Grow Organically or hit the ground running?

[gerryonline]

So I want to start a consulting business, but I have a decision to to make, do I..
a) just contract myself out as a consultant to businesses and run a one man show, with the intention of using the money I make to grow the business organically to a full sized business

or

b) source some start-up capital and hit the ground running with a couple of employees and have a proper business from day one, so that the business is a real business and looked upon as such.

The pro's of 'a' is there is relatively no startup costs and very minimal running costs, the cons are; how can you look like a serious company and focus on growth when you are doing everything.

The pro's of 'b' are, you may get taken a lot more serious by larger companies, you already have the infrastructure and capability to take on larger contracts, the cons are; large startup costs, and large cashflow issues.

Can I have some peoples thoughts on this?

[Carl Taylor]

Its good to see your thinking about things before just rushing in.

Now there is nothing wrong with starting out as a one man band, as long as you treat the business just the same as you would if it had 10 or even 100 team members.

I suggest do some more research into the kind of figures you are going to be working with.

Do a cashflow forecast if you think you will be able to handle the additional startup costs then leveraging work is always the best option.

As Buckmeister Fuller realised the universe is all about doing Evermore with Everless