This hits home. I started studying Organisational and Business Psychology in 2023, and I wasn't entirely sure what my career would look like once I finished. But the closer I got to the end, the more I noticed how few organisational psychologist roles actually exist in the UK. I have one month left before I submit my dissertation, and by summer, I'll have my degree.
The consulting idea emerged because I thought I'd never get to do what I'd studied and what I genuinely enjoy. So I researched everything: how to start a consultancy, what I could offer, and how to build visibility from scratch.
That's what led me to build Organised Minds. I write on Substack about workplaces and where organisations go wrong with their people. The goal is to help founders and CEOs understand that supporting their people isn't a soft option. It's what makes the business work.
Consulting is a great idea to revenue from day 1. I feel having an hybrid model, product that can enhance your consulting engagement will make you stand out from the pack while learning about customer problems.
I started consulting last year in the podcast and content space, and simply by leaning into my own knowledge and expertise, I have generated a huge unintentional ROI for my clients. This is a really great read, full of actionable stuff, but moreover, it just solidifies that if you're an expert in your field, you can do really, really well.
It’s refreshing to see someone giving the advice to start a consultancy.
I’m a Salesforce data and business intelligence specialist and I’m going to start a consultancy.
So, if you know anyone that could use some help with their Salesforce data, getting useable intelligence from that data in a no-nonsense kind of way, do let me know 😉
Most Salesforce customers and consultants have no idea what is possible even with the standard reporting function.
Hi Elmer - I am ex-Salesforce (VP Product). Wouldn’t mind brainstorming offering with you since I am looking into doing consulting, obviously not in your field. I know the Platform in depth and interacted with many customers so happy to help. DM if interested
The piece treats consulting and product as alternatives, but the structurally interesting version is that they're sequential stages of the same path.
Consulting is the highest-resolution market research available because the customer is paying you to learn their problem in depth, and paying you enough that you can afford to learn slowly. Palantir is the obvious case, but the principle applies broadly. The product you eventually build isn't the one you imagined when you started consulting. It's the one that emerged from the third or fourth engagement, when the same problem kept surfacing across different clients in different industries. You can't see that pattern from outside the work. The consulting is the lens.
Which is also why the book-and-newsletter playbook compounds. Each engagement is a research interview you got paid for. Each article codifies what you learned. The book aggregates the pattern. The product, eventually, productizes the solution. Consulting isn't an alternative to building. It's the discovery phase of building done with someone else's capital.
Consulting is being reborn in 2026: LLM-powered agentic consulting. Less custom work, more scalable intelligence. Those who build AI-enabled advisory networks (agents + domain expertise + knowledge graphs) win. The future isn’t starving startups or hourly consultants—it’s intelligent workflows delivering compound insights.
This is exactly what I am building but I am doing all the levels at the same time, except speak (yet). I am a brand and business strategist with pattern recognition and identity transition sensitivity.
Great article Michael! Very often simplicity beats big ideas.
I’m exploring consulting myself. Curious if you recommend starting with a generic offering positioning your expertise or if you’d rather package two or three simple consulting offerings (or just one) that target an ICP and specific problem.
This hits home. I started studying Organisational and Business Psychology in 2023, and I wasn't entirely sure what my career would look like once I finished. But the closer I got to the end, the more I noticed how few organisational psychologist roles actually exist in the UK. I have one month left before I submit my dissertation, and by summer, I'll have my degree.
The consulting idea emerged because I thought I'd never get to do what I'd studied and what I genuinely enjoy. So I researched everything: how to start a consultancy, what I could offer, and how to build visibility from scratch.
That's what led me to build Organised Minds. I write on Substack about workplaces and where organisations go wrong with their people. The goal is to help founders and CEOs understand that supporting their people isn't a soft option. It's what makes the business work.
Consulting is a great idea to revenue from day 1. I feel having an hybrid model, product that can enhance your consulting engagement will make you stand out from the pack while learning about customer problems.
I started consulting last year in the podcast and content space, and simply by leaning into my own knowledge and expertise, I have generated a huge unintentional ROI for my clients. This is a really great read, full of actionable stuff, but moreover, it just solidifies that if you're an expert in your field, you can do really, really well.
It’s refreshing to see someone giving the advice to start a consultancy.
I’m a Salesforce data and business intelligence specialist and I’m going to start a consultancy.
So, if you know anyone that could use some help with their Salesforce data, getting useable intelligence from that data in a no-nonsense kind of way, do let me know 😉
Most Salesforce customers and consultants have no idea what is possible even with the standard reporting function.
Hi Elmer - I am ex-Salesforce (VP Product). Wouldn’t mind brainstorming offering with you since I am looking into doing consulting, obviously not in your field. I know the Platform in depth and interacted with many customers so happy to help. DM if interested
The piece treats consulting and product as alternatives, but the structurally interesting version is that they're sequential stages of the same path.
Consulting is the highest-resolution market research available because the customer is paying you to learn their problem in depth, and paying you enough that you can afford to learn slowly. Palantir is the obvious case, but the principle applies broadly. The product you eventually build isn't the one you imagined when you started consulting. It's the one that emerged from the third or fourth engagement, when the same problem kept surfacing across different clients in different industries. You can't see that pattern from outside the work. The consulting is the lens.
Which is also why the book-and-newsletter playbook compounds. Each engagement is a research interview you got paid for. Each article codifies what you learned. The book aggregates the pattern. The product, eventually, productizes the solution. Consulting isn't an alternative to building. It's the discovery phase of building done with someone else's capital.
Have been doing this for decades, and 3 last years with AI. Few understand.
Indeed consulting can be much better, besides startups are usually created to be sold, if you have a life purpose, startup may not be the best to do.
Consulting is being reborn in 2026: LLM-powered agentic consulting. Less custom work, more scalable intelligence. Those who build AI-enabled advisory networks (agents + domain expertise + knowledge graphs) win. The future isn’t starving startups or hourly consultants—it’s intelligent workflows delivering compound insights.
going to read this one
Thanks for sharing. I’ve been trying to get into consultancy. Had 2 project completed past 2 years. This really helped me take a new look on it.
I have done consultancy and now I am on a way to build two startups of my own. 🔥
This is where I’m headed as an academic. Thank you!
This is exactly what I am building but I am doing all the levels at the same time, except speak (yet). I am a brand and business strategist with pattern recognition and identity transition sensitivity.
Great read! I see a lot of people view consultancy as a last ditch effort while looking for a job. It’s so much more valuable than that.
Great article Michael! Very often simplicity beats big ideas.
I’m exploring consulting myself. Curious if you recommend starting with a generic offering positioning your expertise or if you’d rather package two or three simple consulting offerings (or just one) that target an ICP and specific problem.
“Stop creating things and start being useless”