By: Kristine Schoonmaker

Regardless of your area of expertise, if you are a consultant, you’ll likely find yourself doing one of the following on a regular basis:

• Leading a meeting in person or remotely
• Working in an space that is temporary, public, or located in a local coffee shop
• Pitching your services or skills to get staffed or sell work
• Traveling by planes and trains, not just automobiles
• Throwing a presentation, deliverable, or proposal together in a crunch

Being well-prepared with a robust toolkit at your disposal will help you tackle each of these with ease over and over again.  Here are 20 items to include that are sure to make a big difference in your work and your life.

Career Growth & Networking

1. Business cards with your title, specialty area and contact information to share with current and potential clients
2. Elevator speech that succinctly provides a compelling summary of your experience, areas of expertise, and how you can best help your clients.
3. Formal and informal mentors that know where you want to take your career, can provide input to your development activities and will advocate for you within your firm.
4. Both a Word and PowerPoint version of your Resume/CV that is current and readily available to share during the staffing process or include in proposals.
5. Contact management tool, such as LinkedIn, to keep track of important professional contacts and clients in your network.

Productivity

1. Templates, Resource Files and Tools to give you a jump-start on creating deliverables or as an idea generator if you are stumped on what to do when faced with a new challenge.
2. Jump-drive or external hard drive for quick file sharing or data backup.
3. Ethernet cable in case your hotel or client doesn’t have one.  Retractable versions are nice to limit unnecessary clutter in your bag.
4. Smartphone that fits your personal style and integrates with your work email easily.
5. Bluetooth headset for those lengthy conference calls or times when you can’t hold your phone (like if you’re driving in New York).
6. Remote conferencing or chat tools such as AIM, Skype, Gchat or Office Communicator.  Before selecting a tool, find out the standard or preferred tool for your firm.

Professional Image

1. Polished, professional portfolio for meeting notes, a quick sketch and those copious tasklists J.
2. Mix and match, neutral wardrobe, including at least one sport coat for guys or a suit/dressier jacket for ladies.

Travel & Personal Equipment

1. Privacy screen for your laptop to keep confidential client and firm documents secure when working in public places.
2. Comfortable, secure laptop bag that neatly holds all your personal items and doesn’t leave you with aching shoulders.  Many even feature the ability to slide over the handle of your suitcase.
3. Roller bag suitcase that is expandable, lightweight and, of course, fits easily in the overhead bin.  Sizes vary by airline so be sure to check the limits in advance.
4. Business credit card with a good loyalty (points) program to get added benefits from your demanding schedule and business expenses.
5. Loyalty accounts with all major airlines, car rental, trains and hotel chains to earn points, miles and additional benefits like access to lounges and free travel, as you earn status.  Nearly all are free and just require an email address to sign up.

Administrative

1. System or routine for tracking time and expense information. This could be as simple as schedule a recurring appointment daily or weekly to enter information into your firm’s time tracking system and keeping a small envelope to store expense receipts.  Just be sure to keep up with these items so you aren’t missing out on payment due or expense reimbursements.
2. Good accountant that has experience with multi-state tax filings and procedures.

What else is in your toolkit?

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