Consulting: Is it For Me?

Consulting is a way to be in the industry without actually doing industry work. It’s a great way to help companies move forward without tasking it’s own team members.

This week I’ve been working to get online work search sites up. While I’m not sure exactly what I am going to do, I want to put feelers out just to see what my options are as far as a return to a “work” life.

While I’m not certain I want to go back to corporate, the thought has occurred to me with 20+ years of experience I have a lot to offer. That may be in the normal 9-5, but not exactly what I am looking for right now. I’ve toyed with the idea of consulting. There are a number of ways to do this.

The easiest way to do this would be to set up a partnership with a temporary agency, such as Robert Half (roberthalf.com). And while this is super easy (they find the gigs for me), it is probably the least lucrative. After all the agency has to take their cut, right? But I am sure they or another similar agency could be a great partner.

Next I could work for a consulting firm. There are a number of these out there. The barrier to entry here is finding one with a current opening in my area. After that it’s just like applying for a corporate job. Since I’ve got the experience the degree requirements are not an issue. Since I’ve worked with several of these companies I know exactly how they operate. The idea is to learn about a company and then make recommendations on changes and next step usually related to an implementation of software or in my case an inventory system.

The final option is to become my own freelance consultant within my industry. The experience alone has provided numerous contacts across the country with multiple organizations. Most of those are Fortune 500s. But I would elect to reach out to medium sized businesses who are looking to take their organization to the next level. Having the opportunity to work along side industry leaders gains invaluable skillsets to tackle all kinds of challenges.

This is just one of the many choices I have about my future. I will spend the next month or two reviewing these options to see if they are the right fit for me. And I may try one or two out. Perhaps I love them. Maybe I hate them. But I’ll never know until I test the waters.