Set Up & Operate Your HR Consulting Practice (Step-By-Step)

The HR Consulting Kit provides you with the tools and confidence to become a successful HR Consultant. It's a comprehensive (and we mean comprehensive) resource that gives you everything you need to set up and operate your practice.

What you get

A complete HR Consulting kit created by experienced and successful consultants with over 72 years of combined experience supporting more than 55 clients in various industries and regions
Business and Consulting Templates for use in your practice, plus tips & instructions for using each one
Recommended resources, checklists, and step-by-step instructions for setting up your practice
Tips & advice based on the lessons we've learned

What you'll discover

How to make more money & get more clients
How to set up & improve your practice
What it takes to be a successful consultant
How to find clients & market your business
What e-marketing tools work best for consulting practices
How to get a competitive edge over other HR Consultants
How much to charge & what to do if you don't get paid
How to create a proposal

How to ace your first meeting with a prospective client & negotiate your contract
How to prepare for your first day
How to work with difficult CEO's & win over staff
How to work with small business or unsophisticated industries
How to add value for your clients
How to be confident, not sweat the small stuff, & not take things personally
How to avoid common mistakes made by consultants
How to avoid the politics

and so much more

You don't need to go it alone. Get the advantage and head start by setting up your HR Consulting practice for success right from the start, regardless of your level of experience. The ConnectsUs HR Consulting Kit is your been-there-done-that HR mentor: the experienced HR Consultant who will actually share their tools, tips, and hard-won experience, jam-packed into easy-to-follow lessons written in everyday English.

Topics Covered in the Kit

This comprehensive kit for setting up your HR Consulting practice is web-based and accessed online from our Resource Center. Here's how it's structured:

Business & Consulting Templates

Get the Documents You Need ▼

Each template is downloaded from its own web page that gives you loads of information and tips on how to customize and use it.

Templates identified with an asterisk (*) are Excel documents. All other templates are Microsoft Word documents.

Template	Description
Consulting Budget *	Worksheet used by an HR Consultant to budget and track revenue, expenses, and cash flow.
HR Consulting Services Brochure	Brochure/flyer examples used to market and summarize the services provided by an HR Consultant.
HR Consulting Services Proposal	Summary of services to be provided to a prospective client by an HR Consultant, typically presented after the initial discovery meeting.
Client Contract Agreement	Contractual agreement created specifically for an HR Consultant that establishes terms and conditions for services performed for a client.
Client Invoice	Invoice used to list and describe the services provided by an HR Consultant to a client.
Timesheets & Expenses *	Workbook containing 3 spreadsheets, each representing a different type of timesheet. Used to track time and expenses associated with HR consulting services, and may or may not be presented to the client with their invoice.
Recruiting Schedule & Estimate *	Print-ready spreadsheet used by HR Consultants to outline the estimated costs and timelines associated with a particular search for a client.
Preliminary Client Questionnaire	Comprehensive questionnaire with a list of 90 questions presented to the client once the HR Consultant is hired. Provides the HR Consultant with key information about the client and their existing HR processes to help determine project requirements.
HR Audit *	Spreadsheet used by the HR Consultant to assign importance categories to HR functions to define client priorities. Categories include: Critical, Important, Recommended, or Optional.
Client HR Plan	A framework and a menu of HR topics used to create an HR strategy or HR philosophy document. Used to guide and drive HR programs and take the guesswork out of creating consistent HR initiatives.
Client Priorities Spreadsheet *	Workbook that includes spreadsheets HR Consultants can use to record and manage client priorities, and document the status and completion % of each task/project. May also be used to provide the client with details for each billing period.

Set Up your HR Consulting Practice

INTRODUCTION ▼

HR Consulting Kit

Kit @ a Glance

About HR Consulting

GROUNDWORK ▼

Setting up your Practice ▼

Your Business Plan

Value proposition
Identify your market (Clients)
Crystal clarity about benefits to your clients
ROI calculator
Identify your competitors
Understand how you’ll market your consulting practice
Set a budget

Business Structure & Costs

Legal structure
Financing

Crossing Your Ts

Independent contractor or employee?
Business license
Insurances
Get a tax number
Banking & accounting

Setting Your Fees

Set your fees
Fee structure

Strategic Partners & Associates

Accountant
Employment lawyer
Associates | contractors
Administrative support

Marketing ▼

Your Brand & Collateral

Your elevator pitch
Your business name
Choose a color palette
Choose a font
Your logo & tagline
Email signature
Business cards
Services brochure

Your Website

Domain name
Email address
Testimonials
Your call to action
Resources

Your Blog

Sourcing Prospects

Always BOLO
Referrals
HR associations
Networking
Cold calling
Website prospects collected
Trolling for RFP’s
Contracting sites
Recruiters
Consulting firms
Create a need
Pro bono

Online Marketing

SEO
Google AdWords
Newsletter | Email campaign
YouTube
LinkedIn

LAUNCH ▼

Getting the Gig

Pitching Your Prospect

The Client Interview

Researching the company
How to dress
Visual aids
Interview questions
Asking questions
Following up

Contract Agreement & Payment

Whose contract is used?
Negotiating
Getting paid

Client Work

Preparing for your First Day

DropBox folders
Determine list of questions
Ask for relevant materials
Announcing your arrival

Day 1 on the Job

Asking questions
Managing expectations
Service agreement

HR Audit

Conduct needs analysis
Define the project
Information gathering
Gap analysis
Identify solutions
Make recommendations
Implementation
Project post mortem
Client satisfaction

Org Restructuring

The process
Managing resistance

HR Consulting Tips

Bad cop / Good cop
Less sophisticated industries
Working with CEO
The entity is your client
Know your elevator pitch
Provide value, value, value

ORGANIZING YOUR DOCUMENTS ▼

Download your File Folders

Organize your Business & HR Consulting documents

Benefits

Save time and money. You'll fast-track and take the guesswork out of setting up and operating a successful practice.
Work less, make more money by successfully negotiating your rate and hours.
Instantly get the business templates you need to run your HR consulting practice. Professionally written and consistently formatted so you look like an organized and professional business.
Get a significant competitive advantage over other HR Consultants you'll be competing with. Know what other experienced HR Consultants know (or should know). Learn from been-there-done-that experienced consultants.
Eliminate blank page syndrome. The kit takes the guesswork out of setting up and operating your consulting practice.
New to Consulting? The kit gives you the straight goods so you're prepared for the next phase of your career and know what to expect.
You're not alone. You have 24/7 access to comprehensive resources at your fingertips.
Become a better consultant. The Consulting kit walks you through your client life cycle - from day 1 to terminating your contract.

License Agreement

Click here for Consultant Toolkits license agreement.

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What HR Consultants Say

"Love your Toolkit"

Hi there. Just a quick note to say that I love your HR toolkit and it’s been a huge asset to my consulting business. Your support team has also been great. They’re responsive and eager to please – they’ve even provided me with templates that weren’t part of the toolkit! Very happy that I signed up.

Vered Levant | VIMY HR Consulting Inc.

"ConnectsUs nailed it!"

...These tools saved me so much time. My consulting practice was ready to go in a fraction of the time and cost. The tools are intuitive and easy to use.
High ROI. No brainer!"

Zakeana Reid, CHRP | Hummingbird HR | Calgary, Alberta

"Truly a Gift!"

...Just a quick note to say that your HR consulting products are truly a gift. I've been searching for this type of support with no luck. The templates and Resource Center you have created are so helpful, and provide a comprehensive menu of topics, best practices and well-written content that would have taken months to create from scratch. I am very grateful to have found a product that helps me provide a complete service to my clients!

A thankful customer. Stacey Messner | Principle Consultant

"...We needed a starting point for everything from policies to manager resources and got so much more."

Karen Buchanan | Office Manager, BCTIA (BC Technologies Industry Association)
...Finally! A straightforward and comprehensive HR toolkit that makes sense for small businesses...

Dana Murray | President, Prospec | Seattle, WA
"Rather than wasting countless hours reinventing the wheel, a lot of the leg work is done for you. Worth checking out. A real help if you need to get HR best practices in place in a short amount of time."

Martina Page | Human Resources, ARC’Teryx
“I love your products. You have done a truly fabulous job with your toolkits. I’ve just spent 3 hours customizing your toolkit for one of my clients, and what I’ve done already would have any senior management team ecstatic. Talk about return on investment!”

Deborah Nicols | Principal HR Consultant, Nicols & Dymes Consulting Inc.
"... covers all the bases and really do let us focus on fine-tuning an existing product to meet our needs instead of starting completely from scratch."

Ed Anderson | President, Dyrand Systems
"...I wish I had this product years ago! It is an invaluable tool for time and resource-strapped HR departments to quickly turn out quality HR practices and procedures..."

Coleen Hunter | National Director, Human Resources, PharmaSave

Set up & Operate Your HR Consulting Practice