| Many people think about life as an independent | | | | - Are any of your concerns all or nothing |
| consultant, but something holds them back. Still, | | | | scenarios? If you see things in black and white, |
| the dream may come back to them over and | | | | are there any opportunities to bring in shades of |
| over. If you've ever contemplated becoming an | | | | gray? For example, if you see working on your |
| independent consultant, you may want to think | | | | own as a huge risk, could you involve partners, |
| not just about the dream, but about what holds | | | | find a mentor, join a professional association, take |
| you back from achieving it. | | | | a course or get involved in an online community? |
| Six tips for unblocking the road to independent | | | | - Talk to others to find out how they have |
| consulting | | | | tackled similar problems. Sometimes, by reaching |
| - Why not? What's holding you back from | | | | out to others - whether they are mentors, |
| independent consulting? Write, draw, mindmap and | | | | teachers or colleagues - we can learn from the |
| brainstorm reasons you feel keep you from | | | | wisdom of experience, without having to suffer |
| independent consulting. | | | | for that experience. |
| - Go deeper. What's scary about those reasons? | | | | - Work on a plan for becoming a consultant. |
| - Can you do anything to resolve those fears? | | | | Becoming an independent consultant may well be |
| For example, if you're worried about having a | | | | within your reach - if you're willing to work out a |
| stable income, perhaps you would start consulting | | | | plan for getting there. It's often the lack of a plan |
| part-time, use that income to build up an | | | | that makes things feel out of control. If you can |
| emergency fund, secure some stable clients, and | | | | work out goals and obstacles and a plan for |
| plan to have a part-time job when you do move | | | | dealing with both, you may find yourself on the |
| to full-time consulting. | | | | road to independent consulting. |