Business Consultants

[jnjsarauer]

I have never used a business consultant, but it seems like the practice of hiring consultants for lean (efficiency) training, marketing, and even employment searches is growing. Have you hired a consultant for any area of your business, and if so, do you feel it was a good investment?

[AWorker]

Well,i think they might turn to be usefull,but only once you pass by a certain level of development and income.

For the start and for the early stages of a bussines i'd rather like to be my own consultant.Why?First,low costs.Second,i still have the opportunity to get a clue about my bussines so that i can coordonate better later my employees and develop my bussines better this way.Its always exciting and usefull to learn by yourself.

[misao]

I think that I'd want to look into this consultant's past performance before hire him/her. Ask for references and confirm them yourself. Ask to speak to a previous client. If this guy can do for you what he claims, he should be more than happy to flaunt a previous success.

[Fergal]

I once heard someone describe a consultant as someone who "asks for your watch, to tell you the time". There is an element of truth behind this phrase. A consultant can only give good advice on your business if you give him / her good information on your business background and current circumstances.

Consultants can prove very valuable and can provide excellent advice in their own area of expertise. If they didn't provide a useful service they would not be hired by major companies who spend a lot of money on them. As has already been suggested above consultants may be more relevant to larger businesses. Consultants are often very specialised in their own fields and this level of specialism may not be required for a small business.

You may wish to contact your local government enterprise support agency or Chamber of Commerce. These organisations will often give free advice to new businesses or perhaps even pay the costs for a professional consultant / mentor to support your company.

[paul]

Consultant can be good choice if you need to upgrade your business facilities but first research on before you hire a consultant. Discuss with him your requirements and then plan an elaborate business strategy.

[Fergal]

Paul makes a very good point concerning hiring consultants. The appointment of a consultant is likely to be much more successful if you are very clear on what your requirements are.

In other words if you are clear on your objectives and you communicate these to the consultant, the appointment has a greater chance of success, as both you and the consultant are clear on what you want, from the beginning.

[deepak_sharma]

Hiring a professional is always necessary for smooth running of your business.Well thay have different approach in seeing things and they never miss even a samll thing which for common people is useless..

[laurenSwaha11]

I highly recommend hiring outside consulting to give you a non-biased opinion of the everyday operations of your company. They are well worth it.

[scifi]

It's necessary to hire a business consultant ..Infact it is a very good idea to hire one having expertise in the field you are going to relate your business with or your area of business if you have already one, because they have the experience & expertise to guide you in the right direction so that you may not face any difficulties during new startups!!!
They will also help you to guide you during your tough times in the business....I don't think it is an expensive deal..It is infact a kind of investment whose return you will get surely!!

[Mike_Greening]

For all of those who are looking for a consultant, 88owls.com allows you to do a free search for an experienced consultant (10+ years). Every member has agreed to give one free hour of consulting with one caveat - your business must have over $300K in annual revenues.

88owls.com has more than 3,000 combined years of consulting experience in their database. There are consultants covering a broad range of expertise, including marketing, management, strategy, IT, engineering, finance, and many others.

Best,
Mike

[Fergal]

Hi Mike, welcome to Business Advice Forum and thanks for joining. Do you own 88owls.com?

It's a very nice site. Do companies work with the consultants on a face to face basis or can they also work together over the phone or Internet?

[jumeira123]

Business consultants can assist businesses of any size and industry.To obtain maximum benefit, consult the same adviser for a certain period of time,so that he is able to understand the needs and shortcomings(if any) of your business.