Just Released
The latest book from David C. Baker
Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors. Covert Techniques for a Remarkable Practice. Out now.
We’re all sitting around a table that even Goodwill might have hesitated to take. It’s oversized for the home we paid $15,000 cash for, borrowing all the money from my generous father-in-law. A half dozen friends are helping us insert, seal, address, and stamp 16,000 direct mail pieces that announced to the world that I was ready to advise them.
I had worked with multiple firms at this point, they had actually paid me money to talk to them, and the early feedback was encouraging enough that it didn’t seem entirely stupid to try on this consulting thing.
At about 3:00p that day, I pushed my chair back and stood up. It was time to get ready for my full-time, second-shift job from 4p until midnight every weekday. There were two kids we needed to feed, and I was perfectly happy to run my machine on the printing line at an R. R. Donnelley plant. That left time during the day to sell, sell, sell. Then a little bit of doing, and then sell, sell, sell.
The idea that I’d write a book about consulting would have left me rolling on the ground, and it would have left everyone who knew me choking for air as they watched. I’m still not sure if and why I should write this, but I humbly offer you some things I’ve learned along the journey, hoping to move you a few places forward in the line. Maybe it’ll save you some time and some heartache.
I can boil all of this down to two goals. I want to help you:
Build a healthy practice that is profitable and sustainable.
Be more effective in your work for clients.
For more insights, subscribe to 2Bobs, a podcast from industry experts David C. Baker and Blair Enns.
“A frank and clearheaded soup-to-nuts plan for better consulting”
– Kirkus Reviews
David C. Baker
David grew up with a tribe of Mayan Indians in a remote village in the highlands of Guatemala. He’s an author, speaker, and advisor to entrepreneurial experts. This is his fifth book.
He’s a helicopter and airplane pilot, an avid photographer, and taught high performance motorcycle riding/racing. Based in Nashville, he has visited and worked all over the world.
He is married, has two boys, two daughters-in-law, and multiple grandchildren. His work has been featured in the WSJ, Fast Company, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, and Forbes.
He speaks regularly at various TEDx events, Harvard, Adobe, and major international conferences to audiences looking for accessibly refreshing insight into how experts shape their world.
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