Are you thinking about consulting as a self-employment option?
Alyssa Ruff is going to share some keys actions to get your consulting business off the ground and how to secure your first clients.
She’s the founder of HR Octane, a consultancy focused on IT and data management for HR departments within global companies to help them reduce HR costs.
She started building an HR consulting business in 2013 by freelancing when her first child was born and incorporated her business last year.
Few important lessons that popped up in our conversation include:
- How Alyssa built her network of potential clients when she was looking for a job.
- How working for a small start-up and then for a Fortune 100 company, offered her apprenticeship-like experiences that enabled her to go out on her own as a consultant.
- How she was able to increase her rates as she acquired more clients and experience.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Aligning habits with your purpose.
- Managing energy, as well as time.
- Planning your actions.
How Alyssa Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: 6:00am
- Core work activities + habits: 1) Working hands-on with clients. 2) Self-education as it relates to consulting work. 3) Development for courses.
- Ideal work environment: In the office with music playing. Having meetings in the mornings and work in the afternoons.
- Superpower: Cross-cultural communication; working effectively with many different countries.
- 90-day goal: Line up a new client and launch a course or webinar platform.
Inspirational Quotes
“I really do think about how many hours a project will eat up to decide if a project is worth it for me.”
Coaching Advice
For anyone curious about pursuing consulting work, Alyssa provided this advice:
1) Take on a lot of projects in your field: Look for opportunities that can help shape your experiences towards the work you want to do.
2) Have a niche skillset: By focusing on your specialized client group, you can gain more expertise.
Resources + Bonus Materials
Successful Consulting Practice
Industrial Organizational Psychology