In the area of ​​consulting, the line between freelance work and registering for self-employment with a trade license is not always easy to draw. Because another special feature is the purely business advice, which is sometimes obvious to engineers if they have gained a lot of professional experience in the relevant industry, possibly even as managing directors. The consulting business economist, like the engineer, is one of the liberal professions. However, it can only be practiced after completing a corresponding degree.

Theoretically, there is the possibility of acquiring the necessary skills through comparable self-study combined with practical experience. If you want to register for self-employment as a consulting business economist, the requirements are extremely high. In practice, the prerequisite is usually a corresponding degree. The title of “consultant business economist” is therefore out of the question for an engineer. Should he still want to work in business consulting, that would only be possible with a trade license.

Before an engineer registers his self-employment, he must be very clear about the planned activity and define it as precisely as possible. After all, the decision as to whether self-employment can be registered as a freelance professional is ultimately made by the tax office. A professionally structured business plan can be of great help here. By the way, dealing with the question of freelance work or registration of self-employment with a trade license is also a great help for many engineers in determining the planned business area for themselves.

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