One of the most challenging decisions I have had to make as an independent consultant is to decide how much I should charge.
What do I need?
What will people pay?
If I lower my price will I get more business?
Am I leaving money on the table?
In my first blog post I recounted how I got started with my consulting business. I soon found out that it is a long slog from that brilliant idea I started with to a sustainable business.
In this second post, I recap how I balanced what customers expect from a consultant against what I think they need. I started a business with a passion about something, but what if I am passionate about something that no one wants to buy?
For 20 years, I was a happy salaryman in large federal contractors. There was always someone in my office who dreamed of the day that they could get out of the 9-5 rat race and start their own company. Be their own boss. Do what they want! That person was NEVER me. Being an employee worked for me. Until it didn’t. Then I started my own company. This is the first of three blog posts on how I did it.
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