Consulting Success Podcast

Elliot Begoun is the principal of The Intertwine Group, a consulting group which works to help food and beverage brands grow. Elliot spent over 25 years working in the food industry before his wife challenged him to pursue his dream of becoming a consultant. On this episode of Consulting Success Podcast, Elliot shares how he made the leap from the safety of a big company and experienced the incredible satisfaction that comes with working for yourself. He shares his ideas on retainer fees, how expert writing can keep you in demand, and the number one mistake he made that has taught him the importance of consulting mentors.   Bet on yourself. You may feel a sense of security working for a big company, but working for someone else means you are betting on someone else. Taking the leap to become an independent consultant means betting on yourself. This is a path that Elliot has gone down, and he shares what it means to him to be able to ‘fish for his own food.’ The success he has enjoyed since starting his o

Mitch Russo is a certification business model expert who specializes in working with companies that are looking to quickly grow substantially in size. He understands that making small, calculated shifts in your thinking can change everything for your business and your success. This is a lesson Mitch learned when his career took a sudden turn toward success — even though he was faced with what initially looked like a major setback. He shares the story of his success and the mindset that created it, on this episode of Consulting Success Podcast. You’ll also hear what it takes to identify your greatest strengths, and how you can use them to secure the high value clients that you’ve been seeking.   Setbacks don’t have to set you back. When faced with setbacks, many people get stuck in their problems and waste too much time trying to get over them. If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation, you need to listen to Mitch’s perfect analogy to understand why it’s not worth spending any more time looking at w

My guest on this episode is UK-based consultant Stefan Drew, who is also known as the Marketing Magician. He works mainly in the education sector, but he has a wide breadth of experience — from international environmental organizations and national membership organizations to web design for local companies. He is known for producing great ideas “out of thin air,” and his clients rave about the ROI that they receive after working with him. He has many years of experience and wisdom, and on this episode of Consulting Success you’ll hear several inspiring stories that will ignite your desire to take your business to the next level. If you’re trying to create greater visibility, wondering whether or not you should specialize your business, or hoping to discover the one secret to quick consulting success, you need to listen to this episode of Consulting Success with Stefan Drew.   Specialize or offer it all — what do today’s successful consultants do?   When first developing your consulting business, you may be wr

On this episode of Consulting Success, I’m joined by Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management. Jonathan is the author of “The Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management,” a great book that provides the basic skills and knowledge to deal with the crises that inevitably occur in any business, no matter the size. At first I wasn’t sure if crisis management really applied to consultants, but Jonathan quickly proved otherwise. He describes crisis management as the “art of avoiding trouble when you can, and reacting appropriately when you can’t.” This wisdom doesn’t only apply to big businesses — crisis mode can hit anyone at anytime. On this episode you’ll learn more about the benefits that come with preparing ahead of time for any crisis that may come — and how to handle it smartly. Consultants can benefit from a crisis management plan. Jonathan works with companies both to preventing crises from happening, and also to maintain business continuity and functionality when a crisis does hit. A single major crisis

Jacob Morgan is the principal and co-founder of Chess Media Group, a management consulting and strategic advisory firm focusing on the future of work and collaboration. Jacob works with organizations that are looking to understand how changes in technology and behavior are impacting the way we work. From the wide variety of new technologies available to companies, to the the millennials that are entering today’s workforce, the future of business and technology are shifting dramatically. Consultants who are consistent with their work and willing to work harder to gain clients’ trust are the consultants that are going to achieve the greatest success in this constantly changing business environment. On this episode of Consulting Success, Jacob shares the path that took him from Craigslist to clients seeking his expertise. Be sure to listen to this episode as we examine the key strategic moves you will want to make to secure your position as a sought-after and highly successful consultant.   Advisory access or co

There are few people that can consider themselves as great an expert on white papers as Gordon Graham. Gordon is a white paper writer and consultant who has has worked with Google, Oracle, Intuit, and many other Fortune 500 companies. He’s interviewed over 200 C-level executives and written over 170 white papers. He considers himself a B-to-B copywriter. His career path took him from software company technical writing and journalism to a marketing executive in a software company before becoming an independent copywriter who specializes in white papers and case studies. Gordon has spent the last 20 years dominating his field as the expert of white papers. In this episode, Gordon and I discuss the value of white papers as content-filled marketing tools that you can use to set yourself apart as the expert consultant companies want to hire.   How can you make customer success stories work for you?   The countless hours of work that you have put into developing your consulting business has undoubtedly come with po

Steve Shu is a management consultant who has worked and consulted for Vodafone, Allianz, Nortel, Lucent and Wolters Kluwer, as well as taught courses in the business school at Irvine University. He helps incubate technology-oriented startup initiatives within other companies, including new business units, innovative areas, and new product development. In this episode, Steve shares key tactics for securing high-figure consulting projects, the value of workshops and networking, and the benefits of making regular investments of increased knowledge within your area of consulting expertise.   Key Takeaways: [1:15] Steve details the process of a recent start-up project, beginning with the business definition, and leading up to the acquisition of new clients and staffing the organization. [2:30] What does a $100,000 project look like to Steve? Several phases can contribute to the total project, including funding, organization, and prospecting. [4:50] To win a $200,000 project, Steve suggests starting small — a

Betsy Jordyn is the founder of Accelera Consulting Group. She is an organizational development and strategy consultant who previously worked with Walt Disney World. Her clients also include JCPenney, United Airlines, Hilton Vacations, and many others. In this discussion, Betsy shares the benefits of identifying and narrowing in on a specialized area of expertise, her advice on how to efficiently take control of client requests in order to deliver a more valuable assessment, and how to determine if organizational development consulting is the right fit for you. Key Takeaways: [1:05] Betsy shares the kinds of challenges that come with increasing leadership and organizational capacities. [2:35] Even Walt Disney World needs consultants to take their concepts for improvement in the future to the next level. [4:45] Betsy’s Masters program gave her the start in OD that eventually led to her starting her own business. [7:20] The transition from consulting within an organization to working on her own was easier for Be

Anthony Iannarino is an international speaker, author, and sales leader of the top ½% of all businesses in America. Between consulting, writing, sales, and running a staffing firm,  Anthony has proven that he is on a mission to serve and to help people achieve better business results than they could otherwise. He shares transformation that his career took, as he learned to embrace the necessary balance between consulting and sales, which he defines simply as the ability to create opportunity and bring value to other people. This episode is filled with valuable insight for consultants who are trying to leave the stigma of sales behind, why Anthony believes that is a mistake, and how exactly to embrace the value of sales instead.   Key Takeaways: [:40] Is sales a dirty word? Anthony explains the shift of power that has taken the dirt out of previously used sales tactics. [4:50] Anthony is on a mission to serve and help other people achieve the results they’re looking for. [6:54] From rock band to mult