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Everybody needs some help . . . sometimes I've been very lucky throughout my career. I started my first business back in the mid-1970s and one of the very first things I did was ask for help. Even though I was fresh out of college and the military, I felt almost completely clueless. The first thing I did was talk with successful business people just to get ideas on what sort of business I should think about getting into. I was such a neophyte and I had questions about business planning, finding customers, bookkeeping, managing people, and about one million other things. I'm thankful to say that numerous people came to my rescue and gladly offered advice, when asked. I don't think I could have succeeded without their help. That's why, whenever I've had a chance, I've been happy to "give back" by helping other people get started in their own businesses.
There is a free lunch (or at least there used to be) Over the past 30 years it's been my pleasure to help beginning entrepreneurs. I enjoyed helping them get their businesses off the ground or guiding them as they wrestled with difficult problems. Usually my informal "consulting Unfortunately, my present time commitments make it nearly impossible to sit down and chat with everyone who requests my help. These days I have to be more selective about how I spend my time and who I'm able to help. Sadly, every hour that I spend lending an ear to some deserving entrepreneur is one less hour that I can use to fulfill other commitments, attend board meetings, assist charities or enjoy my growing family. Believe me, I wish I could afford to help everyone who requests my advice... but I simply can't.
What I hate about consultants But I do understand why people continue to seek my advice. Starting or running a small business is a difficult and demanding challenge! Most of us feel overwhelmed at times. That's why I started this website ... to help struggling entrepreneurs. In addition to the free articles on this site I've also authored several books over the past decade to help small business owners. But those articles and books are sometimes not enough and many visitors to Making Sense of Your Business have contacted me to ask about consulting services. This led me to ask, "do I really want to be a consultant?" Well ... yes, in the sense that I enjoy helping people. But no, in the sense that I don't like selling people something they don't need. Truthfully, I'm generally skeptical of consultants. At least as I've experienced them. A number of years ago I had taken on a new business, one that I had little background in and new little about. I pretty quickly got in over my head and called upon a "consulting firm" for help. After weeks of consultations and study the "consulting firm" handed me a report with a set of recommendations to solve my problems. To say that there was nothing new in their report is putting it mildly. Their document was mostly a rehash of my interviews. It offered very few new ideas and no clear-cut solutions to any of my problems. To add insult to injury their report ran several hundred pages and cost me several thousand dollars. It turned out to be an expensive lesson and soured me on consultants for years. THAT is not the type of consultant I wish to be. (But ... please don't get me wrong. There are many capable consultants out there who are well worth their fees. You just have to be cautious).
The help you need, without the hassle (and expense) you don't need My approach to helping people is to keep it simple and to make it affordable. I don't "hand off" clients to subordinates (although I can refer you to reliable experts if your problem exceeds my expertise). I also don't issue wordy reports. Instead, I listen, ask questions and make recommendations. That's actually what I've always done, and it seems to work. I find that clients and I don't usually need more than one to two hours to tackle a problem. For the most part we can accomplish everything we need to do over the telephone or through an Internet video call. On rare occasions clients have asked me to travel and visit their business and I've done so. But most of the time that's simply an unnecessary expense. I'm also a very big believer in the "no surprises" school of thought when it comes to developing a relationship with a new client. For that reason I limit my fees to $150 per hour with a one-hour minimum. Frankly, I have yet to bump into a situation that's taken more than a few hours, or one or two calls. That means you can easily control the cost of the consulting you need and not be afraid of signing a "blank check" for escalating fees and charges. The worst thing that could occur -- from my point of view -- is that I may be unable to help you. I have plenty of experience running small businesses, but that doesn't make me an expert in everything. First off, if I feel in the beginning that I am unable to help you then I won't take on the assignment. In that case, if I can recommend another avenue of help I'll do so. And, if I feel I can help but for some reason you are unhappy with my recommendations or advice, I also won't take your money. That's right. I offer all clients a money back guarantee. All I ask is that you fill out a brief report for my enlightenment and future planning before I issue your refund. For the record ... no one has ever asked for the refund ... but the offer still stands. No strings.
How to get started If you click the link below that will take you to my shopping cart where you can make preliminary payment arrangements. First you will select a block of consultation time and make payment arrangements. Next, you will be asked to complete a synopsis of the problem(s) you wish to discuss and to choose optional dates/times for our conference call. You see? Simple and to the point! Following our consultation you may take up to 24 hours to reflect on our discussion and my advice. If you're unsatisfied, then simply request a refund. If I haven't been able to help you (which is my only goal) then I'll gladly refund your money! I want you to feel that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. And I want you be satsified with my assistance. Click the Order Now Links below to schedule a NO RISK consultation with Ty (money back guarantee)
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service" took place over lunch and I listened as they explained their problems. I usually even picked up the tab! But I didn't mind giving advice for free. I considered it a way of "giving back" in gratitude to those individuals who helped me. I only wish I could continue talking new entrepreneurs and helping them with free advice.
