Increasingly, employees are looking around at the unpredictable job market and coming to a realization: no job is completely safe anymore. As mass layoffs show no sign of slowing down and job security feels more precarious than ever, freelancing has become a common choice for employees who want to take charge of their careers. And it’s good timing, because businesses are hiring more freelancers than ever before to help them navigate the changing market.
If you, like many, have been considering freelancing but can’t quite narrow down the type of service you should offer, allow me to point you in the right direction: freelance consulting. Whether you bring leadership experience, industry-specific knowledge, advanced education, or simply copious hours spent navigating social media, countless businesses are looking for someone with your exact expertise.
Freelance consulting is a powerful way to put your skills and insights to work, and it’s more in demand than ever before. So, whether you’ve built your expertise over years in an industry or honed it through specialized projects, becoming a freelance consultant could be the right move for you. Ahead, we’re breaking down everything you need to know: what freelance consulting is, the different types, why it’s becoming so popular, and more.
What is freelance consulting?
Freelance consulting involves using your expertise to help other people or businesses solve problems, make decisions, or improve how they work on a one-time or contract basis. For example, a company interested in marketing to Gen Z might bring in an expert to consult them on Gen Z consumer behavior. Similarly, a small business interested in streamlining its hiring process might bring in an HR or recruiting consultant to help guide that effort.
Who can become a freelance consultant?
Anyone from any industry can start freelance consulting if they’ve developed enough know-how in a certain area. Mid-to-senior level professionals often have the most experience to call themselves consultants (3-7 years); however, there is no set rule for how many years of experience you need to be a consultant. What counts, more than your tenure, is whether you’re capable of solving a business’s problem.
For example, someone with five years of corporate experience in social media platform building might start to consult for other businesses looking to revamp their social media strategy. But someone with fewer years of experience or less formal training can be just as capable of doing so if they’ve built similar, strong results.
What are the different types of freelance consulting?
Depending on your skillset, from managing teams to helping leaders clarify their vision, you can tailor your freelance consulting career to the businesses and teams that need your expertise the most. With that said, there are three main categories of freelance consulting to consider: industry consulting, leadership consulting, and skills-based consulting.
“Businesses across every sector are feeling market changes, and they are turning to consultants to help them navigate them.”
Industry-based consulting
For businesses, hiring a consultant is often a way to bypass the awkward learning phases that come with trying something new, like expanding into a new industry. That’s why many freelance consultants specialize in a particular industry. If you have advanced professional experience, you can be a legal consultant, a medical consultant, or even an engineering consultant to companies that don’t have people with advanced degrees on staff. Other common industries include marketing, advertising, social media, finance, and more. By hiring you as a consultant, the business doesn’t need to hire a whole new team with industry-specific knowledge. You could get them up to speed and even train their existing hires.
Leadership consulting
For some freelance consultants, the job isn’t about the project; it’s about the people. Consultants can specialize in streamlining processes or making whole sectors of employees more effective. Some might work on a contract basis for companies that can’t hire full-time employees with as much expertise to round out their team, often in HR, recruiting, or account teams. Executive consultants are extremely popular, for example, with consultants coaching and advising the C-suite through company growth or transitions. Consultants might also supplement for HR or DEI teams, leading training sessions or onboarding new employees.
Skills-based consulting
Some freelance consultants advise based on skills. If a team or an executive needs an expert’s input on a new skill or technology to take their skillset to the next level, they might call on a consultant. Whether it’s a one-time teaching session or an intensive bootcamp, consultants can help with skill development in anything from social media planning to AI implementation.
Why consider becoming a freelance consultant?
Just like running any freelance business, it is attractive because of how scalable and flexible it is. As a freelancer, you can set boundaries on your time, your workload, and your scope of responsibilities. But freelance consulting takes these benefits and amplifies them. Here are even more benefits that freelancer consulting offers:
“Consulting is about providing value to businesses on your own terms.”
It frees you up from doing tedious work
Arguably one of the largest benefits of consulting is that it offers you a way to monetize your expertise without doing everything yourself. For example, if you are great at seeing how a brand could transform its social media but don’t necessarily want to be in charge of planning its feed or editing its videos, becoming a consultant on a project basis can let you use your skills without getting bogged down in the details. This relieves a lot of tedious day-to-day work and allows you to focus on the bigger picture.
It offers high income and growth potential
Consulting is about providing value to businesses on your own terms—often earning more than you would as an hourly contractor. In fact, consulting is one of the highest-paying freelance jobs. According to Consulting Success, over 50 percent of consultants reach or exceed their previous income level as employees within two years of starting their consulting business. And those who invest in coaches or mentors to help them get started achieve the same results in less time, often within 12-18 months.
However, it’s important to note that not every freelance consultant makes it their full-time job. Over 25% of consultants started their business while working full-time, and some only consult on the side. If you don’t want to go into freelance consulting full-time, consulting can bring in additional income while adding experience to your resume. By developing your skills with projects for different companies, you can even use consulting projects to advocate for a raise or build your personal brand.
It’s growing in demand
Despite economic uncertainties, hiring consultants has only become more common in 2025. Businesses across every sector are feeling market changes, and they are turning to consultants to help them navigate them. From consulting on implementing AI technologies and standards to consulting on improving workplace culture during The Great Shrinking, freelance consultants are proving to be crucial for businesses—and there are no signs of that slowing down.
How to start freelance consulting
To start consulting, first understand what specific skills you bring to the table. Make a list of your skills, your expertise, and what unique perspective you bring. Then, make a list of the work you are most excited about doing and be specific. What kind of projects would you like to work on? What kind of companies and teams would you like to work with? And what do you hope to achieve from your freelance consulting career?
“Over 50 percent of consultants reach or exceed their previous income level as employees within two years of starting their consulting business.”
Once you’ve identified what your skills are and what you want to gain from consulting, you can identify your niche. Your niche should consider your interests and expertise, as well as demand. Research what roles and projects incorporate all aspects of that Venn diagram. The most in-demand consulting niches include social media, AI, sustainability, technology, DEI, design, branding, and fractional C-suite (leadership). With that said, while these may be the most popular niches right now, that doesn’t mean they are the only ones with potential.
Just like any freelance job, most freelance consultants (60 percent) get their first roles from actively networking and sharing about their services. So, go to networking events, message your connections on LinkedIn, and use social media to your advantage to position yourself as an expert worth investing in. Doing these things will consistently keep you top of mind for potential clients who want to scale their business to the next level.
All in all, the best advice for anyone considering starting consulting is this: Don’t underestimate your expertise. Your skills are valuable, and people and businesses are looking for solutions that you can provide. There’s no better time than now to show businesses why you’re worth investing in.
Langa Chinyoka, Contributing Writer
Langa is a Los Angeles-based writer and strategist. She is currently an editor and content strategist at a marketing agency. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, British Vogue, Highsnobiety, Eyeswoon, Camille Styles, The Good Trade, and more.
Hailey Tagliarino, Assistant Managing Editor
As Assistant Managing Editor for The Everygirl, Hailey Tagliarino oversees, writes, and edits content across various categories on the site. From the pitching stage through publishing, she works alongside the team to ensure that the content that our readers see every day is inspiring, relatable, and timely.
