National Association for the Practice of Anthropology
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
NAPA
  • Discover
    • About
    • Annual Meeting
    • Join/Membership
    • Volunteer
    • NAPA Awards
    • Donate
  • Practice
    • About Practice
    • Ethics
    • Best Practices
    • Interviews
    • Case Studies
    • Student Achievement Award
    • Related Organizations
  • Mentoring/Career
    • NAPA Mentor Program
    • Mentoring FAQ
    • Career Development
    • Internship Tips
    • Position Listings
    • Field Schools
    • Fellowships, Volunteering, and Internships
    • Graduate Programs
    • Why Anthropology?
  • Communicate
    • NAPA Listserv
    • NAPA Newsletter
    • Submit To The Annals
    • Blog/Social Media
    • Contact Us
  • Discover
    • About
    • Annual Meeting
    • Join/Membership
    • Volunteer
    • NAPA Awards
    • Donate
  • Practice
    • About Practice
    • Ethics
    • Best Practices
    • Interviews
    • Case Studies
    • Student Achievement Award
    • Related Organizations
  • Mentoring/Career
    • NAPA Mentor Program
    • Mentoring FAQ
    • Career Development
    • Internship Tips
    • Position Listings
    • Field Schools
    • Fellowships, Volunteering, and Internships
    • Graduate Programs
    • Why Anthropology?
  • Communicate
    • NAPA Listserv
    • NAPA Newsletter
    • Submit To The Annals
    • Blog/Social Media
    • Contact Us
NAPA
  • Discover
    • About
    • Annual Meeting
    • Join/Membership
    • Volunteer
    • NAPA Awards
    • Donate
  • Practice
    • About Practice
    • Ethics
    • Best Practices
    • Interviews
    • Case Studies
    • Student Achievement Award
    • Related Organizations
  • Mentoring/Career
    • NAPA Mentor Program
    • Mentoring FAQ
    • Career Development
    • Internship Tips
    • Position Listings
    • Field Schools
    • Fellowships, Volunteering, and Internships
    • Graduate Programs
    • Why Anthropology?
  • Communicate
    • NAPA Listserv
    • NAPA Newsletter
    • Submit To The Annals
    • Blog/Social Media
    • Contact Us
  • Discover
    • About
    • Annual Meeting
    • Join/Membership
    • Volunteer
    • NAPA Awards
    • Donate
  • Practice
    • About Practice
    • Ethics
    • Best Practices
    • Interviews
    • Case Studies
    • Student Achievement Award
    • Related Organizations
  • Mentoring/Career
    • NAPA Mentor Program
    • Mentoring FAQ
    • Career Development
    • Internship Tips
    • Position Listings
    • Field Schools
    • Fellowships, Volunteering, and Internships
    • Graduate Programs
    • Why Anthropology?
  • Communicate
    • NAPA Listserv
    • NAPA Newsletter
    • Submit To The Annals
    • Blog/Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Main Blog » Member Blog » Stepping into Consulting

Stepping into Consulting

October 21, 2017 No Comments

By Ruth Sando

I have recently (2017) retired after a long career in private industry, working both as an employee and an outside consultant. After earning my Ph.D., I spent over 20 years in the financial services industry (in banking and insurance), and then for five years was a senior international housing finance manager before starting my own firm, Sando and Associates, in 2003.

There is a high failure rate for people going into business for themselves, but it is highest for those who do insufficient preparation. If you are interested in working as a consultant, I have some suggestions that I hope are helpful.

Become an expert

My work experience has convinced me that the best way to become a consultant is to first work in your field long enough so that others will view you as an expert, worthy of being hired for advice.

Understand what life is like for your clients

My years on the inside taught me the language and worldview of American industry. I also learned about the pressures that staff and management are under, how decisions are made, how budgets are created, how functions are staffed, etc. When I took a position as an international consultant, I learned how to market services, write proposals, create budgets, manage teams, resolve issues with the client, and create the final report.

Spend time preparing to work independently

I decided to go out on my own three years before I actually did so, and I used that time to create my own “board of directors” for advice, hire a graphic artist to do my business card and website, buy the equipment I needed, research the competition, develop a marketing plan, join organizations, begin networking, interview successful entrepreneurs, improve my presentation skills, and save money for a financial cushion.

Develop a clear statement of what you have to offer

In order to develop your website and to market your services, you need to be able to articulate what value you provide and how you differ from others providing similar services. Also, you need to understand what departments in the organization are likely to hire you, and focus marketing efforts on people in those areas.

Make sure you make a profit

When you have a business, your goal is to stay in business. When someone wants to hire you, you need to still be available. So it is important to be committed to your work, stay competitive, and make a decent living. Many consultants have a variety of billing rates, depending on whether the client is a government agency, a non-profit, or a private organization. You need to be able to price your work correctly, recognizing that you are not billable all the time, and must include vacation time and the costs of insurance and other benefits in your pricing.

Spend time in ways that will bring in more customers

Find out what organizations your potential clients belong to and join them. Volunteer to be a speaker at professional conferences where you can get in front of clients. Write articles for the journals that they read. You will have a limited budget for marketing, so make sure that it is spent in ways that lead to new business. Once my business was underway, I found word of mouth to be the most important source for new clients. LinkedIn had also proven to be an important vehicle for being noticed, and spending time updating your LinkedIn page is likely to be time well spent.

Make sure you enjoy what you do

Consultants are self-motivated, so we have to enjoy our work and the challenges that come with it. We also have to update our marketing strategy when conditions change. There may be some tasks that you don’t enjoy or are not good at, and it would be wise to try to hire those tasks out, rather than let them be a drag on your time and energy.

Consulting
« Previous Post
Next Post »

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Welcome To NAPA

NAPA promotes human-centered work applied to practical problems by linking a network of professional anthropologists working across employment sectors.  We support all anthropologists in bringing real solutions to communities, organizations, and policymakers, by offering advocacy, information, networks, mentoring, and continuing education.

AnthroJobs of the Week

AnthroJobs of the Week, 13 January 2021

AnthroJobs is back from hiatus, thank you for your patience! We have some interesting positions in this week’s review. Medical, evaluation, and similarly inclined anthropologists should be particularly intrigued about

Read More »
Sign-up to the new Design By Anthropologists Blog!

        Learn More

Browse NAPA’s Blogs:
  • Announcements
  • Annual Meeting
  • AnthroJobs
  • Main Blog
    • AnthroCurrents
    • Case Studies
    • Guest Blog
      • Design by Anthropologists
    • Interviews
      • NAPA Podcast
      • Volunteer of the Year Award Interview
    • Member Blog
  • Newsletter Archive
Recent Posts
Sunset for the UX Blog
Design by Anthropologists
July 8, 2020 Terry Redding

Sunset for the UX Blog

How can a Business Anthropologist and Data Analyst dance together?
Guest Blog
May 5, 2020 Touhid Kamal

How can a Business Anthropologist and Data Analyst dance together?

Esports and the Built Environment: Where the Digital Meets Reality
Design by Anthropologists
March 3, 2020 Angela Ramer

Esports and the Built Environment: Where the Digital Meets Reality

Working in Enterprise User Experience (EUX)
Design by Anthropologists
February 11, 2020 Matt Artz

Working in Enterprise User Experience (EUX)

MEET NAPA’s 2019 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Brandon Meyer
Volunteer of the Year Award Interview
January 17, 2020 admin

MEET NAPA’s 2019 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Brandon Meyer

Skip the CV. Reinvent the Resume: A discussion of how to present the content of your career
Design by Anthropologists
December 4, 2019 Molly Rempe

Skip the CV. Reinvent the Resume: A discussion of how to present the content of your career

Tag Cloud
American Anthropological Association (AAA) anthro/studio Anthropology News best practices big data biological anthropology book reviews business anthropology Call for Papers careers expo profile check community Consulting corporate anthropology design design anthropology design ethnography development digital anthropology digital ethnography environmental anthropology ethics ethnography evaluation fieldwork forensic anthropology Governing Council Today linguistic anthropology LinkedIn Series Interview marketing medical anthropology NAPA Awards NAPA Career Profiles NAPA Networking Event NAPA workshops Networking organizational anthropology political anthropology social work technology theory TWIAN user research UX Volunteer Of The Year Interview

Discover

  • About
  • Annual Meeting
  • Join/Membership
  • Volunteer
  • NAPA Awards
  • Donate

Practice

  • About Practice
  • Ethics
  • Best Practices
  • Interviews
  • Case Studies
  • Student Achievement Award
  • Related Organizations

Mentoring/
Career

  • NAPA Mentor Program
  • Mentor FAQ
  • Career Development
  • Internship Tips
  • Position Listings
  • Field Schools
  • Fellowships, Volunteering, and Internships
  • Graduate Programs
  • Why Anthropology?

Communicate

  • NAPA Listserv
  • NAPA Newsletter
  • Submit To The Annals
  • Blog/Social Media
  • Contact Us
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin

Terms And Conditions

  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Disclaimer

The National Association For The Practice of Anthropology is a section of The American Anthropological Association (AAA) – contact GC

©2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

DESIGN BY INDIGETAL

Scroll to top

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Skip to content
Open toolbar

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase Text
  • Decrease Text
  • Grayscale
  • High Contrast
  • Negative Contrast
  • Light Background
  • Links Underline
  • Readable Font
  • Reset