I love talking to beginner entrepreneurs who want to start a new business and listen to their thoughts and brainstorm ideas (a.k.a strategy sessions). I find those early stages thrilling and love the excitement of talking through a new idea with someone who is excited about it, bouncing ideas back and forth, and writing down final thoughts at the end. I like the idea of doing this as a part time consulting "side hustle", but I have no experience. I'm not well spoken, I have some "Ums" when I talk. But I just like listening to people and giving my opinion on things that could help them when I can. I do have a pleasant personality (I think) and am a good listener. However I have no experience in the real world. Can I get started as a "Professional listener" to small business beginners who want someone to listen to their idea and give feedback? I think I can just read books by good authors and repeat some of that knowledge to clients and that would be helpful to them. And join a Toastmasters group to communicate in a more polished way. I would love to offer short 30 minute Skype sessions to people. Any thoughts on how I could get started? My fear is to have clients ask questions that I can't answer, and them feel they wasted their time. I would be perfectly happy starting out for free to gain experience, or offering clients a free 15 minute trial to see if I'm a right fit for them. I love the idea that as years go by I'll get better and better and can seriously increase my income with more experience.
Candor and modesty are undervalued virtues. Especially in the startup scene, where ambition, optimism, and "rounding up" are thought to be necessary & sufficient character traits for success.
You've been quite candid about what you perceive as your weaknesses in this area: (1) lack of experience and (2) not being well spoken, as you put it. So I think you deserve an equally candid answer from me.
I don't think it's realistically possible to start offering a paid service as a brainstorming facilitator unless you already have (1) a network of people who rely on and pay for your advice; (2) some significant credentials or accomplishments to point to and entice customers with; or (3) an unusually charismatic stage personality.
In my city, there are plenty of psychics and spiritual healers who get by on charisma alone. Quite literally, I sat next to a guy last week who claimed to be the reincarnation of John the Baptist from the 7th dimension. No joke. He was doing a session with a lady at Starbucks.
Do you need to be as compelling a speaker as him? No. But before you can begin charging, you need 1 of the 3 things I mentioned.
In the mean time, you can volunteer your time to acquaintances, network with the local startup scene, or help people online. Gaining experience reading is useful. But try actually launching a small startup project in your spare time. That will be an invaluable experience; and to the extent that it succeeds, it's something you can point to.
For the record, I think you're "well spoken" enough. So don't let any insecurity there hold you back. Just work at what you enjoy. If that's helping people brainstorm ideas, then try it. Just don't expect to be paid until you've accumulated relevant experience ... or people start offering to reimburse you for your time.
Right now, I don't think this idea is ready. Here's why: It's ironic that someone who wants to get paid as a brainstormer is asking other people to do his / her brainstorming for free!
Answered 8 years ago
Access 20,000+ Startup Experts, 650+ masterclass videos, 1,000+ in-depth guides, and all the software tools you need to launch and grow quickly.
Already a member? Sign in