This book is written for the person who has gained workplace experience and is thinking about striking out on his or her own as a consultant or a service-based entrepreneur.
The reader is taken through the steps of deciding on whether they have the tools to start a new business and what they need to do before making the leap.
The author focuses on the major steps of a start-up consulting practice, including business formation decisions, verbalizing the business offerings, determining market viability, and much more. Additionally, he dives into less-often discussed topics such as office space, business insurance, business ethics, and the impact on the family unit. Each chapter provides homework that outlines the steps the reader needs to complete to gain confidence they have the tools to succeed. This book also emphasizes the lifestyle implications of any solo proprietor service business.

Stephen D. Field has over 30 years of hands-on management and consulting experience in both for-profit and non-profit environments. After starting his career working for large manufacturing corporations and serving in several mid-management and general manager positions, Mr. Field transitioned into the consulting arena. He has a proven track record of delivering executive-level consulting to manufacturing organizations in the areas of operational and financial management, information technology, inventory and production control. Mr. Field has helped over a hundred companies select, install, and better utilize a variety of enterprise business software (ERP) systems. Mr. Field's ability to leverage his deep system's expertise, cross-functional understanding, and focus on results has yielded millions of dollars of benefits to his client's bottom line. He has written several articles and presented at various trade association conferences across the United States. Mr. Field received his BS in industrial engineering at Northwestern University and his MBA from the University of Michigan.