Mastering the Consultant Mindset: Lessons from a Tax & Business Advisor

As a self-employed consultant, your success depends on more than just technical expertise. It requires strategic marketing, exceptional client service, and finding the right balance between growth and quality.

I recently interviewed Latifa Muza, a Phoenix-based tax and business consultant who shared invaluable insights for fellow consultants. Here are the key takeaways that can help elevate your consulting practice:

Know Your Onions

Latifa's most emphatic advice was simple but powerful: "Make sure that you know your onions." In other words, develop deep expertise in your field before offering services.

"If you have a client in front of you and they're asking questions and you don't even know the answer, that is so disgraceful," she explains. "Before you provide a service, make sure that you know your onions. If you don't know it, train more, find more resources so that you can provide value to people."

This commitment to expertise became Latifa's differentiator in a crowded market. While many tax professionals have decades of experience, Latifa stands out by truly understanding her clients' businesses from an owner's perspective and asking the right questions.

Strategic Marketing That Works

Latifa's marketing approach is brilliantly structured and effective:

• Social Media Content: She creates weekly educational videos with her social media manager handling everything else. Her content demonstrates expertise, which builds trust with potential clients.

• Targeted Ads: She runs Meta ads only on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 AM to 5 PM—when she's available to respond immediately to inquiries.

• Consultation Scheduling: She keeps her calendar blocked for ads days, scheduling all consultations for Wednesday through Friday.

• Professional Networks: She participates in relevant WhatsApp groups, Reddit forums, and Facebook groups to share knowledge and connect with potential referral partners.

The key insight? You don't need to be everywhere. Instead, be strategic and consistent where you choose to show up.

The Client Experience Advantage

What truly sets successful consultants apart is how they make clients feel. Latifa emphasizes responsiveness and genuine care:

"A lot of times they've often gone to other people for advice and they're like, 'The person isn't telling me what I want to hear. They're being vague. They can't really tell me what the problem is and how they can help me.'"

Her approach is different:

1. She's the face of her brand—handling all consultations personally
2. She asks the questions others don't
3. She responds to clients quickly 
4. She trains clients to understand their finances better

This commitment to client experience creates loyalty and referrals without her even having to ask.

The Scalability Challenge

Like many consultants, Latifa faces the challenge of scaling her business while maintaining quality. Her approach:

• Delegate non-client-facing work (social media, SEO)
• Handle the initial client onboarding herself to build trust
• Train staff thoroughly on processes and expectations
• Review staff work regularly to ensure quality

She acknowledges that finding qualified staff is challenging, but sees training as an opportunity: "I love training a lot. I really like to transfer my knowledge to people."

Finding Balance

Perhaps the most relatable challenge Latifa faces is balancing work and personal time—especially as a home-based consultant.

"I don't think that I am weighing it well," she admits, "but I'm working on it."

Her strategy includes:

• Setting clear client communication boundaries
• Taking intentional breaks (she mentioned a week-long trip where she was entirely disconnected)
• Having an understanding spouse who respects her work time
• Accepting that certain seasons (tax season, in her case) will be more demanding

Final Thoughts

What struck me most about my conversation with Latifa was her genuine desire to provide value. While she's certainly business-savvy, her definition of success goes beyond revenue:

"My aim is to provide more value to people. Money is good, don't get me wrong, but in my own book, the more people you provide value to, that when they hear your name, they smile. That's what fits me."

This mindset—focusing on expertise, strategic marketing, exceptional service, smart scaling, and finding balance—offers a blueprint for any consultant looking to build a thriving practice.

What strategies have helped you grow your consulting business? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments.

This article is based on an interview from the Thriving Through podcast with Latifa Muza, a tax and business consultant based in Phoenix, Arizona. You can find Latifa on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/latifat-mwanza-0392a5256/ 

Watch or listen to the full interview here:

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