From Corporate Comfort to Consultancy Chaos: My Raw Truth After 365 Days of Freedom

Today is 1 year to the day since I left the corporate world and set up my own consultancy business.  Here’s 5 lessons I have learned:

Networking is essential: Before, any company advancement depended on my visibility and relationships, often more than any technical brilliance.  Now, networking is a must for survival.  All my clients have come though my network, and some from the most unlikely of contacts.

Financial management skills are key: Before, I had some dealings with the finance department, but they were never a main part of my technical roles.  Now, I am finance, cash flow, pricing, and investments altogether.  The decisions I make in these areas dictate my success or failure.

I must have a Customer-Centric Approach: Before, my projects were internally focused, with different business units defining priorities.  Now, the customer is everything.  If my service doesn’t solve their problem, nothing else matters.

Work-life balance does not exist: Before, separation of these two were the goal, family has always been important.  Now, work and life blur.  Balance for me means integrating ‘happy moments’ and purpose, not dividing hours neatly.

I must learn to embrace failure: Before, failure was often hidden or punished.  This makes everyone more risk averse.  Now, failure is expected and essential.  I fail fast, learn faster, and keep going.

It has not been easy.  I have never put in as many hours in any job in the past as I have in the last year. 

So, after all this, am I happy?...  Absolutely!