How to Become a Sustainability Consultant: Getting Experience and Paying Clients (post 3 of 3)
If you have determined that environmental sustainability consulting is a good fit for you, and that you have at least some of the knowledge and skills required to get started, the next step is to get experience and paying clients.
If you are reading this and wondering whether sustainability consulting really is for you, be sure to check out the first post in this blog series, which walks you through three questions to ask yourself to determine whether this is the right career path for you. And if you’re wondering whether you have the knowledge and skills to get started – or want to acquire those skills and what they are, take a look at the second post in this blog series, where you can review the three main buckets of skills and knowledge you would ideally acquire in order to be successful being a sustainability consultant.
Now, back to getting the experience and paying clients. Below are three ways to get started. These assume that you have little to no experience in this field and that you also do not have contacts who are willing to pay you to consult for them even though you do not have experience in this field. This could be the case if you are thinking about switching to sustainability consulting later on in your career, and that you have a network of clients who are willing to take a chance on you because they know, like and trust you.
1. Begin in your current workplace.
When you are looking to get started, it is easy to want to start fresh, in a new environment. The challenge, often times, is that you may not have the financial runway to go without an income for an unknown amount of time. If this is the case, then I recommend that you build up your skills and knowledge by becoming a green or sustainability change leader within your existing workplace. Toget started, take a look at some of the past blog posts on the Eco-Coach site, as many are focused on becoming a green change agent at work. For example: How to be a going green change agent at work; 12 ways to go green at work; or implementing a going green project when you’re not in charge, among others.
Even if you feel that your organization is not very open-minded to trying something new, you might be surprised that they are willing to try something that is aligned with the organization’s strategy and goals, especially if they understand how it could benefit them in the short and/or long term. Don’t be deterred if you experience some resistance – there will always be individuals who are weary of adding more on their plate or trying something new. Also, be sure to download our free download our free Beginner’s Guide to Going Green, with suggested projects to get started.
2. Intern or volunteer with an ideal client.
If you have some extra time on your hands – or are able to do this while also working at your regular job – you can intern or volunteer with an organization that would be your ideal client. By gaining a foot in the door, this could also become a future client, so I will be referring them below as such, so that you can begin thinking this way when you work with them. While interning or volunteering may seem obvious, what is not obvious is how to intern or volunteer such that you become someone whom this potential future client trusts and relies on when thinking about sustainability and going green. In order to do this, it’s important for you to focus on being of service and supporting the organization and the specific individual(s) whom you are working with. If you are asking about getting in front of the client or asking for more sexy projects right off the bat, then it will be clear to your potential client that you are in this for yourself and not to truly support the organization. Asking how you can be of help, doing the best you can with the tasks you are given, and continually showing curiosity and eagerness to learn will not only position you in a positive light with your potential future client, but will also enable you to get the skills and knowledge that you need to begin building your sustainability consulting career.
When you start out, you can share with your potential future client that you are interning/volunteering not only to support their organization but are also interested in gaining the skills to become a sustainability consultant. Being open and honest up front will help position you as first in line should a future sustainability project come up. Once you have done a good job and you feel an adequate amount of time has passed, you can let your potential future client know that you would be interested in working with them in the future and ask them to refer you to three other organizations who could use your services. Even if your potential future client does not have a sustainability project at the time, it does not mean that they will not hire you in the future. Make sure to maintain those relationships even if you do not have a project with them after you finish your internship or volunteer work.
3. Identify potential clients and offer them a deal.
When you are just getting started and don’t have a track record, it is tougher for potential clients to hire you because you have not proven yourself. This is the case in sustainability consulting as well as most industries. In order to begin building your list of clients, you may want to identify some potential clients and offer them your regular (ideal) rate or a discounted rate.
Identifying potential clients includes looking at the industry(ies) you want to work in, the size of the organization, whether or not they are already taking steps to be more environmentally friendly. You will want to start with organizations that are in your target industry(ies), meaning industries that you have past experience with or that you would like to learn more about. Also, consider starting with a medium-sized organization – many have not yet started going green but have some budget for this, while many smaller mom and pop shops may not. Lastly, before reaching out to them, be sure to do your homework and check whether they already have a program in place or not. If they already have a program in place, they likely have someone in-house or externally whom they are working with and it may be tougher to gain entry and have them as a starter client.
There is a lot that goes into calculating your ideal rate, and this is something that I will be addressing in a future post, so be sure to check the Eco-Coach site in the near future. For the time being, to keep it simple, you will want to calculate your starting rate by taking into account your living and business expenses and adding a percent on top of that. If you are beginning your consulting work on the side and have an income, or have some money saved up, you can offer a lower starting rate. Just be clear with your potential client that this is a starting rate and special offer, so that if you have future projects with this client, they do not expect this same rate in the future. I’ve been asked about specific hourly rates or project rates in the past. It is tough to give a ballpark because the hourly rate depends on your experience, your network, your knowledge, how you perceive the value you add and so much more. Some may feel comfortable charging $175 per hour to start off with if they have some experience in the industry as well as a roster of contacts that could benefit their potential client, while others will want to start at a rate of $50 or $75 per hour. You may want to calculate the estimated hours for a project and provide a set price. The challenge with that is that you will want to keep to the scope of work. As I mentioned before, there are many aspects of pricing, and this will be addressed in a future post, so be sure to check back.
On a final note, remember that networking is very important, regardless of where you are in the process. If you are just starting out, it is key in order to let others know that sustainability consulting is something that you are interested in and that you are gaining the skills and knowledge in this area. If you have already started your consulting firm – or working with others, it is equally important in order to establish strategic partnerships and/or find new clients. P.S. If you are currently working within an organization and are looking to grow your skill set and knowledge around sustainability by starting with where you currently work, be sure to download our free Beginner’s Guide to Going Green, with 50+ low-cost and low barrier to entry projects and much more to get started with. If you are looking at becoming a consultant, this could also be helpful in providing you will additional information around potential projects and the business case for going green.
Anca Novacovici
Anca is an author, speaker and founder of Eco-Coach Inc. She is passionate about supporting individuals and organizations around going green and environmental sustainability. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.