Feasible? Or cuckoo? Where to begin?

July 11, 2007 10:12 AM

My business idea...brilliant, or a waste of time? Have you, or your business, ever needed a service like this? Has any company you worked for ever employed anybody to do this?

I am about to graduate from Physical Therapy school with a master's degree. By the time I graduate, I will also have earned an ergonomics assessment specialist certification.

I would like to start a small business. I would provide assessment of the working conditions at offices, factories, etc. My services should reduce the incidence of workplace injury, repetitive stress injury, and workman's comp claims.

I would also like to run seminars for businesses -- teaching people who lift a lot of heavy stuff in their jobs to do it in a way that won't lead to injury. This could be applied to baggage handlers, postal and UPS-type companies, home health attendants, nurses, etc.

My questions:

-- Does this seem like a feasible plan?
-- How on earth does one begin something like this? Do I need a business plan, an accountant, a financial advisor? Do I need to become an LLC, or can I do this under my own name?
-- A silly question: Is this "consulting"? Do I call it consulting, or something else? I thought I knew what consulting meant, but people seem to be using that word to mean something different from what I understand it to mean.
-- Are there any books/websites/forums you would recommend that would give me a place to begin?

posted by jennyjenny to work & money (18 comments total)

I can't help you with the other stuff, but I used to work for GEICO several years ago, and at the time, they did have a third party company come in and asses the ergonomics of our work stations once a year or so. It would seem that there is a market of some kind for this service.
posted by sephira at 10:15 AM on July 11, 2007

Have you done any research into the field of ergonomic assessment?
posted by tmcw at 10:17 AM on July 11, 2007

I have heard of companies that do this, so your idea is not an original one, but at the same time it should confirm that there is a demand for this type of service.
posted by boreddusty at 10:18 AM on July 11, 2007

Do you mean ergonomics consulting? If so, many companies have one they contract with to do employee assesments.
posted by vacapinta at 10:18 AM on July 11, 2007

Yeah-- I've definitely worked in places (law firms) that used services like what you're describing.

And as far as your business questions go, what you really should do is make an appointment to visit your local Small Business Administration office. You're in New Mexico, right? The website for your district office is here.

The few times I've dealt with the SBA, I've found them to be enormously, enormously helpful.

Good luck!
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 10:20 AM on July 11, 2007

When I worked at the university, they had a Risk Assessment office that had someone come in and do this with me since I had an injury. I'm sure this is a very common field, but I don't know what it's called (probably various names depending on the region and whether it's governmental or private).
posted by matildaben at 10:25 AM on July 11, 2007

One of the companies I used to work for had a dude come in once a year to assess ergonomic situations of people who wanted his help.

His assessment for me was to adjust my chair.

Wow, thanks dude. I knew that. I was hoping for some more in depth suggestions, and perhaps for you to show me HOW my chair should be adjusted in relation to my desk/computer/etc.

So yes, it seems viable, but you should be a helpful person and not a douche.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:25 AM on July 11, 2007

AskMetafilter: you should be a helpful person and not a douche

On topic, it's actually a fairly crowded field.

Many years (and several acquisitions) ago, my company hired a consulting firm to do this for all our graphic designers. We wound up with more Herman Miller chairs than you could shake a stick at.
posted by JaredSeth at 10:36 AM on July 11, 2007

I've worked for a couple of very large companies, and both had a designated person in H. R. who coordinated ergonomic evaluations of workstations for employees. It's cheaper for the company to pay for the evaluation and some new furniture than getting sued for not providing a safe work environment. Ergonomic safety is also something that OSHA will evaluate a company for if there is a complaint. So yeah, there's a market out there.
posted by vignettist at 10:40 AM on July 11, 2007

Some states (most notably, California) require some employers to take specific steps to prevent repetitive motion injuries among their employers. Many insurance companies will specify particular ergonomic requirements as well (as a condition of workman's comp coverage).

In practice, most larger employees hire an "ergonomics consultant" periodically, who will evaluate any employee's work environment and suggest changes.

So yes, there is a market for this sort of service.

Do I need a business plan, an accountant, a financial advisor? Do I need to become an LLC, or can I do this under my own name?

You're going to want to form a corp. or LLC, to shield your personal assets from the following scenario: You provide services to XYC. 6 months later, someone at XYC develops carpal tunnel, and goes on disability leave. XYC's insurance company starts looking for someone to blame, and finds you. If that happens, you want the insurance company to come after your company, and not you personally. (And, really, you want your company's liability insurance to take care of the problem).

You need a few hours with a lawyer, and you will very shortly need a few with an accountant (for payroll and taxes) and an insurance agent (for protection when you make a mistake, or someone thinks that you do).

Look around in your area for an informal small-business support system. Ask your local shopkeeper or consultant if they like their accountant. Don't be afraid to suggest a barter (but don't expect or insist on it).

Also look into the small business classes offered by your local community college. Not only will they help you do lots of things on your own (like basic accounting), but they'll introduce you to the small business community around you.

On preview: n-thing "Don't be a douche". Consultants really should be solid experts, AND they should really strive to be friendly and helpful all the time -- 90% of business comes from word of mouth, so you've got to make sure that everything that people are saying about you is positive. Hopefully, that's compatible with your personality, because if it isn't, you're going to have a hard time faking it.
posted by toxic at 10:45 AM on July 11, 2007

At Intel, we had a dedicated class on ergonomics, with a personalized follow up from a person in HR whose entire job was to go around, measuring you distance from floor to thigh, floor to shoulder, eyes to screen, etc. You got to keep the yardstick she measured you with as a reminder to recheck yourself as needed.
posted by nomisxid at 10:52 AM on July 11, 2007

I once worked at a biotech firm (in California), which was fairly large with several hundred people (and it's probably bigger now). In order to take care of all the potential problems with biological and chemical waste or spillage they had a Health & Safety department, which was also tasked with the responsibility of making sure all the cubicle workers had all the right ergonomics etc. You could go to them and request a better chair, or a wrist pad, or whatever, and you got it! I don't think they ever used a consultant because they had in-house people, but I just wanted to say that your idea's nothing new. Even if you didn't start a consulting practice, there are probably large companies out there that could use you full time.
posted by lou at 11:06 AM on July 11, 2007

I work for a consulting firm that specializes in environmental engineering, but we also do health & safety management consulting, including occupational health & safety. We usually subcontract the OSH work and take our 10% off the top.

It's a growth industry, but you'd probably be better served, as a freshly-minted M.A. (or whatever your designation is) with no job experience trying to find work through one of those kinds of companies. Once you've got, say, eight or ten years of that under your belt, you will be better equipped to run seminars or be your own boss. If you want to get a contract to do OSH training and/or assessment, you'll almost certainly be in a competitive RFP process, running against companies whose staffs have dozens ro hundreds of years of combined experience. Your proposal won't even get read.

Generally speaking -- not about your specialty, but as a general rule of thumb -- very, very few people are able to successfully work as self-employed consultants fresh out of school.
posted by solid-one-love at 11:25 AM on July 11, 2007

Yes, this is an existing field of business. Like any field, there is a market for it. The work comes in when you have to find your market and make it successful.

My organization (a US Federal Agency) has a full time Industrial Hygienist who handles just such concerns.

Quick business tip: Specilize in working with a particular kind of business. Your reputation spreads faster that way.
posted by The Deej at 11:32 AM on July 11, 2007

Yes, a dot-com I worked for in Portland, OR had a company that provided both at-desk massage services (which were used as bonuses) and ergonomics consulting for schlubs like me with horrible posture and worse work habits.
posted by SpecialK at 1:20 PM on July 11, 2007

My services should reduce the incidence of workplace injury, repetitive stress injury, and workman's comp claims.

If you say this or something like it in order to sell your services, don't forget to buy liability insurance.
posted by ikkyu2 at 4:30 PM on July 11, 2007

I would go with solid-one-love's advice. Get a job in the industry and then head out on your own after you get some experience of how to get clients and run the business. It will also give you some experience you won't get anywhere else.

Now, this is not to say that you can not do this all on your own right now. If you have the gumption and a good hard work ethic then there is no reason you can't start something up. Read up on starting your own business and let it guide you. Of course you are going to need a business plan because, as you write it, you are going to see pit falls and it will help guide you as you progress.

Everything about starting up a business is pretty much a canned affair. You start at the first dot and begin to connect them. Just follow any good start up manual you want to use. There are lots of them out there. They pretty much will all tell you the same thing. Good luck!
posted by bkeene12 at 8:49 PM on July 11, 2007

Santa Fe small business development center at Santa Fe community college.

I third the advice about working for someone else for five or ten years though.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:28 AM on July 12, 2007