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by Alan Weiss
Premium summary · Opens in the app · 30 min read
Most consultants are running a race they cannot win. They work harder every year, take on more clients, deliver more projects, and still find themselves trapped on a treadmill that never slows down. They charge by the hour, which means their income is capped by the number of hours they can physically work. They chase prospects who cannot make decisions. They write proposals that read like job applications. They compete on price. They wonder why they left the corporate world in the first place.
### By Alan Weiss
**Estimated Reading Time:** 45 minutes
**What You'll Learn**
How to build a consulting practice that generates a million dollars or more annually while giving you the freedom to live life on your own terms. You will learn how to abandon hourly billing forever, charge fees based on the value you create, attract economic buyers who can say yes without asking anyone else, and build a business that serves your life rather than consuming it.
**Who This Book Is For**
This book is for the solo consultant who suspects there is a better way. It is for the expert who knows they are undercharging and overdelivering but cannot see the path out. It is for the experienced professional who wants to stop trading time for money and start being compensated for the outcomes they create. It is for anyone who has ever felt that hourly billing is a trap and that their expertise is worth far more than their timesheet suggests.
Most consultants are running a race they cannot win. They work harder every year, take on more clients, deliver more projects, and still find themselves trapped on a treadmill that never slows down. They charge by the hour, which means their income is capped by the number of hours they can physically work. They chase prospects who cannot make decisions. They write proposals that read like job applications. They compete on price. They wonder why they left the corporate world in the first place. This is not a problem of effort. It is a problem of approach. Alan Weiss built a solo consulting practice that generated millions of dollars annually. He did it without employees, without a famous brand name behind him, and without working eighty-hour weeks. He did it by rejecting almost everything the consulting industry considers normal. He stopped billing by the hour. He stopped chasing clients. He stopped writing proposals that begged for work. He stopped treating consulting as a job and started treating it as a business. The consulting industry has a dirty secret. Most of the conventional wisdom about how to succeed as a consultant comes from large firms that have entirely different economics than a solo practitioner. They can afford to bill by the hour because they have armies of junior consultants whose labor they mark up. They can afford long sales cycles because they have dedicated business development teams. They can afford to compete on credentials because their brand opens doors. You cannot afford any of that. And you do not need to. The solo consultant has advantages that large firms envy. You can make decisions instantly. You can build deep, personal relationships with senior executives. You can be…
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Get the complete summary in the appAbandon hourly billing forever. Charge based on the value you create, not the time you spend.
Only sell to economic buyers who can write checks without asking anyone else for permission.
Build trust through emotional connection and the willingness to have difficult conversations.
Never write a proposal before conceptual agreement exists on objectives, measures, value, and investment.
Maintain a twelve-month pipeline so you never make decisions from desperation.
Develop process expertise that transcends any specific industry or technical domain.
"Million Dollar Consulting" is a strong fit if you want practical ideas around business, entrepreneurship, management—especially themes like abandon hourly billing forever. charge based on the value you create, not the time you spend; only sell to economic buyers who can write checks without asking anyone else for permission. The MinuteRead summary distills these concepts into a focused read, whether you're deciding whether to buy the book or applying its lessons at work.
Alan Weiss is an American entrepreneur, author, and public speaker known for his expertise in consulting. He has written numerous books on the subject, with "Million Dollar Consulting" being one of his most well-known works. Weiss is recognized for his contrarian approach to conventional consulting wisdom and his emphasis on value-based fees. His writing style is described as direct and confident, often incorporating personal anecdotes and experiences. Weiss's background as a successful consulta…
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