Starting Out as an Independent Consultant: A Welcome and a Reality Check

If you’re new to the Community Consultants Collective, welcome. You’ve stepped into a small corner of the internet where people understand what you’re trying to build. Most of us arrived here the same way—experienced, curious, a little restless, and ready to shape work on our own terms.

When I launched my practice years ago, I underestimated just how many muscles I’d need to build at the same time. You’re delivering client work, yes, but you’re also trying to build visibility, run operations, handle taxes, keep your books straight, maintain a website, publish content, nurture relationships, and figure out pricing—often while caring for families, managing aging parents, or holding down other obligations.

It’s a lot. And it’s normal.

What you’re stepping into isn’t a linear career path. It’s a creative business. It bends to your life, not the other way around. That’s the gift and the trade-off.

Independence Isn’t a Straight Line

One of the first surprises when you start consulting is how uneven the work can be. I’ve gone through stretches where business development felt utterly flat. This year, for example, the pipeline was quiet for months—and then suddenly I had nine active leads on the board. Most were small engagements, but they were momentum. The market moves in odd cycles. Learning to ride those cycles rather than panic over them is a skill that comes with time.

If you've got that first paying client, you’ve already crossed the biggest hurdle. I call it the training-wheels customer. Once someone pays you for your thinking, the entire equation changes. You’re no longer “starting a business”—you have a business. Now you’re building it.

Don’t Niche Yourself Into a Corner

People may push you to narrow your services quickly. My advice: move slower than they want you to. Early on, I took work across B2B, nonprofit, platform consulting, coaching, research, and digital workplace strategy. Not because I lacked focus, but because saying no too early would’ve meant turning away perfectly viable revenue—and valuable learning.

The consultants who burn out fastest are the ones who pick a lane they think they “should” occupy rather than the one that matches how they naturally solve problems. Your early work will teach you what you want to be known for. Let the market inform your positioning rather than trying to reverse-engineer it from thin air.

Visibility Is Harder Than Ever—and Still Required

When I first hung my shingle, having a simple website was enough. It signaled legitimacy. Today, the bar is higher. Buyers expect to see thought leadership, newsletter archives, a social presence, and some kind of talk, interview, or podcast appearance. It’s overwhelming if you try to do all of it at once.

But there are ways through it:

• Pick one primary channel (most of us default to LinkedIn because it’s the least bad option).

• Publish consistently, even if briefly.

• Build a small email list sooner than you think.

• Document your thinking out loud—your future clients are watching even when you can’t see them.

Organic reach is shrinking across platforms, so visibility now comes from repetition and clarity, not virality. You don’t need to be loud. You just need to show up.

Networking Fuels Everything—But Not All at Once

Coffee chats can absolutely drain you if you treat them like a numbers game. Instead, think of them as scouting missions. In my own practice, I’ve learned to build relationships with fractional executives—COOs, CFOs, and others—because they’re often brought into organizations during moments of restructuring or growth. When they see a community or digital workplace problem, they call me.

That didn’t happen by accident. It came from consistently talking to people who talk to buyers.

Your version of this may be different. What matters is identifying the people who can put you in rooms you can’t enter on your own. They’re not always fellow community pros. Sometimes your best allies sit one degree outside your discipline.

You Don’t Build This Business Alone

This is where the Community Consultants Collective comes in.

When you show up to Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings, you’ll notice something: the topic matters, but the people matter more. You’ll see familiar faces over time. Some are platform specialists. Some build courses. Some are deep in AI tooling. Some work with global nonprofits; others operate in niche verticals you didn’t know existed. This mix is deliberate and powerful. It exposes you to approaches you wouldn’t encounter in your own client lane.

I still learn something every time I join a session—new tools, new frustrations, new strategies, new markets. The diversity of experience in this community is one of our real strengths. And you’ll feel it more the longer you stay close to the conversation.

Sustainable Consulting Takes Time—and That’s Normal

One of the hardest truths about independent work is that it’s slow to mature. The consultants you admire—the ones who make it look effortless—built their reputations over years, not months.

Their “overnight success” is usually a long trail of blogs, newsletters, small wins, client referrals, and quiet persistence.

If you’re feeling the early wobble, that’s not a sign you’re doing it wrong. It’s a sign you’re on the path.

If You’re Wondering What to Do Next

Here are a few gentle starting points—not prescriptions, just openings:

• Show up to one SIG meeting this month and listen for names, patterns, and opportunities.

• Share a short idea on LinkedIn, even if it’s just a paragraph about something you’ve learned this week.

• Reach out to one person in the CCC whose work interests you and schedule a 20-minute chat.

• Sketch a simple “starter” service on your website or LinkedIn profile so people know how to engage you.

You don’t have to master everything at once. You only need enough traction to keep moving.

And you’ve already taken that step—by joining us here.