars, big houses, big income. For us it did turn out OK in the end, but many of our challenges could have been missed simply by being more patient and having a mentor team prior to our stepping off into deep water to sink or swim.

Statistics?

About 90% of business ’starts’ end in failure. Why? Either it’s a lack of financial support; no business knowledge; no skills or talent; and you can add your own list to mine. Doesn’t really matter except when it’s YOUR money; your time; your family; your future; just another statistic.

My pre-retirement business venture lasted 25 years and I highly recommend the entrepreneurial lifestyle… however, ONLY if you can discover something that you’ll enjoy and love doing everyday rather than thinking it’s all about making lots of money. The money will come if you’re doing what God has intended for you to do.

In closing, you may enjoy reading a letter recently received from Ken McArthur, an internet friend of mine who discovered an exceptional insight about business owners from Mark Joyner, likely the most successful internet guru of the decade.

To give you some idea about Mark and his expertise… other executives pay him $2,000 an hour to consult with them on how to grow their business.

The reasons don’t matter why a job I once enjoyed turned into a job I didn’t. It happens. Bosses change, companies change, priorities change, budgets change, responsibilities change. Some changes bring personal growth and opportunity. Some don’t.

What does matter was the lesson learned that stayed with me the rest of my career: a job is not just a job. That job I hated helped my checking account. But my confidence, creativity, health, energy for life and view of the world was not as fortunate. When the alarm clock sounded, my previous excitement to face a new day became cocoon-like behavior, both in and out of the covers, wanting protection from another day’s battle. It was safer for those I loved to refrain from sharing important issues or concerns with me, never knowing how I would react.

How you spend a significant part of your day rubs off on the rest of your day, and on those you share your life with. Over time, it rubs off on your life. I’m not talking about temporary potholes and work hiccups that come with change or periods of work intensity, or the interim choices to increase finances, or the normal setbacks and challenges that should be dealt with at work. I’m talking about the long term match between who you are and the job you have. When you’re in a job that’s good for you, you can feel it. And you can feel it when you’re not. I agree with Barbara DeAngeles, “No job is a good job if it isn’t good for you.”

You see, you can’t be winning at working if you don’t like what you’re doing, where you’re doing it, or who you’re doing it for. If what you do feels like work the majority of the time, you might want to think about why, and what you can do to change it. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should change jobs or companies. Transferring to another team, volunteering for a new project, or asking your boss for new responsibilities may be all it takes.

But, whatever it takes, you won’t be able to offer your best you at work and get rewarded with interesting work, personal growth and financial rewards, if you aren’t in a good workplace environment and a good position match for who you are, what you want, and what you have to offer.

We started out well enough. We talked about his long-range goals as well as his current circumstances, exploring how they might influence each other. When I learned that he had no real savings, I recommended that he begin putting away at least 10% of his income. Well, that’s when things took a left turn. He became quite irritated and told me that there was absolutely no way he could do that; every penny he and his wife brought in was already allocated and they just couldn’t afford to hold on to any of it. Everything he said thereafter just demonstrated all the more that he really NEEDED to have some savings cushion: his wife’s position was not secure; the business she worked for may be folding, they had just had a baby. Despite my best efforts, he was not willing to consider putting his family’s security on the front burner. Instead, he decided not to hire me as his coach, because he said, “I wasn’t the ‘right kind.’” Hmmmm.

I’ve seen businesses come and go and those who cannot handle the money at home typically take the same habits into their business and before they know it, they become a failure statistic. So, regardless of how you are employed (employee vs. self-employed), saving money is smart for some obvious and some not-so-obvious reasons:

Working becomes more FUN! If your entire paycheck is spent on basic survival needs, going to work every day can be very depressing.
Saving a portion of your hard-earned dollars is empowering because the decision is made not only by you, but also for your benefit.
There is an excitement that comes from watching the savings account grow. And when we see our dollars grow, we become more conscientious in our spending habits.
Taking care of self brings about a sense of freedom. If you find yourself in a difficult situation where you feel your values are challenged, you are more likely to say so if you have been taking care of your self in other ways. Regardless of the degree of difficulty, or who the person across from you happens to be (like your boss?), you will be truer to yourself and more direct with others. The act of self-care and financial responsibility promotes personal freedom.
Many financial experts recommend investing at least 10% of our gross income into something that can actually make money. That means finding an investment opportunity that will earn money for you on your behalf. Some people choose real estate, some the stock market; if that’s just way too risky for you, then consider bonds or some other safe investment. I recommend George Clason’s book entitled “The Richest Man in Babylon” for a no-nonsense approach to financial planning and personal prosperity. For information on how to purchase Clason’s book, click here: The Richest Man in Babylon
Practicality and reality rule! When we are truly fiscally responsible, we do not do things that can jeopardize our financial health. More to the point, we will not forego saving or buy things we cannot afford because we are fully knowledgeable of our financial circumstances and responsive to our best interests. We live within our means.
One secret to success is modeling what other successful people do. Most every successful person I’ve ever met saves at least 10% of their income and invests it. Create your own success story.
I cannot tell you how many times people have looked at me, given me an impish grin and said, “I wish I could do that, but I barely make my bills as it is.” The truth of the matter is that you will never miss $1.00 out of $10.00 or $10.00 out of $100.00. So my suggestion is no matter how much or how little money you make, do it!

Many online resources are offering book manuals and videos to guide you into making your masterpiece with less trouble, all in earnest. Just take care to find the most reliable source that would guarantee you results with a minimal investment. But here are several pointers in building your very own killer custom motorcycle.
. Be alert in selecting the proper motorcycle parts in order that everything works and fits together as one complete unit. Wise up on used motorcycle parts and choosing between OEM and aftermarket parts. Get to know and study the tools you’ll be needing for assembly
. Don’t be discouraged easily by the “real life” assembly roadblocks you’ll encounter. Even the professionals have to deal with these things at one point of their bike building careers.
. There’s a correct procedure for each phase of your project - like “mocking up” your rolling chassis and properly fitting and prepping all of your sheet metal parts. This phase may cost you thousands of dollars if done incorrectly.
. Research some tricks for installing front fork components that prevents damage to your show chrome finishes!
. There’s a correct way to prepare all the parts that are being sent out for paint.
. Installing brake systems are important and it would help if you have an idea on what do and what not to do. There’s also a proper way to install all of your brake and oil lines.
. Know about setting up the proper engine and transmission alignment. And, how to be careful not to drive it too hard when installing and setting up a rear swing arm and shocks!
. Installing a correct wiring system is a significant thing that should not be overlooked.
. You must be aware that there is a correct series of tests that must be performed before running your new bike down the road. -30-

1.Taking lessons will greatly improve your chances of staying safe and accident free since providing you retain what you have been taught, you will be probably better than many motorists who have been driving for considerably longer. Lack of sufficient training, or even no training at all which is common in Ireland, will inevitably lead to accidents at a very early stage in the driving career. Accidents are to be avoided at all costs. After all isn’t the safety of the driver, the passengers and other road users the paramount priority?

2.A course of lessons at the start of your driving career and not one month from your Driving Test, will give you the confidence you need to continue the learning process, and will form the foundation for safe motoring.

3.Taking a course of lessons will give you the chance to be accepted by an insurance company for your first Insurance policy. In fact most companies will insist on a minimum number of lessons completed by a recognised school, before a son or daughter will be admitted onto a Parent’s policy.

4.On a very topical note, the Irish Insurer Hibernian, in conjunction with the Institute of Advanced Motorists, has extended its successful Ignition scheme to provisional license holders since January 2005.Learner drivers that pass the one hour driving assessment, will be offered a 21% reduction on their insurance. This is a substantial reduction for any new driver, particularly young males under 25 years of age, and well worth achieving. Just being in the possession of a provisional license will not suffice to pass this test. A course of lessons will be needed in order to achieve the required standard and the test should not be booked until quite a high level of both competence and confidence has been reached.

5.Passing the Department of Transport Driving Test, sooner rather than later, will result in further reductions in already high Insurance costs. Lessons taken just before the Driving Test will not cut it in today’s Test environment; there is just too much to learn if one wants to be successful first time out.

6.The long waiting list for the Irish Driving Test is a great inconvenience for many learner Drivers and also their Driving Instructors. The long wait is accentuated by the huge numbers of learners who do not prepare adequately with a professional school and then are forced to re sit their Test sometimes several times over. Career aspirations can easily be affected if the journey to a full License is overly prolonged.

7.Obtaining a full driving license promptly will speed up the reduction in your insurance premiums via your annual no claims bonus, providing of course you are not involved in any accidents.

8.As a fully licensed Driver you will have much greater opportunity to shop around for a competitive insurance quote, since there are only a very few companies who will insure provisional license holders and then only at a huge premium.

9.As an addition to item number 4 as a fully licensed Driver, you may apply for the more advanced Hibernian Ignition course, providing you are in your first five years of driving .This is a full day course, the cost of which can be recouped, if you pass the practical driving assessment at the end of the day. The reduction in insurance premium for the successful candidate can be upwards of 30%, so again very worthwhile .Drivers in this category should take a refresher course with a driving school to ensure that any bad habits or techniques are eradicated. Once again it is worth pointing out that the length of your driving experience is not a guarantee of success unless you started on the right foot to begin with!

10. If, in the early days of your working life you are unlucky enough to find yourself jobless through either, takeovers, cutbacks or closures, a full Driving License will enable you to pick up an interim job very quickly while you regroup and examine your future options. There is a shortage of drivers to fill current vacancies in Europe, particularly in the commercial sector so there are great opportunities for young qualified drivers who have been well trained.