Small Business Computer Consulting

IT consulting services are offered at different levels and types in almost all the virtual IT businesses you encounter.  Deciding which IT consulting services you should offer is a key consideration when starting your business.

The IT consulting services you choose to offer should be driven by three main factors:   

1. What your prospects want
2. What’s out there in the marketplace
3. What your competitors are offering

IT Consulting Services Your Prospects Want
Who better than the people who will use your services to tell you what IT consulting services they want?  Start talking to people that you identify as fitting your sweet spot profile.  Ask them questions about their current computer situation:

• What do they use their computers for?
• What’s working well?
• What’s not working?
• What could they use some help with?

That’s how you’re going to figure out what they really need and what types of IT consulting services you should be offering.

IT Consulting Services in the Marketplace
Another way to figure out what kind of products and IT consulting services to offer is to read two key trade publications for small business computer consultants:

• Computer Reseller News (CRN)
• VAR Business

These two publications will keep you up to date with just about everything that you need to know about what’s hot in terms of products and services.  Let these publications be your filtering device.  Because their focus is on the business of IT, they will identify the products that are cool and that also have great potential for you to build value-added IT consulting services into your virtual IT business.  

IT Consulting Services Competitors are Offering
The final way to figure out what products and IT consulting services to offer is to conduct  competitive intelligence.  Basically, you spy on your local market.  

• Visit web sites
• Look at your Chamber of Commerce Web sites
• Visit links for anyone providing similar kinds of services
• Google any type of IT consulting services for your city, county, province, state, zip code, postal code, area code, etc…

Once you know the IT consulting services that competitors are offering, analyze those services to decide the types of IT consulting services you want to offer, ones you don’t want to offer, and ways to improve upon what is currently offered.

Bottom Line on IT Consulting Services
Figuring out which IT consulting services to offer can be daunting.  Looking at what competitors offer and what is available in the marketplace should lead you in the right direction.  The best way to decide which IT consulting services to offer though, is to ask your prospects directly.  This way you know you have a market for whatever you decide to offer.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to IT Consulting Services. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about IT Consulting Services, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business. 

Successful entrepreneurs in virtual IT have a certain set of personality traits and characteristics.  Without these attributes, the chances of becoming a successful entrepreneur in this business are limited.

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

• A successful entrepreneur is someone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it.  

• Successful entrepreneurs in virtual IT have made a detailed plan of what they’re doing for the next year. They continually measure how they’re doing against the plan so they can make adjustments along the way.  

• Successful entrepreneurs are always optimistic.  They look at the positive side of things and they see opportunity in set-backs or unexpected events.

• Successful entrepreneurs recognize their own negativity and get rid of it immediately. They do whatever it takes to tune out negative noise to stay focused and stay positive.

• The successful entrepreneur is very selective in the kind of clients he/she wants to work with.  They take the time to target particular occupations or industries and they look for untapped niches.  

• Successful entrepreneurs never blame others for their situation.  They take responsibility for their actions and do whatever it takes to improve the business or themselves.

• Successful entrepreneurs are continually looking for the next big challenge.  They don’t give up after one, or even a few setbacks.

• The successful entrepreneur is very confident.  They exude this confidence in how they present themselves:  their clothes, car, grooming, social interactions, etc… all shout, "professional."

• Successful entrepreneurs invest time, building mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships with accountants, management consultants, and deeply niched technology providers.  They take the "you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours" approach to relationship networking.

• Successful entrepreneurs in virtual IT know the importance of core business practices like saving, investing, testing, and measuring.  This helps them do more of what’s working and ditch what’s not.  

• Finally, successful entrepreneurs commit to continuous self-improvement.  Both in terms of technology and business skills as well as brainstorming and masterminding for continued, future prosperity.

Bottom Line on Successful Entrepreneurs
To be a successful entrepreneur in virtual IT you need a core set of personal characteristics and traits.  Essentially you need to believe that you will be successful and exude confidence and a positive attitude at all times.  Having a plan and being prepared to do whatever it takes to be successful are the things that will distinguish you as a successful entrepreneur.  

In this article, you’ve been introduced to becoming a successful entrepreneur. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about becoming a successful entrepreneur, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Moonlighting is one of the most common ways computer consultants start their own businesses. It offers the distinct benefit of having access to a steady income while you are building a business.  

The problem with moonlighting is the hours.  When you work for clients while moonlighting you will only be able to get to their businesses on your off hours.  Very often your off hours are their off hours too.  So the question is then, "Do you let your clients know you are moonlighting?"

Some people feel there is a negative stigma attached to a business when the owner is moonlighting.  Perhaps they aren’t taking it seriously, it is a secondary source of income, they aren’t good enough to do it full time, etc…  Moonlighting does not imply any of these things.  Do not hesitate being honest with your clients about it.

You need to address the fact that you are moonlighting head on.  If you don’t, their expectations are likely to get off balance.  Your client is going to wonder why, if they have an emergency at 10:30 in the morning you can’t get there until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. 

• When you explain to your client that you are moonlighting take the time to explain your situation.  
• Tell them why moonlighting is the best option for you right now.  
• Assure them that your moonlighting will not affect the quality of your work.  
• Tell them about the work you are doing.  
• Give them an idea of your availability when you are moonlighting.  
• Tell them about other clients you are working with and how the moonlighting has worked out for them.  

Bottom Line on Moonlighting
The key to successful moonlighting is managing your clients’ expectations.  They need to know up front what your work situation is and the type of availability they can expect.  You don’t want your moonlighting to be perceived as amateur so approach the issue head on like a professional.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to moonlighting. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about moonlighting, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business. 

Starting a new business requires creativity.  You need to think of innovative ways to entice people to give you a shot when you are starting a new business.  

Often times early paying clients come from friends of the family and other family members.  When you’re starting a new business it is best if you can avoid this type of business.  It’s very difficult to do business when you don’t have an arm’s length.  When things go bad or expectations get out of control, dealing with friends and family is very difficult.

Here are some ideas for getting clients when starting a new business:

• One thing that works very well to drum up clients when starting a new business is to put together a "who knows that you are starting a new business" list.  With this type of list you track all the business contacts you make before, during, and after staring a new business.

• Very important to include on your "who knows that you are starting a new business" list are the people who OUGHT to know.  You fill this part in by asking each contact you speak with if they can refer you to someone.  When starting a new business, referrals are key so ask your contact if they will let you know when they hear people complaining about their computers.

• Once you talk with a contact you need to have a way to keep your name in their mind. As someone starting a new business, a tech support sticker is an excellent way to do this. Ask each contact person to put this sticker on his or her computer and give each contact person 3 extra stickers to pass onto their friends and colleagues.  

• The must-have item when starting a new business is business cards.  Hand these out whenever it is appropriate.  You are looking for ways to keep your name in the forefront of people’s minds. Business cards are a convenient way to help do that.

Bottom Line on Starting A New Business
Getting new clients won’t be easy.  Relying on your current contacts to bring in referrals is one of the best strategies when starting a new business.  Train your contacts to listen for people who are whining and complaining about their computers.  Have them let these people know that you starting a new business.  You never know where each referral might lead.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to starting a new business. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about starting a new business, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business. 

Commercial office space is unnecessary when you first start out in computer consulting.  Unless you have a very compelling reason for renting commercial office space, save your money.  You’re much better plowing that money back into marketing and promotional expenses.  

Even a tiny commercial office space is going to be $400 – $600 a month.  A low traffic retail store is even more; at least a $1000-$2000 per month. Rather than waste that money on commercial office space, invest it in marketing and business development.  You’re going to need to do these things whether you have commercial office space or not.  There is no reason to add to your overhead expenses.  

When you start out, a home office is the best choice.  Until you bring on a lot of staff, it’s really not going to benefit you to have a commercial office space.  Most of the time you will be servicing clients at their office, going on sales calls, or attending networking events.  

In computer consulting your clients will not be coming to you.  You go to them.  The time you spend in your own office is minimal.  The money you spend on your office space should be minimal as well.  

You might think that you need commercial office space if you want to run seminars.  These are an excellent marketing tool but you can rent executive office space very reasonably. This type of commercial office space is rented on an as need basis by the hour or day.  

The Bottom Line on Commercial Office Space
Commercial office space is expensive.  There is no reason to put yourself on the hook for $500 or $1,000 a month or more, every single month just to be able to do say you have an office.  The time you or your clients spend in your office does not warrant renting commercial office space.  Use your home office for as long as you can and rent out space by the hour or day as you need it.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to commercial office space. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about commercial office space, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business. 

Business plan outlines are all different.  The one common thread is that all business plan outlines help the writer answer the five W questions:  who, what, when, where, why.

If any of you ever worked in journalism or as reporters, what you want to do when you investigate anything is answer the 5 W’s.  A business plan outline is a concrete method for investigating a business idea so answering the 5 W’s makes sense.  

Business Plan Outline and the 5 W’s

• Who are you?  Your business plan outline should detail your certifications, industry experience, and credentials.  List the business credential that you’ve already received or those that you’re planning on getting in the early stages.  This part of the business plan outline also lists the staff you project needing and what their qualifications will be.  

• What do you plan on sell?  In your business plan outline you need to include a discussion of what it is you are selling.  Are you selling products, services or both?  Once you know what you are selling you then need to discuss the revenue and profit associated with your products and/or services.  

This part of the business plan outline also includes your preliminary sales and marketing plan.  What will you be doing to gain your clients and how much time and money will you spend doing so?

• When did you launch or when do you plan on launching? This information is critical to outside investors and it will also help to keep you on track.

• Where are you located?  Here you will indicate the types of facilities needed to run your business. Will you work out of your home or rent office space?

• Why is your approach unique? This is a critical question that your business plan outline must address. You need to explain your number one differentiator. Somewhere in your business plan outline you must make space for detailing the proposition that sets you apart from everyone else in the market.

The Bottom Line On Business Plan Outlines
Business plan outlines help you structure your answers to the most important business planning questions.  These questions can be summarized as the 5 W’s.  By answering these questions, your business plan outline will lead you to discover and detail the exact "how" of your overall business operations.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to business plan outlines. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about business plan outlines, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.