| Consultants
and Small Businesses: Why a Consultant
By
Evan Wise, Managing Director of Management One
Many small business owners feel that the costs of a
consultant are too great for their business to bear.
Others have either experienced or heard of bad experiences
with consultants. The fact of the matter is that a small
business owner needs a mentor and consultant more than
any other person in business. With so many decisions
that must be made effectively, most small business owners
have trouble making the right decision in areas where
their interest and expertise may not lie.
What
can a consultant do for you?
In
order to be successful you must expand your thinking
beyond the four walls of your business. You may have
had a good view of the business world when you opened
the doors but, ever since, it’s inevitable that
your focus has narrowed to some extent. Your view has
been skewed, as it should, toward the operation of your
own business. A consultant can bring that original vision
back to your business and help you make decisions that
move you ahead faster.
Good
consultants are connected to others in the field around
the country and they can share the advantages offered
by their network with you. These connections can give
you more insight, clout and opportunity. A consultant
will challenge your thinking to help you develop new
approaches to growing your business and managing your
assets.
A
good consultant brings focus to your business and your
thinking. Small business owners tend to develop their
own sense of reality. They face the same issues often
and tend to develop rules of thumb on how they "should"
be handled. Many of these rules of thumb are myths that
never get challenged. A good consultant is a check on
reality for an owner. This mentor can compare the rules
of thumb to a different set of experiences to see if
they still make the most sense.
A
good consultant pushes the bar higher than the owner
has pushed it himself. Too often owners get stuck into
outmoded sets of goals. Some owners have goals that
are way too ambitious and this demoralizes the staff
that is charged with achieving the goals. Other owners
change goals so often the staff is confused. An important
role of the mentor is to help set meaningful measurements
for the business and then the right targets for success.
Part of this procedure is helping to focus on the right
problems and opportunities for the business. The temptation
to solve everything at once is great and a small business
generally does not have the resources to make that happen.
A
good mentor becomes a business psychologist. A positive
attitude is important for success in any business. With
all the challenges and obstacles to success a small
business owner faces, keeping a positive attitude is
difficult sometimes. A mentor with whom you can talk
and share feelings will help you see the positive side
of business. Putting every obstacle in proper perspective
and then focusing your efforts on the future are important
roles of a consultant.
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