As you’re reading this, I’m on several flights on my way to Asia. I’ll be in Asia for two months for consulting gigs in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila, Tokyo, and Seoul. I’m consulting for one of the largest marketing and advertising companies in Asia and they’ve already told me they want to buy licenses of all of my online courses after I’m done training at their offices. I’m excited and grateful for this opportunity.
2016 was a terrible year in my life and business. I did okay but I struggled financially most of the year. 2017 is the complete opposite. I started this year in Maui, Hawaii reconnecting with my dream and getting clear about what I want for my life. What came from those three weeks of getting clarity was the desire to make a pivot in my lifestyle business.
It felt like the online/Internet marketing space was too crowded. So many people doing the same things and trying to get business from the same customers. It felt too hard to sell higher priced services and courses. I also knew that I wanted to become the best version of myself physically, mentally, and emotionally–travel was going to be a big part of that. When I thought about what I wanted in my lifestyle business, I wanted to do more challenging work for higher fees. I raised all of my prices and thought about where I would focus my time. I had done some smaller consulting gigs before but knew there could be more opportunity if I went after bigger companies.
I went back to the companies I had done work for and lined up a few gigs for after I left Maui. My next trip after Maui was consulting at a Fortune 500 company in New York. The New York consulting gig was fabulous. I was paid $15,000 for a three-hour presentation and all of my expenses were covered. I was treated like a celebrity and got to sell some of my online courses as follow-up training for the company’s employees. It confirmed what my mind told me was the right direction for my lifestyle business this year.
After New York, I focused mainly on consulting. To date, I’ve booked 30 consulting gigs at companies in 30 different countries this year. I spent March and April on a six-country European consulting tour that was amazing. I’m on my way to Asia and I still have consulting tours in Africa, South America, and Australia. That’s my story of why I started focusing on paid consulting.
There are reasons why you should consider adding paid consulting to what you do in your business. If you teach online, coach, sell courses or do any of the traditional online stuff, you can add consulting. Many people don’t consider it because they don’t know how to get into it. Here is a podcast interview I did that gives you the steps to get started as a paid consultant. Here is an article I wrote about how to get started in paid consulting, and here’s an article about what companies are looking for.
Less Competition
You feel it, right? You’re trying to get business using social media, groups, and other online means but it feels crowded. There are many ways to still sell and do well online, but it’s definitely not as easy as it used to be. Paid consulting is a $39 billion dollar a year industry. Even with all the consultants currently working, paid consulting is still very untapped. This is for a few reasons. 1. Most consultants don’t know how to book gigs. (I can help there). 2. Too many consultants don’t have enough social proof to book gigs. 3. Companies need A LOT of help. 57% of companies in the world don’t even have a website. Think about what that means and all of the other areas you could consult a company on. The opportunity is mind-blowing. If you have felt crowded in the space you’re in now, take a look at the paid consulting space.
More Income Potential
A customer is not going to have an unlimited budget. You can get many customers, but that means more work for you. Companies set high budgets for consultants. The average international consultant makes at least $5,000 an hour. Companies will pay you a generous fee if they feel like you’re an expert. They will also license any online courses you have. I license my online courses to companies at the rate of $2,000 per employee per license. This is in addition to my consulting fee and the company covering my travel expenses. $39 billion dollars is a big pie with more than enough pieces for all of us.
Worldwide Opportunities/Free Travel
An American is still a draw in other countries. You can get booked to consult at companies all over the world and they’ll pay you a fee plus cover your travel expenses. You can literally travel the world as a paid consultant and get a real life education. You don’t have to travel as much as I do. You can make shorter trips, do the consulting gig, and then fly home. But, if travel and opportunities all over the world appeal to you, consider the paid consulting industry.
Challenging Work
It’s not easy to go into a company and train their employees for two to four hours. Consulting presentations are not liking a presentation you would give speaking at a conference. The presentations have to be more detailed and data-driven. You have to back up what you’re saying with research. As a consultant, you’re hired to fix a problem that the company can’t solve. That means you’ll have to think outside the box. To be honest, I was intimidated at first, but now I love how the work pushes me to dig deeper and work harder.
If you have never considered the paid consulting industry, you should. There is so much opportunity to travel the world training at companies on topics you’re passionate about. You can make good money and create more opportunities for the future. A good lifestyle business is diverse and has multiple streams of income. Make sure you’re doing all the online stuff, but consider adding paid consulting as an incredible edition to your business.
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If you’ve followed my journey this year, you’ve seen me traveling to different countries all over the world for consulting gigs at some amazing companies. I’ve done eight consulting gigs, so far, at companies in eight countries.
Today, I leave for Asia where I’ll do five more gigs in five more countries. After that, I’ll still have consulting tours in Africa, South America, and Australia. Consulting gigs will take me to five continents this year for some of the best opportunities in my lifestyle business to date.
I’ve also been able to license my online courses to these companies as follow-up training for their employees. My business has done more in the first half of this year than all of the last year. I’m very grateful.
I can teach you how to do all of this. I can teach you how to book paid speaking and consulting gigs all over the world. I’d love to show you exactly what I’m doing and how you can do this, too.
You DON’T have to travel as much as I do. You can be selective and only do a few gigs. You can be Skyped into a company and do a consulting gig without leaving your home. There are MANY options when it comes to consulting at companies, and many ways to make an incredible income.
The cool thing is that everything I’m doing (and booking gigs in general) is repeatable. These aren’t strategies or a system that only works for the person teaching it. I have coaching clients and students in my classes who are booking paid speaking and consulting gigs every week. This month, I’ve helped six clients book their first international consulting gigs.
My “Get Booked” class is a four-week live class that teaches you how to build your foundation and consultant’s social proof, and then how to find and book paid gigs worldwide. It’s very step-by-step without any fluff. The graduates from the first time I ran it have said it’s one of the best classes they’ve taken.
This is what graduate Mitch Swergold had to say:
“Kimanzi, Thanks for an absolutely career-changing class! To describe it as anything less would be to sell it (and you) short. I’ve invested in a number of classes and coaches in the past. Some were good, some quite good, NONE like this. This class was AMAZING. It very clearly showed me what I need to do to achieve my goals. In fact, it helped me to see that my goals and how I was going about achieving them needed significant change. I can’t thank you enough.
You came well-recommended from someone I trust and respect, but the price tag, I must admit, gave me pause. The old adage is true: you get what you pay for. I whole-heartedly recommend Kimanzi and his class to anyone seeking to build a lifestyle business. He’s also just a fun guy to talk to. I bet even better with a few beers. Cheers to you, Kimanzi, and many thanks!”
If paid speaking and consulting (nationally or internationally) is something that you think could benefit your life and business, check out the details of the program: https://kconstable.com/booked/
