How It All Started

ENT, March 4, 1998 by Greg Scott

As I write this, it is right around the time of Scott Consulting Corp.'s 4-year anniversary. Many of you have asked how a person gets started as an independent consultant. So, fwiw, here is my story.

Although I didn't know it at the time, the seeds were planted several years prior to 1994. I worked in the Minneapolis field office of Digital Equipment Corp. as a software consultant, where I learned a lot about how to apply computer technology. Any time somebody in the office needed software support, I tried to be right there to take care of things. I tried everything I could to be helpful and get noticed in a positive way. Any time a new product in my area of interest came out, I tried to dig beyond the sales hype and learn how it really worked. I ended up delivering lots of presentations to lots of potential customers, and I helped sell literally tons of VAX systems.

After a few years, I knew just about everyone in the Digital community around here, and I enjoyed a reputation for delivering good work. That turned out to be really important. If you want to be a consultant, it takes more than technical know-how. Not only do you need to deliver good work; you must also convince potential customers that you can deliver good work. This means that while you still have a real job, get in front of lots of user group meetings and present to the groups how you solved that tough problem at work. Join lots of professional societies, network like crazy, study all the time, and build a demand for your services.

Before receiving my layoff notice, I watched dozens of my coworkers' reactions as they were laid off. When my turn came, I decided to face it head on. During the 5 days they gave me to settle my affairs, I put together a resume, made dozens of copies, and sent paper and e-mail copies to every sales rep in the office.

Three weeks later, the phone rang. It was a former Digital coworker, who now managed a growing IS department at a local company. A copy of my resume ended up on his desk, and he needed some work done. The engagement lasted about 6 weeks. As that one finished, the phone rang again: The work was at an oil refinery with a network of roughly 40 systems. Some people I knew worked there and recommended me. That one ended up lasting 2 1/2 years.

Meanwhile, the phone rang again and again as various customers called and asked me to help solve their problems. Every lead, every customer, came from someone I knew or a referral from somebody I knew in the Digital community. It didn't take long to decide I could make a living at this. We never missed a meal or a payment, and I'm grateful to God for taking care of us.

It also didn't take long to figure out my skills were obsolete. Most customers called me for VMS help while they looked at UNIX or Windows NT migrations. Even a skinny bald guy from Minnesota could figure out that VMS work wouldn't last forever and that I needed another technical specialty.

Sometime in early 1994, I went to a local Microsoft seminar. They told me about their Solutions Provider program, technical certifications and Windows NT. I decided on the spot this made sense for me. UNIX was out because I couldn't afford to buy realistic UNIX hardware. NetWare was out because Novell was making all its customers mad, losing market share, and squandering boat-loads of money on WordPerfect and UNIX. Meanwhile, Microsoft had its marketing act together. I could put together a small network of inexpensive PCs in my basement to learn NT, and I could take Microsoft certification tests to prove myself along the way. I set aside 1 day each week for self-study and testing, and finished my final MCSE test in June 1995.

Between evening MBA classes, Microsoft certification study, starting the new business, and a feeble attempt at family life, I got so busy I started neglecting the refinery. They wanted somebody onsite all the time, but I was handling the other customers. So I hired our first full-time employee to take care of the refinery while I took care of everyone else.

As I read this, those days sound exciting and challenging. They were. It's also not for everyone. The part nobody talks about is family life, and starting this business almost tore our family apart. Fortunately, we came through it and now we're stronger than ever.

So my best advice: Think long and hard before going out on your own.

--Greg Scott, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), is president of Scott Consulting Corp. (Eagan, Minn.). Contact him at gregscott@scottconsulting.com.