Understanding the daily tasks and workflow of a Business Consultant is incredibly important for anyone considering this career path. It is not always a straightforward role -- this professional often involves varied responsibilities, such as analyzing data, crafting presentations, and chatting with clients, which can be both demanding and rewarding. By diving into the typical day of a Business Consultant, you can assess whether you possess the necessary skills, mindsets, and aptitudes for the fast-paced nature of this job. Plus, learning more about the daily life of a Business Consultant helps you determine an area of interest so that if you choose to specialize in a certain area, you can choose a path that aligns with your goals. Overall, understanding the ins and outs of this position can play a significant role in your decision to pursue a career in consulting and can help you ensure that you make the right choice.
What is a Business Consultant?
Business Consultants are industry experts who advise clients on both execution and strategy. After working with management to review company operations, Business Consultants can help with revision and restructuring, as well as implementing a plan for the company to achieve long-term goals. They are typically strong problem solvers, adapt easily to market demands, and are quick to implement any changes on a higher level within the organization. Moreover, consulting across industries can mean becoming better at the job and gaining a deeper understanding of the business world at large.
Companies of all sizes rely on Business Consultants, from decades-old corporate entities to brand-new start-ups, and from family businesses to multinationals. Even more so, they can work in virtually any industry, including finance, healthcare, technology, retail, manufacturing, and even tourism. Their primary roles include analyzing the organizational structure of a business and developing new strategies for improvement as a result of their findings. They may also specialize in certain subsets of business consultancy, such as human resources, marketing, or management.
On a daily or weekly basis, Business Consultants typically engage in several key activities that range from research and analysis to presentations and strategizing. One challenge of business consulting is that tight deadlines and an expectation of meaningful results can make it a stressful field. However, the people who will succeed best as Business Consultants will be problem solvers who are motivated, flexible, calm under pressure, and have excellent communication skills. When working on large-scale projects, Business Consultants will encounter tasks that differ daily, leading to better engagement with the project and higher job satisfaction: since no day is exactly like the next as a Business Consultant, it’s hard to get bored.
Business Consultant Specializations
Business Consultants can work in a wide range of specializations that go beyond the typical day-to-day operations. If you are interested in business consultancy but want to focus on a certain area, consider reading ahead to determine if any of these pique your interest enough.
Financial Analyst
As a business professional, you can specialize in finance and become a Financial Analyst. They’re fairly similar to Business Consultants, but the main difference is that a Business Consultant will focus on the big picture and use financial insights to make decisions on a broader scale for the organization. Financial analysis professionals, on the other hand, focus on evaluating financial data, predicting trends, and making recommendations based on previous financial information. They will identify and address financial needs through detailed analysis and make realistic recommendations to improve the company’s profits, manage the budget, and indicate positive investment opportunities. Both jobs require strong analytical skills as well as the ability to break down problems and solve them with rationality, but the Financial Analyst will focus solely on the numbers and budget whereas a Business Consultant will integrate the financial analysis into the overall business strategy.
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Marketing Analyst
When it comes to a Marketing Analyst versus a Business Consultant, there is a lot of considerable overlap between the two, especially because both dabble in market research and data analysis. A Marketing Analyst will of course focus on marketing concepts far more, diving into subjects like consumer behavior, campaign performance, and market trends to determine more effective marketing strategies. They will gather and analyze data on previous campaigns and determine whether the consumer is engaging with the different platforms on a high level. Marketing Analysts provide insights and suggestions, whereas Business Consultants take those insights and apply them to business practices to develop more comprehensive marketing plans. While they both value the insights gained from marketing campaign successes and failures, they do different things with this information.
Project Manager
Many Business Consultants can specialize in project management as both roles share a strong aptitude for organization and communication. A Project Manager ensures that each specific project is completed on time while staying on budget. They often coordinate teams, delegate tasks, and report to higher-ups and stakeholders who have invested in the project’s completion. Their focus is primarily on the execution of the project, so the insights and feedback they gather during the project contribute to the overall development process. In turn, Business Consultants look at the bigger picture and determine how the project’s completion can contribute to the overall performance of the business.
Starting Your Day
Once a Business Consultant settles into their workspace, they will typically get a few essentials in place before starting their day. Depending on the work setting, such as a home office, open floor plan office, or cubicle, this may require less or more effort. However, necessary items may include their laptop, pen, paper, or any other tools that are essential for the project or task they are going to work on first. They’ll likely ensure they have a well-organized workspace before anything else and will then check any messages on platforms like Teams or Slack that they may have missed before clocking out the day before. Next, they will review any of the past work they conducted, particularly if they are coming back from a weekend, and have a fresh set of eyes on the work they’ve left behind.
9 AM:
Once they have reviewed any messages and caught up with the next steps in their workday, the average Business Consultant will get into the groove of their work. First, they will likely tackle the most urgent messages before anything else. If they are part of a consulting team, they will also check in with everyone to make sure they are working on the same page. This may be as simple as a quick walk through the office or a more formal meeting. Regardless, a daily check-in helps everyone stay on task and have a goal to work towards in the hours ahead. By knocking out these important tasks so early in the day, they are setting a strong, productive tone for the day.
11 AM:
By mid-morning, a Business Consultant may be knee-deep in significant work projects that require attention to detail, strategic planning, and effective collaboration with others in the department. For instance, they could work on budgeting plans or brainstorm more innovative marketing techniques based on previously analyzed campaign data. They may break their projects into manageable segments and delegate tasks to certain colleagues who are better equipped to handle certain aspects of the project. At this point in the day, it’s common for Business Consultants to address any questions, issues, or concerns they have with the direction of their workday as it’s late enough in the day for everyone to have made considerable advances in their work, but early enough to pivot if needed.
2 PM:
By early afternoon, Business Consultants will have likely made considerable headway with several projects (and may have enjoyed several cups of coffee). They may move on to new tasks, such as implementing new project procedures, analyzing data, and compiling reports to summarize any important information. These reports may come to fruition on collaborative platforms such as Google Docs or project management software. They may take another moment to check on their colleagues or hold meetings with clients and stakeholders with investments in the project’s completion. Feedback from these meetings is key during this part of the day, as it can help make the work towards the end of the day and at the beginning of the next day far less challenging.
5 PM:
As the work day comes to a close, Business Consultants have a few last-minute tasks, re-organize their workspace, and prepare themselves accordingly for the next day. After running through the list of tasks they’ve accomplished up until this point, they will be able to structure the next work day far more easily. They will set priorities for the day ahead, perhaps making a to-do list or scheduling important meetings early the next day. Then, they will send out any final Slack or Teams messages, or emails, to ensure that there are no loose ends before the day is over.
After Work
Once the day comes to a close, a Business Consultant may do any number of things. Because this role is relatively flexible in terms of a work-life balance, they could exercise right after work, run a few errands, or enjoy their hobbies. They may choose to go straight home and spend some quality time with their family. However, some may choose to attend seminars, networking events, and lectures that help them expand their current knowledge. They may also take additional courses to give them an advantage while completing a particular project. Others may use their evenings for overtime, but this is not always necessary. It is often needed on a project-by-project basis, so overtime isn’t necessarily the norm. Overall, the after-work hours are up to the individual. This flexibility, paired with the hands-on and engaging work day, is one of the main reasons many are drawn to this career path.
Learn the Skills to Become a Business Consultant at Noble Desktop
At Noble Desktop, you can learn all the necessary skills to become a Business Consultant through various classes on a wide range of subjects. You can choose from certificates, bootcamps, and short courses that help give you more insight and skills to succeed in your preferred field and industry. For example, the 132-hour “MBA” Business Certificate allows students to master the tools, concepts, and technologies to succeed in the business world. Specifically, you will learn project management methodologies, financial concepts pertaining to investments and insurance, marketing strategies such as search engine optimization, business law and writing styles, and data analytics processes. In addition, you will explore ways to utilize useful tools like AI, which can be instrumental in creating a more productive workplace. In addition, you will practice using software and platforms like Microsoft Excel, Figma, Tableau, and Google Analytics. With the help of an expert instructor, hands-on training, and additional mentoring, you will earn your certificate of completion. This all-encompassing education will enable you to become more confident in your business skills and feel ready to take on a role as a Business Consultant or a related position.
One of the most popular and widely used platforms across all businesses includes Microsoft Office. The applications within Microsoft Office are essential for data management, communications, presentations, and document handling. In Noble Desktop’s Microsoft Office Fundamentals Bootcamp, you will learn advanced levels of Excel and intermediate levels of PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook. In Excel, your instructor will show you how to turn data insights into clear, understandable visualizations. Perhaps you choose to present your data findings with PowerPoint -- after this bootcamp, you will feel comfortable using all the visual features, transitions, and layouts. Similarly, you will learn how to navigate, format, and personalize documents within Word and share them with others in your organization with Outlook. Overall, this bootcamp gives you an all-encompassing overview of the most essential Office tools that will serve you well as a business consultancy professional.
If you are curious about specializing in project management but want to take a short course before deciding, you can enroll in Project Management Level I. Here, you will learn the five key phases of project management, focusing mostly on the first two stages: initiation and planning. You will study foundational concepts and project management terms that give you more insight into the field before deciding to move forward with Level II or a bootcamp. Moreover, you will learn how to select and develop project plans, including everything from its schedule, budget, resource allocation, and other aspects that define the project. Overall, this course gives you the skills to determine whether project management is the right career path for you to explore.