In recent years, people have become more aware of consulting as a professional service, and it has become a lucrative, fulfilling, and rewarding career choice for some. However, being a consultant is more than just giving advice, and potential consulting professionals have numerous things to learn and consider before embarking on this path.
To help interested individuals learn about consulting, Cathryn L. Dhanatya, Ph.D., CEO of Growing Good Inc., is launching a six-month online course, titled ”Changemakers for Good Mastermind.” Growing Good is a professional services firm specializing in the nonprofit and startup sectors, providing consulting services that optimize nonprofits’ fundraising and organizational strategies, enabling them to maximize their impact across a broad range of areas.
Dhanatya will lead the course, which meets twice a month, with assignments to be completed in between meetings. The participants, who can register beginning January 2024 on the Growing Good Inc. website, will be hand-picked by Dhanatya after a short interview to form a cohort of 10-15 individuals with complementary backgrounds and skills. While the course is paid, the initial registration will be free. Dhanatya says that networking is an important part of the consulting and nonprofit industries, so the course participants should be able to work together for their mutual benefit.
Participants will have access to a private network containing resources and can communicate with each other, which will remain up even after the course is over. This will allow them to build long-lasting connections, keep communication lines open, and ask for advice when needed.
According to Dhanatya, she came up with the idea for the course after seeing the huge need of nonprofits and startups for good consultants to help them move forward. These consultants need to be passionate about social impact as well as strategic in guiding businesses in their growth across various fields, such as green technology, social justice, and health. This is similar to what Dhanatya does at Growing Good, but she says there’s so much demand that her organization cannot handle it alone.
“I’m only one person and there’s only so much that Growing Good can scale,” she says. “But, I believe that to make a difference, there need to be more people like me. I want to do this and set interested people upright, teach them the ropes, and help them not to make the same mistakes I did. When I started in this field, there was no roadmap, and I am now working to create a guide for people who would also like to join.”
Changemakers for Good Mastermind will instruct participants on the logistics of setting up a consulting business, such as the legal, tax, accounting, and insurance concerns involved. Experts in these particular fields will be invited to share their knowledge and provide their opinions on participants’ plans. The course will also help participants determine whether consulting is right for them and how to best fit a consulting practice into their career. Dhanatya says she will show “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of it, and help participants develop a transition plan and sustainable business model. This includes setting their pricing, negotiating their contracts, and developing their value propositions that differentiate them in the market.
“I think flexibility, adaptability, and knowing your worth are key to becoming a good consultant,” Dhanatya says. “Being able to manage uncertainty is also important, as it can sometimes be a feast or famine situation. Sometimes you can have way more clients than you can handle, while sometimes you’ll have very few. I believe consultants should also work on their credibility, as consulting is about building trust, so getting their name out there and creating a trustworthy brand is also highly important.”
