You dream of the good life as a consultant: being free to take the projects you like, work with fun clients, charge big bucks and still have free time to spend with your family. Whether consulting appeals to you in between jobs to help pay the bills – or you just like the idea of the lifestyle – it pays to plan correctly and set your consulting practice up mindfully from the start.
TurningPoint’s founder Kathy Robinson recently had a wide-ranging chat with podcast host Alf Priestley, who specializes in working with later-in-life executives, job seekers and entrepreneurs who want to reinvent themselves and build a more satisfying work/life balance.
You can listen to the podcast here to learn more about careers, consulting or thinking about retirement in general (don’t forget to subscribe to Alf’s podcast on iTunes if you want to hear more about his work):
Alf and Kathy spoke about the joys and pitfalls of becoming a consultant; the first thing that most people do (wrong); the #1 thing you need to do to set yourself up for success, and what to do when you face the inevitable freak-out moment that hits most aspiring entrepreneurs.
Did you know that consulting:
- Helps you pivot into new career paths (we talk about an example)
- Serves as a great in-between work activity when you’re not employed at the moment
- Is an ideal career option for older/more experienced workers, where hard-won wisdom is valued and age is an advantage
- Pays well and can fit into your personal/family schedule
Takeaway
Consulting can be a joyful, lucrative career path for you, if you approach it correctly from the start! Use these tips to begin to make a plan for your future consulting practice, and before you know it, you could be ditching your boss for a new one: Yourself.