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Editor
Anywhere you see words, you
know someone had to write them. But once the words are set
to the page or computer screen, someone else has to edit them
to make them more readable, engaging and clear. Good editors
are always in high demand at some of the obvious places, like
publishing companies, as well as at big corporations and technology
firms. If there is a particular type of subject matter you
enjoy, such as scientific writing or sociology, but you donąt
want to study it yourself, one way to get involved in that
field is to offer your services as a freelance editor. The
advantage to you is that you get to work with many different
organizations and with a variety of subject matter. The advantage
to the company you work for is that they can hire you by the
project or by the hour, rather than paying for a full-time
staff member to review and edit in-house work.
Management Consultant
Although every organization
would like to say that they run just as they should, but sometimes
they need to bring in a person to help fix things that aren't
working exactly right. Whether those problems are management-staff
relations problems, trouble with a non-profit or corporate
board that needs to learn how to more effectively serve the
organization, or a company that needs assistance with their
search for a new executive director, management consultants
offer a suite of services to solve those problems. This type
of business can be set up for almost no initial costs, but
requires a working knowledge of the types of organizations
with which you plan to consult and a good network of contacts
to mine for work.
Political Consultant
Political campaigns are cyclical
and people who work in them generally act as temporary employees
for the life of the campaign. However, starting a political
consulting business can provide some lucrative business for
someone with political savvy and good instincts. A political
consultant can be a generalist, someone who works as a jack-of-all-trades
on a campaign,or a specialist in political fundraising, direct
mail campaigns, television ad production or grassroots organizing.
This can be an exciting and lucrative business if you align
with winning candidates. The political world is a small one,
and campaigns snap up talented consultants quickly when the
election season starts.
Communications Consultant
From running press events to
developing media programs for new organizations, communications
consultants work with companies on all aspects of their communications
strategy. Often, public relations agencies will hire consultants
to assist on large campaigns or to fill in on certain duties
while another staff member is on vacation or on some other
type of leave. Communications consultants can also work with
small businesses by taking on those types of clients and promoting
in the local media. This can be a valuable service for other
small businesses that do not have the money or staff to take
on their own marketing or public relations campaign, nor enough
money to hire a larger agency with its attendant cost.
Fundraising
If you like working with the
non-profit sector and are good at raising money, it might
be lucrative to start a fundraising business. You can work
with organizations to help them develop their fundraising
mechanisms or to actually raise the money yourself. Starting
this type of business does not cost much, but can be risky.
You have to be confident that you can deliver on your funding
promises. However, if you have a good sense of what foundations,
corporations and other money sources are out there and how
to target an organization's fundraising pitch, you can have
a good shot at bringing in the funds for your client.
Diversity Trainer
As more and more companies and organizations recognize that
they need to embrace the diversity of their employees, they
are hiring diversity trainers to help facilitate training
and discussions on- or off-site.
Proposal and Grant Writer
This is a highly specialized
type of writing that is much-needed by nonprofits, companies
and individuals looking to drum up funding and business. Some
potential clients include college professors who need grant
proposals written for projects they hope to complete, other
consulting firms that need to submit sales proposals to companies
for consideration, non-profits that are looking for a new
source of funding. To start this kind of business, you need
to have extensive experience writing different types of proposals
and grants, and then you need to match your skills to local
organizations and individuals looking for your services. Publications
like The Chronicle of
Philanthropy and even articles in your local newspaper
can point you toward funding sources and the organizations
who want those funds.
Literary or Talent Agent
There are many writers and
performers out there, and many of them want to spend most
of their time being creative rather than selling themselves.
That's where agents come in. If you have lots of contacts
in the publishing or performing fields, and you enjoy working
with creative types, this might be the job for you. Usually
agents get from 10 to 20 percent of the fee that their clients
receive for any given job or publication, so this can be a
lucrative business if you work with the right people.
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