Featured Solopreneur Cindy Tonkin: “Be Clear on What You Want”

This is “Featured Solopreneur,” an ongoing series that gives all of us a glimpse at how other solopreneurs operate their small businesses. Click Here to read more Solopreneur Success Stories.

Name of solopreneur:
Cindy Tonkin

Name of business and city:
The Consultants’ Consultant; Sydney, Australia

Web address:
www.consultantsconsultant.com.au

Type of business:
Consultancy to consultants, both independent and internal to organisations

When did you officially go into business?
November 1992

Why did you start your own business?
Opportunities arose which needed me to have an entity…then it grew!

What was the best thing you did when you were starting up your business?
Wrote a book

What is a mistake that you learned from?
Spending a fortune on brochures

What is your biggest current challenge in the business and what are you doing to try to solve it?
Keeping people up to date with what I’m doing and how I can help them, at the lowest cost and time investment from me.

What are your goals for the rest of the year?
Upgrade my online product offerings to include some audio components; convert a program I’m doing for a corporate client into an independent consultant offering.

Where do you want to be with the business in five years?
Similar to now, still stimulated, wanting to know more, experiencing new ideas, a few loyal corporate clients, a decent profile amongst the people who count.

What are your main software programs?
Word, Excel, Powerpoint, just picked up Photoshop

What lifestyle choices have you had to make to stay in business?
I earn less overall money now than I did in 1992 when I left a consultancy business, but I am so much more able to be myself!

What are you strategies for staying competitive?
Find the ideal client and do what it takes to win, please, and make them happy to recommend you.

Do you need a second household income to support your lifestyle?
My business income is the primary income. My husband’s income is even more sporadic.

If your business should fail, what is your fallback position?
My business failing is not even an option.

If you could start your career all over again, what would you do differently? Why?
I would have never spent my first tortured year out of my arts degree at Andersen Consulting/Accenture trying to become a programmer with an accountants mindset. I would have taken a job with a smaller consultancy in a people-related field!

What’s your advice for solopreneurs?
Be clear on what your limits are, what you want, why you want it, and when you stop—celebrate.

Are you glad you became a solopreneur? Why or why not?
Yes. Lifestyle, ability to direct my own learning paths, meet new ideas and people.