Tips for Transitioning to Consulting

What I’d tell my younger self on Day 1 of consulting (after 25 years in the game) If I could go back, this is what I’d tell myself on day one. Not to work harder. But to play the game better. Here’s the playbook I wish I had: 1. Take hard projects early and often. Your first years aren’t about being comfortable. They’re about becoming sharp. Don’t waste your learning curve on client management, PMO, or “fluff” work. Don´t chase your passion. There will be plenty of time for that. Do the due diligences, the pricing wars, and the market entries with zero data. Run toward the fire. Get stressed. Fix chaos. And don’t just do one type of project; chase range. You want to build judgment across industries, functions, and geographies. The goal? Live your first 24 months with war stories, scars, and a reputation: “This one figures it out. Under pressure. Every time.” 2. Get close to staffing. Very close. Staffing isn’t admin; it’s power. They control where you go, who you work with, and what you learn. Most juniors ignore them. Big mistake. Keep them updated. Ask what’s coming. Make their life easy, and they’ll protect you when it matters most. I’ve seen careers fast-tracked because someone at staffing quietly said, “You should put her on this one.” 3. Be the one they call when things get messy. You don’t want to be “the expert in margin trees for Chilean telcos.” You want to be the one who figures it out, no matter what. Let others play the specialist game. You play the game of trust. The goal is simple: When a partner says, “We’ve got a tough case, short timeline, nervous client”… Your name should come up. 4. Build your tribe. The people you meet in consulting will shape your career; and your life. Build real relationships. Find the associate who challenges you.The manager who teaches you. The partner who has your back. Consulting is brutal if you’re alone. It’s unbeatable if you’ve got people in your corner. 5. Take care of your damn body. Too many consultants make €10K/month… and eat like interns. Zero sleep. Uber Eats. No exercise. It’s a joke. 8kg more in their first 18 months. You only get one body. Respect it. Lift. Run. Sleep. Eat like an adult. You’ll be sharper, faster, and calmer, and you’ll outlast everyone else. Bottom line: Consulting will shape how you think for life. But it will also test who you are. Play it right, and you’ll leave with skills no one can take from you. Play it wrong, and it’ll burn you out before you even get good.

When I left the public sector to start my consultancy, I had no idea what I was doing. But I figured it out, and if you're thinking about making the leap, maybe these hard-won lessons, over the last 11 years, will help: - Find your people - your cheerleaders, champions and critical friends so you have people to celebrate and commiserate with as well as learn from.  - Take up the offers of coffee, chatting, networking and "can I just pick your brains" but put a boundary round them so that you don't spend all your time having a nice time talking to nice people drinking nice coffee while helping them build their own businesses when it's not helping you build your own. - Know when and what to say no to and have people you can refer to that you trust to do as good a job as you would. - As soon as you can afford it, find skilled people to help you do some of the do. Yes, you might really love fiddling on Canva but it's likely that someone skilled can do what you can do quicker and better so that you can focus on what only you can do. - Keep on learning but don't think that you need to do, be, learn anything else before you start something, anything. Good enough is good enough and perfection can be a long time never arriving! - You will meet all sorts of shiny people, promising all sorts of shiny things. Before parting with your hard-earned cash, do your due diligence and work out the ROI. - Cash flow is queen. It can take ages to get paid, especially if you work in the public sector, so keep an eye on it and ideally keep a separate tax account so you have the money ready when those brown envelopes or digital demands arrive. - Don't be afraid to ask people for work, referrals or testimonials and to talk about your success and what you have achieved on this kind of platform. Yes, Brian from your old work might be watching, but who gives a toss? - Don't forget that it's like a new job, a new profession and a completely new way of working. All at once. It's hard, can feel overwhelming at times, but the freedom, the flexibility, the challenge and the joy are brilliant. - Trust your gut about clients. If someone gives you the ick in the first meeting, they're probably going to be a nightmare to work with. Life's too short for difficult clients who don't value what you do. - Don't undercharge because you feel guilty. You're not a charity. You have bills to pay, and you are good at what you do. Price accordingly and don't apologise for it. - Have a proper contract. I know, I know, it's boring admin stuff, but it will save your sanity when someone tries to change the goalposts halfway through a project.  - Remember why you left. On the tough days when you're wondering what the hell you're doing, remind yourself of all the reasons you walked away from that job in the first place.  Thinking about making the leap but not sure where to start? Get in touch.

If I were moving into consulting today, here's exactly what I'd do differently. Whether it's a pit stop on your way back to a full-time role or an intentional career pivot, these are the practical steps that actually matter. Not the ones I thought mattered when I started. The ones I learned through a lot of trial and error over the years. → Start before you quit Pick one project. Just one. Could be a friend's nonprofit that needs fundraising support. Your former colleague's startup that needs strategy support. Do it for free or cheap. Learn what consulting actually feels like versus what you imagine it feels like. → Build your bench of three You need three people who will vouch for your work. Not LinkedIn endorsements. Real humans who will pick up the phone when someone asks about you. Build these relationships while you still have a salary. → Create your "consulting math" Your hourly rate isn't your old salary divided by 2,080. That's employee math. Consulting math accounts for business development, admin, taxes, healthcare, and all those unpaid hours building proposals and doing bus dev. Start at 2.5x what you made hourly. Yes, really. → Master the 15-minute coffee/virtual chat Stop pitching services. Start asking better questions. "What's keeping you up at night about your organization?" beats "Here's what I can do for you" every single time. It's not going to bring in a client every time (in fact, it shouldn't). It's market research, relationship building, and the give-before-you-get mentality that I won't ever stop talking about. → Build your safety net first Six months of expenses. Non-negotiable. Because the confidence to walk away from bad clients comes from knowing you can pay your mortgage next month (and the month after). Here's the thing, consulting isn't about being an expert at everything. It's about being excellent at seeing what others can't see because they're too close to it. The best time to start? While you still have a job. To all the consultants out there, what would you add to the list?

Before StealthX, I built a $10M/yr consulting practice from $0. Here are 13 things I learned along the way. 1. Do the little things. Take notes. ACTUALLY listen. Follow up. Follow through. Be the person who does what they say they will. These small actions build trust & credibility over time. 2. Focus on relationships, not deals. People remember how you make them feel. Be the trusted advisor they call when they’re stuck or need a sounding board. Play the long game. 3. Show, don’t tell. Actions always speak louder than words. Create prototypes, mockups, or models to demonstrate ideas. Don’t talk at people or assume they are on the same wavelength. 4. Be ready for long sales cycles, especially with big companies. Decide upfront if the potential payoff is worth the time and effort. For example, we were working on selling into a large Fortune 100 for 2 years before we got an MSA and then had a year after that before we closed our 1st deal 🫠 5. Never count on a deal until it’s signed. I learned this the hard way, more than once. Nothing is guaranteed until the ink is dry. 6. Build systems early. From wikis for shared knowledge to standardized sales processes, the right systems let you scale faster and more smoothly. 7. Focus on culture and hiring for 30% skills. I believe 70% of skills are hard skills, and 30% of skills are the soft skills. These are so much more important. Also hire for what I call the "Core 4. " Have a growth mindset, good communicator, high give-a-s***t factor, and a strong bias towards action (i.e., hire doers). 8. Walk away from bad deals. Not every opportunity is worth it. Protect your team and focus on doing work that aligns with your values and goals. Be willing to leave $ on the table. Focus on the inputs and the score takes care of itself. 9. Invest in yourself. Read books, listen to podcasts, attend industry events, get executive coaching. You’re the ceiling for your team. Raise it constantly. 10. Ask bigger questions. Get to the why behind the what. Help your clients think beyond the surface to understand the real problem they’re trying to solve. For example, “Why do you want to do this? What’s the ultimate outcome? Who's this for? How do you know this is the right problem? What might cause us to fail?” 11. Use storytelling to drive change. Don’t just present data. Paint a picture of what’s broken and the future you can help create. Connect emotionally and tailor your approach to your audience. 12. Start small, then scale. Land a small project first, prove your value, and earn trust. It’s easier to build momentum this way than pitching huge engagements upfront. 13. Don’t trap clients. Empower them. The consulting world loves recurring revenue, but clients hate feeling dependent. Deliver clear, goal-driven projects with measurable outcomes. Results bring them back, not reliance. These lessons shaped how I approach building teams, serving clients, & growing businesses. Now they’re the backbone of StealthX 🤘

This is the playbook I wish I had when I left corporate When I left my corporate job, I thought the transition to consulting would be easy. After all, I had the skills, the discipline, and the experience. But I quickly realized: What made me successful in corporate was NOT what would make me successful in consulting. Looking back, here’s the playbook I wish someone had handed me on Day 1: 1. Stop selling effort, start selling outcomes. No one cares how many hours you put in, they care about the business problem you solve. 2. Lead with a problem, not a résumé. Buyers don’t want your history but a solution to their urgent pain. 3. Specialize ruthlessly. A consultant solving one expensive problem will always beat a generalist doing “a little bit of everything.” 4. Validate before you scale. Test your offer with 5-10 real conversations before you build a website, logo, or funnel. 5. Sales is not optional. It’s the lifeblood of your business. Learn it. Practice it. Get comfortable with rejection. 6. Scope is sacred. Expanding scope without a new contract doesn’t make you “helpful.” It makes you broke. 7. Position yourself as a partner, not a vendor. Clients pay vendors for tasks, they pay partners for transformation. If I had followed this playbook from the start, I would have saved years of frustration and hit 7-figures faster. Now it’s the foundation I teach every new consultant who wants to escape corporate and actually win.

Some questions hit my DMs and instantly tell me someone is thinking like a future consultant. Here’s one of them. “I’m leading regulatory affairs, active in industry bodies, and I’d love to take on advisory or consulting work on the side. How do I position myself?” This is the moment most people wait far too long for. They only think about consulting once they’ve left corporate - which means starting from zero. If you’re asking this now, you’re already ahead. From here, it comes down to four things: 1. Check your employment contract Not exciting, but essential. Some contracts block paid work that overlaps with your day job. Make sure anything you do is clean, compliant and conflict-free before you move. 2. Position yourself clearly “Regulatory affairs” is broad. “I help MedTech startups prepare for EU submissions with speed and confidence” is specific, valuable and memorable. Your niche is what people buy. And if you want to make your positioning crystal clear online, I’ve put together a free LinkedIn profile cheatsheet you can put into action straight away >>> https://lnkd.in/dZhubpFY ! 3. Decide how you’ll package your expertise Board advisory? Fractional? Interim? Mentoring? People won’t buy what they can’t understand. Give your expertise a clear shape. 4. Build visible proof Companies don’t buy years of experience - they buy evidence. Show the problems you’ve solved, the insights you share, the panels you contribute to. Make your track record easy to see. And yes, this approach works. A senior RA professional in our network picked one MDR pain point she understood deeply, shared short, practical insights around it, and within a few months she had inbound requests for paid advisory work - without ever leaving her full-time role. That’s the impact of clear positioning matched with visible expertise. If you’re thinking, “that could be me”, start small. Define your niche. Shape your offer. Get visible. Consulting isn’t about leaving your job. It’s about leveraging what you already know to create more impact, more influence and more income. What do you think - is consulting something you’ve ever considered?

The early days of consulting can feel overwhelming. Every project feels urgent, every decision matters, and the future always seems one client away. Without structure, it is easy to stay buried in delivery and lose sight of finding and winning clients. But with a few systems in place early, the work done today can create opportunities tomorrow. Here are five systems that turn figuring it out into momentum. 1. Positioning and Strategy Be clear about your niche, your offer, and the results you deliver. Update your online profiles so people see that clearly. People cannot hire you if they do not understand what you offer. 2. Client Growth Build a list of ideal clients. Keep track of every message, call, and meeting. Every touchpoint matters. Consistency is what turns effort into results. 3. Systems and Delivery Document every step from onboarding through delivery. Automate what slows you down so you can stay focused on high-value work. Good systems help you deliver great work without burning out. 4. Market Presence Share client results or lessons each week. Engage with your audience regularly. If people never see you, they will not trust you. 5. Profit and Cash Set a monthly revenue goal and review it weekly. Move part of every payment to profit and taxes. Profitable work gives you room to breathe and plan ahead. These are the same principles that helped me scale from a handful of clients to a seven-figure business. Treat your consulting practice like a system, and your first 100 days can create more traction than most consultants see in a year. If you have gone through these stages and still feel stuck, I built a quiz that can help. My Consulting Growth Archetype Quiz gives you a detailed report on your current phase and the next steps you need to grow. You can take it here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu 📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM and let's chat. ♻️ Repost this to help out your network. ➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Consulting has no degree program, formal training, or typical #careerroadmap—so how do you get experience? The job also demands a rare mix of #technical skills, #businessstrategy, confidence, and #people skills—all at the same time. And yet, we figure it out. And often, we out-earn traditional #corporate roles. 💰 So... Why #Consulting? Most people don’t even know what #consultants (especially in #tech) actually do. But if you figure it out, the benefits are clear: 💵 Financial independence (if you play it right) 🗓️ Control over your schedule 🏗 The freedom to work on projects you actually care about 🧩 The ability to solve real problems and #innovate instead of selling your soul to a prepackaged system But —getting started is the hardest part. If experience is the price of entry, where do you get it? 1. Demand Real-World Experience Early—In the U.S., we have this weird idea that college is some kind of gift. But —you’re paying for a service. Push your #university to give you real #business experience and actual industry connections. You’re not just there for a degree—you’re there to build a career. Make them help you do that. The Confluencial has a partner program with a local college, Colorado Mesa University, to offer students real-world experience. We have an AMAZING intern, Avery Kane, who is building a proprietary #AIagent for and implementing it in an actual business. That kind of experience makes a difference. Some schools offer consulting-focused programs, but they aren’t widely known: University of Notre Dame Dame – Offers a #ManagementConsulting major University of California, Berkeley Consulting – #Independentconsulting group with real projects Columbia University Consulting Club – Hands-on experience and #career resources 2. Leverage Your Community - Experience doesn’t have to come from a formal job. Schools, non-profits, community organizations, and even local businesses all have challenges that need solving. I’ve helped my children’s school improve its #technology —real consulting, real impact. Document everything. It counts. 3. Find Your North Star - Look at people doing the kind of work you want to do (I tagged a few of mine below). Reach out. Ask how they got there. Support their work. The best way to get a foot in the door is to pay attention to what’s already working for others. 4. Build Your Network - Consulting runs on #trust. Share what you know, engage with the right people, and make your work visible. This isn’t about being an influencer—it’s about being known for something valuable. Opportunities come from relationships, so be helpful, be honest, and collaborate. Tagging a few people to share how they got their start. What worked for you? Erin Robison, Amy Stratbucker, Kristy Barber, Megan Seaton, Natalie Garland-Cooke, Amanda Patton - MBA, PMP, Paul Byrne Dragon ERP, Judith O., Viktoria Soltesz, Sam Gupta, Mick McCurry, Joe Nelson, @everyone else! #ERP #DigitalTransformation #Software #ERP #IT