During the start-up and consolidation phases of a company, sound advice is essential—and it’s often expensive.
Find out here how to find the right advice and spend only what it’s worth.
Suddenly, a consultant shows up who wants to help you for free! There are still some nice people out there…! Unfortunately, these people may actually be very unpleasant individuals who are trying to take advantage of your situation.
So, this is very important:
Make sure you know exactly who is offering you what and for what purpose—after all, you’re providing a consultant with very sensitive information about yourself and your company!
A few pointers:
A reputable male consultant, a reputable female consultant
– will definitely not work for free. He or she may be able to apply for grants. In that case, you’ll initially only be responsible for a certain portion of the cost. However, this will be clearly documented for you.
– Conversely, you should only apply for funding for programs that will actually benefit you. A small startup doesn’t need a comprehensive analysis of its current situation, no matter how tempting the program may sound. You’ll always have to pay a portion out of pocket, so the consulting services must be worthwhile.
– will disclose the cost of a consultation up front, specifying daily or hourly rates – under no circumstances will a response to your question about costs be “we’ll see” or “don’t worry about it.”
– will set forth the objective of the consultation and the scope of work required in writing and enter into a contract with you.
– will under no circumstances demand a financial share of your success. Profit-sharing or commissions are absolutely unheard of. In rare cases, a commission might be conceivable if a specific service is actually provided (e.g., selling x units with a y% commission)—be sure to pay close attention, because in most cases, the sale is only possible thanks to your extensive groundwork, and someone else is simply jumping on the bandwagon.
– cannot promise miracles and will not do so. “Wealthy investors” are often used as bait to get you to hire their consulting services, but then they suddenly disappear
– will stand by your side without compromise and will never betray your trust (even if he or she does tell you some uncomfortable truths during a confidential conversation).
– will treat your data and information with the utmost confidentiality and will be happy to sign a confidentiality agreement.
If an offer of counseling or the provision of a counseling service seems strange to you in any way, please ask for clarification.
For example, feel free to contact us. We’ll help you determine whether the offer is legitimate or whether you might end up losing a lot of money or your expertise. If you’d like, we can connect you with suitable and guaranteed reputable consultants.
Of course, we hope that no one is trying to scam you and that you don’t end up with the wrong consultant. Fortunately, there are only a few bad apples out there, but they tend to target less experienced entrepreneurs. In many cases, consulting is a very worthwhile and helpful process that can help you move forward.
By the way: When you contact us for information or assistance, there are no costs involved at first. While we don’t work for free, you’ve already paid for this and many other services through the service fee. Don’t throw your money away—take advantage of our services!
