How to start your own consultancy business?

[Totickleamockingbird]

I am looking for advice from people who have experience of doing consultancy work alongside their day jobs. I have experience of ten plus years in my field and feel like it is an excellent idea to keep a side hustle going from now on. I do not want to charge a lot in the beginning, just nominal.
How do I register my consultancy? What kind of initial steps will be helpful in long term?
Any advice will be very helpful and thanks a lot in advance!

Hi there, you don’t need to register anything unless you plan to charge VAT, but you don’t have to until you meet the threshold. You will probably need a website which you can do yourself. Lots of good invoicing apps out there. Don’t pay for a business account, or set up a company just yet, just see how it goes.

I do freelance consultancy alongside my employed work, mostly for my previous employer. But I have also worked for another organisation, which came via a recommendation. I am hoping to freelance for my current employer too, when I eventually leave them.

The main rule is that you must say 'Yes' to pieces of work, which can be tricky if your main job is in a busy patch!