Have you been considering starting your own consulting company?

Have you wanted to tap your aggregate expertise and become a consultant, coach, mentor or advisor – and get paid for helping people and companies succeed?

For a very limited time, Consulting Company University is offering you a chance to get up to THREE of your MOST important questions about starting your own consulting business answered for FREE with zero obligation.

What three answers would MOST help you most get from your current Point A to your desired Point B for YOUR consulting company?

The goal is to give you as comprehensive answers as possible – based on the 30 years of experience of Consulting Company University Founder and CEO, Robert Lee Goodman.  The only requirement is to submit very specific questions about YOUR vision for your company – not generic or philosophical questions. Please send questions that directly relate to you getting from your current Point A to your desired Point B.

Consulting Company University wants to help those who are serious about starting their own consulting company – but who would like a few quick answers to help get them to their desired Point B.

To ask your three questions, just click www.ConsultantQuestions.com for immediate access.

A recent article in Money Magazine “The Rise of Freelance Nation: Money Magazine” June 12, 2009 had the following point:

“Today about 30% of the U.S. job market – roughly 42 million workers – is made up of independent contractors, part-time or temporary staffers, and the self-employed. By the end of the next decade, long after this recession is a distant memory, this “contingent” workforce will have grown to about 40% of the market, experts predict.”

What About Your Company?

A recent article by Consulting Company University describes how companies everywhere are looking for ways to cut costs – and they can save a bundle by hiring a contingent workforce. That way they don’t have to pay for health insurance, vacation and sick days, matching FICA, office space, office equipment, telephone and Internet lines…the list goes on.

All totaled, this can save a company between 25% and 60% of their human resource related costs. No wonder so many companies are making this move.

But what might this mean to you?

It may mean that your job function, whatever it may be, is going to be outsourced to a “consultant” – or whatever you want to call the new “contingent” position. Whatever the position, there may be a chance that your current corporate job will no longer exist as an internal position.

Why not beat them to it? Why not start your own consulting business now and be ready to “take the order?”

What About You?

Does one of the following profiles describe your personal situation?

• You might have considered becoming an independent consultant but weren’t sure what all the action steps might be hidden in those Deviled Details.
• With the current Great Recession, you might have lost your job and decided that you need to offer consulting services as a way to generate income until you can find your next “permanent” job.
• With the loss of wealth and buying power, you might have a need to earn more money than your current employment provides and are considering moonlighting by offering consulting.
• You might have decided that you want to taste test consulting to see if it really is something you like.
• You might already know you want to be a consultant – but want to know how to start a successful practice and get it positively cash flowing before you quit your “day job.”
• You might already be “in business” but not getting the kind of consulting business you want – or the amount you want.

If any of those profiles are even close to describing your personal situation, maybe it’s time to learn what it takes for you to set up a successful consulting company fast – so you are quickly ready to start promoting your services and are ready to “take the order.”

Consulting Company University

Click on Consulting Company University to see if one of its three programs might help you answer the basic 72 issues you need to understand before you start your own consulting company.

Robert Lee Goodman, MBA
Ceo and Chief ImpleMentor
http://Virtual-Exec.com

Many of my clients are start up company CEOs and entrepreneurs who have no background whatsoever in sales and marketing.  Many of my clients are startup entrepreneurs who have little or no cash to pay for copywriting talent (or any thing else.)

I’m certainly no expert on copywriting – and I’m currently working on learning more myself on how to improve my own copy.  However, a friend of mine, Trevor ‘Toe Cracker’ Crook, IS an expert.  He’s also offering 10 hours of downloadable audio MP3s of his “Copywriting Blueprint Formula” for free.

I know that you see a lot of this kind of stuff on the Internet – but I’ve listened to the audios and there is a huge amount of content with virtually none of the usual upsell.

Trevor’s concept on giving away his content for free is “Pay it forward.”  Just like in the novel and the movie by the same name, the idea is to give up front with no expectation of receiving in return.  Trevor’s goal is to “pay it forward” by giving this audio course to one million entrepreneurs.

I’m not an affiliate of Trevor.  I don’t get paid anything for this recommendation. He doesn’t even know that I’m posting this information on my blog or sending it to my list.  However, I strongly recommend you take advantage of this free download, listen to the audios and start applying what you discover to improve your own copy.

This is just my way of reciprocating by helping Trevor - with me “paying it forward” to help him reach his one million Entrepreneur goal.

Robert Lee Goodman, MBA
http://Virtual-Exec.com
http://DeviledDetails.com

One thing about us entrepreneurs: we love doing things enthusiastically – especially when we are trying so hard to get from our current Point A to our desired Point B as quickly as possible.

The problem, of course, is that if we go charging off in the wrong direction, at some point we have to stop, turn around and retrace our steps back toward Point A and start all over again.

The upshot of starting over again is all the time, energy, effort and money that you just spent going down that dead-end trail is mostly wasted – the time spent going the wrong direction delays your successful implementation of your vision.

It also means that you need more money, more time, more effort than you would have otherwise needed if you had done a better job of planning and pick the right direction to begin with.

That’s really the purpose of The Four Big Dots that are covered in my Deviled Details Action Planning Service.  The Four Big Dots of Deviled Details are: your personal plan, your financial model, your action plan and your business plan.

Even if you just do a little bit of work on each of the Big 4 Dots…even if you only generate a couple of dozen action items…even if you only make sweeping approximations for your underlying business model assumptions, you’re probably going to be much better off because you’ve eliminated some of those wrong directions.

The more time you spend on all of those Deviled Details, the more wrong directions that get eliminated. The more wrong directions that get eliminated, the much more likely will be your success.

So, what’s it worth to you?

How many hours are you willing to invest in order to eliminate as many wrong directions as you possibly can? One? Five? Ten? Hundred?

How many hours, months or years are you going to waste, otherwise, cleaning up the mess from not doing it right the first time?

With The Deviled Details Action Planning Service, you will learn how all four Big Dots are interrelated for your own company – and how not doing even one of the Dots correctly can be a deal killer that will block your path to success.

Find out more by clicking Deviled Details Action Planning Service.

Robert Lee Goodman, MBA
Ceo & Chief ImpleMENTOR
www.Virtual-Exec.com

• Do you even know ALL the dots that go into “connecting the dots” for your new business?
• Do you know the W Cubed – W To The Third Power – for each action item and milestone required for your new company?  WHO?  Is going to do WHAT?  WHEN?
• Do you know all the major and semi-major milestones and “Deviled Details” to REALLY get from Point A, where you are now – To Point B, where you want to be?
• Have you taken into account the REAL costs that go with each of those “Deviled Details?”

My Action Planning Service is focused on helping you comprehensively answer ALL of those questions – so you REALLY know what is required for the success of your new company – including all the dots and all the deviled details.

The goal of the Action Plan is to collect, in one place, ALL the action items that will be required to realistically implement your vision for your company over the next 12 months.

With the optional Financial Business Model AND the Detailed Action Plan for the next 12 months showing all major and semi-major milestones, you will have a very comprehensive road map for your new company. You will also know what resources it will take, money-wise and people-wise, to get you from Point A to Point B.

We will go through up to three iterations as we brainstorm and revise items, priorities, dates and budgets.  As we fine tune your Action List, we will focus on available assets and personnel and the right timing for bringing more folks into the company or outsourcing some of the tasks.

We start with 10 hours of my one-on-one consulting and mentoring.  For most clients, this is all the time that is needed to generate an accurate and meaningful Action Plan for their business. The cost:  only $2,750.  Additional hours are available at my standard rate.  The incremental cost for the optional Financial Business Model is only $500.

To date, I’ve already helped the founders and CEOs of over 2,000 diverse companies in over three dozen countries with their business planning, fundraising and plan implementation – to realistically define & implement the right action plan for their business.

Isn’t this the kind of expertise you need for your company?

Isn’t it time you have a real game plan to get you to YOUR Point B?

Robert Lee Goodman, MBA
Ceo & Chief ImpleMENTOR
www.Virtual-Exec.com

Starting and running a company can be overwhelming. Endless new action items seem to appear magically on your To Do List as you day develops – with all of them either whispering or screaming to be your top priority. And, when the day is done, it often seems that one or more of those unanticipated priorities won – and the most important action items you originally had on your list when you walked into your office this morning did not get done – again.

So, how is an entrepreneur to decide on their priorities – especially when there is so much that needs to be done? The answer is surprisingly easy.

1. Priority 1: Absolute top priority for the CEO of a start up company: maintaining a comfortable cash balance. That’s what is in your checking account. It cannot go to zero or go negative. Period.Every morning, everything on your priority list has got to focus on either maintaining or increasing your cash balance so that, as a minimum, it exceeds your comfort level. Everything else is secondary.If this is not your top priority, you greatly increase your risk that you will go out of business.

2. Priority 2: The only thing that is close in priority…but that is still second to Cash Balance…is generating positive cash flow from operations. If you have this, a lot of #1 is automatically taken care of. Remember, even the smallest of cuts that never stops bleeding will eventually kill you.Get above break-even as quickly as you can and stay there. There are two basic ways to do this: increase sales and cut costs. Running lean and keeping costs low by cutting all fat but no muscle is almost always a good idea.However, you can only cut so much and still have the infrastructure that you need to be in business. That leaves sales as the primary way to get above break-even and stay there. Every day, your Priority 2 should be driving sales – including short-term and long-term revenues. For a start up company, I recommend that the CEO spend half of every day on action items that directly relate to marketing and generating sales.
3. Priorities 3 – 101? See Priority 1 and Priority 2. Yes, they are that important.

4. Priorities 102 – 1,001? Items that at least indirectly, but positively, help Priority 1 and 2. Period.

5. Priorities 1,002 – 10,000? Everything else required to run and grown your company.

Ignoring this pecking order of priorities is why most start up companies fail…so slay those dragons every day by focusing on Priority 1 and Priority 2.

How do you know what a comfortable cash balance is for your company? How do you know where real break-even occurs with your current products and services?

You have a realistic business plan – and you measure actual versus budget every month.

Too many entrepreneurs make a huge mistake throwing together their business plan with sweeping generalizations that skew their projection so badly that their whole plan really is a case of GIGO – Garbage In / Garbage Out. The only thing worse than going the wrong direction based on Garbage Out – is to go the wrong direction, enthusiastically.

A bad business plan usually gets you going the wrong direction, often enthusiastically. The result is that most entrepreneurs don’t recognize this problem until it is too late to change direction and save their company.

What makes much more sense is taking the time to generate realistic and meaningful start up, revenue, personnel and operating cost numbers for your new start up company. If you need help, get experienced mentoring from someone who has the expertise you need – someone who can ensure your underlying assumptions make sense for your company in the real world.

Then, you can use your business plan to know how much start up capital you will really need, where your cash balance will be each month and each year…and when you will get to sustained positive cash flow from operations.

With this knowledge, you will know how to best invest your Priority 1 and Priority 2 time on your start up company to get you maximum results.

What is the second biggest mistake?

Many cost-sensitive entrepreneurs depend on number crunchers, bean counters and newly minted MBAs for their projections – just to save a few dollars.

New start up CEOs doom their new company by pinching pennies in the wrong place. Instead, what they need are pivotal insights from experienced consultants who can provide the guidance the entrepreneur needs for producing a realistic, genuinely implementable business plan.

Your business plan is not some academic document – instead, it is your crucial road map to successful implementation of your vision for your new company.

The most important part of any business plan is the detailed financial projections that are the basis for the entire business model of every new start up company. There are four sets of underlying assumptions that drive all the projections:

1. Start up costs – what will you need to spend up front to get the company going?
2. Sales forecast – the single most important set of assumptions for your whole plan – how many of what, will you sell, for how much, at what costs, when?
3. Personnel – how many, of what kind of employees, will you need at what cost, when?
4. Operating costs – what will it really cost to be in business, generate sales, give necessary sales support and exemplary customer service and cover all back office expenses?

Every part of your financial projections is just arithmetic – based on those four sets of driving assumptions. Because it is just arithmetic, many entrepreneurs make the often fatal mistake of assuming it is trivial and can be done easily and cheaply.

But – if you guess wrong on any of these assumptions, then most of your projections are wrong – including two of your most important projections: your cash flow and your capital needs. If you guess wrong on your assumptions that impact these, then you will probably run out of money and your new company will fail.

Number crunchers and bean counters are great at arithmetic. So are newly minted MBAs. And, they can be relatively cheap to hire. But this cheap hire may be the most expensive mistake you will make as a start up CEO.

These cheap hires almost never have any experience base or expertises that help entrepreneurs make meaningful assumptions. So, entrepreneurs who use this approach for their business plans end up with GIGO: garbage in, garbage out projections that are misleading at best – but more often, fatal in the end.

As the adage goes, the only thing worse than going the wrong direction – is going the wrong direction enthusiastically. By basing your business plan on the wrong assumptions, you end up going the wrong direction – probably enthusiastically – believing your bean counter-generated plan will be the path to wealth.

Entrepreneurs who have thought they were saving a few hundred dollars by hiring cheap number crunchers or inexperienced MBAs, end up losing everything they’ve invested in their new company – all because they were penny wise – and dollar foolish – or rather, thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars foolish.

Cash is always limited for start up companies – but this is one place you do not want to get trapped by false savings.

What’s the best way for you to avoid the second biggest mistake for your new start up company?

Hire an experienced management consultant who specializes in start up companies – particularly a consultant who has started at least a dozen of their own companies. That way, you get insights based on real life experience that will help you end up with a genuinely implementable plan for the future – your future and the future of your new start up company.

Ceo Resource LLC has specialized in cost-effectively helping over 2,000 entrepreneurs and start up companies with their business planning for the past 14 years.

Please check out our services at:

www.ShouldYouStartACompanyToday.com <~~ Sample documents and blog

www.ChiefDragonSlayer.com <~~~ Business plans and planning

www.StartUpCompanyMentoring.com <~~~ 1:1 CEO coaching, consulting and mentoring

www.StartUpCompanyWorkshop.com <~~~ 1:1 Insights to design your own business model, your business plan, your own future

www.StartUpCompanyUniversity.com <~~ Training courses for the entrepreneur and start up CEO

Wishing you stellar success for your start up company,

Robert Lee Goodman, MBA

One of the many great things about my profession is working with so many bright entrepreneurs and CEOs in so many interesting businesses – and providing them with pivotal help to accelerate the success of their vision.

(There are so many others – which are so proprietary in nature – that I can’t even list their industry here!).

International client locations include: China, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Honk Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, India, Cayman Islands, Italy, Costa Rica, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Pakistan, Austria, Russian Federation, Philippines, New Zealand, Argentina, Panama, Antigua, Ireland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Guatemala, South Africa.

If you need one on one consulting and mentoring, please see www.StartUpMentoring.com for pricing and details. If you need a business plan or strategic or tactical business planning, please see www.ChiefDragonSlayer.com for pricing and details. If you would like a very affordable course on developing your own business plan, please see www.BusinessPlanAudioCourse.com.

My 14 plus years of providing this kind of broad diversity of top-level tactical and strategic planning enables me to quickly relate to your industry and specific business needs – which means you won’t have to spend extra time for me to come up to speed with your needs, your industry and your particular set of dragons that may be keeping you from success.