Linda G. Gallagher, Member, Rocky Mountain Chapter
What do you do if you find that you have to move your business to a distant location? Your spouse might announce that the long-awaited promotion has finally come through, but the position is in another city. Or you decide you want to move to another city for personal reasons; in my case, my husband and I wanted better access to mountains and skiing.
How do you approach moving your consulting business? Do you really have to start over again? Where do you start? I'd like to share how I made a move from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Denver, Colorado area in 1996. My experience might help you in the future.
I started my independent technical writing business in 1993 in St. Louis. I immediately joined STC, became an active member, and later was elected an officer. My contacts through STC helped me get my business going, so I figured STC contacts would help during my move.
Long before we definitely decided to move (remember, we were moving because we wanted to), I called and sent e-mail to several key people in the Rocky Mountain (Denver area) chapter including the job referral manager, the CIC SIG (Contracting and Independent Consulting Special Interest Group) manager, and a couple of Denver area independents. I asked each of these contacts a few key questions:
Think about what is important to you and ask about those topics. Also, use contacts from any other organizations you belong to. Many organizations have local chapters you can contact.
Rocky Mountain chapter members told me very positive things in response to each of my questions. Everyone I spoke to was willing to talk to me and willing to correspond via e-mail if I had more questions. Someone told me about another local writer's organization and that gave me another networking opportunity.
I also contacted the Rocky Mountain chapter membership manager to get on their mailing list. For chapters that get all labels for mailings from the Society office in Arlington, this may not work, but some chapters maintain their own membership database. The membership person told me about upcoming meetings and the chapter web site. She also sent me the last chapter newsletter.
Now I was armed with the contacts and information I needed, but I had a lot more work to do.
Once I learned that the market was good and that I could find 1099 work that was primarily offsite, I was ready to restart my independent business and not look for a full time job. Now I had to plan my business move.
I made lots of lists including further contacts to make, things that I had to have reprinted, professionals I needed to find, local contacts who needed to know about my move, and more. I kept these lists separate from our regular moving lists, so they would not get lost in the shuffle. At least once a week, I reviewed the lists to see what I could tackle next.
Friends in my destination area sent me their old phone books when they received new ones. If you haven't made friends and don't have family in your new city, you might contact the local phone company to ask for the local directories. You could also prevail upon an especially friendly STC contact (just be sure offer to pay the shipping cost).
Most states have an organization that offers business assistance to small businesses. Using the phone books, I found the Colorado Business Assistance Center. It had a publication that described the essentials of starting a business in the state. This gave me what I needed to know about registering my company's name with the Secretary of State. (This process normally applies to sole proprietors and partnerships doing business under a name other than your own legal name.) The booklet included a lot of general business information that was useful, too.
I also contacted the Missouri Secretary of State's office to find out what I needed to do with my current name registration when I moved. I had to send a trade name change or cancellation form based on whether I planned to continue doing business in the state.
When we planned our house hunting trip to Colorado, I also included several new business contacts. From my list of STC contacts, I set up lunch meetings and interviews. My purpose was not so much to find actual projects (though that would have been desirable), but to meet some of people, let them know about my services, and lay the groundwork for future referrals. Ahead of time, I let each contact know my intent and that I would bring my portfolio. No one looked at my portfolio, but I still recommend bringing it. You never know when someone is looking for a subcontractor and will consider you if you can show your work on the spot.
Please realize that you are just laying some groundwork in these early meetings. Contacts put a face to your name and get to know you a little. It's like informational interviewing. Be aware that it would stupendous luck for these early contacts to turn into projects quickly. These things take time.
As the moving date got closer, I created a move announcement with an online version for sending in e-mail messages. I also made a printed version (nothing fancy, but it had a few graphics) that I sent to all current and past clients.
I gave current clients plenty of notice, about three months, so we could plan how I would finish their work after the move. Bringing clients and active projects with you helps you make the transition. You can work for your current clients while you are making new contacts in your new location. This is the ideal situation for maintaining cash flow. You might even retain current clients, providing your work electronically.
A graphic artist I met in Colorado agreed to help me get my business cards printed as soon as I moved. If you have someone you have worked with successfully in your old location, I recommend printing the cards before your move. Since I needed to find a new graphic artist anyway, I decided to find the new person in my new location.
The printer that did my cards also modified my existing supply of stationery. My address appeared at the bottom of the page, because we were talking about moving even when I started my original business. The printer trimmed off the half-inch of address. Yes, the pages were a little shorter than the standard 8 ½ x 11, but few people noticed. I then set up all my letters to print the new address at the bottom. I've put off the expense of reprinting letterhead for more than two years now.
My brochures and envelopes were reusable, too. Again, planning ahead paid off. I had half of my brochures printed with no address on them. All I had to do was print clear labels on my laser printer and carefully put them on the blank area. This worked well for more than a year, until I redesigned the whole brochure. I also printed my new address on labels that matched the envelopes and was able to keep using them.
You need to think about several other matters related to your move. One of the decisions is who will move your computer equipment. Assuming that you are using a moving company, ask the representative about how they move computers and related equipment. Ask about the insurance available and how to pack your equipment. It's best if you have the original boxes.
I originally thought I'd put my computer into my car to go along with me. Once I looked at how big the boxes were (I had all of the original boxes and packing material), I realized we would not have room for the computer. I carefully packed each piece of equipment and had the moving company take everything. The most important thing I did was to make two total backups of all of my data. This is critical. If something happened to computer during the move, I still had all of my data that I could load onto another computer. One backup tape went in each of our cars (we were driving two cars).
Another matter to consider is whether you need to find a new Internet service provider (ISP). This depends on the ISP you have now. If you are using CompuServe, AOL, or a national ISP, find out if your provider has a local node in your new area. You want to be sure that you can access the service with just a local phone call. If you are using a local or regional ISP, or if your national provider does not have a local node in your new area, you need to find a new ISP.
I suggest asking around for recommendations. Ask some of your new contacts about the service they use. Before you start contacting new ISPs, think about the type of services you need:
ISPs have many different options that go by a variety of names. It helps to know the services you want and then compare similar offerings. If you have your own domain name, making the move it easy. You should not have to change your e-mail address or your web site address. You just need to find an ISP, move your files, and you are ready to go.
If you don't have your own domain name, you need to change your e-mail address and you may have to change your web site address, too. Ask your new ISP about setting up an alias that lets you use the same web site address. This may be possible. If not, you need to distribute your new electronic addresses along with your new postal address.
Be sure to plan all of this well in advance of your actual move, so you can be sure that that things will work when you get to your new location. Home Office Computing published a good article about moving your web site to from one ISP to another in the May 1998 issue. The article is also currently in their electronic archives (http://www.smalloffice.com/expert/archive/tespot10.htm).
As soon as we made the move, I began attending STC meetings and finding other organizations to join. I sought opportunities to become active in several organizations, including STC.
Look for organizations that complement the type of work you are seeking. For example, if you write software documentation, you can see if your area has a regional software association. To find out, go to http://www.itaa.org/ (for state organizations in the US, click the CRITA Members link; for organizations from other countries, click the WITSA link and then the associations link). For ideas about other organization, check the international STC web site at http://www.stc-va.org (click the Professional Development link and then Related Organizations).
Becoming active and coming through on all volunteer tasks are critical to building a good reputation in your adopted area. Find some visible activity to take on and do a good job. Run for office or chair a committee. Maintain your high profile in one or two organizations. On the other hand, don't commit to more than you can really do.
Building a reputation and a network takes time, so be patient. You must continue your activities for months before you can expect to see true results. You might get lucky and land some projects quickly, but you cannot count on luck. You can count on being consistent in your networking and organizational activities.
I found new clients in a variety of ways, but 90% of my work came directly or indirectly through the professional organizations I became active in. Finding clients is always one of the most challenging tasks independents face. The same tactics that worked in your old location are likely to work in your new one.
Planning, networking, and creativity helped make my move successful. Believe me, it sounds easier than it was. However, colleagues tell me how smoothly they think I made the transition.
Linda G. Gallagher is a partner in TechCom Plus, a technical communication and consulting company, now based in the Denver, Colorado area. She develops printed and online software user guides, creates training materials, and helps her clients improve the usability of their products. Linda's Web page address is www.techcomplus.com. You can reach her by e-mail at lindag@techcomplus.com. For more information about starting an independent technical writing business, check out the Freelancer's FAQ section on the Rocky Mountain chapter's Web site: www.stcrmc.org.