Ed Callahan
Ed Callahan is a Philadelphia-area EOS implementer who helps organizations clarify, simplify, and implement their visions. For more information on Ed or to contact him, click on his LinkedIn profile, read his Stay Focused blog, or go to his website.
What do you know today that you wish you knew when you were starting out? Match your consulting practice to a passion; don’t just create an extension of what you have been doing in your career up to this point. If you are passionate about doing something, it will give you the fortitude to stick to it through the inevitable difficult days while you are building your practice. I am now on the third iteration of my practice in 10 years, and I have finally accomplished this particular piece of advice as an EOS Implementer where I combine my business experience and my passion for being a small business teacher.
What was your most important early decision (e.g., financial, organizational, marketing)? I stopped billing myself out on an hourly basis. It rid me of the hassle of keeping track of my hours and having to justify them to the client. I transitioned to a monthly retainer, paid in advance, with contract-based expectations as to deliverables from both me and the client. Much simpler and a great qualifier of real prospects, as distinguished from tire kickers who want you to work on commission or equity only.
