Business Plan Pro was developed with the fledgling entrepreneur in mind. Consulting is a business that many entrepreneurs start as a sole proprietorship rather than a corporation. The upside of this structure is flexibility and convenience. To hang out your shingle, all you need to do is register with the state. The benefits of incorporation become more obvious if you are planning to hire employees or are concerned about liability issues.
Finances are obviously an important consideration.
Becoming an independent consultant lends itself well to bootstrapping strategies because they enable you to build your business one step at a time without looking for outside investors or loans. For cash-strapped entrepreneurs, it requires creativity, vision, resourcefulness and persistence. To start a consulting firm from the ground floor, you need to have a marketable skill set and area of expertise that others will pay for. Many new consultants ease the transition from employee to business owner by negotiating with their current employers to provide services on a contractual basis. Because they have already proven themselves to that employer, there's usually less selling involved and more straight discussion.