How to Start a Consulting Business in 10 Steps

Starting a consulting business is a rewarding way to turn your expertise into a profitable venture. If you are a professional looking to monetize your knowledge, this might be the best path for you. However, launching a successful consulting business requires more than just expertise; it demands strategic planning, branding, and promotional efforts. 

In this guide, we’ll explore the top 10 essential steps to help you build a consulting business. From identifying your niche to automating the processes, we will cover everything you need to know. So, let’s dive into it. 

Why should you start a consulting business? 

The question of the day is why should you even start a consulting business. Well, you don't have to… but if you want to, let me give you a few motivating numbers. 

In 2025, the consulting business’s market size currently is USD 371.04 Billion, and in 2030, it is projected to reach USD 469.28 Billion with an average CAGR rate of 4.81%. 

10 Steps to start a consulting business 

Let’s dive into the practical section of this article and overview the top 10 steps to start a consulting business. 

Step #1 Identify what you have to offer 

Before starting your consulting business, you need to understand what you have to offer. You need to clearly define the expertise, skills, and value you bring to the table. Clients hire consultants for their specialized expertise in a certain area, so it’s essential to understand how you can help businesses and individuals achieve their goals. 

Assess your expertise to understand what you have to offer. Consider certifications, education, and past successes in solving unique challenges. 

Then, identify potential client pain points to understand your audience's challenges and the problems you can help them solve with your experience and guidance. Also, determine your unique value proposition. What makes you different? It could be a hands-on approach, more extensive expertise, or a niche specialization. 

Step #2 Research your niche 

Once you know what you can offer, the next step is to pick a niche that enjoys good demand. 

“If I was to now use the strategy that I’ve been using successfully to launch courses, it’s talk to your customers, talk to your students, figure out what their pain points are, listen to the language, how they describe those pain points, because that exactly will be what’s selling the course. It’s not what’s included and what’s content, but what are the challenges that are going to go away?” 

 

- Jan Keck, facilitator, trainer, and experience designer

Jan Keck’s insight reinforces that choosing the right niche isn’t just about personal expertise or market trends but real demand. By researching what clients need and struggle with, you can ensure that the niche aligns with your expertise and market demand and that you can efficiently monetize it. 

To choose the right niche, you need to: 

• Analyze the market demand to see what B2B and B2C clients seek. For businesses that might be actively seeking help in your area of expertise, if you notice a growing pattern for this search, then it is a good indication of demand. 
• Create an ideal client persona. Understand who you are targeting, businesses or individuals, and whether you are targeting startups, small businesses, or big enterprises. Identify and study your competitors. Research consultants in your field and understand the scope of demand for their services. 
• Validate your niche with feedback by conducting informal interviews or surveys with potential clients. 

Step #3 Set Clear goals & KPIs 

Setting well-defined goals and KPIs will fuel your further success. In fact, without a clear goal, you will not have a direction. Thus, things will take longer due to insufficient organization and purposeful action. 

So, let’s see how you can set clear goals and KPIs. 

• Define long-term objectives, for instance, “I will have my business website ready by 30th March.” As you can see, the goals are specific, attainable, and time-bound. Another example is, “I will make the first 10 sales during the first three of operations.” 
• Establish key performance indicators. Identify metrics that will help you track your success, such as website traffic, client inquiries, conversion rates, and revenue. For instance, with the sales goal example, your key performance indicator is the number of sales. But, to achieve that number, you also need to set goals regarding website traffic, conversion rates, etc. 
• Set financial targets to keep yourself motivated. Create a budget to understand how much you need to earn to cover expenses or get returns on initial investments. 
• Create a roadmap and set specific milestones for yourself. After making the first 10 sales, you aim to grow to a00 in sales and 10k website traffic/mo. Set smaller milestones by month to finally achieve these numbers consistently and grow further. 

Whatever goals or KPIs you set, monitoring them to successfully achieve each and move forward with bigger ones is essential. You can use tools like spreadsheets, project management software, or other CRM systems to measure progress and adjust as needed. 

Step #4 Choose the right online consulting platform 

The next step is choosing the right software solution for your online consulting business endeavors. Imagine moving forward with only Zoom or Google Meets under your hand… It will get messy pretty quickly. 

The right platform can make a huge difference in communicating with clients, delivering services, and managing your business. In fact, the right platform is key to scaling your business successfully and reaching your audiences while remaining professional and building authority in the market. 

So, here are a few tips on how to choose the right platform: 

• Determine your business needs. For example, do you need live functionality, course & website builder, and level of customization required? Is white-labeling a must for you? Think about all the aspects and write them down. 
• Choose an easy-to-use platform that has a good user interface. It will be helpful for you and convenient for the clients. 
• Make sure the platform of your choice has reliable and fast payment integration, e.g., with platforms like PayPal, Strip, and bank cards such as MasterCard, Visa, and others. 
• Look for automation features such as sales automation tools, e.g., email newsletters, or marketing automation tools such as blog post scheduling. 

All of these and more you can get with Uteach. Uteach is an industry-leading platform for coaches and consultants all over the world. The platform offers a wide variety of features designed to easily support your business growth. 

Step #5 Build your online brand 

Your online brand is part of your identity as a consultant. So, make sure to display the best parts of it to build trust. For instance, you need a strong and compelling brand story as a creator. When it comes to distinct presence, you can learn from Neil Patel. 

Neil creates a distinct brand story by establishing himself as a digital marketing expert and sharing his personal journey from how he started to how he got to the point of building multiple successful companies. 

You will also need a professional website and an optimized social media presence. Which ones, again, can be learned from Neil? He leverages visually consistent, clean, and simple themes across his socials and website. Even his presentations are similar in style. 

Finally, Neil established thought leadership by leveraging client testimonials and providing consistent value. He rarely writes and publishes high-value blog posts and contributes to major publications. This positions him as an authority in digital marketing. 

Step #6 Establish your pricing model 

Strategically pricing your services will ensure both profitability and clarity. The right pricing model depends on your experience and industry standards. Some consulting niches may enjoy higher prices, while others lower the key in research. 

So, start with: 

• Research the market and analyze what other consultants in your niche are charging. For instance, a marketing consultant’s average hourly rate is about $32. However, many consultants with independent brands price one hourly session for around $100. However, if clients take a package of sessions, the prices become more convenient for them. 
• Choose a pricing structure. Decide the price for hourly consultancy, project-based fees, value-based pricing, etc. It is best to offer a variety of pricing structures so your clients can target a wider niche, as different B2B and B2C clients prefer different pricing models. 
• Test and refine your pricing to understand which works best for you and your clients. 

We recommend focusing on value-based pricing and offering customizable packages for project-based agreements. Value-based pricing is the best and safest bet for your clients, motivating them to leverage your services while also generating consistent income for you. 

Blair Enns, the founder of Win Without Pitchings ales training, elaborates on this model quite well. Blaid advocates for value-based pricing. So, instead of pricing your hourly rate and time spent with the client, price your service based on the value you can give. 

For example, if your hourly rate is $30 but the value you offer can generate thousands, then you definitely do not want to stick to $30 an hour; instead, price your single session higher. 

Another feature of value-based pricing is customized proposals for each client. Every client is unique, and their set of needs varies as well. So, you can propose specific consulting plans besides fixed ones and agree upon tailored pricing. 

Step #7 Design your consultation programs and offerings 

Design your consultancy programs to offer maximum value for the client. This is especially important if you target B2B clients, as they care about ROI much more than the B2B section. 

So, start the process by identifying your key services. Make sure each service you offer solves key problems for the client. Also, understand how your consulting is structured. Is it one-on-one group coaching or in a course format? 

Then, move forward with creating clear deliverables. Define what your clients will receive, e.g., live sessions, reports, templates, and eBooks. 

Finally, move on to developing a streamlined process. Define everything from how clients can book a session to what they can expect during it. 

Step #8 Market your business 

Once your website, its design, and pricing models are established, it is time to get the word out, as people say. They say it, no? Well, we will. Marketing is an essential component of any business. In fact, you can have the best product out there, but without proper promotional and persuasion techniques, you might not generate sales. 

The right marketing strategy will help you stand out and find your loyal customers. So, here is what you can do about it. 

• Leverage content marketing. Forget that the only way to get clients is via paid ads. In the long run, you need a good content strategy for building reputation, trust, and authority in the market, generating consistent brand awareness and traffic. So, start sharing valuable insights and information via blog posts, social media posts, and videos. 
• Optimize your online presence by leveraging social media tools and website branding features. Create a distinct branding associated with you, whether it is typography and colors you use or style of writing. 
• Use social proof to build credibility by collecting past client testimonials and elaborating on case studies and client success stories. 
• Network strategically, attend industry events, engage in relevant online communities, and build long-term relationships with potential clients. 
• Offer free resources on your socials and website. E.g., you can offer a free eBook about a relevant topic in your niche in exchange for email addresses. This way, you will provide free value and collect emails from interested leads. Then, you can further nurture them and turn them into clients. 

Step #9 Build a loyal community 

A loyal community of clients will fuel the long-term success of your online consulting business. People return to businesses they trust and engage with.

“I usually start every cohort with a kickoff session that doesn’t really have a lot of content. The main focus, the main purpose is to help people connect with each other and start to build this sense of community, a sense of belonging.” 

- Jan Keck, facilitator, trainer, and experience designer. 

Building a loyal community is a crucial factor playing a huge role in your success as a creator. Jan Keck further emphasizes that only good content won’t do the job of creating a community. You can only do it by fostering meaningful connections. When starting a consulting business, creating a space where clients or followers feel valued, heard, and supported is crucial. 

So, here are a few tips and recommendations for building a loyal community for your online consulting business. 

• Create a welcoming space by engaging your audience outside of the classroom with newsletters, Q&A sessions, and even private groups. 
• Encourage interaction by asking questions, responding to comments, and creating opportunities for meaningful discussions. 
• Provide ongoing value by offering exclusive insights, free resources, or special events only available to current students or alumni. 
• Be authentic and share behind-the-scenes content and personal stories. 

Step #10 Automate the processes 

Automation can save time and improve operational efficiency as your consulting business grows. By automating repetitive tasks such as sending out reminders and emails, you can have time to focus on another strategic task for your consulting business. 

• Schedule content and emails. You can use built-in tools some LMS platforms offer to automate emails and marketing efforts, e.g., emails and blog posts. Also, you can use tools such as Buffer to schedule social media posts. 
• A CRM system can be used to track leads, follow-ups, and client interactions, for instance, with tools like Salesforce or HubSpot. 
• Set up workflow automation with tools such as Asana or Trello to manage your daily tasks easier and more efficiently. 

Start your consulting business with Uteach 

If you are looking for the best tool to start your consulting business, then you are in the right place. Uteach is an all-in-one platform for consultants that offers everything you need to successfully expand your business and reach new heights on the market. 

The features range from ease of use to customization options, live integration, seamless payment gateway, and robust course & website builders. To learn more about what we have to offer, schedule a free demo with our team, and we will be more than happy to assist you.