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:

1.     build a healthy practice that is profitable and sustainable.

2.     be more effective in your work for clients.