4 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Consulting
Plenty of people think consulting is this mysterious, glamorous profession where you swoop into a company, drop a few magic words, and then disappear with a fat check. (If only.) In reality, consulting is impactful, but not for the reasons most folks assume.
Let’s clear up four common misconceptions.
Consulting Is Easy
The stereotype: consultants just show up, throw around buzzwords like “synergy” and “scalability,” and collect a check.
The reality: consulting requires you to juggle data analysis, team leadership, project management, and solution-building, sometimes all before your second cup of coffee. It’s not easy, but it is learnable. And honestly, if consulting were as simple as quoting motivational posters, half the internet would already be millionaires, right?
Because there are very real problems, often entangled with
Consulting Is Only for Gurus and Experts
When people think “consultant,” they often picture some man, with a gruff voice, positioning himself as a guru in a designer suit, or maybe a nondescript t-shirt and jeans, if he’s more the down to earth type. Oh, and he’s got to live on an airplane, constantly sharing photos on social media with his Beats headphones and a motivational quote in the caption.
Here’s the truth: the best consultants come from diverse backgrounds. A therapist who knows how to reduce burnout in nonprofit teams? Consultant. A coach who can help healthcare leaders stop losing staff every three months? Consultant. Your value isn’t about being “all-knowing.” It’s about solving specific problems for real people. Spoiler: you don’t need a TED stage to do this, just receipts (a.k.a. results). And I’m willing to bet, if you’ve got clients who have been keeping you booked, you do in fact have results.
3. Consulting Is for the Corporate World
Yes, big corporations hire consultants. But so do schools, startups, and small businesses trying to figure out how not to collapse under their own sticky notes. Consulting isn’t limited to skyscrapers and boardrooms—it’s just as relevant in classrooms, community organizations, or that family-run practice that’s growing too fast to manage on its own.
Consultants Only Work with Struggling Businesses
Another misconception is that consultants are like firefighters, you only call them when the house is burning.
Sure, some businesses bring in a consultant when things are falling apart. But just as often, organizations hire consultants because they’re growing, thriving, or preparing for their next big move. You might help a mom-and-pop shop scale to multiple locations or guide a well-functioning team into even greater efficiency. Translation: you don’t have to wait for disaster to be valuable.
The Bottom Line
Consulting isn’t easy, it isn’t just for gurus, and it definitely isn’t limited to corporations in crisis. If you’re a therapist or coach who knows how to solve problems, lead people, and translate insight into action, you’ve already got the foundation.
Now, instead of waiting to “arrive” at guru status, maybe just grab your laptop, sharpen your skill set, and start helping. After all, businesses don’t need another buzzword; they need someone who can get results.
Are you ready to move Beyond The Couch and launch your consulting business? Check out the course or sign up for a Strategy Session to get my eyes and ears on your business to give you the quickest path to launch TODAY.