Set Up Your Own IT Consulting Company.

• Author: Aguerrebere Jr., Juan

Visit any airport in the U.S. and you'll see ads for the Big Five, selling their IT and business consulting services. Turn on your television or read a magazine, and you will be exposed to myriad other companies that are casting their lines into a virtual ocean of IT consulting opportunities.

A lot of small or midsize firms currently offering audit, review, compilation and tax services probably see these ads and shake their heads in amazement. Perhaps they wish they too could offer IT consulting to their clients but don't think they're capable of it. They may simply think it's a big firm issue. But my three-partner firm in Coral Gables, Florida, took the plunge, and I believe other small firms too can prosper by offering their clients IT services.

My partners and I, along with three associates, work out of one office. The firm, Perez-Abreu, Aguerrebere, Sueiro, earns in excess of $500,000 annually and offers audit, review, compilation, consulting and litigation support services.

We had noticed that many of our small and midsize clients were having a hard time retaining qualified technology staff. Even the smallest business needs some kind of computer system nowadays. But many of our clients required only occasional computer help and could not afford to hire a full-time person or set up an IT department. We felt we could help them out by offering them IT consulting services.

We set up a separate computer consulting company called Genesis Systems Consulting, Inc., and we hired an additional partner and one associate to run it. We felt that computer technology, information systems and knowledge management were all related to our clients' accounting, financial and general business needs. We realized that, in today's technology-driven marketplace, all our clients would benefit from IT-driven efficiencies. Setting up a separate computer consulting company gave our firm more opportunities to help our clients succeed.

Our clients feel comfortable with us because we are involved in so many aspects of their business growth. They also tell us they are happy to work with someone they trust.

How we set up the IT company

We hired a computer consultant to advise us how we could best help our clients. We were so impressed with his skills and background that we offered him an ownership interest in a new, separate computer consulting company. He agreed, and we set up the company and hired an associate.

Our new partner was able to bring to the table a network...