You're passionate about urban planning and want to start a consulting business. What's the first step?

Hidden behind all of this is whether you genuinely have the drive, desire and commitment to do it! People buy into your own personal skillsets and you as a person. Trust is so important at the outset. Projecting that trust, and what you can do with it for clients - being a trusted partner - is critical to taking the whole proposition forward.

Start out by considering what are your strengths & Passions: Consider your planning expertise & what excites you (sustainability, transportation, historic preservation?). This identifies potential niches. Market Research: Analyze local planning needs & identify under-served areas. What are other people in your geographic area doing well - or poorly? Client Targeting: Who benefits most from your niche? Private clients, landowners, local government or local communities? Define your ideal client profile. Profitability: Research fees & project scopes within your niche. Don't compete on price - compete on quality. Test & Refine: Start small with targeted marketing & networking. Continue to develop your scope.

Defining your niche involves strategically evaluating your strengths, weaknesses, and market needs, ensuring your services are unique and in demand. Start by conducting a thorough self-assessment to identify your areas of expertise, passion, and any gaps. Consider how your background can address today's and tomorrow's challenges. Reflect on the future of urban spaces, focusing on sustainability, technology, and equity, to ensure your niche is forward-thinking and aligns with emerging trends. Engaging with ongoing research, attending industry conferences, and participating in professional forums can provide insights into future trends. Remember, the relevance of your niche will evolve, so maintaining a learning-oriented approach is crucial.

Based on many official and scientific surveys among professional urban planners, communication is the most important skill for career development. Interestingly, having technical skills and being an expert in regression analysis are at a low ebb. So there is just one way for career development: building sophisticated networks among government agencies , private land owners, and large construction companies, as planning historically has developed as a state occupation and has root in welfare-state ideas and top-down governmental planning. Likewise, being familiar with law and regulations is necessary condition for promotion.

The first step in starting an urban planning consulting business is to conduct a thorough market analysis to determine your niche in the urban planning industry. This entails researching potential clients, such as local governments, developers, non-profits, and other stakeholders, to better understand their requirements and the specific urban challenges they face. Analyzing competitors in the market to identify gaps or underserved areas can assist you in developing your unique value proposition. Simultaneously, assess your skills, expertise, and interests to ensure that your services are in line with market demands, such as sustainable development, community engagement, or smart city technologies.

Get experience first. Work in both the public and the private sector, they are very different, each with different priorities, goals, outcomes. Understand both to be able to work with a wide range of projects.

In my experience the first step to starting an urban planning consulting business will be to identify the prospective/target client, as generally urban planning projects are public sector projects and require high credentials of the company, not the individual.

We have to consider the country on wich you are considering to open your business, in Brazil, for example, the private sector have better oppotunities in the field of urban planning, specially on local planning and land subdivisions, which are on the rise, specially on countryside, considering the level of difficulty to have the state’s approval, lots of architects and urban planners are specialliazing themselves on this matter.

Begin after you work in a variety of local size and scale settings, and in a variety of focus areas to gain a comprehensive perspective across Planning disciplines, plus add some private sector focus experience to see it from the other side before you try this-- unless you're a SME in one discipline then work from that place of expertise. Trust your experiences, share your stories as appropriate, and be open to risk taking. Of course, establish your company with the SCC and obtain a local business license to operate. Set aside some startup funds for all of these fees. And remember to annually renew your SCC filing and license.