I’m a big fan of learning from the stories of others, whether it be in the computer consulting business, or any other facet of life. I feel it’s important to get varied perspectives from people who have experienced the subject first hand. Everyone has different motivations and strategies for starting their own business and by exposing myself, and my readers, to multiple points of view I hope that we can better be prepared to face the challenges it presents.
I started my interview series last month, with an interview of computer consultant and blogger Eric Hamm. Through that exchange I gained insight into the importance of putting your consulting customer first and really separating yourself from the competition by providing superior customer service. Also, I learned that traditional advertising isn’t always the best route for a new computer consulting business and word of mouth and reputation can also be effective ways of gaining new clients. I was excited about the insights I gained from this interview and was looking forward to learning from other consultants.
A couple weeks ago I posted an article called When is Enough Enough? in which I quoted a user named “Prime Suspect” from the forums at Icrontic.com. Mr. Suspect responded to my blog post and introduced himself as Brian Ambrozy, none other than the Editor-In-Chief at Icronic. In speaking with Brian I found that he too had his own computer consulting business before he chose to tackle Icronic full-time. You can read about the soap opera-like history of icrontic.com here, but for the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on his earlier consulting business.
Brian was kind enough to allow me to share his answers to some questions in relation to the consulting company he ran successfully for 8 years. He brings a unique no-nonsense attitude to advising others about starting a computer business that I think helps cut to the heart of what this game is all about, passion and freedom. [Read more…]