INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When your software is complete and you are ready to begin consulting, develop your company name and logo. Use these items in your marketing materials. Set your hourly rate and create a billing system. Do market research to see what others charge in your geographic and expertise areas. In determining your rate, also consider your expenses. As you gain expertise, you can adjust your billing rates. Be sure to raise rates at convenient times for clients, such as the end of the fiscal or calendar years. Be transparent about any rate changes. Create brochures, a website, and business cards. Advertise how your skills, experience, and education can help a company. Demonstrate why your software is better or how it compares to other software. It will take time to build your client list. Consider keeping your full-time job at first to ensure a steady income.  Once you have clients, your expertise, communication style, and business communications will develop further.  Explain that you have software for sale and offer services as a consultant in your area of expertise. If you can do troubleshooting or write code, specify that as well. Include this information on your business cards. Think about offering company-wide or online seminars and how-to tutorials. You want to seem approachable and knowledgeable. Attendees also might ask you to work for them or give your name to others. With client permission, advertise completed projects. Use conference papers, a blog, and/or a website to publicize your work. Utilize social media websites, like Facebook or Twitter, to advertise and to write posts about your successes. Ask satisfied clients to recommend you to colleagues or friends. By using the snowball effect, your business should grow quickly.

SUMMARY: Set up your business. Market your software and consulting services. Broadcast your success.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Local magazines or newspapers are always looking for someone to purchase ad space. Contact the person in charge of advertising to see if you can create an ad to go in their publication. Try to pick publications that relate to your business. For example, if you run a day-care, you'd want to publish an ad in a parenting magazine or something similar. Submit a press release every month to local newspapers and magazines, letting them know what you’ve been up to. This will allow readers to hear about what you’ve been working on, any awards you’ve won, new employees you’ve hired, or any other valuable piece of information about your business. . You can do this in small ways, such as by putting bumper stickers or magnets with your business’s name on your car, or you can go a little bigger and write an advertisement on the windows. Advertising on your car will allow you access an audience wherever you drive.  Create a single car decal for yourself, or create them in bulk to hand out to others. You can also do a car wrap, which is done by a professional and will display promotional material on a large section of your car, or even the whole car if desired. If you already have company shirts that you wear to work, great! Start wearing them out in public more often as free advertising — it could help spark a conversation. If you don’t already have T-shirts, you can create them through online sites that print them for you, or you can make one yourself. Wear your T-shirt to the park, grocery store, local restaurant — anywhere where people will see it and be able to ask you about your business. Contests are a great way to promote business. Put up flyers or an ad online to promote your contest, and you can give away prizes such as products your company creates as well as coupons or promotions.  If you're trying to advertise a grocery store, offer up a pre-paid gift card for groceries. Get creative with your prizes! Contact your local radio stations to see if they will run a contest on-the-air for you. You can give them the prize from your business and they’ll promote it.

SUMMARY:
Purchase an ad in a local publication. Put out a press release once a month. Turn your car into an advertisement Wear T-shirts with your business’s name on them. Design a contest to get people excited about your business.