Business consultants provide a necessary service to startup businesses and entrepreneurs. They help the business get off to a good start by providing the know-how and resources necessary for success. A business consultant usually retains a book of clients and may limit his or her business to just several hundred (or fewer) businesses or entrepreneurs.
Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? We recommend forming an LLC as it is the most affordable way to protect your personal assets. You can do this yourself or with our trusted partner for a small fee.
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DIY: How to Start an LLC
Start a business consulting firm by following these 10 steps:
- Plan your Business Consulting Firm
- Form your Business Consulting Firm into a Legal Entity
- Register your Business Consulting Firm for Taxes
- Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
- Set up Accounting for your Business Consulting Firm
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Business Consulting Firm
- Get Business Consulting Firm Insurance
- Define your Business Consulting Firm Brand
- Create your Business Consulting Firm Website
- Set up your Business Phone System
We have put together this simple guide to starting your business consulting firm. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.
Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.
STEP 1: Plan your business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
- What will you name your business?
- What are the startup and ongoing costs?
- Who is your target market?
- How much can you charge customers?
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What will you name your business?
Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Business Consulting Firm Name Generator
If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.
When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:
- Your state’s business records
- Federal and state trademark records
- Social media platforms
- Web domain availability
It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.
What are the costs involved in opening a business consulting firm?
Costs for starting a consulting firm are minimal. This is a business that can be started out of your home or a small office. Office rent and utilities in your local area would be the major costs. Aside from those costs, a computer and scheduling software, as well as collaboration software may be necessary.
Total startup costs should not exceed $5,000. In many cases, you can start with just a few hundred dollars.
What are the ongoing expenses for a business consulting firm?
Ongoing expenses for the firm include rent, client management software, scheduling software, office supplies, utilities, travel expenses, advertising, insurance, contract labor fees, and ongoing legal services for client contracts.
Who is the target market?
A business consultant firm makes money by charging a fee for advice or for business plan construction. This fee can be either a flat fee, hourly fee, or a revenue-share fee.
How does a business consulting firm make money?
Preferred customers and clients are large corporate clients who can serve as “anchor clients.” These clients have deep pockets and a need for ongoing consulting. The hardest type of clients to keep are those that have little to no resources.
How much can you charge customers?
What you charge clients depends on who you have working for your firm and your experience in the industries you serve. In general, you can charge between $800 and $1,200 per hour for partner-level access. Managers in the firm typically charge clients between $600 and $900 per hour. Post-MBA consultants charge $400 to $600 per hour. Pre-MBA consultants charge $250 to $400.
Some business consulting firms charge clients a percentage of revenue or sales. For example, an anchor client might pay 10% to 20% or more of revenue for a consultant.
Clients usually pay for any additional expenses out of pocket (they are not included in the consulting fees).
How much profit can a business consulting firm make?
Some types of consulting pay more than others. A baseline profit margin should be no less than 10% to 12%.
Beyond that, it depends on the type of consulting your firm does.
For strategy work, aim for between 35% and 60% margins. Systems integration and process work should yield between 25% and 35% profits, up to 40%. Staff augmentation and outsourcing may only bring 10% to 30% profit margins to the firm.
How can you make your business more profitable?
Making your business more profitable is a simple matter of specialization and differentiation. Make your firm stand out. Never charge the lowest fees. In this industry, the higher the fee, the more competent you appear to be to prospects. At the same time, your advice and work must be worth the price.
Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!
STEP 2: Form a legal entity
One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your business consulting firm is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.
This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.
In practice, this means that if your business consulting firm were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.
More than 84% of our readers opt to collaborate with a professional LLC formation service to kickstart their venture. We’ve negotiated a tailored discount for our readers, bringing the total down to just $29.
Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our state-specific How to Start an LLC guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best LLC Services review (for those opting for a professional service).
STEP 3: Register for taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business’ expenses all in one place.
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.
STEP 5: Set up business accounting
Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.
Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.
STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses
Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.
State & Local Business Licensing Requirements
Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a business consulting firm. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.
Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.
STEP 7: Get business insurance
Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.
There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.
Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.
Find out what types of insurance your Business Consulting Firm needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Business Consulting Firm.
STEP 8: Define your brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a business consulting firm
Marketing your consulting firm is best done through direct mail, online direct marketing, and referral marketing. Buy a mailing list of companies that have already used consulting services within the last 30 to 90 days. These companies are most likely to want to hire another consultant. Ask your list broker for the average dollar amount spent on services and filter the list to include only buyers (called a “buyer’s list”).
Print up flyers and business cards and hand them out to local businesses. You may not get much work this way, but it gets your name out there.
Finally, go to networking events and trade shows to meet local businesses.
How to keep customers coming back
The best way to differentiate yourself from other competitors is to specialize. Consultant firms that work with all types of businesses rarely command the highest fees. Instead of being a general consulting firm, focus your efforts on one or two industries. It’s much harder to go this route, but the competition will be less and you’ll be able to charge clients more for your specialized knowledge.
STEP 9: Create your business website
After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.
While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.
Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:
- All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
- Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
- Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.
Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.
Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.
STEP 10: Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.
There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.
Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com
Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.
Is this Business Right For You?
This business is perfect for seasoned business owners or upper level managers who are looking for a career change. A business consulting firm must be experienced in business management, marketing, and team building and management. They must also understand how to generate revenue from a wide range of businesses and expand existing streams of income.
Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?
Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!
What happens during a typical day at a business consulting firm?
The day-to-day activities of a business consultant include meeting with clients in person, via video conferencing applications or services, and making recommendations to their clients. Most business consultants spend the majority of their day building business plans for clients and giving advice.
Scheduling and project management is a major part of the job also. Companies that provide business consulting need to be able to coordinate multiple schedules since even small businesses can have several officers who need to be present for all meetings.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful business consulting firm?
A business consultant should have prior experience owning a business. It takes a lot of trust for a business owner to take guidance on how to run and manage their business. While not necessary, a Bachelor’s degree is standard in the industry. Some companies will not hire consultants who do not have at least a Bachelor’s or Master’s in business administration.
Aside from degrees, various certifications help prove your legitimacy. For example, the Certified Healthcare Business Consultant helps establish a firm as a specialist in the healthcare industry.
What is the growth potential for a business consulting firm?
Consulting firms are usually small, due to the nature of the business. This is not an industry that scales very well since the business owner is usually the one with the expertise required to make the business run. With that said, some consulting firms expand by hiring additional talent — managers or business owners who want to join the firm and take on clients.
The business owner may move into a managerial position or continue meeting with clients under this scenario.
Typically, a larger firm employs several consultants. If only one consultant exists (the founder), then the business expands by hiring support staff, including bookkeeping and accounting, HR, managers to oversee business operations, a CFO to manage the finances, and assistants to coordinate schedules.
Take the Next Step
Find a business mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
Learn from other business owners
Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.
Resources to Help Women in Business
There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:
- Funding
- Events
- Guides
- Support
If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.
What are some insider tips for jump starting a business consulting firm?
Get an “anchor client.” Anchor clients are loyal clients with significant financial standing that are committed to utilizing your services on a regular basis. They are also capable of providing a consulting business with up to 25% of its revenue.
It helps tremendously to first gain a lot of professional experience in the specific area in which you want to specialize as a business consultant. This will not only allow you to develop the necessary skills to offer a quality service, but it will also increase your legitimacy as a sought-after authority. For example, if you want to work as a financial consultant, you should have plenty of experience in the finance industry before reaching out to potential clients.
How and when to build a team
Building a team in this business is optional. Many consultants set up shop as one-owner firms and never grow beyond that. If you want to grow, consider hiring on additional management or experienced consultants when you exceed your maximum client load. Hire support staff at the same time to handle the additional paperwork and regulatory issues that will come with taking on employees.
Useful Links
Industry Opportunities
- List of consulting franchises
- Society of Professional Consultants
- Institute of Management Consultants
- Consulting businesses for sale