Over the last few years I have had many facilitators seek me
out while contemplating going solo. Striking out on your own without the
support of an Organization is surprisingly easy given the nature of the
industry. If you really think about it, the facilitator is the product. He/she
co creates and facilitates the learning experience. A training Organization is
only as good as its facilitators. You don’t need formal office space, you can
work from home, you can put up a website fairly easily nowadays and if you are
good, work will be plenty.
If you are thinking of doing something on your own, there
are typically two routes.
1. Start a consultancy- This would involve having a
registered company, name, logo the whole nine yards. If you have a likeminded colleague
you can start something in partnership. That way you have support and two heads
are usually better than one.
2. Freelance- I prefer the word Independent
Consultant better, but you get the gist. Here you are on your own and ‘free’ to
offer you services to whomever you choose. You could be representing yourself
with one client and another training Organization with another.
I have taken both routes and recognized that I work best on
my own, in an independent Learning and Development Professional capacity. I have close friends who are successfully running
training consultancies in partnership or on their own. It’s important to figure
out which way you want to go. If you decide to go independent here are some
things to consider:
1.
Are you self-motivated?
There is no boss to count your training man days, and as one person your reach
is significantly smaller than that of an Organization’s. You need to really
push yourself to go out there, network and get quality work. This is especially
true in the first year.
2.
Are you a
Monopreneur? A monopreneur is a one man army who manages all aspects of
business single handedly. Are you driven enough to develop business, customize
and sometimes create content, facilitate, do a post training eval, invoice the
client and follow up for payment with multiple clients?
3.
Do you
think better in a team setting? Being independent means no colleagues to
bounce ideas off. If you are the kind of person who likes to discuss and pick
others brains while ideating going solo may be a lonely experience for you. Over
the years, I have created a network of other Monopreneurs and trusted
professional with whom I often collaborate and share ideas with.
4.
Is a
steady cash flow imperative? Everyone has different financial needs. If you
need a fixed steady cash flow then have enough saved up to see you through
atleast the first year. On time payment is one of the biggest issues in a free
lancer’s world. A way out is to ensure that you have some retainership
arrangements with clients that guarantee work every month.
5.
Learn,
Learn, Learn: Have you seen beauty queens answer the Q n A round during pageants?
No matter what the question the answer is always either ‘Mother Teresa’ or ‘World
Peace’. I know facilitators like that,
no matter what the learning gap; they deliver the same content in slightly
different ways. When you are on your own, you can either create a niche, and
only facilitate in those areas or you can upgrade your skills. Don’t get left
behind. It is crucial to upgrade your skills frequently. Every year I put aside
an amount to get some kind of certification under my belt. This will ensure
that you have something different to offer your clients and you don’t get bored
either.
6.
Networking
is key: More people you reach out to, more the likelihood of business
coming your way. Networking can be done during formal events such conferences
and seminars or even on social media. Linked In has been my favourite go to for
creating professional relationships and seeking out potential contacts. Another
way is to network with other freelance facilitators. It’s a small industry and
there is plenty of work for everyone. I routinely pass on work to many
colleagues, when I don’t have dates available with me or when the learning
topic is not my expertise. Often, not always the favour is returned. You also
earn the clients good will. And I strongly believe that goodwill is key for
long term, mutually beneficial work and professional relationships
7.
Take the
bad experiences in your stride: There will be some bad eggs out there who
might take advantage. You might have to chase payments for months or sometimes
not get any. You might realise that a training Organization you represent at a
client’s has not done their needs analysis appropriately and you might have to
facilitate something different on the fly. You might not get work sometimes or
be overwhelmed by too much work. Learn from these experiences. Create a network
of trusted clients that are consistent with payment. Drop the unreliable one’s
even if they offer a lot of work.
8.
Learn to
say no. Sometimes clients might ask you do something that you might believe
is wrong for them. Stand up to them. Your experience and expertise is what they
seek, even if they don’t know it at the time. Refuse work if you don’t think
you are the best person for it. Integrity is appreciated because it is not
expected often, especially in consultants…
9.
Have an
elevator pitch ready: Learn to market yourself. Create a powerful brief
profile, no longer than a page, and then create an elevator pitch for yourself
basis that profile. For that you need to figure out your niche. A good
facilitator can facilitate anything, but what are you really good at and passionate
about? What really gets me excited is any kind inter-personal work. I love
helping people manage personal and professional relationships. So I always position
myself in that light.
An Independent professional’s
world is full of adventure and everyday is a new challenge. Its not an easy
journey but it’s a journey that’s worth undertaking. At the end of the day, you
work for yourself, choose the assignments that excite you and make more money
than you did as a salaried professional. You can also strike the right work
life balance and improve the quality of your life dramatically. I love this
path. I hope and wish that should you choose to take this road less travelled
you find all the success and happiness.
