Going out on your own: a few things I’ve learned about consulting

Working independently has taught me a lot, about consulting, relationships, backing your experience and getting comfortable putting yourself out there. A recent feature I collaborated on in The Australian Business Journal gave me a good reason to reflect on a few of those lessons.

Your experience is broader than your job title When you’ve spent years inside organisations, it’s easy to define yourself by your title. Consulting quickly teaches you that your real value is often much broader, strategy, stakeholder management, communications, problem solving, navigating complexity and getting things done. Clients don’t necessarily need someone with the perfect title. They need someone who can understand their problem and help move it forward.

Strategy is only useful if it leads somewhere I’ve never been particularly interested in producing a strategy that looks good on a shelf. Some of the work I enjoy most moves between the big picture and the practical detail, understanding the problem, developing the strategy, testing ideas and working out how to make them happen. That connection between strategy and action has become a big part of how I work.

Relationships matter Consulting might look like an individual business, but so much of it comes back to people. Previous colleagues, clients, collaborators and professional networks all matter. I’ve also learned not to underestimate the value of a coffee, an introduction or simply staying in touch. Not every conversation needs an immediate commercial outcome.

Get comfortable putting yourself out there This has probably been one of my biggest lessons. Working for yourself means being responsible for building your own profile, writing articles, speaking at events, sharing your work, entering awards and saying yes to opportunities that might feel slightly uncomfortable. There’s a balance. But good work doesn’t necessarily speak for itself if nobody knows you’ve done it.

Know what you’re good at (but always stay curious) I’m much clearer now about the work I enjoy: strategy, behaviour change, participation, partnerships and communications, particularly where an organisation needs to turn an ambition into something people will actually do. But some of my most interesting projects have also taken me into new sectors and unfamiliar problems. You don’t need to know everything on day one. You need to know how to ask good questions, bring the right people together and find a way forward.

Take stock occasionally Recently I featured in The Australian Business Journal’s 10 Australian Strategy Consultants Leading Change in 2026, alongside people with an impressive breadth of experience. It was a good excuse to stop, look back at how much has happened since I started consulting independently, and remind myself that while there’s still plenty to learn, I’m very glad I made the leap.

Read the feature here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VOTGUPjLty3CzLP62z2CUny6NcMWj8Rx/view?usp=sharing