I fancy myself a consultant. Whatever that means. I help people understand how to use a wide range of network infrastructure technologies in their small businesses.
One tiny part of what I do is to help other companies write their own web pages. This involves coming to understand a business and helping them to write a site that attracts the right visitors by accurately communicating the nature of the company, and their products and/or services.
... which I have found is much easier when I am doing it for other companies. I have a fairly poor track record of doing this for my own company; this is one reason I have been "updating the web site" for about three years now with nothing (public) to show for it.
How do I explain what I do, which I think is subtly different than what other similarly positioned business do?
The thing that interests me about what I do is the strategic approach to how a network fits into the picture for a business, and how that business network works with the network around it. How can a business use network technology to improve? How can a business integrate all this ever changing stuff (technology, regulation, national and international business environment) into their business in a way that is organic and can grow with the business over time?
Not all small businesses want this level of service. Some small businesses have the knowledge to make these decisions for themselves. These small businesses are not my target clients.
Recently, I had a conversation about a project with a few colleagues that really helped me to put that into perspective. I was able to clarify that my target client is someone who wants my input on strategic goals, not just my help with tactical operations. When I heard the functional requirements described abstractly as a requirement for serial ports on a server, I knew the client only required technical assistance, not the advice of a consultant.
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