Look up Consulting Guru Alan Weiss, brilliant advice applicable to general consulting, tons of content, sign-up for his e-newsletter> http://www.summitconsulting.com/

Also, suggest reading his recent release on launching a consulting practice> http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Launch-Kick-start-Succe...

Short answer: Just good enough to convince a client you understand and can solve his problems for a reasonable fee. Check out Alan Weiss, always has excellent material on consulting> http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Launch-Kick-start-Succe...

In terms of time management- a solid idea to consider from David Maister, split the day into 3 categories:

1)Income Time (serving clients)

2)Investment Time (creating ones future)

3)Individual Time (everything else)

The essence of this approach is to start treating your investment time as serious as income time. This will significantly affect your future success-- and lifestyle.

Look up Alan Weiss on consulting > http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Launch-Kick-start-Succe...

Bar None: The best authority on the broader subject of consulting in general is Alan Weiss. Only wish I discovered and read his stuff when I started out. Here's recommended book for you> http://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Launch-Kick-start-Succe...