Consulting

Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used
$52.00
Excellent book, excellent resource. It was recommended to me by a friend who has been consulting for some time, and it is written in a practical, cogent, and to-the-point style that presents topics in a manner allowing immediate assimilation of content.

If it had substantive advice on business development, it would be the only book one would ever need.

The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy: Classic Concepts and New Perspectives
$34.95
I'm a grad student with IT background and want to become a management consultant or a CEO.
This is not a coffe-table book. The best is to have a business encyclopedia by the hand when reading it (i recommend Business: The ultimate resource,2nd).
For more info about table of contents click on the book picture.

The essays are short (cca 2 pages), but extremely consciously and well written. I think, no former business knowledge is necessary: anybody can pick up this book, who is interested in business, likes to think deeply and have persistence (you'll need it to get through the book).
After reading the book, the reader will have an superb overview of business concepts, strategy, leadership -- i dare to say, that s/he will have all the knowledge a big CEO needs to have.

Million Dollar Consulting (TM) Toolkit: Step-By-Step Guidance, Checklists, Templates and Samples from "The Million Dollar Consultant"
$37.95
This is Alan Weiss's companion book to "Million Dollar Consulting", which is the best book on consulting I have ever read. This newer book, published in 2006, about four years after "Million Dollar Consulting", provides the reader with helpful checklists, templates, and samples that are customized for the consulting industry.

Before I started reading this book, it seemed to me that the author would be stating the obvious by providing me with information that I, as a consulting veteran, had already had learned or developed myself. But I found myself reading every chapter and making mental notes on how I could improve my business.

I disagree with Weiss's assertion on page 134 that it is a waste of time for consultants to self-publish their own books. I am the author and self-publisher of three books, and I have gained prestige, recognition, and money as a result. Despite this, I still admire Weiss's work, and continue to refer to his writings for guidance.

Here is my suggestion for aspiring consultants: 1) read "Million Dollar Consulting" by Alan Weiss, 2) read "How to Acquire Clients" (also by Alan Weiss), and 3) read this book. The combination is a recipe for success for anyone in the consulting business.

Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

Consulting For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))
$21.99
Great as a checklist to get started without missing a thing and as a reference for the first year of operation. Useful even if you are not american. Good reminder of the compliance issues, the bussiness issues and the personal questions you must ask yourself before entering consulting bussiness.