Sharpening your Consulting Skills: set up a meeting with entrepreneurs

I had an interesting meeting today. I know that business meetings can be tedious sometimes, but that was not the case with this one. I met with an emerging entrepreneur in Florida that is trying to put his business together. Although this might be familiar territory for other business consultants for me this was fairly new, most of my business involves negotiating with already established and very savvy business owners (that’s the export consulting part of it) who very quickly want to get to the bottom line. This meeting was refreshing and a good test of my skills. Below are several reasons why I think every business consultant should every now and then meet with emerging entrepreneurs:

1. It will test your skills. These young emerging business owners have very different perspectives and questions about how businesses operate. Spending a couple of hours answering their questions will help keep you sharp and will show you the flaws in your skill set.

2. It will give you new ideas. The conversation will make you think about current business trends just a little different, it will help you understand what challenges business owners are facing and what opportunities are out there.

3. It is a key step in expanding your network. Some will make it, others will not. However it is much easier to meet with an emerging business leader than with the head of an established company. They still do not have all the administrative duties that are associated with established business. However the new entrepreneur that you just met might become a successful business owner in a couple of years, you want those leaders to remember, and most importantly refer, you.

As always let me know what you think and please share your own experiences in this area,
Regards,
Juan