As marketing departments restructure and downsize amidst the ongoing financial crisis, the question in the minds of many may be whether to toil as an in-house marketer or take the road less traveled, throw caution to the wind and hang out your shingle as an independent consultant. Whether you actively choose to join the ranks of solo consultants or whether circumstances beyond your control ultimately throw you into this role, there are many reasons more and more marketers are joining this growing trend. Ed Poll, the principal of LawBiz Management, a coach, law firm management consultant and author, has some insights into the trend, having experienced this challenge years ago. "Most people don't become one or the other [consultant or in-house] voluntarily, and especially going from in-house to consultant. For most, it's another word for marking time until a job comes along," Poll says.
