Grow Your Independent Consulting Business

How much business development is enough for your consulting business?

This question is one of the most common and most costly open loops in an independent consultant's mind. 

Not having a clear answer leads to an open loop of second-guessing, self-criticism, and regret. 

When you don’t know the answer to how much is enough business development to support your revenue goals, it drains your mental energy, erodes your confidence, an...

Most independent consultants still believe that demand is something that just happens - a tap on the shoulder from a former colleague, a random recruiter message, or an invitation from a past client. 

That’s opportunistic demand, and while it can create revenue, it won’t create real predictability or growth.

In this episode, Melisa breaks down how demand is actually created and why most consultants are unintentionally sabotaging it.

S...

If your pipeline feels like a roller coaster — overflowing one quarter and dry the next — this episode is for you.

Most independent consultants chalk pipeline unpredictability up to market conditions, luck, or not being good at sales. 

But that’s not the real problem. The difference between consultants with predictable pipelines and those without? They think and operate differently.

In this episode, Melisa breaks down the Four Pillars...

The Shifts That Will Create a Breakthrough Year in Your Consulting Business

A breakthrough year doesn’t come from working harder, getting luckier, or finding the perfect strategy. It comes from changing how you think and operate as a business owner.

In this episode, Melisa walks you through why most consultants never experience a true breakthrough year. Not because they’re incapable, but because they keep running their business from ...

There’s a planning trap consultants fall into every year, and it has nothing to do with effort, motivation, or follow-through.

You put hours into planning. You set goals, map out your year, and feel clear when you close your notebook. 

Yet despite your best efforts, months later your business looks the same. Revenue hasn’t grown the way you expected, you struggle to create pipeline control, and the plan feels like it never really mat...

As an independent consultant, you’re your own investor of time, money, and attention. But are you investing at the level of your goals, or are you treating your business like a paycheck?

In this episode, Melisa unpacks how to approach business investments for the coming year with a CEO mindset, not an employee mindset. She breaks down the five-step strategy to build a clear, aligned investment plan and highlights the most common (an...

If your consulting prospects aren’t turning into paid work, it’s not because your pitch needs work.

Pitching, or thinking you need to pitch, is the real problem.

This episode breaks down the “Anti-Pitch” consulting sales approach, a simple conversation structure that helps you convert high-value consulting engagements without selling, convincing, or performing. 

No pitch decks. No sales presentations. Just a process that positions you...

If you think your consulting pipeline only grows with more time, more effort, or a perfectly refined niche, this episode will show you a different path.

Kim Andrews, a leadership consultant and executive coach for nonprofit CEOs, joins Melisa to share exactly how she built a thriving, in-demand consulting business. 

She breaks down the simple systems she uses to generate steady, high-quality leads while running a busy life as a paren...

Independent consulting is a relationship business, but most consultants only focus on a few obvious ones. That leaves untapped opportunity on the table.

In this episode, you’ll learn the ten relationship types that directly influence your pipeline, your revenue, and your long-term growth.

Some are familiar, like client and channel relationships. Others are the hidden drivers most consultants never think about, such as your relationsh...

Is it possible for lead generation to be sustainable for independent consultants who are wearing so many hats in their businesses?

What does a sustainable lead generation process look like?

In this episode, Melisa breaks down why so many consultants fall into the start/stop lead generation cycle and end up creating feast or famine in their businesses. It’s because their lead generation strategy, routines, and mindset are not sustaina...

If you’ve ever felt like your pipeline is out of your control, this episode is for you.

It’s common for independent consultants to think an unpredictable pipeline is just “how this works.” But that belief keeps them stuck in feast or famine, working with clients who underpay, don’t fully value their expertise, and leave their skills underused.

In Episode 244, Melisa reveals what’s really going on beneath a stop-and-start pipeline and...

Most independent consultants think their business bottlenecks come from systems, tools, or strategy.

But the real bottleneck is often you, and specifically, how you respond to resistance.

In this episode, you’ll learn why resistance shows up, how it slows your growth, and a simple plan to move through it so you can scale faster and with less friction.

Whether it’s overthinking a new offer, delaying a move into advisory work, or hesita...

Forming a partnership as an independent consultant can feel difficult and even risky. You’re used to autonomy. You’ve created your own unique way of running your business. And, you also feel lonely at times.

Bringing someone else into your process? That can feel like a threat to your freedom, your income, or your control.

But what if the right partnership expanded your possibilities instead of limiting them?

In this episode, I sit dow...

"Let me think about it."

It sounds harmless. Strategic, even.

But for independent consultants, that phrase can quietly erode revenue, momentum, and confidence.

In this episode, Melisa breaks down the hidden toll of decision debt, which is the backlog of unmade choices cluttering your mental inbox. From pricing delays to lingering red-flag clients, these non-decisions drain your bandwidth and reinforce the status quo.

Melisa w...

What does it really take to hit a $100K quarter as an independent consultant in your first quarter out of corporate?

In this episode, Melisa talks with her client Elizabeth Freedman, founder of E•Suite Leader, who went from zero to $100K in the first three months of her business.

Elizabeth shares the inside story of not just what she did, but how she thought. From taming the temptation to do too much, to building a pipeline with targ...

If you've ever said, “One day I’ll write a book,” this episode is your call to stop waiting and start writing. 

LeAnne Lagasse joins Melisa to walk through the real process of writing and launching a book as a consultant, including the parts no one talks about.

LeAnne doesn’t sugarcoat the process. From decision fatigue to imposter syndrome to learning how to repurpose your workshop content into a compelling written format, she ...

Even though the year is wrapping up and vacations take over, landing consulting clients in Q4 doesn’t have to be hard.

Q4 isn’t a write-off.

When Q4 rolls around, many consultants either start to panic that they won’t hit their revenue goals or they ease off the gas because they’ve already met them. These approaches can cost you momentum and opportunity.

In this episode, Melisa Liberman walks you through a simple three-part framework ...

Thinking Like a Business Owner Isn’t Just a Mindset. It’s a Skill.

Most independent consultants know they should think like a business owner, but what does that actually look like day to day?

In this episode, Melisa introduces a simple yet powerful strategy: Business Owner Thinking Time. 

You’ll learn how to move beyond reacting to tasks or relying on AI to think for you, and instead carve out time to think strategically and guide you...

You might think your lead generation isn't working because you're not consistent. Or because you're not good at marketing. Or because you’re fully booked and don’t “need” leads right now.

Those assumptions are common, and they’re also wrong.

In this episode, Melisa breaks down the real reasons your consulting pipeline isn’t where you want it to be. 

Most consultants misdiagnose the problem and end up solving for the wro...