8 - Consulting 101: An introductory workshop for evaluators who want to start consulting practices

Abstract Information: Independent consulting. Side hustle. Entrepreneur. Small business owner. If these terms resonate with you and your goals, then this workshop is for you. More than 20% of AEA members are independent or have independent consulting side jobs. This workshop will provide you with key understandings to initiate an independent consulting practice. The session concerns a review of key consulting attributes, niche identification, and challenges participants to think through a marketing approach. Laura Keene and Matt Feldmann will lead this important introductory workshop that has been foundational to the development of many consulting practices. The workshop also will include valuable samples, worksheets, and insider tips. You will identify your clients, your services, and your competitive edge. Do you have what it takes? This lively workshop will help you find out and set you up to consider your next steps with developing an independent consulting practice.

Relevance Statement: This is the classic workshop that has been offered consistently at AEA since 1993 and is updated each year based on participant feedback. The workshop has evolved over time and will be greatly enhanced from the materials and information from the Independent Consulting Chats that Matt initiated in May 2020 during the pandemic and that meets 48 times per year. At this proposal writing, the IC Topic Chats have convened 130 times, had more than 6,500 registrations, and impacted 634 AEA members. Laura and Matt have been presenting this intro to consulting session since 2016. The following are some quotes from participants: “I liked the open discussion and ability to network. Also, I enjoyed the interaction between the presenters.” “I liked the range of topics covered, and the knowledge and enthusiasm of the facilitators.” Among the survey scale questions for the full day session in 2019, all the respondents agreed that they would recommend the workshop to others and the workshop improved their understanding of the topic. Over time, all (100%) of the participants who responded to the workshop surveys attended the workshop because of the relevance of the topic. This indicates the importance of an introductory workshop focused on independent consulting. Laura and Matt have collectively presented on independent consulting TIG topics more than 20 times at the AEA conferences, submitted numerous TIG newsletter articles, contributed to the TIG AEA 365, and served AEA on multiple committees. Matt also is the President and one of the founding members of the Evaluation Association of St. Louis. Since 1994, Matt has 60 peer-reviewed conference presentations that have ranged from formal papers, research presentations, posters, and pre-conference presentations. Laura conducts trainings regularly on a variety of topics as part of her consulting practice.