Million Dollar Launch: How to Kick-start a Successful Consulting Practice in 90 Days, 1st Edition

PROLOGUE xi
INTRODUCTION xiii
PART I
THE FIRST 30 DAYS
1 Departing and Starting 3
Maintaining Bridges 3
Consolidating Contacts 7
Building the Bank 10
Finding a Home 13
Gathering Support 17
2 Setting Up Shop 21
Legal Beagles 21
Equipment and Supplies 24
Local Finances and Design 28
Scheduling Your Time 31
Accepting (and Ignoring) Advice 35
3 Welcome to the Marketing Business 39
Creating Brands 39
Finding Your Value Proposition 43
Moving from Avocation to Occupation 46
Identifying Your Sweet Spot 49
Blowing Your Own Horn 52
Million Dollar Consulting® Market Gravity 56
Summary of The First 30 Days 59
Part I Review 61
PART II
THE SECOND 30 DAYS
4 Close Encounters of the Client Kind 73
Finding that Elusive and Important Number One 73
Marketing for Free 76
Creating Pipelines 80
Creating and Qualifying Leads 82
The Million Dollar Consulting® Qualifying SystemTemplate 83
Getting Paid 86
5 Creating Your Digital Empire 91
The Internet Upsides and Downsides 91
How to Create and Exploit a Great Blog 94
The Truth about Social Media 97
The Real Estate of Your Website 100
When High Touch Trumps High Tech 104
6 Pursuing the Ideal Prospect 109
The Market Value Bell Curve 109
Streams You Enter and Streams You Create 112
Delivering While Marketing, Marketing WhileDelivering 115
Why Any Partnership Will Work Against You 119
Wholesale and Retail 122
Part II Review 125
PART III
THE THIRD 30 DAYS
7 Diversifying Your Approaches 143
The Million Dollar Consulting® Accelerant Curve 143
Taking the Role of Expert, Not Consultant 146
Building Your Name as a Brand (Yes, Already) 149
Broadcasting the Array of Your Services 152
Going Viral 156
8 Creating Passive Income 159
Web-Based Products and Services 159
Subscription Services 162
Hard-Copy Value in a Digital World 166
Remote Coaching 169
9 Close to Home: Life Balance 173
Drawing People to You 173
Maximizing Vacations 176
Utilizing Your Support Structure 180
Investing Wisely 183
Procuring Ongoing Help 186
Part III Review 191
EPILOGUE: BEYOND THE FIRST 90 DAYS
10 The Vital Need to Build and Nurture
Self-Esteem 205
Self-Talk 205
Support Groups Outside the Home 208
Building Efficacy 212
The Success Loop 215
Avoiding the Roller Coaster but Keeping the Thrill 218
APPENDIX 223
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 237
INDEX 239