Many people dream about leaving full-time employment to become an independent consultant. JMC’s Jay Morris writes about four public relations professionals who took the plunge to become successful solo practitioners in a guest post on the Public Relations Society of America – National Capital Chapter Blog.
All four consultants are members of the Independent Public Relations Alliance and spoke on a panel organized by Morris and sponsored jointly by PRSA-NCC and IPRA. Some tips from the panel:
- Make sure you have the professional and business skills it takes to fly solo before you launch your new venture.
- Consider how you will organize your business such as being a sole proprietor or forming an LLC.
- Try to “pre-book” business before you quit your full-time job.
- Talk to others who have gone independent to find out what it’s like and to network.
- Understand the “nuts and bolts” of the business such as contracting, accounting and taxes.
- Have a nest egg to fall back on and realize that you will have expenses like health insurance.
- Learn to promote yourself and to market your services.
To read more, go to “How to become a successful PR consultant.”