Are You Afraid of Starting a Consulting Business?

There's no doubt about it – the world can be a scary place, sometimes. All you have to do is turn on the news to feel frightened about your future or the safety of your family. These days, it can be incredibly easy to just throw in the towel and let fear have the final say regarding how you live your life, but that's no way to live. If we let fear run our lives, then nothing would get done, and we'd rarely – if ever – experience the joys and rewards that life has to offer. That's why it's important to stand up to fear when you reach certain crossroads during the course of your existence. If you're thinking about starting a consulting business as a way to become more independent, earn a larger income and break free of the constraints imposed by the corporate world, you might be reluctant to move forward because of the many fears associated with change. While I can certainly understand this mindset, I think a career in the corporate world should send more shivers up and down your spine than a potential career as an independent consultant.

Reconsider Your Assumptions About the Corporate World

If you're like me, you were brought up in a world where safety and contentment meant getting hired by a strong company and working for that company until the day you retired. Maybe you would get a gold watch at the end of your career as a “thank you” from your corporate masters. Our parents told us over and over again that the corporate world was one that valued people and their time. In fact, there used to be something of a social contract wherein employees could count on steady, rewarding employment as long as they did their jobs and didn't cause trouble.

Sadly, that social contract is no longer valid. The difficulties presented by the economy and a rapidly shifting business landscape have made corporations less willing to hang on to employees and even entire divisions. This has led to a world of employees who are constantly dreading a pink slip, no matter how hard they work or how effective they are at their jobs. Now, what's scarier than that?

The Realities of Starting a Consulting Business

I can understand the fears that are associated with going out on one's own. It can be hard for people to imagine a life without the structure that has traditionally been provided by the corporate environment. However, the structure of the corporate environment has changed into something that employees should be vary wary of. If you have one corporate job and you lose that job, you're out of work. On the other hand, if you have a consulting business and you lose one client, you can rely on the income received from your remaining clients until you find a replacement for the one who got away.

Some of the other advantages of consulting vs working in the corporate world include:

• The ability to work toward goals based on your vision – not somebody else's
   

• The freedom to seek out as much, or as little, work as you require
   

• Financial safety that comes from putting your eggs in multiple baskets instead of just one
   

• Increased control over the events of your life, both in and outside of work
   

• The chance to put your experience and your ideas into action in a way that, frankly, is not possible within the corporate world

It's Time to Put Your Fears Aside and do What's Best for You

If you think about it, it's likely that most of the great experiences you've had in your life were only arrived at after you were able to let go of your fears. The same is true for your career. While the corporate world can seem like an ideal when it comes to steady employment and a regular paycheck, things have shifted considerably since the days when our parents urged us to seek shelter in long-term, corporate jobs. The fact of the matter is that corporations are no longer holding up their end of the social contract. As a result, starting a consulting business is one of the safest moves you can make.

Are you interested in learning more about starting a consulting business? You can learn more about what Buddy has to say by downloading a copy of his free ebook, “Experience Matters,” or by taking a look at the numerous free consulting resources available here on Ex3matters.com.