Most professionals who want to start a consulting business are very confident in their technical expertise and ability to deliver great results for their clients. However, they often need help starting and running a business. This informative and actionable webinar, featuring Catherine Morgan, a career transitions expert and owner of Point A to Point B Transitions, will cover important topics relating to landing your first client and starting your independent business, including: What are the personality traits of a successful independent consultant How to maintain a mindset for success during the inevitable ups and downs Why it is important to get support for you and your business How to stand firmly in your value when you don’t have a big brand behind you How to look professional on a bootstrapper’s budget This webinar took place January 26, 2017.

1. What You Need to Know to Become
a Successful Independent Consultant
Catherine Morgan
Business Consultant | Career Transition Expert
Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.

2. Emily Stringer
Consultant Services Advisor
MBO Partners
Moderator

3. About MBO

4. Webinar Controls

5. Live Tweeting
Hashtag: #MBOWeb
@MBOPartners
The webinar is interactive, too – don’t forget to answer our Polls during the
webinar and remember to ask questions both during and after the presentation!

6. About Catherine Morgan

7. Know yourself
• Do you have the personality traits of a
successful independent consultant?

8. Getting past fear
• Fear is what holds us back
• We are afraid of:
– The unknown
– Looking foolish
– Failing

9. Failing to plan
• Carol Roth says, “If you fail to plan, you plan to
fail.” And this is true but…
– You will fail. A lot.
– Embrace “lean startup”
thinking (fail fast and adapt)

10. Planning is great but…
• However well you research and plan, things
will turn out differently
– And you need to be OK with this
– If there was an easy way, we’d all be doing it 

11. Stepping into your power
• Your skills are your skills
– The big brand trap
• Adopting the business owner mindset

12. Know yourself and how you work
• How do you work best?
– It may vary by project

13. Surviving the emotional rollercoaster
• Know that there will be emotional ups
and downs
• Do something every day to
move your business forward
• Concentrate on the things
you can control

14. How to be seen as a thought leader
• Prospects need to understand your expertise
• Everyone is a publisher
– Blogging
– LinkedIn Pulse
– Case studies
– Whitepapers
– SlideShare.net
– Speaking

15. Get over the scarcity mindset
• It’s a really big pie
• Ideas are worth nothing
– It’s all about the execution

16. “Relationships are the currency
of the New Economy.”
~ Bonnie Karpay

17. Connect with others
• Connect with those providing complementary
services / products
• Connect with those providing similar ones

18. Make it a point to collaborate
• It will keep you energized and positive
• You will:
– Learn a ton
– Make friends and
get support
– Stay excited about
your business
– Grow your business

19. Get support
• To see blind spots in strategy or execution
• To leverage the wisdom of the group
• To have accountability

20. My best advice
• Start small (proof of concept)
– Build on what worked, scrap what didn’t

21. My best advice
• Start small (proof of concept)
– Build on what worked, scrap what didn’t
• Step away from the laptop
– Talk to real prospects, not just friends and family

22. My best advice
• Start small (proof of concept)
– Build on what worked, scrap what didn’t
• Step away from the laptop
– Talk to real prospects, not just friends and family
• Create thought leadership
– Everyone is a publisher now

23. My best advice
• Start small (proof of concept)
– Build on what worked, scrap what didn’t
• Step away from the laptop
– Talk to real prospects, not just friends and family
• Create thought leadership
– Everyone is a publisher now
• Connect with other consultants
– Interact regularly with other entrepreneurs

24. Questions?
Catherine Morgan
Business Consultant | Career Transition Expert
Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.
877.672.5333
Catherine@PointAtoPointBTransitions.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pointatopointb
Twitter @PointA_PointB

25. Thank You for Participating!
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