Rating: 
Summary: Relatively worthless
Review: Although Biech makes a number of good points in her text here, the vast majority of it can be chocked up to common sense. The workbook fill-in forms are nice if you're the sort of person that is so unorganized that you need your hand held at every step, but in all honesty if you fall into that category you probably shouldn't be thinking about a consulting career in the first place. Unfortunately I feel like their primary purpose is just to take up space, and make the book feel longer and more useful than it really is. If you boil this "quick start guide" down to the few pages that are actually worthwhile, you wouldn't even have enough pages to fill a pamphlet. Look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: If you plan to start your own business, buy it!
Review: As a novice consultant I find this book to be a must. The practical issues, ideas and tips explored in the book helped me make a conscious decision whether to start my own business (or not) based on realistic expectations, a practical business plan, and knowing all the hard work I can expect. This book contains everything you could possibly need to get started in your own business - almost any business and in any field.
Elaine shares with the reader a lot of useful information from her own knowledge and experience that most consultants are not willing to share. Thank you for this book!
Rating:
Summary: Another Terrific Book for Consultants from Elaine Biech
Review: Elaine Biech shares her infinite wisdom from her highly successful consulting business by providing practical guidance and advice to those considering a career in consulting. This Guide helps you decide if consulting is the profession for you. Just how much ambuiguity can you handle? Can you manage the balance between personal and professional responsibilities with ease? How do you structure a business...run an efficient office...develop a business plan...find new clients..transition from your current occupation..and survive the first year.A very user-friendly guide that will help you save time and money!
Rating:
Summary: Quick Start Guide Review
Review: I just wanted to take a second and let you know what a wonderful job Elaine has done with her newest book, Quick Start Guide. It is most informative and easily read. She has passed on to others her vast business experience in this book, which is full of useful tools that will greatly assist those thinking of entering into the world of consulting. I have had the opportunity to meet and speak with Elaine, and can tell you that her enthusiasm and knowledge for the consulting business is unsurpassed.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Starting Guide but a little on the Light Side
Review: If you already know your own skill set, what you have to offer, and what type of business you want to run then don't bother with this book. The first few chapters of this book deal with analyzing your skills and determining what type of consulting you want to pursue and the general tone of the book assumes that you have no idea what type of consulting company you are opening. This book is good if you don't know what type of business you would like to start. This to me is unfathomable but I guess there are people out there that want to work for themselves but don't know what skills they have and how to utilize them. There are a lot of workbook pages in this book that ask you to analyze your attitude, aptitude and personality as it relates to the consulting business. The book asks you to describe your idea of an ideal future and gives you an idea of the financing involved in starting up a small consulting business. There are some really good things in this book. For example, advice on writing a business plan, form examples for budgeting your business, and some useful advice on pitching to new clients. HOWEVER, the book is extremely light in content. It does not go into detail on anything. It is, as the title suggests, A QUICK START Guide. I personally found the book a bit fluffy in the sense that it concentrated too much on your attitude by asking lots of questions like, "Are you happy?" The book also has an entire chapter dedicated to family planning around your business, which in my opinion is ridiculously trivial and providing a list of supplies that you will need for your home office (i.e. Stamps etc...). I think I can figure out that I need post-it notes, thank you! I found the one paragraph dedicated to building a Web site for your company particular disturbing. I am a professional Web programmer and no PROFESSIONAL web site should include, "a quiz, a self-assessment or puzzle." I'm sorry but that stuff is child's play and will turn all of your prospective clients off, if they are at all serious business people!!! If you don't sell puzzles then you shouldn't have one on your Web site! In fact disregard that entire paragraph on having your own Web site. Better not to have one at all then to have it done wrong!! Well, for those of you who are thinking about starting a business, this might be a good, BASIC guide but for those of us who already know what business we are in, know what we want to do for a living and have a basic knowledge of starting up a business, this book is simply too basic. I recommend, "Working For Yourself" by Stephen Fishman, which goes into much more detail about taxes, laws and other detailed aspects of independent consulting.
Rating:
Summary: Relatively worthless
Review: Ok, so I wasn't impressed... This book is definately good at one thing: it makes you think about some important issues of starting your own practice, and it has lots of assignments that I think may be useful. That earns it two stars. However, what makes this book less useful than, say, "getting started in consulting" (A. Weiss), is the fact that there is no emphasis on creating value for your customer(and setting your fees based upon that value). What Biech is saying is actually that you should divide what you think you should earn in a year by the days you expect to work etc. So whether you help a client gain $50000 or $500000 added value should make no difference on your paycheck... Being value- oriented would help you wether we're talking about gaining clients, getting your fair pay or establishing business relationships. This book hardly touches the issue, even though it's important in so many areas of the business. What I'm saying boils down to this: There being so many better books on the subject, I see no reason to buy this one. I did, and I'd rather have spent my money on something else.
Rating:
Summary: How to Quick Start any business - Not just Consulting
Review: Once again Elaine Biech has developed a step-by-step process that enables the reader to gain insight into their own "wants and desires". But it doesn't stop there. The book provides sound steps one can take to make their dreams a reality. I read this book not as a future consultant, but as a consultant that moved out of the field and started a totally different kind of business. The book read the same! The thought provoking questions guided me in finding out more about my wants and abilities and reaffirmed the choices I have made. The practical steps for starting a business are steps I have taken and they work. I wish I had read this book before I started my business.
Rating:
Summary: Full Of Practical REAL Information
Review: One of the best "how-to" books I've ever read! This book contains everything you could possibly need to get started in your own consulting business. It answers all of the hard, day to day, practical questions you would face in this business. Most how-to books have very little truly useful knowledge and are filled primarily with sales pitches and motivational pep talks. Not this book. The Consultants Quick Start Guide is filled with real knowledge by someone who's been there, and is there. By using the worksheets and action lists, you will find a book that has been tailored to meet your needs specifically. If you get just one book on consulting, this one is worth it!
Rating:
Summary: The Consultant's Action Plan
Review: Practical and insightful road map to establishing your consulting business! Elaine Biech coaches you with a step-by-step, down to earth guide through the consulting jungle. She builds your confidence and helps you take your first steps into the business of consulting. For the seasoned consultant, Elaine shares generously her many years of consulting experience and helps you get focused on the furtherance of your success. Clear, easy to read and helpful resource. Aviv Shahar...
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Toolkit for the New Consultant
Review: Starting your own consulting business can be a scarey proposition. Make this move if and only if you buy and read the Consultant's Quick Start Guide. Having this book in your toolkit during your first year in business is like having an expert to guide you. Biech has done a tremendous job of identifying the tough questions and providing the answers you need to navigate your entrepreurship. The checklists in the book are a must for any would be successful consultant. The Consultant's Quick Start Guide is bound to get you and your consulting business off to a good and quick start. Suzanne Adele Schmidt, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Renewal Resources
Co-Author, Training Games for Managing Change
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