Building A Successful Consulting Practice (In Action Case Study Series)

Patricia Pulliam Phillips

Description

Consulting is one of the fastest growing occupational groups in business today. For many talented individuals around the world, starting a consulting practice offers great opportunity for income growth and job satisfaction. Yet, consulting does have its unique set of challenges including lack of professional respect from potential clients and a high business failure rate. This book, Building a Successful Consulting Practice, will be helpful to anyone starting down this exciting and challenging road. It presents 12 case studies that analyze the success of consulting organizations. This book focuses particularly on small consulting practices, and specifically on those consulting practices closely related to the field of human resource development. You will find value in this book no matter where you are in the process of starting or running a consulting practice. No matter how you plan to use this book, the impressive group of contributors represented in this collection of case studies will be invaluable as you work to achieve your own level of success in the consulting business.

Sujets

• Efficacité professionnelle
• Business
• Economics
• Training
• Employabilité, métiers et formations

Informations

• Publié par: Association for Talent Development
• Date de parution: 26 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781607288763
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Library
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2002104903
(print
edition
only)



Print
edition
ISBN:
978‐1‐56286‐331‐9

PDF
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ISBN:
978‐1‐60728‐876‐3

2002‐1
00.Phillips-ConsPrac- f/m-pages 4/22/02 3:21 PM Page iii
Table of Contents
Introduction to the In Action Series..........................................................v
Preface ............................................................................................................vii
How to Use This Casebook ........................................................................xi
Building a Successful Consulting Practice: Opportunities
and Challenges...........................................................................................1
Patricia Pulliam Phillips and Jack J. Phillips
Building a Global Consulting Practice in a Niche Market ...............25
Performance Resources Organization
Patricia Pulliam Phillips and Jack J. Phillips
The View from Redwood Mountain ........................................................43
Redwood Mountain Consulting
Jeanne Farrington and Jim Fuller
Managing the Transition from Academics to a Full-Time
Consulting Practice.................................................................................59
Hallowell & Associates
Kirk Hallowell
The Role of People and Relationships in Building a Successful
Consulting Practice.....................................................................................77
CEP
Seth N. Leibler, Ann W. Parkman, and Paula M. Alsher
Making the Leap into Consulting ...........................................................95
Partners in Change, Inc.
Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson00.Phillips-ConsPrac- f/m-pages 4/22/02 3:21 PM Page iv
Consulting in State Government by State Government ..................105
Management Advisory Services in the Texas State Auditor’s Office
Deborah L. Kerr and Thomas J. Shindell
Becoming a One-Person Consulting Firm ..........................................125
McCoy Training and Development Resources
Carol P. McCoy
Establishing a World-Renowned Consulting Business......................143
Linneman Associates
Margot B. Weinstein
Building a Performance Improvement Consulting Practice ..........159
Stractics Group, Inc.
Pierre Mourier
When in Doubt—Say “Yes!”.....................................................................169
Neil Cerbone Associates, Inc.
Neil Cerbone and Eileen Claman
You Are Known by the Company You Keep ........................................191
Lovoy’s Team Works, Inc.
Sharon W. Lovoy
Maintaining Life Balance ........................................................................213
The Pyramid Resource Group, Inc.
Barry F. Mitsch
About the Editor........................................................................................221
About the Series Editor ...........................................................................22300.Phillips-ConsPrac- f/m-pages 4/22/02 3:21 PM Page v
Introduction to the
In Action Series
ost professionals involved in human resource development
(HRD) are eager to see practical applications of models, tech-Mniques, theories, strategies, and issues relevant to their field.
In recent years, practitioners have developed an intense desire to learn
about firsthand experiences. To fill this critical void, the Publishing
Review Committee of the American Society for Training &
Development established the In Action casebook series. Covering a variety of
topics in HRD, the series significantly adds to the current literature
in the field.
The In Action series objectives are:
• To provide real-world examples of program application and
implementation. Each case describes significant issues, events, actions, and
activities. When possible, actual names of organizations and individuals
are used. Where names are disguised, the events are factual.
• To focus on challenging and difficult issues confronting professionals in
the field.These cases explore areas where it is difficult to find
information or where processes or techniques are not standardized or
fully developed. Emerging issues critical to success are also explored.
• To recognize the work of professionals in the field by presenting best
practices. Each casebook represents the most effective examples
available. Issue editors are experienced professionals, and topics are carefully
selected to ensure that they represent important and timely issues.
Cases are written by highly respected practitioners, authors, researchers,
and consultants. The authors focus on many high-profile
organizations whose names you will quickly recognize.
• To serve as a self-teaching tool. As a stand-alone reference, each
volume is a practical learning tool that fully explores numerous
topics and issues.
• To present a medium for teaching groups about the practical aspects of
performance improvement. Each book is a useful supplement to general
and specialized textbooks and serves as a discussion guide to
enhance learning in formal and informal settings.
Introduction to the In Action Series v00.Phillips-ConsPrac- f/m-pages 4/22/02 3:21 PM Page vi
These cases will challenge and motivate you. The new insights you
gain will serve as an impetus for positive change in your organization.
If you have a case that might serve the same purpose for other
professionals, please contact me. New casebooks are being developed. If
you have suggestions on ways to improve the In Action series, your
input is welcomed.
Jack J. Phillips
Series Editor
Box 380637
Birmingham, AL 35238-0637
[e-mail]
vi Building a Successful Consulting Practice00.Phillips-ConsPrac- f/m-pages 4/22/02 3:21 PM Page vii
Preface
onsulting is a critical, ongoing trend that has both a bright and
a dark side. On the bright side, it is one of the fastest grow-Cing occupational groups and offers the opportunity for excellent
income growth and job satisfaction. It is an exceptionally rewarding
occupation and can be very important to the success of other
organizations. Many individuals are attracted to this occupation each year,
and typically start out as a one-person, independent consultant.
On the dark side, consulting has a tarnished reputation and is
often perceived as providing unnecessary services at a high cost.
Sometimes consultants are not respected in the organizations they serve,
except for the individuals or team who are regarded as clients.
Frequently, many of the initial startups of individual consulting practices
fail, leaving the entrepreneur devastated—often retreating to a job
or career that is completely different from consulting.
This unique book, Building a Successful Consulting Practice, will
present case studies analyzing the success of consulting organizations.
Most of the focus is on small consulting practices, closely related to
the human resource development and human resources fields.
Target Audience
This book should be valuable to anyone involved in consulting.
The primary audience is those individuals who are interested in
starting a consulting practice. This book shows, in much detail, what
factors have been and should be considered to develop these successful
consulting practices. Any individual who is interested in making this
tremendous leap into the consulting occupation should find this an
excellent reference to provide the insight necessary to make the leap
and land successfully.
The second audience is those individuals actively involved in
consulting now. This audience would be interested in finding ways to
continue to ensure that their business survives and is successful. These
Preface vii00.Phillips-ConsPrac- f/m-pages 4/22/02 3:21 PM Page viii
case studies provide insight about how a consulting business is grown
and, in some cases, actually sold to other organizations. It should be
a helpful guide for continued success for the existing consultant.
The third audience is those instructors and professors who teach
others about this important field of consulting. Whether they choose
this book for students in university courses who are pursuing degrees
in related fields, or use it in internal workshops for professionals or
in public seminars on consulting, the casebook would be a valuable
reference. It can be used as a supplement to a standard textbook in
consulting, such as Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting (2000). The
combination of text and casebook offers the technical details of the
consulting process along with examples of successful consulting practices.
Together these elements show how to build a successful, viable
business.
The fourth audience is the researchers who are seeking ways to
understand the success of consulting and those factors that can
predict success and failure. The samples in this book offer a cross
section of different types of consulting practices. The common thread
is that they are all successful, having survived at least two years as the
consulting practice developed.
A fifth audience is the entrepreneurs, and those who work with
entrepreneurs, who are trying to understand success in various occupations.
Many entrepreneurs start a business in some kind of consulting
capacity, developing products and services for others. These case
studies provide continuing evidence of the success of the entrepreneur
in our society.