Consulting - very perspective view business if you have unique knowledge, experience or technology and are ready to provide consulting services to those who need it. Representatives of the business class have long come to the conclusion that to know and be able to modern economy impossible. Therefore, in order to use the services of professionals in highly specialized industries, expert help from outside is needed.
Goals and risks of the enterprise
Now consulting in the field is becoming quite popular. information technologies, so you are invited to exemplary business plan a consulting company that provides consulting services and technical assistance to organizations using computers.
Since it is now difficult to find an enterprise that would not use computer equipment in its work, the widest opportunities open up for the activities of your company.
The place of activity of the company is the regional center located not far from Moscow.
main goal consulting firm is to make a profit through the provision of services in the field of computer technology. The social mission of the company will be participation in the activities charitable foundations in order to enhance the reputation of the company and contribute to the development of society. To achieve these goals, the company will use modern technologies, as well as the work of competent specialists who make up its staff. Commercial risks that prevent the achievement of the stated goals are the limited funds used to open a company and high competition in the market.
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Office and staff selection
Start entrepreneurial activity often associated with obtaining borrowed funds from credit organizations, but at the beginning of your business it is quite possible to do without them. What will be the costs of setting up a firm? Registration of your company with obtaining the status of a legal entity and registration in state funds and the tax service will cost you 20 - 25 thousand rubles. But first of all, you need an office space. The office space is the face of your company. Of course, you can count on the fact that many clients will contact you using communication networks, but you should not refuse traditional communication with consumers of your services directly in the office.
Best option for location office space firms are business center city, and the size of the office should depend on the expected scale of activity. In any case, we are not talking about a cramped little room, so renting this room will cost you about 50 thousand rubles. Considering the option of locating the company in a microdistrict remote from the center is possible only if you are sure that this will help you attract organizations located there as clients.
If the company's premises will have old furniture and outdated computer equipment, this will give rise to natural doubts about the level of the company and the competence of its employees. This means that you will have to spend money on office equipment and the purchase of the necessary stationery, which will cost around 350 - 450 thousand rubles.
The selection of qualified personnel is the key to the success of your company. After all, it is the employees who will work with customers and provide services in which the company specializes. For a successful start, you will need 2-3 specialists (it is best if you know them personally), and if necessary, additional employees in the person of a secretary, courier, cleaner, etc. This implies that you will take the position of director of the company, at the first stage of the company's activity it is better to abandon unnecessary management personnel.
The maximum specified staffing will require monthly expenses for wages in the amount of about 150 thousand rubles. If you cannot afford such expenses at the beginning of the business, then you can limit yourself to recruiting temporary employees or choose other options for hiring staff.
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Advertising campaign
Due to the high competition in the market for these services, it is necessary to conduct a competent advertising campaign. Particular attention should be paid to the company's website. It should not only contain all the necessary information about your company, but also be high enough in the list of sites when you enter relevant queries, ideally it should be in the top ten of Yandex or other popular search engines. The services of organizations involved in SEO-promotion of sites will cost you 5-6 thousand rubles a month. If the qualifications of your employees allow, then you can achieve this on your own. Considering that more and more consumers find the goods and services they need via the Internet, this method of advertising should become one of your priorities.
Do not forget about the traditional methods of advertising. Electronic media services and terrestrial advertising structures will be too expensive for you at the very beginning of your business, but print media should not be neglected. There are free newspapers in every regional center. advertisements, some of which have online versions. The most visual advertising material for you will be colored booklets that tell about the activities of your company. They can be ordered from organizations providing printing services, the cost of these products depends on the circulation you need. In addition to booklets, you can order stationery with your company logo - they can also be used as advertising.
Be sure to use your business location. Many organizations will be happy to use your services if your office is located "around the corner". First of all, this applies to small and medium-sized businesses, in which it is widely used computer technology, but there are no special departments dealing with technical troubleshooting.
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What services will your firm provide? First, technical assistance and advisory support in case of emergency situations with computer equipment - from equipment malfunctions to protection against DDoS attacks, it all depends on the qualifications of your employees and the capabilities of the company. Second, continuous service computer systems your customers, and if necessary - updating hardware and software, network administration. Thirdly, consulting services for the purchase of equipment, installation of software, restoration of computer equipment after serious failures. Fourthly, it is necessary to set ourselves the task of expanding the scope of services provided and starting work in such a market segment as the implementation of corporate projects to automate the activities of enterprises.
Thus, we smoothly move on to market research. Before starting the work of the company, you must clearly understand what kind of competition you will have to withstand and what strategy of activity is better to choose. A feature of the IT services market is that it has a huge number of large companies, small firms and individual entrepreneurs occupying their specific niches. The competitive advantage of your company should be the competent use of the website and other advertising opportunities, the use of the company's location, loyalty to customers and an individual approach to solving their problems, as well as the high professionalism of employees, which will be manifested in satisfying all the needs of consumers of your services. But all this is not enough, you need to choose a market segment in which you will specialize.
The main target market for your company will be small and, to some extent, medium-sized businesses. Your business plan should reflect the dynamics of the main indicators of this market segment. you must know the growth rate of entrepreneurial activity in your city or district, how many organizations that can potentially become your clients are located in the area of the closest coverage of your company. Information about the structure of the economy of the regional center in which your company is located, about the percentage of small businesses among all business entities, will not hurt you.
If the economy of the regional center is stagnant, programs to support small and medium-sized businesses are curtailed or maintained at a minimal level, and business growth has slowed down or even turned negative, then it will be very difficult for you to find your niche in this market. If local authorities support the development of small businesses, business incubators are active, and the size of your target market is experiencing rapid growth, then you will easily find your customers.
Today, every second person who has his own financial resources wants to start a business. But often these people are not savvy in many of the issues necessary for organizing a business. Therefore, more and more often you have to turn to consulting organizations. Are you interested in such a business? Then this article is for you!
Consulting organizations provide services in the field of legal, accounting, economic, technical and other assistance. That is, this business consists in advising manufacturers and buyers, legal and individuals. These companies can be both widely specialized and provide assistance services in some specific issues.
The popularity of the services of such companies is growing every day more and more. If earlier organizations that were on the verge of bankruptcy applied for help, now, on the contrary, “newly minted” firms apply. This is dictated by the instability of the economy, constant crises and changes in legislation.
The specificity of this business is that it is purely intellectual. This means that your success directly depends on your employees. Currently, there are practically no good specialists who have a broad outlook and knowledge in various fields. Your main task will be to find such valuable personnel. The advantage of a business lies in the fact that its organization requires small financial investments. According to statistics, the profitability of a business reaches up to 150%. It pays for itself in about six months. Legislative registration does not differ from any other form of ownership.
For successful and effective business development, you must first draw up a well-planned business plan. You can see such examples below.
Contains the business plan of the consulting company "Acme Consulting". The mission and goals of the company are presented. The key success factors of business in the field of consulting services are described. The table provides a summary of initial (start-up) costs. Plan of initial formation developed statutory fund. The market of potential competitors is analyzed, their strengths and weaknesses are highlighted. The list of services provided by the organization is considered and the volume of sales is analyzed. Organizational and financial plans have been developed. The results of the market analysis are summarized.
The business plan of the consulting firm "Modeler" is presented. Contains a list of services provided by the organization. Calculations of the main economic indicators have been made. Among them are sales volumes, revenue, production and sales costs. In addition, an assessment of the sales market was made, its segmentation according to various criteria (income level, commitment, age). The table evaluates competitors and their Comparative characteristics. Much attention is paid to marketing policy, its goals and objectives are highlighted.
Contains a business plan, which describes in detail all the organizational stages of the business. The chart provides a summary of initial (start-up) costs. A complete and detailed market analysis has been carried out. All participants are selected: competitors and consumers. The main economic indicators project efficiency. A graph has been constructed that shows the break-even point of the business. In addition, a financial report has been developed, which presents the indicators of income and expenses, the planned movement of liquidity. All costs are shown.
A business plan is presented, which contains a theoretical description of the activities of a consulting company. Possible difficulties and nuances of the business, which need to be paid special attention, are presented. Contains the development of the organization of the activity of the enterprise "Style". Possible competitors in the market are identified. Tips are given to eliminate the complexity of management. From this business plan, you will learn how to make your organization a leader, promising areas for further development and how to find an individual approach to each client.
A business plan has been developed for the High-Tech Consulting organization, which is engaged in the marketing of high-tech products. A brief description of the market was made, possible keys to success were found. Presented marketing research market with the identification of strengths and weaknesses competitors. Particular attention is paid to the issue of pricing, in the tables the cost is calculated. Developed a sales strategy and calendar plan organizations. Presented organizational structure, which contains staffing workers
The presented business plan of a consulting company is a reliable assistant and source document for building a profitable business. Consulting provides companies with ample opportunities to reach a new level for themselves economic activity and financial well-being. The plan will allow restructuring the work of firms and companies in such a way that they will instantly feel the effect of audit services provided by highly qualified specialists. Consulting services of a consulting agency is a fairly new type of activity, but its demand is increasing more and more. Let's talk about the creation of such a project further.
Summary
The business plan of a consulting company we are considering with calculations clearly demonstrates that it is possible to open a business in this area without significant investments. The main success factors here are work experience, respectability and high psychological stability of the main actors - consultants. It is important to determine the specific direction of the agency's work: accounting, industrial, financial or economic activity. The choice must be made in accordance with those competencies that will help ensure the greatest profitability of the business.
The purpose of this business plan is to justify the creation of a consulting company that will solve the following main tasks:
- Meeting the needs of companies in obtaining qualified assistance in developing development strategies, optimizing activities in the field of production management.
- Assistance in improving the competitiveness of enterprises.
- Creation of an institution with a high level of profitability of the services provided.
- Extraction of profit.
Investments in the amount of 4,510,000 rubles are attracted to finance the project. Source - a bank commercial loan with a discount rate of 17.5% for 24 billing months.
In accordance with the calculations made, it is assumed that the institution will break even from the 1st billing month. The profit for this period will be 396,949 rubles. After the return of borrowed funds, the profit will increase to 6,643,461 rubles. The payback period, taking into account discounting, is no later than 24 months from the date of the agency's establishment.
The amount of remuneration paid to the bank for 2 years is 307,281.33 rubles.
With monthly expenses of 618,030 rubles, the gross profit for the whole project will be 151,209,877 rubles.
The life cycle of the project is designed for 2 years.
Market analysis
Experts in the field of business management estimate the volume in different ways. Russian market consulting services. Ernst & Young defines it at 1.5 billion dollars, including 350-550 million for audit. Specialists from K.PMG call the figure 550-650 million dollars.
The country's share in the world market is only 1%, and in terms of the level of competitiveness of services, our consulting agencies are in 36th place (out of 60 assessed). We are constantly losing a number of our advantages associated with a vast territory and wealth of mineral resources. The weakest links of the domestic economic system act minimum investment in the improvement of the educational system, the development of science and medicine. State regulation of the economy and underdevelopment remain at a low level management systems all levels. The efficiency of the use of natural resources in Russia is about 2-3 times behind the level of the leading Western countries, and the standard of living of the population is 10 times.
Russian experts believe that the annual increase in the volume of consulting services rendered is 350-550 million dollars a year. Approximately 25% of them are accounted for by the 20 largest domestic audit companies that are members of various international consortiums. A feature of the work of Russian firms is that they receive a large share of their profits from related services.
That is why the largest players in the Russian market are foreign consulting firms, which account for 30-40% of all services.
The domestic market, after a deep fall during the crisis of 2014, began to grow, and it is going at a high pace. This is partly due to the fact that the agencies have moved to the provision of complex services, and the state has taken certain measures to change the regulation of consulting activities.
Assessing the current trends, it can be assumed that in the medium term it is the state that will remain the leading consumer of audit services, since the country has adopted and is actively implementing programs for the modernization of state-owned enterprises, as well as bodies and institutions working in various consulting industries.
In the structure of services, private enterprises and organizations occupy only slightly more than 20% of the market. Domestic consulting firms by specialization are divided into universal and specialized. Universal ones attract representatives of medium and small businesses more, because there you can get a range of audit services at once cheaper.
The breakdown by line of business is as follows:
- Strategic planning for the development of companies - 11.6%.
- General economic assessment of enterprises and organizations - 4.2%.
- Financial consulting - 5.6%.
- Personnel management activities - 0.6%.
- Study marketing policy and public relations - 0.2%.
- Production consulting - 0.5%.
- IT consulting - 76.6%.
- Tax consulting - 0.4%.
Assessing the information on the development of the domestic market, it can be argued that, despite a slight increase in the number of audit companies (about 35 thousand), the value potential consumers their services are growing at a faster pace. In connection with this trend, it is possible to open at least 1,730 agencies in the country, which will be able to meet the demand for consulting services, which is growing by 5-12% per year.
Description of the object
The creation of a consulting company is aimed at assisting enterprises and organizations in developing a strategic policy for their development. Its main goal is to provide services for the study and forecasting of markets, the formation of effective marketing programs and the evaluation of the effectiveness of personnel in the implementation of projects. Also, the agency will be engaged in the assessment of the cost of objects and the search for optimal ways out of economic entities from crisis situations.
This business plan assumes that the agency will provide a wide range of services in the field of analysis and justification of scientific, technical and organizational and economic company development prospects. Main activities:
- Analytical (research and evaluation of economic and financial activities, the quality of investment projects, the study of the competitive environment, prices, resource base, etc.).
- Forecasting (formation of methods-recommendations for activities of business entities in the indicated areas).
- Comprehensive consultations on the activities of companies.
- Conducting audits.
- Direct participation in the activities of companies by participating in the development of strategic development plans, improving management and introducing innovative technologies.
These areas of work determine what specific consulting services will be provided, these are:
- Accounting.
- Audit.
- Legal.
- Personnel selection.
- Tax optimization.
- Search for employees and employment.
These measures are aimed at improving the quality of company management and the introduction of effective management technologies that can significantly increase the individual productivity of each employee.
Stages of project implementation
Equipment
The technical equipment of the consulting agency should ensure a constant increase in the productivity of the services provided and meet the reputational characteristics provided for by this business plan and the funds included in the project.
For organization effective work institutions need the following equipment:
- Computer equipment with related software.
- Server.
- Automobile.
- Office furniture (tables, armchairs, cabinets).
The agency will need a room of 48-50 square meters. m with connection to power supply and communications networks (telephone, internet).
Advertising and marketing
In order to familiarize consumers with the services of the agency and increase demand for them, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures to form a positive opinion among potential clients. For this, it is provided:
- Creation of presentations.
- Publishing and distribution of business cards and booklets.
- Publication of materials in specialized journals and local media.
- Company website development.
- Advertising activities on radio and television.
- Participation in seminars, exhibitions, presentations, economic forums on consulting activities.
The main task of marketing is to create an opinion about the possibility of obtaining consulting services directly from a company with a high reputation and understanding that they have an affordable cost and will bring the expected economic effect.
Recruitment
This area of project implementation is one of the most important, since the reputation of the company, its market demand and profitability will depend on the qualifications of the agency's employees.
This plan provides for the attraction of competitive basis highly qualified specialists. The need for competitive selection is due to the prestige and high level of remuneration of employees.
The duration of the competition is 1 month.
Financial plan
Taking into account the sources of funding for the project and the nature of the activities of the institution, fiscal year starts in January. The company will pay the following taxes:
| Name of the tax | Base used for taxation | Payment period | Bid |
| For the amount of profit | Profit amount | M-ts | 20% |
| VAT | Value added | M-ts | 18% |
| For property | The value of the acquired property | According to the schedule | 2,2% |
| Income | FOT | M-ts | 13% |
| Social payments | FOT | M-ts | 34% |
The calculation of the main costs of the project was made based on the specifics of the company's activities and the need to overcome various barriers to its entry into the market at the initial stage. For this, the costs include the purchase of only high-quality and prestigious equipment.
The costs presented in this table are paid back no later than two years from the start of the project.
The forecast of the volume of services provided is based on the average prices for consulting services in 2016.
| Period | Services | Physical volumes | Price (in rubles) |
The volume of revenue from the sale of services in the medical center |
| 1-12 months (investment period) | 52-620 | 1 080 – 100 800 | 5 339 331.27 | |
| 13-24 mts (functioning period) | Consulting and advisory | 67-800 | 1 150 –107 900 | 7 261 491,86 |
Based on this forecast and the trends available in the consulting services market (an increase in volumes from 5 to 20% per year) and the price environment, the agency will receive an annual income of 75.6 million rubles.
Potential risks
When creating a consulting company and during its operation, the founder may face the following potential risks:
- Lack of highly qualified specialists.
- High capitalization of investments.
- The unpredictable nature of the development of the economy in the country.
conclusions
An example of this business plan shows that this line of business is becoming increasingly popular among entrepreneurs due to the absence of significant costs for opening an enterprise. However, as follows from experience, with high competition, such an agency will have to overcome many difficulties on the way to success. Of great importance is the qualification of personnel involved in the provision of consulting services.
The founder of the company will have to work hard on the issue of image attractiveness of the newly opened institution.
* Calculations use average data for Russia
"The main investment in the consulting business is getting clients." Alexander Karpov, CEO of RiK and head of the bud-tech.ru project, shares his experience in launching a consulting company.
- Alexander, tell us a little about your company.
Our company was founded in 2003 by a group of consultants who have been in the consulting business since 1995. Our topics are budgeting, management accounting, strategic management and organizational design.
During this time, a large number of consulting projects have been completed on the restructuring of enterprises and groups, the introduction strategic management, budgeting and management accounting.
Our company has 5 product lines: books, electronic methods, software products, workshops and management consulting.
Many are thinking about opening own business, but not everyone ends up opening it. Was it easy for you to decide to become an entrepreneur?
I think I'm late with this decision. On my own previous work I have worked for 7 years. Now I believe that 3-4 years was enough. Although there is also an age factor. I started my own business at the age of 27. For many types of businesses, you can say that this is a decent age, but for the consulting business, the opposite is true. A young consultant is very poorly perceived. Therefore, if I started 3-4 years earlier, then I might simply not be perceived properly. Although at the previous work in this regard there were no particular problems. True, I had to wear a beard to look older.
I can say that the decision to start my own business was quite easy for me. It happened somewhat gradually, as my dissatisfaction with the way the consulting company I worked for grew. I increasingly disagreed with the technology of work. In the projects that I carried out, I followed other, as it seemed to me, more correct approaches in terms of benefit for the client. Once, during another dispute with CEO he told me something like this: “In my company, we will do this. If you think that this is not right, then you can do as you like, but only in your own company.
And then I thought: why not? Of course, I did not make the decision to create my own company the next day, but this idea was very firmly planted in my head. And after a while, I made up my mind. In addition, I had certain financial savings that would allow me, in case of failure, to live for about a year. During this time I could either start new business or get a new job.
- Why management consulting?
First, I love this activity. And secondly, I have accumulated decent experience (7 years of work).
- With what difficulties early stages doing business you are facing?
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To be honest, I do not remember any significant problems, probably because I already had sufficient experience in this business. It's just that when I worked as a management consultant, I was mainly engaged in consulting work, and now I had to do everything myself. This, in general, is a common occurrence for small businesses.
I can say that I was a little disappointed that I had to do, among other things, “uninteresting” work for me. But over time, I realized that you can not perform only those functions that you like. If you want a business to work, you need to do everything necessary for this, and it doesn’t matter if you like it or not.
According to your estimates, what is the minimum amount with which you can start a consulting business today and what is required for this?
If we are talking about the prospects for opening a consulting business in our time, then I would recommend that you approach this decision very carefully.
If you have potential clients, you can start your consulting business right away. You don't even need an office for this. All you need is a computer with Internet access and a printer. If there are no potential customers, then it seems to me that it is better not to risk it. If it seems to someone that the consulting business does not require serious investments, then this is not entirely true.
The main investment in the consulting business is just related to getting clients. These can be advertising costs or investments in some other distribution channels: creating your own marketing and sales service, for example, or creating and promoting a website, etc.
Therefore, if there are no potential customers, then it is better not to create your own business yet, but to get a job as a consultant in an already existing consulting company. This is especially true if you have no experience in consulting. This strategy will allow you to:
avoid unnecessary financial losses when starting your own business;
gain experience as a consultant;
study the model of work of a consulting company (the most important thing is how to get clients + naturally manufacturing process)
make connections.
After you have worked for some time (for example, a year) as a consultant, you will be able to understand whether you should even create such a business.
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So, if there are potential clients, then the investment can be zero if you already have a computer with Internet access and a printer. If not, it's easy to calculate how much it might cost. One-time costs (computer and printer) can be about 30 thousand rubles. And monthly (Internet, paper, cartridges, etc.) somewhere on average 3 thousand rubles.
If there are no potential customers, then the costs depend on the chosen customer acquisition strategy.
Possible promotion channels:
creation and promotion of the site;
creation and organization of the work of the department (or group) of marketing and sales;
writing and publishing books in the areas in which it is planned to provide consulting services, etc.
Obviously, it is difficult to name even approximate amounts for each of these positions. For example, you can make a website yourself from ready-made templates, and free ones. Then it will cost nothing at all (except for the time spent). Website development can be ordered. Again, depending on the functionality of the site, the spread can be very large: from 5 thousand rubles. up to 300 thousand rubles and more.
But here I would like to warn against unnecessary spending. The problem is that most of these offers are, in fact, one of the relatively honest ways to steal money. I even wrote an article about this: “How customers are promoted when promoting sites. Three main promotion methods. Non-professional for non-professionals. Perhaps my experience will be useful for those who are going to seriously engage in the promotion of their site with the involvement of specialized companies.
As for the creation of a marketing and sales department, again, the costs here can vary greatly depending on the number of employees and the functions that they will perform. Of course, at the very beginning, the creator of the business can perform these functions, but over time, these functions can be transfer to other employees. If there is at least one person in the department, then at least he will need an equipped workplace(This is a one-time cost).
Of the recurring costs, the main part will be wages. The next significant item may be the cost of long-distance telephone calls (if the company does not plan to limit itself to working in its region). If an idea arises to create a call center, then this will require a special software. You can work without it, but with a large volume of calls and contacts, keeping everything in your head or in Excel is not very convenient.
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Another of the aforementioned ways of promotion is the publication of their own books on certain topics of management. By the way, I originally chose this strategy. It must be said that it is very costly both in terms of time and money, but these investments can be said to be “long-term”. Until now, this distribution channel is one of the main ones.
First, it is much easier to persuade clients to buy books for little money first than to try to sell a consulting project right away. Secondly, the presence of books raises the credibility of consultants in the eyes of potential clients. In order to publish now one book with a circulation of, say, 1 thousand copies, 60-100 thousand rubles will be required, depending on the number of pages, paper, type of binding, etc.
Thus, the initial costs for the promotion of this business can vary significantly depending on the chosen strategy for promoting products and services.
Are there any additional administrative requirements (for premises, experience of specialists, etc.)?
Regarding the premises, there are polar points of view. Someone thinks that the room in this business doesn't matter at all. After all, clients pay for the experience, skills and brains of consultants. And some believe that the office of a consulting company should be class "A" and located in the city center. Indeed, in this case, the company will look more solid and it will be easier to conclude a major contract. I think you can start without an office at all. Meetings with the client can be held on its territory. It’s even convenient for customers – they don’t need to go anywhere themselves.
What can you save on and what should you not save on?
It seems to me that in the beginning it is possible to save money on the office. Or even without an office at all, or, it’s easier to rent an office. Don't skimp on the quality of service. In particular, it is better to select a professional team of consultants. Yes, professionals will cost more, but the cost of their services is higher.
- How long did it take you to pay back the initial investment?
The initial investments in our case were: the publication of the first book with a circulation of 2 thousand copies and the creation of a website. It cost us about 170 thousand rubles (160 thousand for the publication of the book and 10 thousand for the creation of the site).
The books themselves paid off only after about a year. But since the books were a channel for promoting our other products and services, the initial investment paid off in about 3-4 months.
The first version of the site cost us relatively cheap - only 10 thousand. Over a year ago we launched new version site. We have already invested more than 300 thousand rubles in this site. This cost is due to the fact that the functionality of our new site is much more than the old one.
The new version of our site allows users to subscribe to free e-courses, download free electronic books and demo versions of software products, take part in competitions (prizes: software products and free participation in seminars + additional discounts), maintain your blog, communicate on the forum, place orders in the online store, post your resume, select managers and specialists ( in the areas of economics, finance, accounting), take part in research, receive research results, publish your articles, etc.
- Is there seasonality in your business?
Yes, there is. The traditional decline in the summer months. January is a dead month. If the January holidays are further extended, I'm afraid that February will also become a "dead" month for consulting.
- What kind of specialists should you pay special attention to? How did you select key employees?
The key people in consulting are those who sell and those who do the work. Variants are possible when these functions (sales and production) are performed by the same people (consultants). The backbone of our team is already proven people with whom I have done more than one consulting project. But recruiting new consultants is a really difficult task.
And there are two options: to select ready-made specialists or to train students.
Each option has its pros and cons: Students know almost nothing, but they can be molded into what they need. Although recently students have become a very ungrateful public. They do not understand that they come to the company with complete zeros. They are trained and paid them for this salary. That is, for the money of the company they are made by specialists.
Students learn quickly enough and they start star disease. About 15-20 years ago, students behaved differently. For example, when I came to a consulting company in my 3rd year, I understood that I was being trained interesting profession and didn't turn up his nose. There is another problem with ready-made specialists. It is very difficult to evaluate a person. There were many cases when people were able to present themselves very well, but in reality they turned out to be chatterboxes. I came to the conclusion that it is possible to test a consultant only in "combat" conditions.
Obviously, during your work you have tried various ways of advertising. What kind advertising media proved their effectiveness, and which ones did you end up giving up?
During our work, we really tried almost everything except television advertising. After trying various ways of active promotion, we came to the conclusion that in our case, advertising is a waste of money, and big money. contextual advertising in search engines, it may not be as costly as in offline media, but it also turned out to be ineffective.
We came to the conclusion that in our case, the most effective of the active methods of promotion is phone calls. Therefore, the idea arose to create our own call-center. To automate the activities of this department, we have developed and created a special software module CRM (this is a separate module of INTEGRAL). We have developed all the necessary regulations and work technology for the call center employees.
But we were not lucky. The project was launched at the very beginning of the crisis. All potential customers began to panic. They began to stupidly cut all the costs. It is clear that the consulting industry is one of the most affected by the crisis, because. the cost of consulting (in various formats) began to reduce in the first place. Therefore, almost all calls to customers were no more than 10 seconds long.
All clients uttered approximately the same phrase: "Global crisis, we have no money, goodbye." Therefore, we had to freeze this project. Maybe it's time to resuscitate him. Although now this promotion channel is used in many companies, and everyone is already tired of intrusive calls.
Of the passive methods of promotion, in our opinion, the most effective is your own Internet resource. It is necessary to invest in the creation and development of the site (if not money, then time) from the very beginning. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to promote the site, but it's worth it.
- What can you say about the competition in your business?
Now it is a very competitive business. But this did not prevent the fact that every year (at least before the crisis) a lot of consulting companies appeared. Now, of course, the situation has changed significantly. Although, perhaps, during the crisis there will be fewer consulting companies, which means that competition may decrease.
How do you see the prospects for further development? Do you plan to expand or open related areas?
At the current time, we do not plan any significant expansion, because consulting market just started to recover. We will look for new promotion channels and improve the efficiency of existing ones.
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Consulting occupies a leading position in the market of providing services for business.
For entrepreneurs who are interested in how to open a consulting firm from scratch, and how profitable this field of activity, is compiled detailed business plan with a profitability estimate.
What is consulting?
Consulting is the provision of consulting services to firms, enterprises, individuals on business development. The consulting agency employs specialists in analysis, finance, marketing, management, personnel, and IT technologies.
The organization can hire a permanent consultant on issues of interest. Then it will be internal consulting.
External consulting is the conclusion of a service contract with a consulting firm. Most requested consulting services:
- Business process analysis and performance evaluation.
- Suggestions for improvement.
- Training and selection of personnel.
- Activity audit.
- Credit advice.
- Development of tactics and strategy.
- Assessment of activity risks.
- Registration, certification, licensing.
Advice on the organization and conduct of business activities is required by representatives of both small and big business. Therefore, the consumer audience of consulting agencies is huge:
- trade enterprises;
- light industry;
- heavy industry;
- building sector;
- financial sector;
- energy;
- mining and processing enterprises;
- the field of telecommunications.
There are main types of consulting:
- Financial.
- Managerial.
- For tax matters.
- In the field of design work and medicine.
The work of the agency is usually organized according to the principle of sending specialists to the enterprise with which the contract is concluded. Consultants collect information, delve into the business processes of a particular organization, then to draw conclusions and provide recommendations to increase productivity and profitability.
Business plan
Before you open a consulting firm, you need to draw up detailed instructions for launching a project, calculate the amount of initial investment, plan expenses and income.
- business registration;
- office location;
- equipment;
- staff;
- advertising;
- financial calculations.
One of the areas of consulting activity is assistance in starting a business for novice entrepreneurs, which includes the development of a business plan and assistance in its implementation.
Download for free as a sample.
Registration
Experts recommend opening a consulting company in the form of an LLC. A legal entity inspires more confidence in clients than an individual entrepreneur, and reputation is the basis for successful business in the consulting business. Another argument in favor of an LLC is that the legislation for individual entrepreneurs provides for restrictions on the number of employees, taxation and types of activities.
It is more difficult to register an organization than an individual, you need to collect a package of documents:
- Charter.
- Memorandum of association.
- Establishment decision or protocol.
- Confirmation of payment of the state registration fee.
- Certificate of availability legal address.
- Statement.
The statutory documents contain the name of the company, its choice must be approached with all responsibility - this is not as easy as it seems. First, given the huge number of operating enterprises difficult to find a unique name. Secondly, the name should correspond to the direction of the agency, be not too long and easy to remember.
Legal entities they work by bank transfer, so you need to open a current account in a reputable bank with more than a five-year history of existence, which will also positively affect the reputation.
Starting a consulting business does not require special permissions and licenses. Need to register with tax office and choose the optimal taxation system.
room
You can open a consulting firm without an office space. In conditions of shortage of funds, the best solution would be to organize work over the phone and on the territory of the customer.
If you immediately put the business on high level, then a spacious office in the business district of the city will give additional weight to the company in the eyes of wealthy clients. When concluding an agreement with the landlord, it is necessary to stipulate the possibility of redevelopment of the premises. Each employee will need to allocate a separate office, as well as organize a large meeting room and receive visitors.
A reputable company will always offer drinks and snacks to its customers, so it is necessary to provide an area for storing kitchen utensils and making tea.
The premises in the office center are most likely already prepared for work and equipped with electricity, heat supply, water supply and sewerage. It is enough to make cosmetic repairs in strict business style, bring furniture and appliances.
Equipment
The main criteria for choosing office furniture are practicality and comfort. Since the work in a consulting agency is mostly sedentary, it is better to take care of clients and employees, purchase comfortable chairs and armchairs.
The list of necessary furniture, equipment and materials includes:
- computer tables;
- large table in the common room;
- cabinets and racks for documentation;
- computers;
- office equipment;
- means of communication;
- blinds;
- lighting;
- Electric kettle;
- microwave;
- stationery.
In consulting, the client and the customer often correspond e-mail Therefore, you must ensure constant access to the Internet.
Employees
Consulting as a form of business is completely based on the professionalism of employees. The company's income and the success of the entire project depend on the qualifications, experience, knowledge, and communication skills of the staff.
You can open a small agency with 2-3 generalists. This will cost less than hiring an employee for each consulting area.
To provide consulting services on a wide variety of business issues, a consulting firm must have experts in:
- Financing.
- Lending.
- Accounting, tax, production and management accounting.
- Property appraisal.
- Business analysis.
- Enterprise management.
- Legal issues.
- Selection and training of personnel.
- Marketing.
To confirm the qualification, the applicant must have diplomas, certificates, recommendations, evidence of work experience in the consulting field.
At the initial stage, the founders of a consulting firm can invest in highly paid specialists or hire employees through recruitment agency, where rates will be at the industry average.
It is almost impossible to open a consulting company and attract clients without advertising. In order for potential customers to decide to contact the agency, you need to place information about the services provided on the Internet, business magazines, catalogs, on the streets.
The internet is the best place to find clients. You need to create a website, fill it with quality content, pay for promotion to the first lines of search engines. Can be used social networks and banner ads.
At first, the cost of promoting a business is up to 50-70 thousand rubles a month, which pays off in the first half of the year.
Video: how to open a consulting company?
Economic calculations
To draw conclusions about the profitability of the consulting business, a calculation of initial costs, planned income and expenses is made. For example, a mid-market company with an office in a business center is taken.
Starting investments:
| № | expenditures | Amount, rub. |
| 1 | Authorized capital (minimum according to the legislation) | 10 000 |
| 2 | Registration fees | 5 000 |
| 3 | Room rental for 2 months | 40 000 |
| 4 | Remodeling and renovation | 100 000 |
| 5 | Equipment and materials | 115 000 |
| 6 | Salary for 2 months | 120 000 |
| 7 | Advertising | 60 000 |
| 8 | Other costs | 50 000 |
| Total | 500 000 | |
Monthly expenses:
With the development of the company and an increase in the volume of orders, expenses will increase due to the costs of staff development, bonus payments and other motivational activities.
The agency's income in the first months of its existence depends on the advertising campaign and employees who have their own experience and client base. New customers are easy to find among start-up entrepreneurs. Price policy is developed based on the average level of cost of services in this market sector. Clients are offered several types of payment:
- hourly;
- fixed;
- each service is priced separately.
Permanent cooperation will become more attractive to customers if discounts are provided depending on the volume and time of work.
The average profitability of the consulting business is 25%, the payback period is 1 year. For this, the agency must receive 220,000 rubles per month. income.
Consulting is a low cost business based on the intelligence and professionalism of consultants. The more clients apply to the agency, the higher the income and profitability of the enterprise.
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