Start an Emergency Management Consulting Firm

It is very niche, so almost nobody competes, while small governments and businesses badly need FEMA and disaster planning help they cannot hire full time.

1. 1

   Stack the credentials buyers check

   Complete FEMA's free independent study courses (IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, IS-800) and work toward the CEM from IAEM. Government buyers screen for these before reading anything else.

2. 2

   Define billable deliverables

   Sell specific documents: emergency operations plans, hazard mitigation plans, continuity of operations plans, after-action reports, and FEMA grant applications. Vague 'preparedness consulting' does not survive procurement.

3. 3

   Register to be paid by government

   Form your entity, register on SAM.gov, and get onto your state's vendor and procurement lists. Without these registrations you cannot legally invoice most public clients.

4. 4

   Subcontract before you prime

   Larger emergency management firms constantly need surge help on plan writing and grant deadlines. Subcontracting builds past performance, which is the currency of government work.

5. 5

   Start with jurisdictions you know

   Pitch the counties, districts, and agencies where you already have relationships, offering a fixed-fee plan update or grant application. Small governments buy from people they already trust.

6. 6

   Watch the RFP boards weekly

   State procurement portals and county sites post plan-writing and mitigation RFPs on a steady cycle, and disaster declarations trigger waves of grant work. A weekly review rhythm keeps the pipeline full.

Read the full step-by-step guide →