Getting the Help You Need Without Using a Management Consultant
It may surprise you to know that much of what a management consultant purports to give you can be obtained elsewhere...
for free.
This won't always be the case, and you shouldn't automatically assume that it is; but you ought to at least consider the possibility before spending a lot of time and money on bringing in an external expert.
As you know, the Internet has made it possible to contact almost anyone in the civilized world in a flash.
As a result, hundreds or even thousands of professional organizations have created support centers to assist their members.
Many of them will provide free legal and accounting advice.
Others may charge a nominal fee.
Associations such as the local Chambers of Commerce are more likely to give you the names of other business people only, who will then charge you for their services.
But, if you learn to think "laterally", then you'll be surprised at just how much information you can amass without spending a penny.
There's one source, however, that could be a veritable gold mine and which you may not have considered: Universities.
A lot of people are put off by academics and with good reason.
Many of them seem to speak a kind of gobbledy-gook that only they understand, while others have so many caveats for their conclusions that you wonder if what they've discovered actually applies to anyone.
The main problem is simply a misunderstanding between them and the general public.
The audience for whom academics must write is other academics.
That means that they must express themselves in a manner that will satisfy their peers so that their research will be published in the journals that will further their careers; and that means that their readers will always be quite different from the average business owner.
It's no wonder that entrepreneurs struggle to understand what academics write.
However, the biggest challenge that researchers face is getting access to organizations.
So, if you have a particular business problem, then it would behoove you look at the web site for the business school at your local university.
Read through the various interests of each member of the faculty and look for someone who may be doing some research in the same area where you need help.
Then contact one or more of them, and offer access to your organization.
In return, you'll expect them to share their results with you, which most will gladly do.
for free.
This won't always be the case, and you shouldn't automatically assume that it is; but you ought to at least consider the possibility before spending a lot of time and money on bringing in an external expert.
As you know, the Internet has made it possible to contact almost anyone in the civilized world in a flash.
As a result, hundreds or even thousands of professional organizations have created support centers to assist their members.
Many of them will provide free legal and accounting advice.
Others may charge a nominal fee.
Associations such as the local Chambers of Commerce are more likely to give you the names of other business people only, who will then charge you for their services.
But, if you learn to think "laterally", then you'll be surprised at just how much information you can amass without spending a penny.
There's one source, however, that could be a veritable gold mine and which you may not have considered: Universities.
A lot of people are put off by academics and with good reason.
Many of them seem to speak a kind of gobbledy-gook that only they understand, while others have so many caveats for their conclusions that you wonder if what they've discovered actually applies to anyone.
The main problem is simply a misunderstanding between them and the general public.
The audience for whom academics must write is other academics.
That means that they must express themselves in a manner that will satisfy their peers so that their research will be published in the journals that will further their careers; and that means that their readers will always be quite different from the average business owner.
It's no wonder that entrepreneurs struggle to understand what academics write.
However, the biggest challenge that researchers face is getting access to organizations.
So, if you have a particular business problem, then it would behoove you look at the web site for the business school at your local university.
Read through the various interests of each member of the faculty and look for someone who may be doing some research in the same area where you need help.
Then contact one or more of them, and offer access to your organization.
In return, you'll expect them to share their results with you, which most will gladly do.