If you’re in IT, you’ve probably thought about consulting for a living. Maybe you’ve been burned one too many times by a company reorg or layoff. Maybe you’re just tired of having your work schedule made for you.

If you have done your research and decided that independent consulting is the route you want to take, here are some things to make sure you do before you start.

Find a specialization

Experts who have already made the plunge into consulting emphasize that you must determine an area of specialization.


Of course, this should be an area that you have a lot of hands-on experience in.

If you worked exclusively on ERPs in your last job or have a lot of experience rolling out enterprise apps like CMSs, and that is an area that you could lend your expertise to, concentrate on that.

Some smaller companies can’t afford their own IT departments, so they always need someone to set up payrolling systems, etc. You could specialize in the tech needed for SMBs.

In this piece that appeared on CIO.com by Julia King, former CIO for the city of Phoenix and Xerox Corp Laraine Rodgers, and founder of Navigating Transitions, a Tucson-area consultancy had a great idea for how she went about determining what her areas of concentration would be. She said she “first listed the 50 things I do really well, and then made a list of the things I really love to do, and then another list of what's needed in the market. Because if what you're passionate about isn't what is needed, you ain't gonna make a penny."

Use your connections

I’ve written before about the value of networking in IT.

Hopefully, as an IT pro, you’ve attended a lot of trade shows and conferences. Or maybe you’ve made the acquaintances of many vendors while you worked for a corporation. When you branch out on your own is the time those connections come in most handy.

Those people you’ve met at trade shows are a good source of leads--particularly if you’ve attended trade shows that are in the niche you plan to pursue.

Even though you may have only tolerated vendors in your past jobs, you’ll find that they are a gold mine for who is buying their products and need expertise in rolling them out.

You don’t have to maintain contacts only within tech either. Join your local chamber of commerce where you can hobnob with small and medium business owners. Let them know your tech background and availability so when the need arises, they think of you. Once you do a good job for one place, word of mouth will work in your favor. People are more likely to hire people recommended by their acquaintances.

Setting up your office

One thing about IT is that your customers won’t be coming to you (unless you’re in the PC repair business). That means you don’t have to worry about setting up an expensive office environment (aside from your tech equipment that is).

If you decide to work from home, make sure that your family members are clear on the fact that you are working and not just waiting for them to give you duties. Trust me, that can be a hard lesson at first, but it’s something you’ll need to do.

You will also be able to make a home office deduction on your taxes. Here are a couple of things the IRS considers when determining what is a home office and how much can be deducted:

1. Generally, in order to claim a business deduction for your home, you must use part of your home exclusively and regularly

• as your principal place of business, or
• as a place to meet or deal with patients, clients or customers in the normal course of your business, or
•  in any connection with your trade or business where the business portion of your home is a separate structure not attached to your home.

2. Generally, the amount you can deduct depends on the percentage of your home used for business. Your deduction for certain expenses will be limited if your gross income from your business is less than your total business expenses.

• as a place to meet or deal with patients, clients or customers in the normal course of your business, or
• as in any connection with your trade or business where the business portion of your home is a separate structure not attached to your home.

These are all things to seriously look at before you make the plunge into consulting and having your own business.