Events Calendar

Starting your Project Management Contracting/Consulting Business: A Round Table Discussion (In-Person)

Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2024 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Credit: 2 PDUs, Contracting & Consulting SIG
Registration fee: $15 PMI-DVC Members and $20 Non-Members

Location:
Penn State Great Valley
Main Building, Rooms 126/127
30 E. Swedesford Road
Malvern PA 19355

Parking: Ample free parking

Agenda:

6:30 pm - 7:00 pm Networking and light fare and refreshments
7:00 pm - 8:15 pm A Round Table Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:30 pm Wrap-up and Departure 

Abstract:

Starting your Project Management Contracting/Consulting Business: A Round Table Discussion, will focus on educating members interested in moving from providing project management services as a traditional employee to building their independent business and providing service as a contractor/consultant.

Learning Objectives:

• Attendees will gain an understanding of the key steps in starting their business as a project management independent contractor or consultant. In addition, attendees will gain insight into common start-up mistakes, obtaining their first client, pricing considerations, and scoping of work.
• Attendees will be able to apply the information learned to further their business as project management independent contractors or consultants.

Speaker Bios:

Laura Burford- Laura’s Consulting Guide: As an author, YouTube video creator, and tell-it-like-it-is speaker, Laura 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. This approach eases feelings of overwhelm, simplifies their focus and processes, and assists them in creating clients, ensuring consistent revenue, and enjoying their ideal lifestyle.

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.

Prior to starting her own IT management consulting business in 2002 which focused on serving smaller businesses, Laura was recruited by the CEO of a Fortune 100 company for a start-up international consulting operation, worked 10 years for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and worked with or consulted to Fortune 50 companies.  She has led multi-million-dollar business and technology related initiatives, established consulting organizations, and project management offices.

Tari Johnson - PATH Growth Solutions LLC: Tari is the owner and principal consultant for Path Growth Solutions, a business management consulting firm. Tari brings over twenty years of experience from corporate and non-profit organizations as a consultant, quality operations leader, performance coach, and project management professional. Her focus over the past couple of years has been supporting global clients in the Supply Chain Quality and Operations arena by managing programs and projects centered around IT systems migrations, data migrations, quality laboratory technical site cutovers, and quality & compliance strategic planning and process optimization.

Tari holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from Widener University, and a certificate of advanced graduate study in Instructional Technology Management from LaSalle University. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® through the Project Management Institute. Tari is also a Certified Scrum Master (CSM®) through Scrum Alliance. She currently serves as the Director of the Contracting and Consulting Special Interest Group (SIG) for PMI-DVC.