Struggling to Launch a Business

Hasnaa Fatehi runs a boutique consultancy business that provides regulatory and quality assurance advice to medical technology companies. Prior to joining Consulting Success, she had plenty of expertise, but as she put it, “I didn’t understand how to run a consulting business, how to land clients, how to communicate my message, or how to make proposals that win business. I basically needed to learn everything.”

She was trained as a scientist, but after leaving academia, she decided to become a regulatory consultant. However, she had a hard time finding good, solid advice for running a consulting business. In fact, her current business is the second iteration, after the first one failed to get off the ground. As Hasnaa said, “I decided that this time I needed to get some education on running a consulting business.”

At first, she considered getting an MBA, but after talking to a few schools, she realized she didn’t have two years to devote to a degree program. So she looked for experts providing guidance to consultants, and during her search, she came across Consulting Success. She soon realized that the Clarity Coaching Program offered everything she needed, and she applied to join.

Gaining the Confidence to Be Bold

By the time Hasnaa joined the program she’d been trying to run her consultancy for two years, so it was a huge relief to finally get some expert training on how to approach clients and communicate the value of her services. She had no prior experience with marketing, so this was huge. The most impactful things she learned, according to Hasnaa, was “magnetic messaging and how to define my ideal client.”

Additionally, she gained a lot of wisdom from participating in our community calls, where consultants from around the world asked questions and shared advice and experiences. “The community is so very supportive and helpful,” she says.

Finally Landing Those Paying Gigs

Just as important as learning strategies, Hasnaa also gained tremendous confidence from the program and the community. As she put it, “I used to struggle when I went in to talk to CEOs because I felt like I didn’t know enough about running a business.” However, the coaches and her fellow consultants helped her learn how to approach clients boldly and speak confidently about the solutions she has to offer. “I now feel like a grown-up doing business,” she says with a laugh.

As a direct result of the strategies she learned and the confidence she gained from Consulting Success, Hasnaa landed her first two clients.

The first client was fully generated through the Marketing Engine strategy developed by Consulting Success co-founder, Michael Zipursky. Her initial contact was with a non-decision-maker at the client company, but Hasnaa had gained enough confidence and learned how to effectively navigate this situation and was able to meet with the president, which sealed the deal.

The second client came to her through a specific strategy she learned in the program called “Network Reactivation.”

All of this happened within four months of joining Consulting Success. She went from struggling for two years with a lack of clients and confidence to signing two lucrative contracts.

“If you’re starting from scratch like me,” Hasnaa says, “Consulting Success is worth the investment. I believe it is particularly helpful for women who are starting their own business. You need coaching. You can’t figure all of this out on your own, and in a male-dominated business world, it’s good to have access to people who can tell you exactly how the game is played.”