Consulting
Expertise sold as engagements or retainers, usually solo or with a small bench of associates.
Six short steps. No email or account.
Family
Professional services and agencies
You sell expertise and time, delivered as engagements or retainers.
- Priority decisions
- 10
Operating reality
What makes this different
The realities that change which tools can actually work for you.
Revenue is lumpy and project-shaped, which makes cash flow visibility more important than transaction volume.
Professional liability cover is the relevant exposure, not general liability, because the risk is advice going wrong.
Associates are typically contractors, so 1099 handling matters and payroll usually does not.
The sales cycle runs on proposals, so proposal quality and follow-up discipline drive revenue directly.
Where to start
The decisions that matter here, in order
You do not have to take them in this order, and you do not have to take all of them. This is where most businesses like yours start.
- 1Accounting software
Track income and expenses so tax time is a report, not an archaeology dig.
- 2Invoicing
Send the bill, and let people pay it without writing a cheque.
- 3Business banking
A business account, so personal and business money stop mixing.
- 4Proposals
Send a proposal that wins the work and gets signed.
- 5Customer records and follow-up
One place for every customer, conversation and next step.
- 6Business insurance
Cover the things that could end the business in one bad afternoon.
- 7Contracts and signatures
Put the agreement in writing and get it signed without printing anything.
- 8Appointment booking
Let people book a time without the back-and-forth.
- 9Tax preparation
File the business return, and stop guessing at quarterly payments.
- 10Email and file storage
Email at your own domain, and files everyone can find.
Your next step
Answer six short questions about your consulting business: your team, where the work happens and what you want to fix first. You get an operating plan in the order to tackle it, with the must-haves and comparison points for each area.
Answers
Common questions
- What software does a consulting business need?
- Expertise sold as engagements or retainers, usually solo or with a small bench of associates. The decisions that matter most are 10 areas, starting with the ones tied to how the work actually gets done and paid for.
- What makes running a consulting business different?
- Revenue is lumpy and project-shaped, which makes cash flow visibility more important than transaction volume. Professional liability cover is the relevant exposure, not general liability, because the risk is advice going wrong. Associates are typically contractors, so 1099 handling matters and payroll usually does not. The sales cycle runs on proposals, so proposal quality and follow-up discipline drive revenue directly.