Consultancy leads trend

Information management consultant Chris Gentle illustrates the modern face of small business.

At the age of 32 he has worked for six organisations, been involved in a company takeover, completed an MBA, and has now established his own  consultancy.

Like many people of his generation, the nature of Mr Gentle’s work has also changed.

His current work in the field of ‘geospatial’ analysis and project management is far removed from his early work in mineral exploration.

The decision to set up his own consultancy, Aurora Australis Network, was motivated in part by a desire to pursue work that utilised his core skills.

It also gave him the freedom to work outside of the constraints that come with being in a large organisation.

“You are only really constrained by what you can achieve as an individual and the resources you’ve put together,” Mr Gentle said.

“I may not always succeed but the factors that determine success will be in my control.”

Mr Gentle has accumulated broad experience over the past decade, most recently with the Department of Land Information and leading consultancy Sinclair Knight Merz.

His current business set-up is highly flexible.

He spends half his time working from home and the balance at client sites, which means social isolation is not an issue, and he has an affiliation with another consultant, telecommunications engineer Chris Hill, that allows the two to work together.

Technology advances have made life easier for Mr Gentle.

As well as standard services such as a high-speed Internet connection and email, Mr Gentle runs an extranet with Mr Hill and has just started trialling low-cost Voice over IP for his telephone service.

“I’m not missing any of the technology advantages that a big company has,” he told WA Business News.

Looking ahead, Mr Gentle expects more changes in his working life.

“I’ve got no doubt I will be back working in a team environment at some stage,” he said.