Hey Skoolers! Happy Wednesday! Last week's call covered a lot of details on the topic of Landing a First Contract. I didn't record it because I'd really like to start with live calls and people-interactions. Later, I may add recordings. Is anyone interested in having a call today? Debra sent me a list of topics to consider but she's the only person I've heard from and the only person who was able to join last week. Please let me know. Before Noon, I'll announce if we're having a call or not and if so, what time. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Hey there! If you're reading this, you're either a very curious individual, or you're new to the idea of starting your own consulting business and wondering where to begin. You've come to the right place! There are a few ways to get support: (1) Post your question in one of the subject areas I've created, so others can benefit from Q&A in the general area where information is shared between individuals, (2) DM me for a 1:1 private, 30 minute exploratory session, (3) Come to one of the future live calls where you can ask and get answers to your questions. It's easy to find help, but the quality of help can vary. What better way to get help than from people who already run their own businesses? Some of our members have their own businesses either in consulting, or AI ( @RaSheem Barnett ) or are subject matter experts in areas that you may be able to network and find contracts through. Whatever your questions may be, as this community grows, you'll be able to get answers by starting here. We'll cover several of the fundamental steps in getting your consulting business started. Topics will include: Determining if you need any special licenses for your consulting business (e.g. Professional Engineer) Establishing your company entity (Sole Proprietor? LLC? Partnership?) Getting an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Social Security Administration Reserving your Domain Name Getting a Company Logo created for nominal fee (through affiliated artist or other) Creating a branding statement and value proposition Generating a company email address to heighten the professional look and feel of your brand Getting a FREE Business Bank account Learning about S-Corp treatment, its benefits, and how to apply Contract negotiation Pricing (Hourly versus Statement of Work - aka SoW) Leveraging other social media outlets to get your name out there Leveraging experts who offer services along your journey (Accountants, Lawyers, Insurance Agents)

I'll share my experience regarding how I landed my first contract. If you have a story to share as well, please do! It was April 2020 when I started my first consulting business called Capricorn Project Management Services, LLC. I had no idea what I was doing, but was learning as I was taking steps, one by one through the process. First step was to find out what it would take to establish a legal entity. In one of our upcoming live sessions, I'll walk you through a live demo with web links where to go to set yours up and what pitfalls to watch out for along the way. After my legal entity was established, I struggled to narrow the scope of my offerings and since we were experiencing Covid lockdowns here in Michigan, I spent a lot of time meditating on the concept while floating around in my swimming pool. Having inner debates was, let's say, entertaining. Once I settled on Project Management operations (versus managing actual projects), an area I've been told I'm very good at, I started talking to people about what I was setting out to do. I wasn't in a rush because I had financial means to take my time and "do it right". I had lunch with an ex-boss of mine that summer as we've been keeping in touch since we had worked together. He asked me what I was doing so I told him I had set up a Consulting business. He immediately told me he was talking with someone at work and they were looking for a person to create a Design Review Process. He wanted to know if that's something I'd be interested in and of course I said yes! Project Management Operations often led me to designing and developing processes for other functions which support Projects, including many processes for Engineering. One thing led to another and within a very short time, I met and had landed my first contract! It wasn't huge but it took about 10-20 hours per week and was enough to get my feet wet with consulting. While working with that client, another came along which resulted in a month-long consulting contract for more money than I could have ever imagined possible. I threw a large figure out because I didn't have anything to lose and the client didn't bother negotiating. They said yes.