10 Tips for New and Aspiring Freelance Consultants/Startup Advisors

What I wish I knew before getting started

I’m coming up on my 4 year “anniversary” as a freelance consultant/startup advisor — a career path I never would have considered or believed I could do just 5 years ago.

It’s been quite the journey, with many ups, downs, and lessons learned. If these reflections resonate and you’d like to learn more, I recommend checking out this workshop I hosted about how to actually get started with this career path and this piece I wrote about how to find your first paid clients.

1. Don’t worry about getting your pricing strategy “right.” Iterate.

I am most often asked about this and I firmly believe there is no right answer here. Sometimes it makes sense to do hourly rates, other times project based rates are best. Sometimes you’re better off working for equity, other times a monthly retainer. In my opinion, the best strategy is to be flexible and iterative. You can vary your rates by company stage or revenue. You can also increase your rates with each subsequent client. If something doesn’t feel right, listen to your gut, and try something different next time.

2. Relax. Let go of the need to be constantly productive.

This was really hard for me to get used to, but I really needed space in my calendar to let my mind wander. This is where the breakthroughs and best ideas come from. Having free hours in the day also gives you room to take on new clients that might be more aligned to your goals/interests/strengths than your current roster.

3. Don’t be afraid of unpaid work to get started.

Obviously there is a limit to this, but if you are trying to build your portfolio or pivot, I recommend volunteering to help someone you already know and respect. At the very least, an unpaid project can give you more clarity around whether or not you are on the right track.

4. Start with small, achievable projects.

Starting small is a good way to test whether you and the client actually jive, and it gives you the opportunity to renegotiate scope & pricing once you complete the first project if anything was “off”.

5. Experiment and step outside your comfort zone.

Taking on stretch projects, or clients in new industries or markets you have no experience with, can be a really valuable learning experience, even if it will take you more (unpaid) time to get up the learning curve. Keep experimenting until you find your unique value proposition (where your strengths, interests, and experience all converge). Once you’ve found your unique value proposition, you can charge higher rates and be pickier about the clients you take on.

6. Foster an abundance mindset. Trust that everything will work out in the end.

I refer most of my leads to other freelancers if I think someone else can do a better job. I also spend about several hours/week advising really early stage founders, who I genuinely want to succeed, for no pay. I truly believe what goes around comes around. Some eventually turn into paying clients when they have the revenue/funding, but even if they didn’t, they provide me with referrals, different perspectives, and opportunities to practice.

7. Tune out as much noise as you can.

Let yourself unplug from anything that makes you feel like you’re not good just as you are: unfollow one thing (newsletter, podcast, connection etc) that isn’t positively serving you, notice how little you miss it, then do it again and again until you’re left with only content that inspires you.

8. You don’t *need* a website or LLC. You *do* need to network.

Tell everyone you meet what you do, as specifically as possible. So many of my clients have been referred to me from someone I just met. More about this in my other essay about how to get your first paid clients.

9. Follow your energy. Trust your intuition.

Speaking of networking, you need to network (a lot) to be a freelance consultant. I needed the networking to feel effortless for this path to be sustainable, which meant that I had to genuinely enjoy the meeting the people I was meeting. You are more likely to do your best work when you feel a strong alignment with the project, team, and mission.

10. Freelancing is not for everyone.

Among the things I have found challenging: getting ghosted, worrying the quality of my work isn’t meeting expectations, and having to onboard myself. The costs to this career path are great, especially in the U.S. We needed a guarantor for our last apartment. Don’t get me started on health insurance. If not having benefits or a stable paycheck sounds more stressful than having a boss or full-time job (totally valid concerns!!), then this is probably not for you. And that’s ok! It’s also ok to just do this work while you are searching for a full-time job. It doesn’t have to be either or!

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