WHAT IS A BUSINESS CONSULTANT?
A business consultant works with a business owner to come up with ideas to attract more customers, increase sales, encourage customers to come back, and to increase profits. A business consultant will also help an entrepreneur start a new business, introduce a new product or service line, or turn around a business that is experiencing declining sales and fewer customers. Business consultants also assist with buying and selling of businesses.
QUALIFICATIONS OF A BUSINESS CONSULTANT
Generally business consultants are the owners or former owners of successful
businesses they have started and managed. They usually have one or more university
degrees in management.
Because they may assist 100 or more businesses in a year, business consultants are
familiar with a wide variety of businesses and how their owners solved their problems.
These process skills are often successfully transferable to unlike businesses, especially
since many business owners do not look outside their own area of expertise to problem
solve. It is also likely that a business consultant will have worked with several or many
businesses of the same type as his or her client and therefore be able to transfer
solutions to problems that have worked out for similar types of businesses.
In addition, business consultants develop many contacts over the years with lenders,
suppliers, and government agencies, which enables them to expedite loans and other
assistance to their clients. The importance of personal contacts in helping business
owners get things done in a prompt fashion cannot be overestimated.
COST OF A CONSULTANT
Business consultants share an industry slogan: We don?t cost you anything; we make
you money! They are fond of saying the amount of increased profit and/or reduced
expenses they bring you more than offsets the cost of their services.
Small business consultants generally charge anywhere from $40 to $150 an hour.
Many are generalists, but some have a specialty such as computers, inventory
management, marketing, robotics, manufacturing, and finance
FINDING A BUSINESS CONSULTANT
In Richmond it?s easy. All you have to do is contact the Richmond Chamber of
Commerce and ask to sign up for their business consultant program.
The first one hour
session is free and subsequent sessions are $40 an hour. This program is available to
both Chamber members and non-members.
The Chamber contracts with Randall Shores, who has been a business consultant for
25 years. He has successfully started and managed several businesses, including the
largest full-service market research firm in Sacramento, a commercial real estate
investment company, and a marketing company. He also taught the small business
classes at Solano Community College for 15 years, and is the author of the book
"Starting and Managing a Small Business." He is available to meet with business
owners at the Chamber office or at their place of business.
Please contact the Richmond Chamber at 510-234-3512 to schedule an appointment at the Chamber office. Appointments are available on the first and third Wednesday of every month, from 10 AM through 4 PM. It might only take one phone call and an hour of your time to make your sales and profits go up!
