You're aiming to become a self-employed ERP specialist. What steps should you prioritize for success?

A self-employed ERP specialist has ideally advanced ERP technical, functional and change management skills. These provide a wider choice of job opportunities from diverse consulting types to project management. Being much ERP knowledgeable and skillful is personally very helpful for a self-employed who can better manage and perform work activities in terms of operational and financial performance.

Having knowledge of business, processes, and technical aspects is crucial for becoming a successful independent ERP professional. This comprehensive understanding allows you to effectively analyze and optimize business processes, customize and integrate ERP systems to meet specific needs, and communicate effectively with stakeholders. It ensures you can provide holistic solutions that align with business objectives, enhance operational efficiency, and deliver tangible value to clients.

Having a network of relationships is essential for becoming a successful independent ERP professional. It helps you gain referrals, access valuable industry insights, collaborate with other experts, and find potential clients. A strong network also provides support and opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth, which are crucial for staying competitive and relevant in the field.

As long as your ERP clients like your consulting services, you can win more assignments by their word-of-mouth marketing. The most important challenge is to continuously improve your management skills and productivity for accepting and completing more jobs successfully with streamlined activities.

Defining a niche market is important for becoming a successful independent ERP professional because it allows you to specialize and become an expert in a specific area. This specialization helps you stand out in a competitive market, attract clients who need your specific expertise, and provide more tailored and effective solutions. It also enables you to build a strong reputation and command higher rates for your services.

An ERP niche can be a vertical solution for retail or healthcare organizations. It relates to a market segment requiring ERP specialists with very specific skills or rare competencies. Another niche example can even be a very sophisticated ERP system not yet replaced due to long redevelopment time and which needs to be customized by ERP consultants who program in Cobol.

Personal marketing is crucial for becoming a successful independent ERP professional because it helps you build your personal brand, showcase your expertise, and attract potential clients. Effective personal marketing strategies, such as maintaining a professional online presence, networking, and sharing valuable content, can enhance your visibility and credibility in the industry, leading to more opportunities and business growth.

Repetitive tasks need to be automated as much as possible with office productivity tools for example. A lot of work can be done with remote access software like TeamViewer. Online learning platforms and communities, social media and other Internet facilities enable effective and efficient accumulation of ERP and other relevant knowledge and skills for enhanced productivity and expertise.

An affordable accounting software is suitable for managing the finances of a self-employed. It is comparable to an ERP which is much less comprehensive and scalable. It enables the real-time management of your customers, suppliers, products, services, orders, invoices, payments, accounting, taxes and other administrative tasks with customizable reports and dashboards.