What do you do if your startup consulting clients are hard to come by?

> Are you targeting the right startups? > Focus on a specific industry or growth stage where your expertise shines. > Content creation, social media engagement, and strategic outreach can build trust and attract potential clients. > Offer free consultations, case studies, or webinars. > Demonstrate the impact you bring to startups.

I am early in my startup consulting journey and I feel every bit of hardship of it. I specialise on the niche of strategic and operational finances, so the window of opening when my services are in need and I can provide value is relatively small, right around a seed fundraising. My current offering evolved organically through my previous freelancing engagements and professional development, but I constantly work on how I can position my services better after every discovery call I have. I am expecting that in 3-months time, my current offering will be obsolete and probably will find an even more defined niche to work in.

a. You learn from Feedback and understand that what you offer to your customers is not the right thing and it is not making the right impact. b. Internalize feedback, Identify the niche/core areas of your strength and pivot your offerings to sharpen what your customers need. c. This can be done by a combination of multiple data elements and being savvy enough to understand the trends.

If your startup consulting clients are hard to come by, start by refining your value proposition. Clearly articulate what sets your services apart and how they solve specific problems for clients. Make sure your messaging highlights the unique benefits and outcomes your consulting offers. Use clear, compelling language to convey the value you provide. Tailor your value proposition to address the specific needs and pain points of your target audience. By clearly defining and communicating your value, you can attract more clients who see the direct benefits of working with you.

No meio tecnológico e de startups, há um termo utilizado para designar a comunidade, o Networking, chamamos de Ecossistema. E se você está inserido no Ecossistema, você vai se relacionar com todas as partes envolvidas, seja em uma palestra, um workshop, seja em uma rodada de pitch de venda , seja em um hacktonw, ou mesmo em um coworking. Em fim, estar em uma comunidade pressupõe fazer o Networking necessário parar se desenvolver e desenvolver o Ecossistema.

Attend Niche Events While large conferences are valuable, smaller, niche events can provide more meaningful connections. Look for gatherings related to your specific field or interests.

Strategic Keyword Usage Incorporate keywords naturally into your website content, meta descriptions, and title tags. Link Building Build quality backlinks to your site. Collaborate with industry partners, guest post on reputable sites, and share your content.

I am a big believer in online client acquisition, both inbound and outbound. To be frank, I am answering these questions so I can get some credibility down the line for inbound interest. I try to use my own personal LinkedIn as the 'Top of Funnel' and refer my company and services through there. I am not sure about SEO and its utility in the wake of AI-content, but definitely makes sense to explore multiple online avenues.

a. Customer & Partner testimony is a great way to enhance your reputation. b. Solicit active testimonials on various channels (websites, social media, events, partnerships etc) to highlight the Customer Testimonials. c. Get their agreement to get their quotes shown in your new customer acquisition process. d. Request them to help you by speaking about your offerings and products in their circles to see if they can influence that. While technology is growing, the human touch is sometimes magic. Your thoughts?

The 'Value first' approach in early client acquisition is the best way I am able to acquire customers. You can do it on a case by case basis when you start up, but once you want to scale your customers acquisition, you might need to "productize" your value offering. I also like to prepare with a couple of talking points where I see we can create value for our customers once we get to a discovery call, so the prospective client can feel like they can already take something back to their teams from our interactions.

a. How you make money is determined by your pricing strategy and one thing if we learn from the Telecom industry or the Cab hailing apps is the flexible pricing strategies. b. Be open for different ways to get your product out even if it means partnership deals, Freemium offers, Bundles, Lower subscriptions to start with, Early bird offers etc etc. c. Test how your pricing is working to see the customer acquisitions and stickiness. d. Run surveys and feedback loops to see if it is working. If not pivot again.

Pricing is a very important topic. I firmly believe that no-one makes it properly in the consulting business when they start up, including myself. There are so many pricing models to choose from and so many factors to consider which road you go down. I suggest try to start working with the easiest one, i.e. charging by the hour, and once you have some customer feedback and mileage behind your offering, you can see what time does each take and you can start experimenting with project-based pricing models or even a retainer model for longer term engagements. What i would advise against is "work for equity", It never turns out as we expect and also investors do not really like "advisors" on the cap table.

I would add that once you decide to start up an advisory practice focusing on startups, treat your own business like a startup. Also consider the natural development curve from a practice (utilizing your own time as and advisor) to a small business ( hiring a team and working together on client engagements, but you personally focus on higher level things and business development). Realistically, there is a glass ceiling for startup advisory firms and it is hard to break into the big leagues, so be mindful and manage your expectations accordingly.