If you are a computer consultant with the skills to support a small business network, then you have several computer careers open to you.
You can become an in-house network administrator for a mid to large size company, where you support either a portion of or even the entire IT infrastructure...
You can work of a larger IT support firm or Managed Service Provider, where you support the company's clients, earning a small fraction of what your boss is charging his clients for the work you do...
You can work on a help desk, fielding phone support calls from a large corporation's end-users all day long...
But in my opinion, none of the computer careers available to you come anywhere close to providing you with the income potential, growth opportunities, job security or general freedom than you will get when you become your own boss and start your own computer business as a computer consultant serving local small businesses.
Just think of all the benefits you'll get when you become your own boss running your own computer consulting business...
You'll have excellent income potential - Small business owners are glad to pay a fair rate to have a reliable computer consultant maintain the systems that they rely on so heavily to operate their companies. If you set up your billing structure properly, you can generate a full-time income supporting just a handful of clients that will take only a couple of hours a day to maintain. Expand your client base and you can easily make a generous six-figure income while still working less than the standard 40-hour work-week.
You'll have an unmatched level of job security - When you're the boss, there's no danger of getting laid off or terminated. Sure, you can potentially lose a client, but if you structure your business properly by having a diverse number of clients, where no single customer represents a significant portion of your income, then losing a client can be fairly painless and relatively easy to replace.
You'll have flexible work hours - If your business is modeled on providing managed support and remote service, then the actual number of hours you'll need to dedicate on-site to your clients will be minimal. Monitor your clients properly and you'll know in advance what problems you need to address. Use remote access technologies and the typical day-to-day issues can be fixed quickly from your kitchen table. Do these things right and you'll be able to support your entire client base on just a few hours a day. Plus, if a client needs you after-hours for a specific issue, you have the flexibility of charging overtime rates to compensate you fairly for your time.
You'll have unlimited opportunities for technical growth - Unlike when you work for a company that dictates what technologies you will be installing and supporting, when you run your computer consulting business, you make the decisions on what technologies you want to recommend for your clients. You'll get to learn the new systems that interest you most and that will best contribute to your personal growth and interest.
You'll have excellent opportunities for professional growth - When you're the boss, your clients will interact with you differently than if you're just an "employee". You'll have networking and referral opportunities open to you that you just wouldn't have otherwise. Plus, working with a diverse number of small business clients, you have an excellent opportunity to expand your social circle with smart, successful, professional peers.
Plus, you'll have many other opportunities as a business owner, such as tax and investment benefits that are only available to self-employed individuals. You'll get to make your own decisions as to what kind of heath benefits you'll select for you and your family (as opposed to just accepting whatever your employer offers you). You'll also be able to choose exactly who you want to work with. If you prefer working with a particular industry, you can target them as your customers... or if you decide a client isn't what you would consider a "healthy" environment, you can choose to eliminate them from your client base.
When deciding on the computer careers that are available to someone with your skill set, it's hard to dispute that becoming your own boss would be the best choice you could make.
The challenge that prevents most computer professionals from pursuing this IT career choice is the fear of not knowing how to obtain the clients they'd need to generate a reliable, sustainable income.
This is a fear that can easily be put to rest when you have a tested and proven IT Marketing plan in your hands that can essentially guarantee you'll be able to pull in all the clients you need within 60 days or less.
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