The management consulting sector is booming. In 2012, Bloomberg.com reported that, “82 percent of the U.S. clients surveyed said they wouldn’t cut the amount they spend on outside help.” Nearly half of those surveyed (42 percent) planned to hire even more consultants. Meanwhile, 5 percent of the surveyed expected to increase their spending on consultants by more than 50 percent.
Also important to note: within the consulting field, technology-based consulting has become one of the fastest growing sectors. Tech consulting has experienced stable growth over the last three years in both the United States and Canada. As digitization becomes a major priority for businesses small and large, a tech consultant’s expertise is needed like never before.
Tech consulting trends
According to recent studies, 84 percent of organizations are either currently engaged in digitization projects or actively planning them. Part of this exodus into the digital and cloud-based world is driven by the need to integrate and adapt with the rapid development speed of technology.
CNN.com listed IT consulting as the thirteenth best job to have in 2012. As one of the few fields that allows for entrepreneurial enterprise, IT and Tech consultants are praised for their depth and breadth of knowledge, not to mention their ability to troubleshoot complex problems quickly and efficiently.
An example of a tech consultant who has enjoyed success and the freedom to navigate around the tech industry is Philip Thomas Mesman of Oakville, Ontario, who founded his own tech consulting company a few years ago. Speaking to him, you can tell he’s happy he did so.
“For many years, I worked as a game and app developer. That’s something I still do. However, at a certain point several years back, I was looking for a way to utilize the tools and experience I’d accumulated in a new way,” said Philip Mesman.
Meman founded his tech consulting firm, PT Techconsulting, to help businesses and startups overcome their tech-related challenges. Private consulting also happens to allow Philip Mesman to stay up-to-date with the ever-changing landscape of new technology. “Every job is a new and exciting opportunity, I truly enjoy delving into,” he said.
Mesman, who has worked in a variety of roles in the tech industry, prefers being his own boss and running his own business. “Freelancing is tricky in some ways because you’re always trying to find business,” Philip Thomas Mesman recounted. “On the other hand, working as an employee at a large company gives you little time for creativity and can be very regimented. Right now I have the best of both worlds.”
Why you should start a tech firm
Philip Mesman goes on to highlight five very strong reasons for why owning PT Techconsulting has been beneficial to him:
- Founding his own firm has allowed Mesman to become his own boss and set his own schedule.
- Beginning PT Techconsulting has developed his troubleshooting and problem solving skills to an even higher degree. “With no management to go to, I have to operate and facilitate all aspects of my business,” Philip Mesman added. “Over the past several years, I’ve developed a wealth of knowledge in finance and management, along with my tech skills.”
- It gives him time to pursue his other passions.
- The sheer thrill. As Mesman explains, he’s worked on numerous start-ups and high tech applications, work he wouldn’t have had access to if it weren’t for PT Techconsulting.
- Choice. Mesman believes the most important benefit of owning his own consulting firm is his ability to choose the work he does and who he works for.
There’s no doubt that starting your own tech consulting firm requires a lot of hard work and perseverance. It’s is not for the faint of heart. However, for those with an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit and the enterprise to start their own business, it can be incredibly rewarding.