How to Use Your Skills to Start a Small Business
You’ve spent years honing your craft, acquiring new skills, and becoming an expert in your field. And, whether you’re an IT professional, HR manager, marketer, or any other type of working professional, you can transition from corporate life into being your own boss.
David Baldwin, the founder of InDevelopme, spent over a decade as an IT professional working for a myriad of companies. Now, he uses his abilities to provide his services to his clients and help them improve their processes, and you can too!
Defining Your Business to Set Yourself Apart
The first step to starting your own business is defining what exactly it is you have to offer. The field of consultants and freelancers is packed.
So, you must differentiate your business and its offerings to stand-out among the crowd. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help pinpoint your services.
What topic am I a SME (subject matter expert) on?
What is a skill or ability that I have that most people in my field do not?
What can I do for a business that they cannot do for themselves?
Answering these questions should help you determine targeted services that you can offer to potential clients.
Finding Customers
One of the first significant challenges that new small businesses face is finding their first clients. From cold calling to attending networking events, there are countless ways for new consultants to search for new business.
Luckily, you have spent years building your network through your career!
Since you are fresh out of the corporate world, you likely have a pulse on what businesses are looking for, who they are, and how to find them.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to the network you developed over your career to communicate with them your shift from a corporate professional to a consultant/small business owner!
Operating with a B2B Mindset
You are likely used to operating in a B2C (business-to-consumer) mindset. But, as a consultant, you are going to work in the B2B (business-to-business) space.
When you start to promote your small business, you need to keep in mind the goals of the businesses you are pitching your services to.
While these goals can be different from business to business, there will be some core business goals that span all companies like saving time, increasing efficiency, meeting sales goals, etc.
The best way to win business as a consultant is to present yourself and your services as a solution to one or more of these core problems.
So, Now What?
Starting your own business can be overwhelming. Between establishing your brand, marketing your business, and pursuing new clients, there’s a lot to do!
InDevelopme understands the needs of new small business owners because we were one not that long ago!
If you want help navigating this process, book a consultation with us!