Image Consulting Startup Checklist
Most people starting out are not short of information, they are short of an order. This is the sequence: what has to be done before you can take money, what can wait, and what people buy far too early.
See the coursesEverything on this page is yours to copy and adapt. The courses cover the decisions behind it: what to charge, what to promise, and what to put in writing.
What yours needs to cover
- ✓ Registration, structure and the tax registrations that apply where you are
- ✓ Insurance, including cover for advice and for being in somebody else's home
- ✓ The client agreement, the intake form and the cancellation policy
- ✓ The consulting kit, separated into what you need for session one and what can wait
- ✓ Your first prices, and the capacity check that tells you whether they work
- ✓ The first ten conversations, which is where first clients actually come from
How to use it
- Do the legal and insurance items first. They are the only ones that stop you trading.
- Write the agreement and the intake form before the first booking, not after the first awkward session.
- Buy the minimum kit, run three practice sessions, then buy the rest with what you learned.
- Set a date for your first paid session and work backwards from it.
Image Consulting Startup Checklist FAQs
What order should I do this in?
Anything that stops you trading comes first: registration, insurance, and the agreement. Kit and branding feel like progress and are the two things people do first and regret.
How much does it cost to start?
It depends on where you are and what you buy, which is why we built a free startup cost calculator rather than quoting a number that would be wrong for most readers.
Do I need premises?
Almost never at the start. Most consulting happens in the client's home, in a hired room, or online, and a studio is a cost that should follow demand rather than lead it.
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