{"id":225047,"date":"2023-01-24T22:00:06","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T22:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markperlbergcpa.com\/hiring-a-consultant-for-your-atlanta-business\/"},"modified":"2023-01-24T22:00:06","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T22:00:06","slug":"hiring-a-consultant-for-your-atlanta-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prosperlcpa.com\/blog\/2023\/01\/hiring-a-consultant-for-your-atlanta-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring a Consultant for Your Atlanta Business"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Remembering and honoring Martin Luther King this week has me thinking once again about being a voice. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard not to get inspired listening to the iconic words of the famous I Have a Dream<\/span><\/a> speech (if you\u2019ve never listened to the entire speech, it\u2019s worth the listen — and it’s shorter than most people realize). <\/p>\n

It makes me think about how being a business owner is about so much more than merely “running a business.” What we do has a real impact on real people. And we can wield that influence in intentional ways.<\/p>\n

For many of us, we start with our teams. Without even trying, we impact their lives. (Quite literally because we give them a paycheck, but it goes beyond that). This impact can be for good or for ill, by the way.<\/p>\n

But when we see our teams right, we get the opportunity to know them as people, not just as workers. We get to support them in their pursuits and help them come through difficulties. We get to help them succeed beyond the walls of our Atlanta businesses. <\/p>\n

This kind of care, letting them know how much you value them \u2026 well, I’m fairly certain that it goes a long way. <\/p>\n

If you want to take a look at where you can afford to make room in your business financials to pour into the community or your staff in other ways, that\u2019s something I\u2019d be happy to discuss.<\/p>\n

Grab a time with me here:
calendly.com\/mark-perlberg-cpa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, speaking of your staff and maybe your 2023 business goals, perhaps you are needing to hire a consultant for some specialized areas in your Atlanta business. <\/p>\n

I have thoughts.<\/p>\n

Hiring a Consultant for Your Atlanta Business<\/strong><\/span>
\u201cAdvice is like castor oil: easy enough to give but dreadful uneasy to take.\u201d – Josh Billings<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

HR or IT getting complex and time-consuming for you alone? Suddenly what seemed to be an advertising no-brainer looks complicated now? It\u2019s only natural that as your company grows, functions that were once easy get too cumbersome for you to handle. Sooner or later, you wonder about hiring a consultant. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finding the right one to help your company, though, is like finding any other answer in business: It takes work. <\/span><\/p>\n

But you can handle it, and here\u2019s how. <\/span><\/p>\n

What they do and what you need<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Consultants come in a lot of varieties and can help (or claim they can) in many areas of business from advertising and marketing to how to handle expanding growing human resources needs to advising on real estate purchases to protecting data as a company grows\u2026 among many others. <\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t know what you need until you know what you need<\/i>. Your first task when hiring a consultant is to resist flailing for help in all directions and pin down what problem you want to tackle. You need details and for those, you need homework and questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than simply saying you want a consultant to help with your advertising, first, find out where you want to put the ads and for what products. You need tech help \u2013 but to install software, pick a server, or build a firewall? Do you need your consultant for one project or for semi-regular engagements over the long haul? <\/span><\/p>\n

The more specific, the better. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What you can expect to pay<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For all the above, your big determinants are your budget going in and projected ROI. Until you\u2019ve tacked those down, don\u2019t even Google \u201chiring a consultant …\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Pricing is where consultants really<\/i> get varied. Understand that this can only be just an overview of their rates, but it should give you a snapshot to start budgeting. <\/span><\/p>\n

Consultants can charge by the project or by a length of time, such as a day or an hour. <\/span>Small-business consulting fees can range from the high two figures to more than a grand (sometimes much more, depending on the industry, the length of the project, and the consultant). That breaks down to the low three figures per hour. Generally, the more technical or senior-level the expertise needed, the more expensive it\u2019ll be. <\/span><\/p>\n

Makes sense \u2013 but how can you rein in costs yet still get the expertise you need? <\/span><\/p>\n

Some screening questions are the same as with any vendor. Is this a one-time consulting need? You\u2019re better off with a fixed fee. Is the project ongoing, with repeated fine-tuning down the road? That\u2019ll get you a lower fee than a one-time project but you will have to pay the fee more often, so can you negotiate a volume discount? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For figuring out a base price to start, check your biz network for experience with consultants\u2019 fees \u2013 and, more importantly, for referrals. <\/span><\/p>\n

Who they should be<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, hiring a consultant isn\u2019t like hiring a tax preparer, plumber, doctor, or other professional who works under fixed and clear levels of certification. There are many certifications for consultants \u2013 but, for your purposes, those titles don\u2019t mean as much as finding someone with smarts concerning your company and with whom you just click. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Common sense will tell you the qualities of a good consultant: ability to listen, learn, and analyze; calm, objective judgment and the skills to document completely; insight and experience (maybe even on the expert level, though again this can cost you) to think strategically; inductive reasoning; and the ability to clearly communicate findings and recommendations so you can act on them. <\/span><\/p>\n

You might also need them to have a sharp eye for data or possess management or medication skills \u2013 sales ability doesn\u2019t hurt either when it comes to convincing your staff of the sense of the consultant\u2019s recommendations. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re screening candidates, bounce your problem off them directly. You can also give them hypothetical problems and ask for their judgment in ways to respond (much like you\u2019d do with a job candidate). <\/span><\/p>\n

Ideally, you\u2019re not the only one asking questions in the screening. A candidate should: <\/span><\/p>\n