Hanging out a shingle that will last: independent consultants offer tips for starting your own business

Communication World, Oct-Nov, 2003 by Stacy Wilson

A steady paycheck and benefits can be strong inducements to merely daydream about owning your own business. But more communicators are making entrepreneurial leaps in the face of job dissatisfaction, forced relocation or months of corporate job searching after a layoff.

Pulling up to a career crossroads, a steady stream of communicators have decided to hang out a shingle. For some, a home-office business fills the gap until a "real" job becomes available. Others have discovered that being their own boss is the best way they can deliver value to the workplace while enjoying more creative freedom.

An informal survey of independent communication consultants finds that they focus on a variety of communication disciplines and come to entrepreneurship from many different backgrounds. Nearly all communicators interviewed started their businesses in the past three years. Most have weathered the economic meltdown; many have even flourished. Their experiences illustrate the driving factors, business considerations and benefits of hanging out a shingle that will last.

WHY, AND WHY NOT SOONER?

Many external drivers, such as layoffs, reductions in job responsibility and leadership changes, steer communicators to entrepreneurship as a means of gaining increased flexibility and more personal control.

A corporate reorganization left John Clemons, ABC, APR, disillusioned with new leadership. He left the company to form Clemons Communication in Leesburg, Va., USA.

"I always wanted to start my own business," Clemens says. "I just wasn't sure about being without resources, [regular] compensation, perks, the challenge of good work and the opportunity to develop people."

Liz Guthridge had relocated to San Francisco, Calif., USA, for a new consulting job that had her traveling all the time and working with too narrow a focus. Dissatisfied, Guthridge became a partner with The Adobe Group, a virtual firm in which various communicators in multiple locations collaborate on projects.

"Now the work I do is more customized to the client situation, because I have the time to really get to know the situation," says Guthridge of her newfound independence.

When Sheri Rosen, ABC, owner of Rosen Communication Group, was laid off from her position with USAA, she didn't want to leave her San Antonio, Texas, USA, location.

"I always knew my 'Plan B' was starting a business, because I'd done it before," Rosen says. She freelanced in the 1980s before returning to corporate work. She stayed on the job because she was devoted to the team she built at USAA.

The list of reasons consultants give for not making the entrepreneurial leap sooner is long and emotional: loss of benefits, fear of business development marketing or networking, loss of the social interaction found in an office environment, lack of contacts and consulting skills, and an uncertain economy.

But each challenge can be met with professional advice, due diligence and goal setting.

TAKING A BUSINESS APPROACH

When you are establishing an independent communication consultancy, four start-up issues are critical: company name, networking, structure and staffing and financial management. Consider these best practices.

THE NAME GAME

Naming a business is daunting. Do you use your surname, or something altogether different? Some considerations:

* If your family name has substantial recognition and awareness within your current network, go with that. "My name has great visibility within IABC, and I'm banking on that recognition," says Clemons, who was IABC's 2001-2002 chairman.

* Try to create a descriptive name. "The word 'afino' means refinement, elaboration and melioration in Spanish, which I found suitable," explains Sonja Muller, owner of afino consulting in Berlin, Germany. "It's always a good conversation starter."

One word of caution, Be certain the name you choose doesn't have an inappropriate meaning in another language.

* If you intend to trademark your name, take time to research whether the name is already being used.

* If you intend the business to be a virtual firm, you'll probably want a moniker devoid of surnames in case someone leaves the group.

If you decide to trademark the name, brace yourself for two long years of waiting. It's possible to do everything yourself, but a trademark attorney can smooth the process, saving you valuable time for business development. A trademark search will uncover similar names that could make it difficult for you to secure a trademark.

NETWORKING WORKS

Almost without exception, independent communication consultants agree that networking is essential to finding and keeping clients. Although they concede that networking is not always comfortable, it's the marketing strategy of choice.

"I try to stay connected with people," says Mary Hettinger, APR, owner of Beyond Words in Ashland, Mass., USA. "If you're even thinking about going into business for yourself while still in corporate, carve out the time to network."

Jim Shaffer, owner of the Jim Shaffer Group in Annapolis, Md., USA, likes to get his byline published. "There are a lot of publications you can write for that provide you with documented evidence of your expertise and allow you to take a position or express a viewpoint," he notes.