Today I celebrate one month as an education consultant.

When life threw me a curveball, I decided to use the opportunity to do something that I have been contemplating for a very long time: going independent. Here are my takeaways one month into this adventure. Perhaps they will serve others going through a similar transition or contemplating it.

1. Going independent does not mean going it alone

When I began to share the news, I was amazed at the number of people who reached out to me with advice, support, and proposals to work together. I have had more coffee and lunch dates this month than I would have previously thought was humanly possible and it has been wonderful. I have been learning what others are doing and thinking, the questions they are asking, and the projects that they are envisioning. I have also learned about others’ professional journeys, how they got started, the bumps they hit along the way, and what helped them keep going. Being independent has resulted in me being more connected than I have been in a long time and it has allowed me to discover a network of kind, bright, fascinating, and supportive people. I am so grateful and motivated and will continue to cultivate these relationships because they have helped me feel alive and energized in way that has truly surprised me. I also am looking forward to the creative collaborations on deck and those that have yet to be cooked up.

2. Going independent is a balancing act

Being an independent consultant means having the freedom to set my schedule to some degree, allowing me to create the work-life balance that I think matters for my physical and emotional health, but it also means connecting to the individuals, organizations, and projects that energize me, that are in need of my experience, skills, and ideas, and not limiting myself to just one role at a time. This is liberating and overwhelming at the same. In the world of education, there is so much to be done, but there are also so many interesting, exciting, and innovative programs and projects in progress or getting started every day; this I found can be paralyzing – there are so many directions to go in, so how do I decide? 

In my case, I made the decision to be intentional about how I spend my time and to strike a balance: time with others and time alone; time to connect with projects that are already getting started and time to start my own projects; time for the hustle and time to just let things play out; time for work and time for rest. This is all still very new and it has been challenging to resist the urge to go, go, go. I’m learning, however, that I need to have space in my schedule to just be in order to make the best decisions moving forward.

3. Going independent requires some business acumen

I majored in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Fine Arts; and then I decided to teach Middle and High School math as a Teach For America corps member. I did not appreciate my undergraduate degree at the time, but I am calling on those skills now; finance and accounting, marketing, and HR have all quickly reinserted their way into my life as an independent consultant. The business side of things can take up a lot of my time in the beginning, but once the systems and structures are in place, I will be able to focus more on the work itself.

4. Going independent means taking a leap of faith… every day

When I made the decision to go independent, as opposed to taking employment with a new organization or company, it felt right. I took a leap of faith, trusting that I have built up enough knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as new ideas of what-could-be in education and development to get me started and to connect with other like-minded individuals and organizations.

Every day that follows, however, I have to recommit.

The unknown can be scary, but I think I’ve also finally come to understand that even when we think we have it all mapped out, life may have other plans for us. Nothing is guaranteed. So every day I have had to wake up and decide again that this is the right path for me. I take a deep breath and choose to keep moving forward with the commitment to share what I have to offer with the world.

If you have recently deciding to go independent, I’d love to know if this reflection resonates with you. What else would you add?

If you are an independent consultant and have been for a while, what advice do you have? What can expect in the months ahead?

If you have been considering going independent, do these takeaways motivate you or leave you more fearful? What questions do you have?

I look forward to continuing to share my journey with you!