Five Consulting Opportunities for Today's Professional

Life is really all about opportunities and what you do with them. To get the most out of life, you have to follow the best opportunities where they take you, and you need to be able to position yourself to maximize their benefits. If you're at a point in your life where you need to align yourself with a different, more positive set of circumstances, I think you should consider the numerous consulting opportunities available in today's world.

Even though the world continues to recover from the devastating economic collapse of 2008, some industries are thriving in the new landscape. Consulting is one of those industries, and consulting opportunities are everywhere if you know what to look for.

Here are five of the top consulting opportunities that are available today for professionals like you:

1. Small Business Rules

   When some people think of consulting, they think of the large firms that get hired to help steer huge, multinational corporations to success. What they fail to understand is that small and mid sized businesses require consulting help, too, and they are more willing to hire consultants today than ever before. With so many small businesses springing up as people rebuild from the recession, the world is teeming with consulting opportunities.
    

2. You Can Be Anywhere and Everywhere

   Independent consulting has always been a great career choice for the midlife professional, but it's become even more attractive thanks to the wonders of modern technology. By using technology to build your network and find clients globally, you can grow your consulting business more quickly. You can also keep your costs down considerably by conducting meetings online and avoiding expenses associated with copiers, fax machines and other pieces of outdated equipment.
    

3. Look for Challenges in Unfamiliar Industries

   It stands to reason that if you worked in the technology sector, for example, you would be best suited as a consultant for tech-based companies. Therefore, you might be narrowing your choices of consulting opportunities to those available in familiar industries. You can (and should) expand your scope greatly, though. CEOs and other VIPs of industry skip across sectors all the time, and consultants should think of their work in a similar fashion. You don't need to be an industry expert; you just need to know how to drive results and increase efficiency and make organizations run more profitably.
    

4. Know how to Network

   This is something that I've written about before, but I think it bears repeating: networking is nearly impossible if you're trying to trade job “A” for job “B.” I'm sure there are people in your network who would love to help you find the ideal $150,000-per-year job, but chances are, they're stressed out about their careers, too. What's more, those types of opportunities are just not around anymore. However, if you use your network to find smaller consulting opportunities that you can stack together, you can replace your income quite quickly.

   If your network still isn't providing you with solid consulting leads, there are numerous consulting organizations and networks that you can join either in person or online. For example, The Ex3 Matters community is incredibly helpful when it comes to connecting consultants with the best opportunities.
    

5. Don't Forget About Your Part of the World

   I've written about how we live in a globally connected society thanks to technology, but there's another side to that coin. Living in a world where you can connect with anyone anywhere can blind people to the opportunities that exist around the corner in their own communities. No matter where you live, you can probably find a few small businesses that would love to bring you on board as a consultant. As you go about your normal, daily routine, don't forget to look for these consulting opportunities; helping the businesses in your community can improve your profile, but it also gives you the chance to make your part of the planet a better place.

Are you looking for consulting opportunities without finding what you need? We have some great resources to help you locate the opportunities that will boost your career. Our free consulting guides contain insights that will give you an edge as a consultant, and Buddy Hobart's free eBook, “Experience Matters,” dives deep into what it means to work as a consultant today. Don't wait! Download these excellent free resources today!