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What is the most stressful part of creating a technology consulting business? #Spring24 ?
I am a junior in High School interested in Computer Science and Business. In the future I hope to become an entrepreneur with a computer based consulting business such as IT help, Cyber Security, Web development, etc.
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18 answers
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hi Ashley,
I would recommend getting a few years of consulting experience with an established firm before venturing into a firm of your own. I think having that entrepreneurial spirit and a vision for what you want to do is amazing! But realistically there so many variables you would need to manage if you tried to launch your own firm as your first career objective. Getting some experience with an established firm would help you to limit those variables. You can focus your time on building your technical knowledge, project management skills, consultancy skills, and certifications without the added pressures of owning a business.
Once you have your own consultancy your time spent skill building will be limited. Before you receive a dollar from a client you would need to invest time into:
Software procurement
Partnerships with vendors
Building methodologies and business models
Hiring
Marketing
Certifications
RFP's
Demos
SOW's
Additionally, you will get alot more traction with clients once you have established a track record and a reputation in a given industry.
I would recommend getting a few years of consulting experience with an established firm before venturing into a firm of your own. I think having that entrepreneurial spirit and a vision for what you want to do is amazing! But realistically there so many variables you would need to manage if you tried to launch your own firm as your first career objective. Getting some experience with an established firm would help you to limit those variables. You can focus your time on building your technical knowledge, project management skills, consultancy skills, and certifications without the added pressures of owning a business.
Once you have your own consultancy your time spent skill building will be limited. Before you receive a dollar from a client you would need to invest time into:
Software procurement
Partnerships with vendors
Building methodologies and business models
Hiring
Marketing
Certifications
RFP's
Demos
SOW's
Additionally, you will get alot more traction with clients once you have established a track record and a reputation in a given industry.
Updated
Karen’s Answer
Getting experience within a consulting firm, as stated in Ryan's answer, is important because you will learn how a consulting firm works. Another path to learning both technical skills and how to run a business is becoming an independent contractor/freelancer. The trick here is finding a gig (look on-line for IT freelancing you can post yourself there) but the benefit is that you can set up a company and learn to manage it. You can also use that company to scale it. Meaning that as you see new opportunities you can hire as needed. Love the entrepreneurial spirit and best of luck!
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Sagar’s Answer
The most exhilarating (yet challenging) phase of launching any venture is cultivating a sense of trust with your clientele and managing your finances. Initially, you must earn the confidence of your potential customers, a process that requires a considerable amount of time. Remember, trust is accumulated drop by drop, but can be lost in an instant, so your patience, enthusiasm, and ambition will be put to the test.
The financial investment required to set up your business can significantly affect your personal finances and overall well-being. It's wise to ensure you have an ample amount or alternative funding source before you embark on your entrepreneurial journey. Over time, you may notice your expenses increasing, but if the business doesn't accelerate as anticipated, it can lead to excessive stress. This can be mitigated with thorough planning and effective risk management strategies. So, gear up and embrace the journey with optimism and resilience!
The financial investment required to set up your business can significantly affect your personal finances and overall well-being. It's wise to ensure you have an ample amount or alternative funding source before you embark on your entrepreneurial journey. Over time, you may notice your expenses increasing, but if the business doesn't accelerate as anticipated, it can lead to excessive stress. This can be mitigated with thorough planning and effective risk management strategies. So, gear up and embrace the journey with optimism and resilience!
Updated
Nihith Tej’s Answer
Establishing a consulting firm can be an exhilarating journey, especially when it comes to securing clients and pinpointing their issues, as well as efficiently utilizing your resources to deliver solutions. Just like any other business, it's essential to understand the problem you're tackling and devise a strategy to solve it. In the realm of technology consulting, your mission is to address your client's challenges using innovative technology.
Getting your first few clients on board can be a challenging yet rewarding milestone. To achieve this, you need to build a solid reputation and earn your clients' trust. Another crucial aspect of this business is having a team with the right technology skills. Identifying and nurturing this talent can be one of the most significant and exciting tasks when setting up a technology consulting firm.
As many have advised, gaining experience in a consulting firm can give you valuable insights into how the business operates and how to spot talented resources. Additionally, it offers the opportunity to expand your network, which is a crucial element for growth.
Getting your first few clients on board can be a challenging yet rewarding milestone. To achieve this, you need to build a solid reputation and earn your clients' trust. Another crucial aspect of this business is having a team with the right technology skills. Identifying and nurturing this talent can be one of the most significant and exciting tasks when setting up a technology consulting firm.
As many have advised, gaining experience in a consulting firm can give you valuable insights into how the business operates and how to spot talented resources. Additionally, it offers the opportunity to expand your network, which is a crucial element for growth.
Updated
Brian’s Answer
Business development.
At least for those of us that are more technically/strategically/functionally oriented, the practice of proposal writing and sales can be the most challenging part of technology consulting.
But business development -- that is, the process of getting people to buy your services/to want to buy your services -- is essential. You need people to know you as a trusted business advisor. You need to be affordable and aligned to their needs. You need to build those relationships in a competitive market.
To this end, it's important to build BD skills and/or find other people who can be your expert in BD stuff.
At least for those of us that are more technically/strategically/functionally oriented, the practice of proposal writing and sales can be the most challenging part of technology consulting.
But business development -- that is, the process of getting people to buy your services/to want to buy your services -- is essential. You need people to know you as a trusted business advisor. You need to be affordable and aligned to their needs. You need to build those relationships in a competitive market.
To this end, it's important to build BD skills and/or find other people who can be your expert in BD stuff.
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CL’s Answer
Building your client base for contract work can be a challenging task, but remember, every successful company started somewhere. Initially, it might seem like companies are hesitant to trust newcomers, especially those without a proven track record. However, don't let this discourage you. Building a successful firm is all about nurturing relationships. Your goal is to connect with the decision-makers, earn their trust, and demonstrate your capabilities. Once you've established this trust, opportunities to work on their systems will start to emerge. Keep pushing forward, your perseverance will pay off!
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Henry’s Answer
The most challenging aspect could be assembling your pioneer team. Remember, as a budding enterprise, your success is directly tied to the individuals who join you on this journey towards your goals. It's crucial to be thorough and evaluate potential team members carefully. Equally important is understanding their motivations and ensuring they align with the company's objectives. This process can be tough, but it's an exciting opportunity to shape the future of your business. So, embrace it with optimism and enthusiasm.
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Jody’s Answer
Greetings Ashley, you've asked a specific answer for a very broad undefined path. We live in a stressful world with multiple challenges that can redirect our journey in multiple directions based on the future decisions made at any give time by you or somebody else. The fancy phrase I use for that is called conditional probability. And I could be very wrong, but I am OK with being wrong till I get redirected for a better path.
Learning to deal with stress is a life long journey and I will give you this free advice which is like free coffee, which is complimentary but with optional and questionable quality, learn not to be afraid of failure. Failure is an undesired result that can catapult you out of your comfort zone and change your path against your will. Tomorrow is never guaranteed so my advice is to keep your goals high and not let the bumps, valleys, and mountains you need to climb dissuade you from being who you truly are. What I have learned from my multiple failures is that I tend to get what I need and what I earn, versus what I think I want. Invest your time in people who value you, and what I have learned from the multiple supervisors I was forced to work for who did not value me, I learned how to keep growing as a professional regardless of the petty challenges and hindrances they presented against me, and then move on to a higher plateau when the opportunity arose. Ashley, you will be successful, I already know this, how successful is based completely on you. Good Luck and God Speed !
Learning to deal with stress is a life long journey and I will give you this free advice which is like free coffee, which is complimentary but with optional and questionable quality, learn not to be afraid of failure. Failure is an undesired result that can catapult you out of your comfort zone and change your path against your will. Tomorrow is never guaranteed so my advice is to keep your goals high and not let the bumps, valleys, and mountains you need to climb dissuade you from being who you truly are. What I have learned from my multiple failures is that I tend to get what I need and what I earn, versus what I think I want. Invest your time in people who value you, and what I have learned from the multiple supervisors I was forced to work for who did not value me, I learned how to keep growing as a professional regardless of the petty challenges and hindrances they presented against me, and then move on to a higher plateau when the opportunity arose. Ashley, you will be successful, I already know this, how successful is based completely on you. Good Luck and God Speed !
John Easton CEng FIET FBCS CITP
Design large computer systems for companies
18
Answers
Updated
John’s Answer
Hi Ashley
Great to see your vision. I think the biggest challenge will be trying to decide what makes your business stand out. What is it that is going to make organisations come to you for their consulting needs? It may be that you specialise by technology, by industry, by size of business, or on some combination of these. The challenge is that you probably won't know this up front so you're going to have to place your bets on a few different ideas and see which of those actually deliver business to you. This might mean that a few things fail. That's fine, but can be stressful. Just think of this not so much as a failure but as a learning opportunity. Even if it didn't work out, what did you learn from the experience? Over time you'll figure out where your niche is and then it all starts falling into place. Good luck!
Great to see your vision. I think the biggest challenge will be trying to decide what makes your business stand out. What is it that is going to make organisations come to you for their consulting needs? It may be that you specialise by technology, by industry, by size of business, or on some combination of these. The challenge is that you probably won't know this up front so you're going to have to place your bets on a few different ideas and see which of those actually deliver business to you. This might mean that a few things fail. That's fine, but can be stressful. Just think of this not so much as a failure but as a learning opportunity. Even if it didn't work out, what did you learn from the experience? Over time you'll figure out where your niche is and then it all starts falling into place. Good luck!
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hi Ashley, looks like you already have a bunch of answers, but I would still like to chime in. The most stressful part of creating a technology consulting business is often managing the myriad responsibilities that come with entrepreneurship, especially balancing technical work with business operations. As a junior in high school with an interest in both computer science and business, you'll need to navigate challenges such as securing initial clients, managing finances, and building a reliable team. Additionally, staying updated with the latest technological advancements and industry standards is crucial, which can be demanding. Ensuring client satisfaction while scaling your business sustainably adds another layer of complexity. Effective time management, resilience, and a solid business plan can help mitigate these stresses, but be prepared for a demanding yet rewarding journey.
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Joy’s Answer
Let's say You have obtained the necessary skills and experiences you need. What's next?
Creating a technology consulting business can be a challenging endeavor with many stressors.
Some of the most common areas are as follows:
1. Developing a business plan - outlines the objectives. what is your target market? Who is your competition? what are the financial projections? and what are your strategies for reaching potential clients
2. Securing Funding: Do you have the adequate funding you need to start and grow the business? Does it involve pitching to investors? who would be your investors? what is your elevator pitch? and/or applying for loans?
3. Building a Client Base: attracting and retaining a strong client base is crucial for the survival and growth of the business. This requires effective marketing and networking. And this will be time-consuming, yet necessary.
4. Staying Up-to-date with technology trends: Given you want to tap into the technology industry, staying up to speed with this fast-paced, and constantly evolving market is necessary. Keeping up with these changes and incorporating them into your services. Take "AI" as an example, and how business are finding ways to use AI to better improve their client services as well as operationally.
5. Hiring and Retaining Top Talent: A business relies heavily on the skills and expertise of its staff, especially when its a technology consulting business. Finding, hiring, and most of all retaining top talent in a competitive market is crucial.
6. Regulatory Compliance: What space do you want to tap into? Commercial? Federal? Depending on the question, you will need to be compliant with various laws and regulations. The amount and variety of laws and regulations will shift if you want to operate your business across different regions or countries.
7. Managing your operational costs: Keeping your costs in check while delivering quality services is truly a balancing act. This is one of the main stressors during the early stages of your business. Many businesses fail into bankruptcy at their "3 year" mark.
8. Work-life balance: Do not forget, that with the many demands of starting and running a business, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial.
Creating a technology consulting business can be a challenging endeavor with many stressors.
Some of the most common areas are as follows:
1. Developing a business plan - outlines the objectives. what is your target market? Who is your competition? what are the financial projections? and what are your strategies for reaching potential clients
2. Securing Funding: Do you have the adequate funding you need to start and grow the business? Does it involve pitching to investors? who would be your investors? what is your elevator pitch? and/or applying for loans?
3. Building a Client Base: attracting and retaining a strong client base is crucial for the survival and growth of the business. This requires effective marketing and networking. And this will be time-consuming, yet necessary.
4. Staying Up-to-date with technology trends: Given you want to tap into the technology industry, staying up to speed with this fast-paced, and constantly evolving market is necessary. Keeping up with these changes and incorporating them into your services. Take "AI" as an example, and how business are finding ways to use AI to better improve their client services as well as operationally.
5. Hiring and Retaining Top Talent: A business relies heavily on the skills and expertise of its staff, especially when its a technology consulting business. Finding, hiring, and most of all retaining top talent in a competitive market is crucial.
6. Regulatory Compliance: What space do you want to tap into? Commercial? Federal? Depending on the question, you will need to be compliant with various laws and regulations. The amount and variety of laws and regulations will shift if you want to operate your business across different regions or countries.
7. Managing your operational costs: Keeping your costs in check while delivering quality services is truly a balancing act. This is one of the main stressors during the early stages of your business. Many businesses fail into bankruptcy at their "3 year" mark.
8. Work-life balance: Do not forget, that with the many demands of starting and running a business, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial.
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Samantha’s Answer
Hello Ashley,
In our rapidly evolving tech-driven world, it's crucial to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest technological trends and breakthroughs. As you continue to progress in your educational journey or professional career, make it a priority to regularly educate yourself about new technologies, such as GenAI.
Take advantage of any training opportunities that come your way, and strive to comprehend how these technologies can be applied in real-world scenarios. As you start to carve out your own unique space in the tech industry, you have two main paths to consider.
You can choose to specialize deeply in a particular area, becoming an expert in that field. Alternatively, you could aim to acquire a broad understanding of various technologies. This latter approach is particularly beneficial if you're considering a role in consulting, where you'll be addressing a diverse range of business cases!
In our rapidly evolving tech-driven world, it's crucial to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest technological trends and breakthroughs. As you continue to progress in your educational journey or professional career, make it a priority to regularly educate yourself about new technologies, such as GenAI.
Take advantage of any training opportunities that come your way, and strive to comprehend how these technologies can be applied in real-world scenarios. As you start to carve out your own unique space in the tech industry, you have two main paths to consider.
You can choose to specialize deeply in a particular area, becoming an expert in that field. Alternatively, you could aim to acquire a broad understanding of various technologies. This latter approach is particularly beneficial if you're considering a role in consulting, where you'll be addressing a diverse range of business cases!
Updated
Lahari Priyanka’s Answer
Hi Ashley,
One of the greatest advantages of working in technology consulting is the opportunity to engage with a diverse range of clients and tackle unique challenges specific to each one. While many professionals excel in implementing and delivering technical solutions, it's crucial to also have team members who possess deep business and market insights.
Managing client expectations and navigating competitive landscapes essentially involves strategic business interactions. Integrating technology by working closely with your team of technical experts is key to designing transformative journeys and adding value tailored to the specific needs of your clients.
Creating a balanced team that encompasses both business acumen and technical expertise can indeed be challenging in the technology consulting sector.
It’s great to see you’re proactively thinking about these aspects and seeking advice in relevant forums. Best of luck in your future projects!
One of the greatest advantages of working in technology consulting is the opportunity to engage with a diverse range of clients and tackle unique challenges specific to each one. While many professionals excel in implementing and delivering technical solutions, it's crucial to also have team members who possess deep business and market insights.
Managing client expectations and navigating competitive landscapes essentially involves strategic business interactions. Integrating technology by working closely with your team of technical experts is key to designing transformative journeys and adding value tailored to the specific needs of your clients.
Creating a balanced team that encompasses both business acumen and technical expertise can indeed be challenging in the technology consulting sector.
It’s great to see you’re proactively thinking about these aspects and seeking advice in relevant forums. Best of luck in your future projects!
Updated
Krishnan’s Answer
To start your own tech consulting business, it is important to firstly focus on your niche product or service that you are bringing to the market and potential customers. There are still a lot of manual processes in the cyber security space which can be automated either by a technology product or providing services (or both).
Once you have identified your nice product or service, it is important to develop a MVP (Minimum Viable Product) which can be taken to the market and demoed to potential customers or investors who are willing to invest in your product or service.
Some of the challenges include - hiring the right people, competition catching up with your niche product/service, lack of clients who are willing to pay for your business, larger companies replicating your unique value proposition. As a result, it is important to focus on a specific area that you are comfortable with and can becomes the subject matter expert in and continue to innovate quickly and rapidly.
Once you have identified your nice product or service, it is important to develop a MVP (Minimum Viable Product) which can be taken to the market and demoed to potential customers or investors who are willing to invest in your product or service.
Some of the challenges include - hiring the right people, competition catching up with your niche product/service, lack of clients who are willing to pay for your business, larger companies replicating your unique value proposition. As a result, it is important to focus on a specific area that you are comfortable with and can becomes the subject matter expert in and continue to innovate quickly and rapidly.
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Ninad’s Answer
Hello Ashley,
At the heart of any successful consulting business, there are two key ingredients: 1) Harnessing talent and skills 2) Winning over clients.
As you consider launching your own solo consulting venture, there might be some challenging yet exciting hurdles ahead.
a) Building trust with potential clients - Be ready to share some of your expert advice for free initially. This not only demonstrates your competence but also adds value to your clients.
b) Constantly upgrading your skills - It's essential to stay ahead of the curve, always striving to know more than the next person about a particular subject. This commitment to continuous learning is what will set you apart.
At the heart of any successful consulting business, there are two key ingredients: 1) Harnessing talent and skills 2) Winning over clients.
As you consider launching your own solo consulting venture, there might be some challenging yet exciting hurdles ahead.
a) Building trust with potential clients - Be ready to share some of your expert advice for free initially. This not only demonstrates your competence but also adds value to your clients.
b) Constantly upgrading your skills - It's essential to stay ahead of the curve, always striving to know more than the next person about a particular subject. This commitment to continuous learning is what will set you apart.
Updated
Denver’s Answer
Ashley,
Your ambitions remind me of my own when I was ending high school. I was good at fixing computers in high school and became a few people 'computer wiz', which later turned into doing consulting work for several non-profits in the area. It ended up paying for my living expenses and the majority of tuition, so it ended up being great. After graduating I ended up in the Big 4 consulting firms and it was a natural transition. As mentioned above, an internship with an existing consulting firm may be a good way to get your feet wet. It will also help you find what you want to specialize in. I fell into starting my consulting firm by chance and there were a lot of hard lessons along the way.
There are some stressful points to owning your own consulting firm, especially since you may be the only employee for some time:
1. You can only eat what you can kill (e.g., you only get paid when you're working, you're not paid when you aren't working). Some firms supplement their income by creating products with regular fees to mitigate this.
2. Expansion is a very hard decision. Bringing on another consultant comes with the cost of keeping them busy whether you have work for them or not. Sometimes contracting works when you have an inconsistent pipeline.
3. You will lose some freedom. My clients had a habit of their systems going down during every finals week I had during college. Most times clients called while I was on vacation.
4. Removing the types of services you provide or changing the focus of the business can be difficult.
On the flip side there are a lot of great things that come from starting your own firm:
1. When you're busy, you're making a lot of money.
2. You get a chance to network with other consultants and entrepreneurs.
3. You lose some freedom, but you also gain quite a bit in other ways. You can often work when you want and you're not locked into a cubicle from 8-6pm.
4. Buying tools for the business to lower your tax burden makes tax season a fun time of the year.
My experience was great and would go back and do the same thing again if I had the chance. If you decide to, draft up a solid contract template being very specific about what services you're providing and your fees and have some fun!
Your ambitions remind me of my own when I was ending high school. I was good at fixing computers in high school and became a few people 'computer wiz', which later turned into doing consulting work for several non-profits in the area. It ended up paying for my living expenses and the majority of tuition, so it ended up being great. After graduating I ended up in the Big 4 consulting firms and it was a natural transition. As mentioned above, an internship with an existing consulting firm may be a good way to get your feet wet. It will also help you find what you want to specialize in. I fell into starting my consulting firm by chance and there were a lot of hard lessons along the way.
There are some stressful points to owning your own consulting firm, especially since you may be the only employee for some time:
1. You can only eat what you can kill (e.g., you only get paid when you're working, you're not paid when you aren't working). Some firms supplement their income by creating products with regular fees to mitigate this.
2. Expansion is a very hard decision. Bringing on another consultant comes with the cost of keeping them busy whether you have work for them or not. Sometimes contracting works when you have an inconsistent pipeline.
3. You will lose some freedom. My clients had a habit of their systems going down during every finals week I had during college. Most times clients called while I was on vacation.
4. Removing the types of services you provide or changing the focus of the business can be difficult.
On the flip side there are a lot of great things that come from starting your own firm:
1. When you're busy, you're making a lot of money.
2. You get a chance to network with other consultants and entrepreneurs.
3. You lose some freedom, but you also gain quite a bit in other ways. You can often work when you want and you're not locked into a cubicle from 8-6pm.
4. Buying tools for the business to lower your tax burden makes tax season a fun time of the year.
My experience was great and would go back and do the same thing again if I had the chance. If you decide to, draft up a solid contract template being very specific about what services you're providing and your fees and have some fun!
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Steven’s Answer
The other's have hit the nail on the head -- you need to focus and use that focus to craft why you stand out from the numerous other businesses like yours. Also, you need to build a great support team around you, as you cannot do it all yourself (although freelancing is certainly a viable option, but that will be much different than an "business").
Also, don't be afraid to fail. Try hard at whatever you think will work and if it doesn't after a reasonable period of time, at least you have now learned one thing that WON'T work. Take that experience and try again, or even just pivot and / or reframe your focus to see if you can get more traction.
When I first started my business, a mentor told me that the most important skill of an entrepreneur is persistence. I didn't really understand that until a few years down the road when we had to make our first big pivot, and after 20 years, I find myself often giving others the same advice. Be persistent! If you want it, you can make it happen.
Good luck!
Also, don't be afraid to fail. Try hard at whatever you think will work and if it doesn't after a reasonable period of time, at least you have now learned one thing that WON'T work. Take that experience and try again, or even just pivot and / or reframe your focus to see if you can get more traction.
When I first started my business, a mentor told me that the most important skill of an entrepreneur is persistence. I didn't really understand that until a few years down the road when we had to make our first big pivot, and after 20 years, I find myself often giving others the same advice. Be persistent! If you want it, you can make it happen.
Good luck!
Updated
Kiran Kumar’s Answer
Embarking on the adventure of creating a technology consulting business is indeed a significant endeavor, filled with its unique set of hurdles that could stir up stress. Yet, armed with the right game plan, a laser-sharp focus, and a supportive network, these obstacles can be tackled efficiently. Deloitte extends a helping hand with resources and mentorship to steer and bolster you as you traverse these initial phases. Keep in mind, your resilience and ability to adapt are your most powerful allies on this exciting journey.