OUTPUT

Too many printers struggling to manage their businesses and lives day-to-day would say the answer to that question is never. Why would you want to pay some overpriced outsider to tell you what you probably already know? After all, you understand your business, its strengths, its failings and possibilities. The idea offends your vanity as well as your budget. But perhaps there's a niggling, deeply buried anxiety: you don't want to face the fact that you might have a problem. You can't willingly admit, especially to a stranger, that you are stuck and unsure about how to move forward. And why should you spend money to have your frailties confirmed?

All of this makes for a downright foolish approach to running a business. Any successful enterprise thrives on change, openness to new ideas and technological progress. Planning and budgeting for a tactical and strategic growth path, for keeping up with technological developments and for management training is fundamental to business planning. And yet it is surprising how few businesses in the graphics sector include consulting services as a line item in their budgets.

Business growth of course occurs organically, but it also requires planning to ensure adequate resources for developing new ideas. Good ideas are hard enough to come by and understanding how to fully exploit them depends on objective review and criticism. If the business has more fundamental failings, it is far more sensible to consider calling in a consultant before the weaknesses turn into expensive difficulties, whatever the problem is.

A good consultant should have a sound understanding of your market sector, the latest technology and the larger trends driving the printing industry. He or she will be able to pinpoint weaknesses in your workflow, quality management, and cost and revenue structures and advise you on what needs doing to gain some immediate improvements. Most importantly of all, a good consultant will be able to give you solid advice on investment requirements to take your business to the next level. And equally essentially, be prepared to pay a consultant for the advice you get, even if you decide not to take it.

Letting vanity and ego get in the way of solving a problem is peculiarly perverse, especially for a business owner. But it is an all too common condition, so be bold, be visionary and have the good sense to call in external resources when you need them.

Click here to read Sophie Matthews-Paul's response to the Question of the Week, When should you call in a consultant? What do you think? Use the comments form below to give your opinion.