Best Consulting Business Ideas to Kickstart Your Business

Starting a consulting business is a great way to monetize your expertise. Whether your background is connected to IT, marketing, or sales, you can turn specialized skills and experience gained during work into profitable ventures. However, that’s not the best part of consulting business. The best part is that it offers absolute flexibility, and you do not need a physical location or team to get started. 

In this article, we will explore some of the best consulting business ideas to help you kickstart your consulting business. So, let’s dive into it. 

What is a consulting business 

A consulting business is a business where a consultant provides expert advice, guidance, and solutions to individuals or organizations in a specific industry or field. Consultants leverage their expertise and industry-specific knowledge to drive measurable results for the clients. 

Top and on-demand consulting business ideas 

If you are unsure about starting a consulting business or what type to pick, we are here to help out. In this section, we will review the top best and on-demand consulting business ideas. Whether you want to operate such a business as an individual consultant or get a team, the ideas presented here will be feasible.

Management consulting

Management consulting is one of the niches that enjoys the highest demand in the industry. It focuses on helping B2B clients (businesses) to improve efficiency, productivity, and overall performance. 

The key services management consultants provide include the following: 

• Business strategy development
• Process optimization and workflow improvements
• Organizational restructuring
• Change management and leadership coaching
• Market entry and expansion strategies

For instance, a well-known management consultant is Liz Kislik. She is an independent consultant with over 30 years of expertise in the field. A very important lesson you can learn from her is to focus on solving specific pain points. For instance, she addresses team conflict and leadership gaps and focuses on those to attract clients. 

Financial consulting 

If you are good with money and know more than the 20/30/50 rule, then you can think about diving into the noche of financial consulting. Whether for B2B or B2C clients, financial consulting enjoys relatively high demand in today’s market. 

Typically, businesses and individuals expect the following services from financial consultants: 

• Investment and wealth management
• Tax planning and compliance
• Budgeting and financial forecasting
• Debt management and cost reduction strategies
• Risk assessment and mitigation. 

A great example of a financial consulting firm that niched down even further is Ellevest. Ellevest provides financial consulting services for women, helping and guiding them in building wealth. One of the main things you can learn from the brand is its positioning. Ellevst mentions that their mission is to help women with different financial realities to build wealth, unlike other consultancies. 

So, if you decide to proceed with financial consulting, make sure to focus on something that sets you apart from the competition, whether it is a specific niche or a unique mission. 

Environmental consulting

Environmental consulting has gained more popularity throughout the past year, with increased attention being drawn to ethical business practices and measures to preserve our planet. It mainly focuses on advising businesses about sustainability, regulatory compliance, and environmental risk management. 

Essentially, as an environmental consultant or a consulting firm, you will be responsible for helping companies reduce their carbon footprint and implement sustainable practices. 

Environmental consultants provide the following services: 

• Environmental impact assessments
• Sustainability strategy development
• Waste management and pollution control
• Regulatory compliance and reporting
• Renewable energy consulting. 

Remember that the services can vary depending on what you plan to offer your clients; those are just examples. For instance, Co2Balance is an innovative environmental sustainability consultancy firm that also helps clients develop and implement carbon management solutions. 

Co2Balance focuses specifically on carbon offsetting and sustainability, which allows them to position themselves as experts in a niche market. As an aspiring consultant, you can learn from them and pick a particular niche to establish yourself as an expert. 

Health & wellness consulting

Health and wellness has always been a dominating industry, whether for healthcare professionals or wellness coaches. So, if you have a certain education in the area, an excellent idea is to start a wellness consulting business. 

Health and wellness consulting involves guiding organizations and individuals toward healthier lives. As a consultant, you will create personalized strategies about nutrition plans, fitness, and mental well-being practices to achieve better overall well-being. 

The key services include the following: 

• Personalized nutrition counseling
• Fitness and exercise program development
• Stress management and mental health support
• Corporate wellness program implementation
• Workshops and seminars on healthy living. 

For instance, Luke Countino offers expert consulting services in the health and wellness industry. He provides individual and corporate-level consulting and ensures his website displays everything he offers. A few things you can learn from Luke from a business perspective include proper CTA placements (right under the video on his homepage to book a consultation). 

Also, he is very good at building a personal brand through valuable content. Luke has established a strong online presence across various platforms, which has been handy for promoting his consulting services. 

IT consulting

IT consulting business is a great idea for tech-savvy people who want to leverage their skills and make money. As an IT consultant, you will be responsible for providing clients with expert advice on leveraging information technology to achieve their business goals. 

The key services IT consultants or consulting firms offer include:

• IT infrastructure assessment and optimization
• Cybersecurity analysis and implementation
• Software development and integration
• Cloud computing solutions
• Data management and analytics. 

Alen Holub is a well-known IT consultant specializing in agile methodologies, software design, and team productivity. He offers training, consultancy, and coaching services for software teams. Allen’s approach is grounded in practicality. He emphasizes real-world applications of Agile and software design principles, making his advice actionable for clients. 

As an aspiring IT consultant, you can incorporate elements of his approach and focus on practical implementation more to provide actual value to your clients instead of only theoretical guidance. 

HR Consulting

Have you always been a people person? Moreover, you may also have experience working as an HR or recruitment specialist. Well, multiply your income potential by leveraging those skills and turning your experience into an HR consulting business. 

HR consulting firms or individuals offer the following services:

• Development of HR policies and procedures
• Employee recruitment and retention strategies
• Performance management systems
• Training and development programs
• Compliance with employment laws and regulations. 

However, Laurie Ruettimann is a niche HR professional who is more focused on revolutionizing work culture and providing innovative solutions. Laurie’s success is largely connected to her modern approach and ability to efficiently address clients' pain points. She focuses on workplace culture, employee engagement, and HR technology. 

Whether you choose HR consulting or else from Laurie, you can learn a fast-paced approach to staying ahead of the trends and positioning yourself as an expert in resolving contemporary issues. 

Real Estate Consulting 

Real estate consulting involves providing expert advice to clients regarding property investments. It goes slightly deeper than that and involves guidance on investment in development projects, market analysis, and portfolio management. Consultants in this field have no limit to the client base. You could be working with individual corporations or even professional investors. 

Real estate consultants primarily offer: 

• Market feasibility studies
• Property valuation and appraisal
• Investment analysis and strategy
• Site selection and acquisition advice
• Development planning and project management. 

In fact, if you decide to proceed with real estate consulting, you can start as an independent consultant like Steve Cook and then grow into establishing your firm. Steve is an independent consultant with decades of experience in real estate market analysis. He focuses on helping clients by providing data-driven insights and actionable insights, whether about investment or residential properties. 

Start-Up Consulting

When you start a business, you want it to work and bring profits, right? This mindset is true for most. So, think about it: would a start-up owner prefer to make costly mistakes or make an upfront investment in consulting to avoid future costs? The second option is more likely. The demand for start-up consulting is high; the key is to find those organizations. 

Start-up consulting firms and individual consultants offer the following services: 

• Business model development
• Market research and competitive analysis
• Financial planning and fundraising strategies
• Branding and marketing plan formulation
• Operational setup and process optimization

Marketing Consulting

Marketing is an essential aspect of every business. Whether the organization has an in-house team or not, most companies occasionally leverage external consultancy services to improve their marketing efforts. 

As a marketing consultant, you will help companies develop and implement effective plans to enhance brand awareness, customer engagement, and sales. If you have previous experience in marketing or have gained extensive knowledge from courses or a degree, now is the time to use it. Start by marketing your own marketing consultancy firm. 

Marketing consultants provide businesses and individuals with the following services: 

• Market research and consumer behavior analysis
• Brand development and positioning
• Digital marketing strategy and execution
• Content creation and management
• Social media marketing and advertising. 

One of the best marketing consultants in the industry is Mike Khorev. Mike specialized in SEO and inbound marketing. He assists B2B SaaS, software, and technology companies in planning and executing digital marketing strategies to drive sales and revenue. 

As far as we are talking about marketing, let’s see what you can learn from Mike. Well, let’s focus on contempt marketing. Mike writes insightful content on SEO, digital marketing, and growth strategies, which establishes him as an authority in his field. But he does not just write general stuff everyone else does. In his work, even the one available for everyone for free, he provides actual insight and value for potential customers. This is one of his main selling points. 

Project Management Consulting 

Are you skilled at project management, deadlines, and organization? If so, I think we have found the perfect business idea for you: project management consulting. 

Project management consultants offer: 

• Project planning and scheduling
• Risk management and mitigation
• Resource allocation and management
• Performance monitoring and reporting
• Post-project evaluation and lessons learned. 

If you plan to establish yourself in the niche of project management consulting, then I know someone from whom you can learn a lot. His name is… wait for it… Max Wide… MAN (who got the reference from Friends? :)) 

Jokes aside, Max is a project management expert who is renowned for his significant contributions to the development of project management standards and practices. If there is only one thing you can learn from this man, it is his commitment to ongoing learning. He was committed to constantly learning and expanding his knowledge base, which became the foundation of his success. 

Procurement Consulting 

Procurement consulting provides expert advice to organizations on optimizing their purchasing processes. Simply put, you’ll help businesses stay on top of their supply chain game. Your responsibilities include helping organizations reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and improve supplier relationships. 

Procurement or supply chain management consultants offer the following services: 

• Supply chain assessment and optimization
• Supplier selection and negotiation
• Cost reduction strategies
• Contract management and compliance
• Procurement process reengineering. 

Want to be a procurement consultant? Well, let’s see what we can take away from the best ones in the industry, such as James Meads. He is an independent procurement consultant specializing in digital solutions. James offers advisory services to procurement technology startups and consultancies, focusing on integrating the best digital tools to enhance procurement processes. 

From James, you can learn about the vitality of embracing digitization in your service offerings. He took simple procurement consultancy to the next level by offering a more focused approach that sets him apart from the competition. 

Customer Experience Consulting 

Customer experience consulting is another on-demand idea for your consulting business. CX focuses on helping your clients understand their customers and enhance interactions. As a CX consultant, you’ll analyze customer journeys, find the pain points, and provide actionable strategies for improving customer satisfaction.

Custom experience and relationship management consultants provide services, including: 

• Customer journey mapping and analysis
• Development of customer feedback systems
• Design and implementation of loyalty programs
• Employee training on customer service excellence
• Integration of technology solutions for personalized customer interactions. 

Chip Bell is a renowned consultant, speaker, and author specializing in customer loyalty and service innovation. With a career spanning several decades, Bell has made significant contributions to the field of customer experience. 

So, there are more than enough things you can learn from him. The number one lesson, however, should be Understanding the customer's journey from start to finish, including every little twist. Bell's work highlights the value of mapping out customer interactions to design seamless and satisfying experiences, which is your goal as a consultant. 

Start Your Consulting Business with Uteach 

Uteach is your comprehensive and reliable partner in starting and growing your online consulting business, whether you are in a niche of marketing, finance, or else. 

The platform offers a comprehensive set of features and tools ranging from website builder to marketing automation for a consulting business's successful start and expansion. Schedule a free demo with our team to learn more about what we have to offer and how we can help you grow.