Laid off? Starting a Consulting Business Is Like Looking for a Job

31 Mar 2023 · 1 min

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In this concise monologue, the speaker addresses professionals who have been laid off, proposing that the period of unemployment can be an ideal moment to launch a consulting or professional services business. He argues that the process of acquiring consulting clients mirrors the job‑search process: leveraging one’s network, making cold calls, sending targeted emails, and using LinkedIn to solicit introductions. The core message is to treat the offering as a genuine business exchange that fulfills a real need for organizations, rather than asking for favors. By reframing the mindset from seeking charity to providing value, the speaker positions consulting as a viable, proactive career path for the recently displaced.

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Laid off? This might be the opportune time to start a new business in consulting or professional services. The process for looking for consulting services, say you want to start a consulting service in accounting, in IT, cybersecurity, in professional writing, whatever the case might be, that process to find leads and close deals in consulting is the same process of looking for a new job. You have to do an outreach to your network. You have to maybe cold call, you have to send emails, you have to go on LinkedIn and ask your network to help you find that new job. It's that same process that you can use to also pitch your new services. Just as if you were asking for a new job, though in this case you're pitching your consulting services, don't lose sight of the fact that the service you're providing will fill a genuine need many organizations will find valuable. You're not asking anyone for favors. You're asking for a business exchange that is favorable to all involved.