An Interview On Being a Foresighter

A few years ago now, I gave an interview to people who were developing career resources for people who wanted to be foresighters.

My responses in an interview about becoming a futurist. It’s always interesting to be asked to share your thinking and experience and I always try to engage with interviewers in writing - because I think better when I write. This interview was with a graduate student doing a foresight program at a US university.

What kind of person does it take to succeed in running your own consulting company?

Someone who has a clearly defined vision and purpose for running the business in the first place - without that, you wander all over the place in terms of work, taking what comes. It sounds easy enough but it's taken me nearly 10 years to work out the purpose of my business. Of course, you need business skills to keep on top of the financial side, and social skills - website, social media, marketing, networking. The ability to deal with uncertain cash flows is also important because in my experience not everyone will pay on time!

What do you think is the best training to be a successful consulting…