Consulting Blog for Business Consultants

I just got my hands on a copy of AICPA’s 2Q 2008 Economic Outlook Survey. This is a survey that the AICPA conducts on a quarterly basis to poll how decision makers in various industries feel about the economic outlook in their own organization, the industry, and the economy as a whole.

I really like the information these guys produce…

It can give you an idea of how your clients are feeling about business in general, which in turn helps you forecast (with more certainty than guesswork) how easy or difficult it is going to be to find new consulting projects.

Here’s one very interesting piece of intel I gleaned from this report.

(more…)

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months, you must be aware that the economy in the US has slowed down — some say even to the point of recession.

Personally, I don’t care if we are “in a recession” or not… what I care about is how an economic slow-down affects consultants (and the consulting industry as a whole).

Incidentally, this is the second “recession” I’ve personally experienced as a consultant… both as a consultant working in a (then) Big-Five consulting firm, and as an independent consultant working in my own consultancy.

So as you can imagine, I have a little perspective on what it takes to succeed in situations like this.

I think it’s no secret that consultants who make it a priority to invest in themselves and their consulting skills (for example, through consulting skills training) tend to do better in any economic situation…

But aside from developing your consulting skills (which is step #1), what else can you do?

(more…)