How to Be a Consultant (and Actually Make It Work)
Real talk on pricing, positioning, and staying sane while building your own thing.
Most new consultants make the same three mistakes: They try to be everything to everyone. They underprice their services. And, most critical, they attempt to go it alone.
I’ve always been of the opinion that if we surround ourselves with the right people, and focus more on how we can help them than what we need from them, we can navigate most any challenge. That’s why I knew I had to have Erin Halper into the studio the first time we spoke.
🎧 Check us out on LinkedIn, YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🎧
Erin is founder and CEO of The Upside, a community she founded in 2017 to support independent consultants in building successful, scalable, and sustainable businesses. To wit: after nearly a decade in the corporate world, Erin had spent many years consulting. Like many of us who go out on our own, she found that she could do great work, but building and running a business required different skills. There were so many challenges around pricing, positioning, finding clients, not to mention navigating the emotional rollercoaster of working solo.
Erin realized that many professionals were trying to make this leap, but were doing so in isolation, without access to the best practices or support systems that traditional corporate environments provide. She created The Upside to fill that gap: a curated, collaborative space where consultants could learn from each other, lean on each other, and grow their businesses with intention.
This episode is an elaborate answer to your questions. I’ve been collecting them since March, when I ran my first episode on consulting well. (It’s my belief that consulting is the next best career move for most mid-career professionals, and this year Hello Monday aims to help everyone become better at it.)
Erin walks us through how to get clear on your niche—what you're great at, what you enjoy doing, and where there's actual demand. She shares her golden checklist to figure that out. We talk about how to charge appropriately (yes, you’re allowed to make real money) and how to build the kind of supportive community that keeps you sane and in the game. That’s just to start. I hope you’ll spend some time with this conversation.
And, let me know where your biggest paint points exist around this topic. Hit reply to this email, or get in touch directly at HelloMonday@linkedin.com. I’m happy to keep your thoughts anonymous.
What, you missed the first consulting conversation?
It’s a great complement to this one. In it, Eloiza Domingo shares the steps she has taken to set up her own practice. Unlike Erin, Eloiza has been her own boss for less than a year. You’ll hear her struggle with the Big Questions in real time…and you’ll learn a lot from how she is getting started..
🤓 Worth it….
In this sharp New York Times piece, journalist Issie Lapowsky unpacks what’s replaced the “girlboss” and the Lean In era. She explores how women today are redefining ambition on their own terms (and yes, she gets into why consulting is emerging as one of the most powerful, flexible, and sustainable paths they’re choosing to build meaningful careers.
Also, for fellow tech watchers, Steven Levy’s recent piece on the clause in the contract between OpenAI and Microsoft that concludes the deal should OpenAI achieve AGI is great analysis.
Spotted in San Francisco!
You can find your own copy right here. Or, at your local library. Or, in the event that your library doesn’t offer it and other books on this topic, the Brooklyn Public Library offers anyone age 13-21 a free library card and you can read it digitally.
