Top Eight Lessons for Independent Consultants

Once you step out into business as an independent consultant, you are bound to feel a sense of fulfilment because you are doing something you love at your own terms, but you will also face a myriad of challenges that will force you to look internally and refine your personal leadership style. These are lessons that can either help you grow in your business or push you out of the race, depending on how you interact with them. Eight months into working for a few clients as an independent consultant warranted a moment of reflection to highlight  the lessons I have learned in the business so far. These top eight lessons are what I uncovered as an independent consultant:

1.     Excellent Work Gets Rewarded

I can't emphasise enough the importance of serving your clients with excellence. Excellent work stands out. So, focus on excelling because in the end that will get noticed by other clients and result in new opportunities. By aiming for excellence, my work got noticed by new clients: Global Health Access Initiative and Seinoli Legal Centre. Rewards may not come now, but they will certainly come from future clients. 

2.     Lean on Your Network in Times of Difficulty

Business has many challenges that ultimately impact your cash flow. The best gift you can give to yourself is leaning on your trusted support system when things are going bad. Just like a baby learning to walk, you need “adults” who have your best interests at heart and will encourage you to get up when you fall instead of trying to persuade you to throw-in the towel. These people will also create room for you to vent instead of shaming you for feeling, while not allowing you to wallow in self-pity. Your network is a reflection of who you are and/or will ultimately become.

3.     Establish Boundaries with Clients and Maintain them

The earlier you establish professional boundaries with clients the better. Due to the flexibility in the nature of work done by independent consultants, some clients may assume that they have total “ownership” over you and deny you of your autonomy as a business owner. Contractual agreements that stipulate precise deliverables, timelines, and location type (on-site, remote or hybrid) are important in ensuring that there is no blurring of roles and responsibilities.

It goes without saying that your physical boundaries are also important. Unfortunately, when you work as an independent consultant, sometimes provisions may not be made for you in the company policy, particularly the sexual harassment policy. In cases where these provisions may be available, they may not be enforced, thus leaving consultants in a difficult position. The situation may be exacerbated by your gender and your youth. Establishing physical boundaries early on, like going for handshakes instead of hugs, is important.

It is also important to keep your personal life separate from your professional life. You are not mandated to answer questions about whether or not you have a significant other. Frankly, that is not your client’s business unless it directly impacts your work.

Do not compromise so much of yourself while barely getting anything in return. Business is about exchanging value, therefore, ensure that you do not low-ball yourself in your contract negotiations (especially compensation), and in fulfilling your contractual commitments.

4.     Do Not Grow Weary in Doing Good

While it is important to maintain boundaries based on your deliverables, flexibility in providing a few more products to your clients will go a long way in positioning you for growth, and exposure as an independent consultant. At the core of working with my clients is a heart of service. This means that I often go above what is mandated in my contract, especially if doing so will make my client’s work easier and ultimately create an environment where they can help me to help them. For instance, one of my clients had a poor management system for invitation letters. These letters would come in from influential stakeholders, and because of not keeping track of all incoming letters, this resulted in missed opportunities for strategic positioning. That made my work a little bit more difficult as a communications consultant whose aim is to strategically position my clients for growth. To solve this problem, I used an online tool called Trello to create a system that would help all team members to keep track of incoming invitation letters, and to facilitate ease of assigning responsibility to employees. This allowed me to put my skills into practice, helped my client stay organised, and afforded me the opportunity to see invitation letters that would assist me to better serve my client. Ultimately, this initiative is listed on my CV as something I did to solve an organisational problem through my work.

5.     Be Quick on Your Feet to Re-strategise

The need will arise for you to re-strategise in your communication efforts for your client. A particular approach from your social media strategy may fail, and you need to abandon it and establish a new approach. For instance, for a previous client I developed a communications chart showcasing core values and the organisation’s mandate using images of influential employees or partners in their industry. This strategy was employed in the absence of company events that would result in opportunities for gathering content for visibility. The communications chart was well received by the organisation’s audience, enhanced support, and grew their following on all social media platforms.

6.     Be Open to Receiving Constructive Feedback

The one way to succeed as a business owner is by not being defensive when receiving feedback from clients (or potential clients). One negative interaction with a client can result in losing out on business not only from them but also their entire network. Listen with a good attitude, take in what is truly constructive and discard what is ill-spirited.

7.     Let Your No be No!

Avoid going back and forth about whether to take on a project with a new client or not. Rather ask for time to think about the offer, if you’re not sure, instead of second-guessing yourself in front of your clients. By adopting this method, you preserve your professional image as a business owner.

8.     Always Aim for Quality [Instead of Quantity]

How you present your client to the world matters. Poor quality images, videos and graphics will push people away instead of attracting them. Less is more when you want to strategically position your client for exposure and new business opportunities.

I hope the reflections I have shared will be beneficial and help you grow in your business in 2025. You are welcome to share your reflections and experiences with me in the comment section below.