Getting Started in Consulting, Second Edition [Paperback]

Alan Weiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0471479691 | ISBN-13: 978-0471479697 | Edition: 2

A new revision of the successful guidebook for novice consultants
Getting Started in Consulting, Second Edition provides practical solutions and proven strategies for launching a consulting business. Readers will learn how low overhead and a high degree of organization can translate into a six-figure income working from a home office. The book also offers key information on how to finance a consulting practice, how to write proposals, how to set up billing and bookkeeping, and more. A new chapter also explains how to get started quickly for those who can't wait to generate cash flow or those who have a cash reserve they are immediately willing to commit.
Alan Weiss (East Greenwich, RI) has consulted with hundreds of organizations around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, and the Times Mirror Group. He lectures widely and is the author of 12 books.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Declare your independence with the new, completely updated Second Edition of Getting Started in Consulting

Consulting is big business these days. And with more companies outsourcing more functions and a growing population of professionals pursuing the dream of self-employment, it’s a field that will only continue to grow. This book provides all the information you need to start your own consulting practice.

This revised edition of Getting Started in Consulting offers focused, practical guidance on starting a consulting business, and shows how low overhead and a high degree of organization can add up to a six-figure income. Revised for 2004, this edition includes a new chapter on getting started even quicker, and presents the latest advice on networking and getting the most out of technology. Packed with helpful charts and tables, this expert guide also covers:

• How to finance a consulting practice
• Marketing consulting services to corporate clients
• Writing proposals that sell
• Legal requirements for consulting practices
• Setting fees, billing, bookkeeping, and more

Whether you’re a retired professional seeking a second career or a corporate consultant ready to get out on your own; whether you want to build a part-time or full-time consultancy, Getting Started in Consulting, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for making your dream of professional independence come true.

About the Author

ALAN WEISS, PHD, has consulted with hundreds of organizations around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, Chase, the American Press Institute, and the Times-Mirror Group. He lectures widely and is frequently featured on radio and television discussing productivity and performance. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Organizational Consulting, Great Consulting Challenges, and Million Dollar Consulting.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (December 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471479691
• ISBN-13: 978-0471479697
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Weiss: Biographical Sketch

Alan Weiss is one of those rare people who can say he is a consultant, speaker and author and mean it. His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc. has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, State Street Corporation, Times Mirror Group, The Federal Reserve, The New York Times, and over 400 other leading organizations. He serves on the boards of directors of the Trinity Repertory Company, a Tony-Award-winning New England regional theater, and the Newport International Film Festival.
His speaking typically includes 30 keynotes a year at major conferences, and he has been a visiting faculty member at Case Western Reserve University, Boston College, Tufts, St. John's, the University of Illinois, the Institute of Management Studies, and the University of Georgia Graduate School of Business. He has held an appointment as adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Rhode Island where he taught courses on advanced management and consulting skills. He holds the record for selling out the highest priced workshop (on entrepreneurialism) in the 21-year history of New York City's Learning Annex. His Ph.D. is in psychology and he is a member of the American Psychological Society, the American Counseling Association, Division 13 of the American Psychological Association, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He was recently appointed to the Board of Governors of Harvard University's Center for Mental Illness and the Media. He has keynoted for the American Psychological Association on two occasions.
He is a 2006 inductee into the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame' and the concurrent recipient of the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award of Excellence, representing the top 1% of professional speakers in the world
His prolific publishing includes over 500 articles and 25 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill). His newest is The Million Dollar Consulting' Toolkit. His books have been on the curricula at Villanova, Temple University, and the Wharton School of Business, and have been translated into German, Italian, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese.


He is interviewed and quoted frequently in the media, and is an active member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. His career has taken him to 54 countries and 49 states. (He is afraid to go to North Dakota.) Success Magazine has cited him in an editorial devoted to his work as 'a worldwide expert in executive education.' The New York Post calls him 'one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America.' He is the winner of the prestigious Axiem Award for Excellence in Audio Presentation.
In 2006 he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Press Institute, the first-ever for a non-journalist, and one of only seven awarded in the 60-year history of the association.
He has coached the former and present Miss Rhode Island/Miss America candidates in interviewing skills.
He once appeared on the popular American TV game show Jeopardy, where he lost badly in the first round to a dancing waiter from Iowa.