Laura B.
Founder of Laura's Consulting Guide at Laura Burford Consulting
Entrepreneurship and startups
Education: Rider University - Rider University
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Biography
As an author, YouTube video creator, online course educator, and storytelling speaker, Laura (Dallas) Burford focuses on educating her audience on what it takes to succeed as a consultant. As a consultant and strategic advisor, Laura leverages her years of consulting experience to help independent consultants embrace a less is more philosophy as they establish and scale their own businesses.
Laura is the founder of Laura’s Consulting Guide and is known for her proprietary framework, The Consultant’s Blueprint©, and online program, Consulting Mastery: A Path to a Sustainable Business©. Her book, Project Management for Flat Organizations, received one of ten 2013 Small Business Book of the Year awards.
Before founding her own IT management consulting business in 2002, Laura was recruited by the CEO of a Fortune 100 company to launch an international consulting operation, spent a decade at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and worked or consulted for Fortune 50 companies. Her consulting experience spans from assisting small businesses to leading major business and technology initiatives as well as establishing consulting organizations and project management offices.
Passion
I help entrepreneurial women and men, professionals with experience and expertise or what I refer to as their magic, create and scale their own successful consulting businesses and live life on their terms. I do what I do because I’m tired of seeing business professionals with top notch experience and expertise who want to become their own boss, struggle, become frustrated, and give up when all they need is a little help. My believe is if I can help a few people succeed, I’ve made a positive impact.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I sometimes get paid for speaking
Topics
Best Story
The economic downturn of 2008 had our small business hanging by a thread, but we were surviving until a serious fall in 2010 put me out of commission for months. Shortly after, my husband and business partner suffered a ruptured appendix and faced a lengthy recovery. Our business was crushed.
To pull us out of the hole, I decided to leverage my experiences, newsletters, articles, and numerous notes and brainstormed three potential book ideas. But before writing, I did what I had been trained to do as a consultant—I researched each idea to determine which one might catch a publisher's interest.
Then, I wrote. When the book was 80% complete, my husband edited the chapter we believed to be the strongest. Eleven publishers specializing in project management books were identified and I meticulously followed their submission guidelines. Following my consulting training again and whenever possible, I wrote a personalized messages to the editor explaining my reasoning for reaching out to them.
Now the best part of this story. Within 60 days of submitting my materials, I received three solid offers from top-notch publishers leaving me with the thrilling decision of choosing the right publishing company for me. As a first time book author, I was more than elated. I was on cloud nine but I also realized the only reason I had the results I did was because I remained focused on my goal as well as I leveraged my strengths, experiences, and consulting knowledge,.
Origin Story
I've been asked why I do what I do. My response always starts with I do what I do because I know how easy it is to make mistakes when building a consulting business and I don’t want to see others make similar mistakes, mistakes that can be avoided.
I know what it is like to be laid off and faced with what is the right next move. I know what it is like to start an IT management consulting business, be innovative and create a software product, Computer Census, which received great product reviews from reveiwers such as CNET but I didn’t sell enough. What I quickly learned was not ever great idea works out but in this case I wish it had.
I know what it is like to go through an economic down turn that results in clients pulling back on services because the money simply isn’t there. I know how personal injuries and family illnesses can impact that same business leaving me shaking my head and wondering what next. My what next was to write Project Management for Flat Organizations. I was thrilled as a first time author to have more than one traditional publisher interested in publishing it and have it named one of ten 2013 small business books of the year..
My journey and setbacks resulted in what I refer to as life lesson number four, the importance of patience. Life happens! Life throws you curve balls. This means going with the flow, being kind to yourself, and picking yourself up and moving on but also remembering other people are thrown curve balls as well. Be patient and kind to them as well.
Example talks
That's Awesome! Be Yourself to Create Clients!
Are you looking to get more and better consulting clients but not sure how? What if I said the difference between connecting with the right people and acquiring clients comes down to a consultant being themselves.
This hour presentation is for the business consultant who has experience and expertise, is looking to create clients, and doesn’t want to come across as salesy. Throughout the presentation real-life scenarios are discussed.
The presentation discusses:
• How to establish credibility and trust
• Five (5) actions to engage with a client
• Perfect your process
Walk away with at least one idea to implement immediately and an outline so that you can create your own process to help connect with clients that you want to work with and who want to work with you.
Want a Successful Consulting Business? 4 Steps to Start A Successful Consulting Business
Did you know one of the most important actions a consultant can take to ensure their success is often overlooked? That action is defining with clarity their Why, What, Who and How. You might hear them referred to as a consultant’s Focus, Ideal Client, and Point of View. I call these aspects a consultant’s Business Core. The reason a Consultant’s Business Core is so important is just about every decision and every action a consultant takes to build their business relies on the clarity of the definitions.
The presentation discusses:
• Definition of Your Focus, Ideal Client, and Point of View
• Relationship between Focus, Ideal Client, and Point of View
• Validation of your business core to establish balance and eliminate conflict
• Leverage your business core to develop credibility and build your business
Included in the presentation are real-life examples, easy to do exercises, and access to downloadable handouts. Walk away with a better understanding of how the consultant’s focus, ideal client, and point of view can improve overall business performance, enhance client relationships, and increase consultant confidence. Here is a link to a shorten version given in 2023 during Freelancer Month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIrqelN1HZw
Three Key Strategies to Create the Best Consulting Clients
Have you been creating a weekly newsletter or YouTube videos but you feel overwhelmed and stressed out? Maybe you are spending hours posting on social media with limited responses to your posts? The only result you know is you are not getting the clients you want and need to survive.
If this sounds like you, go back to the basic approaches. There are three basic approaches to attract clients, often referred to as the active awareness building strategies, that every consultant should hone: Targeted Outreach, Strategic Networking, and Referrals.
This hour minute presentation is for the consultant who has experience and expertise but is unsuccessful when it comes to getting the clients they want. To help explain the the three basic approaches, a real-life example is used to explain the three basic approaches.
This presentation discusses:
• Connecting, Getting Known, and Nurturing relationships
• Three Strategic Approaches: Targeted Outreach, Strategic Networking, and Referrals
• Incorporating writing, speaking, and social media
Walk away with a better understanding of the three basic approaches that every consultant should hone to get the clients they want and at least one idea to implement immediately.
OMG! Build Your Own Successful Consulting Business from Scratch!
Have you recently started your own consulting business and afraid? Have you been working as a consultant but you’re struggling and frustrated? Maybe you’ve decided that the time is right to chart your own path and have the freedom to make your own decisions, but how?
Do any of the scenarios sound like you?
This 45 minute session is designed for business professionals, consultants, and freelancers who have experience and expertise and realize that building a consulting business is not a hobby. It is for the person who understands consulting success requires taking a big picture view of consulting as they implement the right tactical actions.
This presentation discusses:
• a blueprint that a consultant can use as a starting point for their business and
• practical steps that a consultant can implement immediately.
Walk away not only with a blueprint and practical steps but recognize common, and avoidable, mistakes. No matter where you are on your consulting journey, position yourself to Build Your Own Successful Consulting Business from Scratch!
Innovate You: The Entrepreneur Within (Presented at PMI 2019 Global Conference)
The world is rapidly changing thanks to emerging technologies, improved communication, and the rise of the independent project professional. These changes have necessitated a mind-shift and innovation. For project success, independent project professionals and organizational leaders must to work together as partners, communicating continuously, and thinking like entrepreneurs. This presentation explores the knowledge and skills independent professionals and organizational leaders can hone to achieve success as well as innovative practices to implement.
At the conclusion of the session, the participants will be able to:
• Identify knowledge and skills independent project professionals and organizational business leaders need to sharpen.
• Define applicable innovative techniques to enhance collaboration and ensure successful delivery.
Business Consulting 101: A Fundamentals Workshop
One day you woke up and realized you were a consultant moving from one engagement to another. You shake your head, ask yourself how did this happen, and realize it is time to become serious about being your own boss.
This four-hour interactive business consulting workshop is for the person who
• has decided on consulting but has no idea as to where to start
• suddenly realizes they are a consultant, or
• is debating if consulting is a career path to pursue.
Walk away with:
• Actions you can immediately implement
• Handouts (workbooks and templates) to help you get started
• Consultant’s Blueprint format to help create your own plan
• New connections to share your experiences
Consulting Insight YouTube Channel
Videos aimed at helping consultants build their consulting business and several presentations are available on my YouTube Channel.