Why Hire A Consultant?

Small business people are confronted with a constant struggle to find the information necessary to make sound decisions. Even if they have the time to do research on the internet or in the library, the volume of information available has become too staggering to sift through. Should I buy this piece of equipment or that? Should I buy any new equipment at all? How much money should I spend on marketing and advertising? What about my retail pricing? Am I charging enough to make a reasonable profit? Am I price competitive in my market? Should I be? Are my operations as streamlined as they can be? Am I buying right? Am I using the right vendors?

Confused about business decisions? We can help.

These are typical questions that you face in your small business on a regular basis. You then look at some numbers and make your "best guess" about what to do – often wondering if there was more homework that could have insured success. This is where the consultant can help. Consultants are people with great experience in a particular industry who have faced these very same decisions many times. They know the right questions to ask and what the answers should be. Knowing the range of acceptable key performance indicators, a consultant can quickly assess a situation. In general consultants add a dimension of industry knowledge and contacts thus reducing the risk of any decision.

For many people the decision to hire a consultant is difficult. Independent small business people think they can't afford the luxury. Yet, frequently, a consultant will save more than he costs. Marketing tricks and tips, vendor relationships, and functionality in operations are all areas where many dollars can be saved. But these are just a few of the areas in which a consultant works. Often, you have started on a project that has later fallen by the wayside when a stumbling block is encountered. A consultant can answer questions and keep the process rolling until reaching a successful conclusion. The best example of this in the picture framing industry is the installation of a computerized point of sale system. People purchase software, yet never complete the installation and use.

Few business people would think of preparing taxes and financial statements without an accountant or sign a lease with an attorney's review. Both of these are specialized consultants – why not consider a small business consultant to help as well?

We offer a no-cost, no-obligation way to see what our consulting is all about!

Every month we have a class entitled "A Taste of Consulting" where we chat in a one hour conference call about topics business topics and issues of interest to all participants. You are free to bring up a topic for discussion and we will tackle it just as we would in a consulting session. If we suggest materials, they will be provided at no charge. The only limitation is that there can be multiple participants. Hopefully you will learn from hearing other problems and challanges discussed. This tele-class gives you the opportunity to see what our consulting is all about and how you can benfit from this relationship. Join us now by registering for an upcoming session.