Solo Consulting Bootcamp Cohort "Juliet Class"

About the bootcamp:

When you’re just starting out as an independent consultant, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. There’s so much to learn, and even more to do! This eight-week solo consulting bootcamp will help.

Limited to just eight participants, your "PICA pod" will meet every other week for eight weeks to help you…

• Set up your business (including naming it, if you haven’t already)

• Refine your branding and service offerings

• Figure out your pricing

• Create an online presence for your business

• Do your initial outreach and business development

• And tackle whatever else you may need help with!

Led by PICA Chief Advocate, Liz Steblay, you’ll get the help you need, and you’ll appreciate the sense of accountability and esprit de corps with your colleagues.

Format:

These are interactive roundtable discussions, not webinars, so be prepared to participate, ideally using your webcam.

Each session will focus on a particular topic, with assignments in between sessions. Assignments may include taking PICA workshop if you haven’t already, and/or creating a first draft of something so we can discuss it in the next session.

Duration: Each session is 90 minutes (450 minutes total)

Timing:

Fridays starting February 4th at 10:00 Pacific. Sessions are every other Friday.

When you register for the bootcamp, you will get a confirmation email with the calendar invitation for just the first session. We will manually send you the calendar invitations for the other four sessions.

Syllabus

(Click here to download a PDF of the syllabus.)

February 4th: Module 1, Laying Your Foundation

Get to know each other and your objectives for the next 8 weeks.  

Assignments and prep for next session:

• Make progress on your foundational steps (e.g. business license, DBA, etc.)
• Take Know Your Niche: Branding to Build Your Business (February 11th) or use PICA articles to help you: Why Personal Branding is Vital and How to Do It* and Know Your Niche* (These articles contain links to worksheets.)
• Draft your tagline and we'll fine-tune it in our next session.
• Develop a summary of your service offerings. (What services do you provide and to whom?)

Related Materials:

• Creating a Foundation for Consulting Success
• Getting Started as Your Own Business (with checklist) *
• Registering Your Business and Getting a License *
• Registering Your DBA (Doing Business As) *
• Business Structure: Sole-proprietor, LLC, Corporation, or Other? *
• One Easy Step to a Professional Image (Use an email domain.)

February 18th: Module 2, Your Go-to-Market Positioning

Check in on your progress on laying your foundation. Work on refining your branding, go-to-market messaging, and service offerings. Group input on your tagline and service offerings. 

Assignments and prep for next session:

• Replicate your tagline on all marketing
• Begin to update your LinkedIn profile (your tagline as your headline)
• Create an email signature with your tagline
  • Is Your Email Signature Helping You Stand Out from the Crowd?
• Take Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Consulting* (February 23rd) or use the PICA reference guide *
• Start updating your personal LinkedIn Profile

Related Materials:

• PICA Reference Guide: Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile (download)
• Quote Your Consulting Billing Rate with Confidence

March 4th: Module 3, Creating Visibility 

Discuss/refine branding; review LinkedIn profile updates. Creating your LinkedIn business page and/or website. 

Assignments and prep for next session:

• Take How to Build Your Website (TBD, week of March 15th) or use PICA's reference guide (download)
• Take Billing Rates and Pricing Strategies (March 11th)
• Finish your personal LinkedIn profile
• Create your LinkedIn business page and connect it to your personal profile
• Create an outline for your website
• Bonus points if you get a first draft of your website done, too!

Related Materials:

• Eliminate the Gray Square on Your LinkedIn Profile!
• How to Figure Out Your Consulting Bill Rate
• PICA Reference Guide: How to Build Your Website * (download)

March 18th: Module 4, Getting Clients

Review/discuss marketing efforts and website outlines (or actual websites). Discuss your pricing strategy.

Assignments and prep for next session: 

• Take Business Development for Independent Consultants (March 23rd) or read the five articles in PICA's Resources Library *
• Export and prioritize contacts
• Draft outreach message(s)
• Draft two stories or case studies
• Prepare samples so you have them ready for prospective clients
• Take Legal Aspects of Solo Consulting (March 31st)

Related Materials:

• Five articles in PICA's Business Development Library *
• Use Work Samples to Seal the Deal
• Negotiation Tips for Independent Consultants 

April 1st: Module 5, Preparing for Launch

Review outreach messages. Develop goals for next quarter

Assignment: Officially launch your business!

* Members-only content

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FAQs:

Q: Do I have to participate in every session?
A: No, but like most things you’ll get out of it what you put into it. That said, the first session is mandatory. If you can’t make it to the first session, you’ll need to wait until the next bootcamp or use the course syllabus above as your own “independent study” course.

Q: What if I miss a session?
A: You'll get the slides and notes from the discussion but you’ll miss the coaching and peer input which is the most valuable part.

Q: What if I have questions between sessions?
A: Come to weekly office hours or send an email to the bootcamp leader.

Q: What is the time commitment?
A: 5 sessions of 90 minutes each, plus other workshops as needed, and of course doing your assignments. (If anyone told you that starting your own consulting business would be fast and easy, they were lying.)

Q: How many people will be in the cohort?
A: A maximum of eight, plus the leader.

About the Bootcamp Leader: