Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Consultant
According to the dictionary, a consultant is someone who provides expert advice. In reality, a consultant wears many hats, and advice is only one. Working with a consultant may seem scary, unnecessary, or too expensive. Here are a few reasons why the investment is well worth it!
Get ClarityAn outside perspective is sometimes all it takes to get over that hump. Especially if you are a solopreneur, I bet you have lots of conversations with yourself. While it can sometimes be helpful, having someone else to bounce ideas off of, will help you gain perspectives you might not have thought of. As a big idea person, it can be hard to connect all the thoughts in your head. A consultant can help you get clarity on what you want and how to get it in practical action steps.
ExpertiseI work with a lot of innovators and entrepreneurs who have great ideas, are wonderful at working with people and getting people excited about their ideas. The problem? They don’t have the expertise to... write a business plan, create marketing materials, design a logo...fill in the blank. You are good at what you do; knowing your strengths (and areas for growth) can be a huge asset, especially when it comes to knowing when to get outside help.
It Can Be Short TermAs an independent contractor, a consultant isn’t an employee of your organization. You can contract a consultant for a one time gig, or on monthly retainer, but don’t need to make a long term hire for your organization. That means you also don’t have to deal with taxes or benefits. This allows you more flexibility and can save you time and money.
You Can't Do EverythingDon’t get me wrong, the fact that you can't do everything is not a bad thing. It’s a human thing. A lot of new entrepreneurs think they can do it all; that they can DIY it. The truth is that you will make more progress in your work if you can focus on what you are good at and delegate tasks that aren’t within your specialty. And let’s face it, even if you could do EVERYTHING yourself, there is no way you would have enough time to finish it quick enough to start making real impact and maintain some form of work/life balance. (Which can ultimately lead to Burnout!)
Learn and Understand the ProcessA good consultant will walk you through what they are doing and why. I am dedicated to helping create sustainable ventures, and that means empowering leaders with the tools they need to be successful. Sometimes it’s great to just have someone do it for you and be done with it, but having a deep understanding of what they did and why they did it will help you have a better overall picture and become a better leader -- even if you don’t have the technical skills to do it yourself in the future.
