3 Years as an independent consultant
Whenever people ask how I ended up as a freelance consultant, I always find myself using the same language: I accidentally “fell into” it.
And it’s true - this wasn’t the plan.
3 years ago, I made the incredibly difficult decision to leave a dream job running product and sales at Electricity Maps. At the time, it felt like the culmination of a “startup education” - I’d been through highs and lows, learned a ton, and felt ready to take my place in the “founder” seat. I was leaving to start something; I just didn’t know what it would be. While I figured that out, I decided to look for consulting work as a means to make some money, explore, and stay sharp.
Starting out
Then I started feeling stuck. The startup ideas didn’t magically start flowing, and it was easier find flaws than exciting aspects in the many great opportinities I had in front of me. This first year was filled with uncertainty about what path I was really on - I had few reference points to turn to, and was constantly weighing different potential next steps in my head.
Meanwhile, the consulting work was actually going well - it felt good to be genuinely helpful. For me, the term “consulting” had previously evoked the idea of a money-sucking barnacle on the “hull” of an organization - extracting value, but providing little in return. But over time, I started to let myself accept the idea that my help had value - and feel pride in being a “consultant”.
At the time, I agonized a lot about framing what I do (product vs. design, studio vs. solo freelancer, etc.). My skillset and interests are span several disciplines, and I struggled to find a way to fit that into a “box” that I could market to the world.
Settling in
I think it’s no coincidence that I became more comfortable with the ambiguity of my work, where it was going, and what path I was on the more I developed as a “consultant”. In Year 2, I took on more ambitious, larger, longer-term projects. Not only did I become a stronger designer and product person, but I started to develop better instincts in how to be most helpful to clients.
My confidence also grew significantly during this period, and I started to worry less about framing myself and my work. I now had a track record to look back on; the narrative of “Trevor as a service” became less theoretical, more grounded in actual consulting projects. In short, I could start to see my weird, ambiguous path compound.
Hitting my stride
Now, at the end of Year 3, I feel as though I’m hitting my stride. This year represented another step up in terms of ambition, variety, and challenge in client work.
I also feel like I’m shedding the last of my anxiety about where this is all going, perhaps because I can look back and see how far it’s come. At this point, I remain open to any exciting possibilities ahead - from scaling up my practice to starting a startup to getting another “real job” - but I no longer feel the pressure to craft a narrative in my head about precisely what path I’m on.
In this last year, I dove deep into the discourse around these uncertain paths - “pathless paths”, as Paul Millerd calls them. Reading many books and blog posts about other folks’ experiences gave me the words to describe the challenges I’ve faced, and also a sense of reassured calmness about my circumstances. It’s an incredible privilege to be in the position I’m in, despite the uncertainty that can come with it.
Highs and lows
During these three years, one of the unexpected pleasures has been my professional growth. The previous years working at a startup felt like a “crash course” that couldn’t be topped - I was worried that my growth curve would start to flatten.
Instead, I’ve grown tremendously as a designer and product manager - largely because I’ve been able to get closer to the work than I had in years, as well as the compounding nature of having many varied experiences in a short amount of time.
In the last 3 years, I worked on 16 different digital products at various stages. I’ve worked with teams at startups, large enterprises, small and large non-profits, VC funds, and everything in between, on every continent except Antarctica. I’ve not only gotten a lot of “reps” in building products, but I’ve also seen how many different organisations work (or don’t work).
But at the same time, this journey hasn’t always been easy. Even after the pandemic passed, it was easy to feel isolated. I work with most of my clients remotely, and while I’m often quite integrated into their teams, I don’t get the same “in the trenches” camaraderie that one can find in a full time role, especially in early-stage startups.
It also took me a while to find others in my position - following and meeting folks who are also navigating this uncertain path made it feel less isolating, and more normal.
I’m still figuring out how to replicate that magic that comes with collaborating with a familiar team - my team - on a big, hairy problem. I’m not sure yet what the best solution is, but for now it likely means more collaboration with other consultants on upcoming projects.
By the numbers
In other posts reflecting on freelance/independent consulting life (Tom Critchlow has a good list going here), I’ve always found the hard data fascinating, so I wanted to share a bit about the arc of my work in numbers.
In the last 3 years, I’ve worked with 18 different teams across 10 different clients. I started slowly; billing ~40% of my working hours (40 hours a week) in 2021. But in the last 2 years, that jumped to 76% on average, while my revenue also increased, even when accounting for taking ~6 weeks off at the beginning of 2023. Below is a chart of my revenue over time over the last 3 years, with each color representing a different client:
As you can see, revenue ramped up alongside my utilization, and projects grew bigger and more consistent. Actual time worked is a bit smoother than the above graph - as revenue can be a bit “lumpy”.
What’s next?
In 2024, I’m mostly hoping for more of the same. I’m lucky to be working with some great long-term clients, and am also looking forward to some opportunities on the horizon to return to previous clients for some new projects. I’m also hoping to collaborate with some long-time connections where we’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to work together - this year might just be when the stars align.
I’m also hoping to continue writing more online this year - sharing my experiences and thoughts has been a great way to help me think and has led to a number of random interesting connections!
Resources that helped me
I’ve found a number of resources really inspiring during this journey, and I wanted to share them with you:
- The Pathless Path, by Paul Millerd: More than anything else, this book helped me get comfortable with the uncertainty of this path
- 4000 Weeks, by Oliver Burkeman: A great reminder for anyone who has a tendency to “over-optimise” their professional path, and a great companion to The Pathless Path.
- Tom Critchlow’s blog: Tom’s a veteran of the “pathless path” and a seasoned independent consultant, and his reflections and writing have deeply influenced my thinking on navigating my own path
It’s easier together
If you’re on a similar path, or considering a similar path, I’m always happy to chat. I think it’s important to share perspectives with others on this journey - there’s more people out there like you than you think, and we share similar highs and lows. It’s easier to reconcile those highs and lows when you realize it’s not just you!