Useful guide to using a consultant

Just spotted a very useful Guide to Using a Consultant from ICAEW  - tweeted by theLBSS - straightforward and balanced. It reminded me of asaying I've heard a few times, which is that the second consultant a business uses is always better than the first! Essentially, this is because businesses often don't really know what they want the first time round - and this often results in a fairly unsatisfactory experience for both the business and the advisor/consultant.

Second time around the business is usually much more focused, chooses an advisor who will be able to meet their objectives and everyone is happy! It would be nice if we could skip the first unhappy experience though - do you have any other thoughts on how to do this?

Useful info on Security Vetting

Consultants and contractors who want to work in the public sector, particularly in defence or the more sensitive areas, have often found the vetting system an insuperable obstacle. Essentially you're told you can't be vetted until you're in a contract - but won't be considered for a contract unless you've been vetted.

PCG have been lobbying government on this issue for a number of years and there's been a recent Prime ministers statement on the subject that sets out the rules more clearly than before.

Take a look at the PCG website for more details.

Should Business Advice be Free?

Discussions about LEPs seem to be gathering pace despite the holiday season and a couple of LinkedIn groups have sprung up to discuss developments around the country - From RDA to LEP and Local Enterprise Partnerships. A separate issue that's also being discussed is whether startups and small businesses should expect free advice at all. Given how much advice is already available on the internet there's an argument that small businesses should just be left to get on with things.

The main argument for free advice being provided by the government is that if businesses are better advised and equipped they are more likely to succeed and grow - with benefits to the whole economy. The counter argument is that people may be less likely to listen to and act on free advice. Given that so many of our members have lots of experience working with small businesses I thought it would be interesting to fund out what you think. If you have a moment, please fill in this one page survey and give us your thoughts - I'll post the results here next week.

Really useful sources of business advice

I've been reading a lot of blogs and articles about business advice and support recently, many allied to discussions about Business Links etc, and it occurred to me that this group should be an excellent source of what you might call 'really useful sources of advice'.

I have distinct preference for 'going straight to the horses mouth' so probably my top ones are the key government sites;

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ (Patent Office)

These are very factual though so it would be interesting to know what sources you've found most useful in your business so far and why.