In most IT companies, especially small ones, the owner carries all the strategic tasks – communicating with clients, planning growth, selling. Often, he is also responsible for development and business analysis. Up to a certain scale this tactic works, but beyond that you may simply not have time to do everything well.
In addition, as an IT company grows, tasks change not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. The owner may simply not have the right experience and opportunities to acquire it.
Bottom line 3 basic situations when you need a consultant:
The owner, being in the operational tasks day in and day out, no longer notices the programmatic things that are limiting the company’s growth. In this case, a consultant, even during the initial audit, can show you these things and advise you on a new system of operation. The audit takes a little time and sometimes it’s even free. It is an opportunity to get maximum benefit with minimum investment. Limitations of the business and the owner. We all have beliefs that get in the way of growth, there are approaches we’ve heard about but never implemented, there are todo lists that never got done. Consulting services in it will help these limitations to be seen and removed.A good consultant is also a professional in his field. And he can take over some of the work for the time of setting up processes, train new employees, make concepts, work out strategies.
HOW TO FIND AND SELECT A CONSULTANT
The process of finding a consultant is similar to hiring an employee. You also want to see feedback on his work, look at previous projects, communicate in person.
On the other hand, unlike the search for employees, there are no specialized resources that offer it consulting services. Therefore, feel free to ask for recommendations from colleagues, in social networks, in groups for CEOs (for example, in our Association of IT Outsourcers).
You can also look for consultants among the speakers of conferences you have attended. If one of the speakers caught your eye – find his contacts and write to him, he may turn out to be a good consultant.
After getting an initial agreement to cooperate – do a more detailed information search. Ask for testimonials from his former clients, and not just those he names himself – find people who have worked with this consultant and ask their opinion.
Make sure the person is an expert in the area he will be helping you with.
It is very important that the consultant himself shows initiative and interest in your results. He can ask questions, find information about your company in advance and at the meeting immediately give some recommendations, can offer a free audit.
Psychological comfort is also a very important factor. If a person suits your values, you have no antipathy towards him, he is proactive – it is worth continuing to work with such a consultant.