Consulting Life Shouldn't Be A Compromise

Consulting life can be tough, can't it!

Often when we start we have grand ideas for our consulting business, but before long many consultants start to compromise on their vision in order to grow their business. But it doesn't have to be this way, owning a consulting business shouldn't be a compromise between income and freedom, you can have both! But why does this compromise happen?

Business Growth Happens In Stages

The first thing every consultant needs to understand and make peace with is that in every business, growth happens in defined stages, and to progress through these stages there is a lesson you need to learn in order to break through to the next level.

If you find yourself stuck or at a plateau then there is simply a challenge in the way that you have yet to master!

Sure you may hear tales of the overnight success story but in truth, the only difference between them and you is that they were able to deal with their challenges more quickly due to their experiences.

So what are these stages of growth and what are the compromises consultants make at each level?

The Hustle Zone

The first stage of growth is what I call the hustle zone. This is where you are just starting out, you have no clients and you will do anything to get them.

At this stage, it is not uncommon for consultants to compromise their money freedom by working for free or at a huge discount in order to get their foot in the door with a client.

The problem with this is that this quickly becomes the benchmark when setting future fees and consultants often find themselves in a position where they struggle to justify their value to their clients.

This hampers the growth and the money freedom of the consultant for a significant time into the future as many believe that in order to improve their fee bank they need to implement incremental fee increases over several years.

So how do you get out of the hustle zone without compromising your vision?

Simply put "Start with the end in mind" price as you mean to go on, sure you may not have an office etc now but not taking these costs into account in your early pricing means you are giving yourself a headache later down the line.

The Technician Trap

The second stage of growth is what I call the technician trap. This is where you have managed to get a few clients and are starting to build up some momentum in your business.

At this stage, many consultants begin to compromise on their time freedom because they are doing the work themselves. They may have a team around them but the consultant will be the one doing the majority of the work as they feel that this is the only way to guarantee quality.

They also begin to compromise on their lifestyle by forgoing holidays and leisure time in order to grow their business.

The problem with this is that it is not sustainable in the long term, and consultants often find themselves burning out and having to take extended periods off work to recover.

So how do you get out of the technician trap without compromising your vision?

The key here is to start delegating the work to your team and focus on the strategic aspects of your business. This will free up your time so that you can focus on the things that you are good at and enjoy, as well as giving you the time to have a life outside of work!

Compromised Growth

The third stage of growth is what I call compromised growth. This is where you have a team around you and are starting to scale your business.

At this stage, many consultants begin to compromise on their freedom of relationships & purpose because they have inadvertently built a business which is serving non-ideal clients.

The problem with this is that it leads to a feeling of dissatisfaction and disillusionment, and consultants often find themselves wondering why they bothered starting their own business in the first place.

So how do you get out of compromised growth without compromising your vision?

The key here is to get clear on who your ideal client is and make sure that you are only serving those clients. This will ensure that you are always working with clients that you enjoy working with and that you believe in what you are doing!

Uncompromised Freedom

The fourth and final stage of growth is what I call uncompromised freedom. This is where you have a team around you and are scaling your business whilst maintaining your freedom.

At this stage, consultants can maintain their money freedom by charging premium rates for their services. They are also able to maintain their time freedom by delegating the work to their team and focusing on the strategic aspects of their business. This affords them the time and resources to be able to focus on maintaining healthy relationships whilst pursuing their ultimate purpose.

P.S. We are shortly launching our FREE 3-Part Video Training series The Uncompromised Consultant Experience detailing the exact steps to achieve Uncompromised Freedom! to find out more and to join the waitlist CLICK HERE

#BeUncompromised