Learn to Become a Consultant

Get the tools you need to take control of your business or career during an intensive program at the .

“Beginning a New Career in Consulting”  is a new 18-week course at the BRC designed to get you started in a career in business consulting, as well as give individuals the tools they need to streamline and manage their current businesses.

“I would encourage business owners to come because they will learn so much about what could go wrong in their companies or what is actually going on that they could fix now -- that they’re not aware of,” said instructor Neil Goldstein, founder of General Business Inc., a consulting firm for distressed businesses and entities in transition. “Also, people who may want to learn a new profession (can take the course). It’s a profession where there is no downtime. You can work as much as you want. Recessions are good for consulting businesses because the more companies are in trouble, the worse the markets are, the busier you get.”

“Beginning a New Career in Consulting” will be held over three sessions, each consisting of six classes. Those who attend will not only learn the intricacies of consulting -- how to speak with prospective clients to find work, how to write a proposal that identifies issues and goals for the client, how to meet those goals, and, most importantly, how to earn money – but business skills needed to keep your company successful.

“If nothing else they’ll learn about businesses, what causes problems, how to fix them, how to deal with banks…most people don’t know how banking works, or how a loan can be a really big problem for a business, maybe even a person,” said Goldstein.

The Beginner session begins Wednesday, Jan. 18, and will cover what a consultant does, why they’re needed and how to get a project started before moving on to subjects such as gross profit, cost of goods sold, overhead, net profit, assets, asset based loans and more.

Intermediate sessions begin Wednesday, Feb. 15, and will include case studies covering what was learned in the Beginner class, why corporate philosophy is important, how to recognize a good business BEFORE it is purchased, how to consult in a factory environment, how to help a client start a new business using telemarketing, how to survive a catastrophe, and how to help hire an executive staff.

Advanced sessions will begin on Monday, March 12, and will cover more case studies, growth of a business, what to do when a business is about to “go under,” insolvency, bankruptcy and more.

Courses will run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.at in the East Brunswick Library meeting rooms, with entrance through the back of the library by the meeting rooms. Each session cost $125, but you can receive a 20 percent discount when you sign up for all three levels. To register, call the BRC at 732-390-6782, or email Stephanie frost at sfrost@ebpl.org. For more information, visit us online at www.brc1.org.

—The East Brunswick Public Library