Consulting Reality: What You’re Actually Signing Up For

By Elizabeth Rosenberg- Global Marketing and Communications Advisor

I’m going to tell you something most people won’t… Not everyone is supposed to be an entrepreneur. So please stop telling people who just got laid off that they can “just consult.” It’s not that easy.

Thinking about consulting after a layoff? I get it (I’ve done it!) The freedom sounds appealing. Being your own boss, setting your rates, choosing your clients. But let me be radically honest about what you’re actually signing up for:

When you are consulting you are also:

1. Always hunting for and pitching new business (even when you’re tired, even when you have plenty of work, because the pipeline never stops)
2. Managing the day-to-day operations of your business including finance, HR (yes, your own healthcare), and legal
3. Servicing your clients and anticipating their future needs
4. Handling IT issues and the upkeep of your website
5. Being a social media manager who is planning, posting, creating and thought leadering
6. Pivoting, evolving and reworking your offering to meet the needs of the market
7. Managing the feast-or-famine cycle and the anxiety that comes with it
8. Learning new skills you never wanted to learn and knowing when to acknowledge what you don’t know, can’t figure out and should pay someone else to do (see #2)

This isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant to prepare you.

Consulting can be incredibly rewarding – the autonomy (IYKYK), the ability to work with clients you choose, the opportunity to build something that reflects YOU. But it’s not always a soft landing. It can be a whole new career.

If you’re considering this consulting, ask yourself the following: Do I have 6+ months of financial runway? Am I comfortable with uncertainty? Do I have a clear sense of the value I bring and is that needed? Can I sell myself, even on hard days?

If the answer is yes, or even “I’m willing to figure it out,” then welcome. This journey will stretch you in ways you can’t imagine. And if you need support along the way trying to figure out your brand, your story or your offering, I’m here to help!

I’ve done this consulting thing twice. The second time around, I’ve been so much wiser, more honest, and truer to who I am as an entrepreneur and what I have to offer the world. If you choose to move forward, you will make mistakes, but they will teach you a lot about yourself too.