5 Potential Specializations for Your Consulting Business

There’s a common misconception out there that business consultants are all experts in finances and business strategy. But the fact of the matter is, there are dozens of different kinds of business consultants out there, and they all provide vital services to businesses around the globe. Each type of consultancy offers a different kind of specialization, and most of them aren’t even remotely related to business strategies or finances.

If you don’t believe it, just look at the learning platform Consulting.com. Created by consulting expert Sam Ovens, this site has turned thousands of people into business consultants, and most of them have very different specializations. In fact, the founder himself started his business career offering a very niche solution for property managers, without any specialized business degree. So if you think you have to have an MBA to be a business consultant, check out these 5 different kinds of consultancies that you could specialize in.

Technology Consultants

We’re in the age of technology, and every business out there needs technology-based solutions in order to succeed. Technology consultants offer a variety of services to businesses, from setting up the initial architecture of their technology systems, to solving specific problems related to the business’s software. You can deliver software-based workflow solutions, or help them to integrate their existing files into a paperless solution. If you have keen skills with technology, you can easily offer up your skills as a technology consultant—no business degree required.

PR Consultants

So much of a business’s success revolves around their image, especially in the digital age. With social media being the go-to source of information for many people, one negative story about a company can spread like wildfire and cause significant long-term impacts to the company’s profits. PR consultants essentially offer “clean up and maintenance” solutions for a business’s image. They help to construct a certain public perspective of a business by encouraging positive press and dealing with the negative stuff. You have to have some pretty powerful networking skills and a bit of a political mindset, but if you have those skills, you can be a business consultant too.

Social Media Consultants

A social media presence is vital to a company’s growth, because that’s where consumers are these days. But many business owners don’t know how to tackle the beast that is social media marketing. That’s where a business consultant comes in. With a specialization in social media marketing, this type of consultant can help a business build a social media presence and may even offer ongoing maintenance for those social media profiles. Of course, you have to have more to offer than just a rich history of Tweeting. But if you have proven skills in social media marketing, you can leverage those to start your own business consulting firm.

HR Consultants

Human resources consultants offer a wide range of services, from offering temporary staffing solutions to helping with mergers and acquisitions, offering training, overseeing organization leadership, and more. It does take a certain strategic mind to help with these sorts of solutions, but it’s a far cry from requiring a business degree. If you don’t have the budget for your own consultation then using HRIS software for your business can be a simple and cost effective alternative.

Marketing Consultants

While a marketing degree would likely be a prerequisite for this particular specialization, you don’t have to have a business or finance degree to go with it. With your specialized knowledge in marketing, targeting demographics, and branding, you could offer services to virtually any kind of business out there.

So don’t let the common perception that “business consultant = business expert” put you off from starting your own consultancy business. There is a demand for many different kinds of skills out there. So do some research, and see if you can turn your specialization into a consulting firm.