After 12 years, three critical pivots, hundreds of clients, and countless projects, I now call myself a consultant — confidently. However, when I began this journey, I faced uncertainties that come with any authentic endeavor. The goal seemed simple — establish a consultancy. But beneath that simplicity lay deeper questions: How do I find clients? Where do I start amid so much ambiguity? More than just practicalities, I had to grapple with a fundamental question: Who am I in this role, and how do I bring my vision to life?
The trials I encountered were numerous and varied:
- No Reputation: My standing was that of an unknown entity—no industry contacts, no significant networks beyond a handful of friends.
- Impostor Syndrome: I had no idea what I was doing, so it's no wonder I felt inadequate in those early days. Was I truly capable of guiding others?
- Unclear Vision: My ideas lacked form and I had nothing to show what they meant either... no websites, no marketing material... just concepts in my head!
- Practical Steps: I had no idea of where I should begin: register a company? Build a website? What do I even call the consultancy? I was overwhelmed here.
- Fear of Selling: The notion of selling my services felt inauthentic and dissonant with my pesronality. I don't like sales people and expect others wouldn't like it either.
- Uncertainty About Delivery: Even in the hypothetical scenario where I secured clients, the question remained—how would I actually deliver the work?
The Step-by-Step Approach
The journey towards clarity is iterative. To overcome these barriers, I embarked on what I term "50 Conversations to Launch Your Consultancy." This was not merely a pragmatic exercise, but a deeper personal exploration—a way to refine my understanding of myself through feedback and engagement with others. The process was as follows:
- 10x Best Friends & Family: Begin with those who love you unconditionally. These are individuals who provide the psychological safety necessary for the first articulation of your vision. At this stage, you simply speak—imperfectly, experimentally, but honestly.
- 10x Friends: Extend outward to friends who know you, but with whom there is a slight distance. Their questions help expose the fractures in your reasoning, and their honest curiosity allows you to refine your approach.
- 10x Acquaintances: Share your vision with acquaintances. Here, you start to identify the questions that commonly arise, the areas that require clarity, and the moments when your ideas resonate.
- 10x Strangers: Now comes the challenging phase—engaging strangers. Their unbiased skepticism will test and strengthen your ideas. Attend events, meetups, conferences—anywhere to share your vision openly.
- 10x Targeted Customers: Finally, focus on targeted individuals who might be prospective clients. The objective here is to qualify interest, address objections, and sculpt your vision into something of value to others.
The First Breakthrough
That first client actually was a referral, emerging from one of the earliest conversations, as I introduced my idea for Let's Make Great! to a good friend. The pivotal moment came through one such conversation, a referral to New York University, which was not merely a professional opportunity—it was deeply symbolic. NYU was the university I grew up aspiring to attend but not having been accepted -- it felt almost like a sign of hope. It was a kind of foundational milestone for this new chapter of my journey.
Building Momentum
Momentum truly began to accelerate as I immersed myself in Shanghai's entrepreneurial ecosystem. The growth was gradual—built on the steady accumulation of small wins. By consistently sharing my vision, refining my message, and iterating on my approach, I began attracting more clients and collaborators. Each workshop I facilitated, each event I attended, and each conversation I had contributed incrementally to my growing reputation. These experiences validated my role as an advisor and helped me carve out a distinct niche.
Step by step, the invitations to speak grew more frequent, the stages became larger, and my connections within the community deepened. This period of growth was nonetheless built on a foundation of gradual progress—fueled by a willingness to be visible, to share openly, and to embrace both success and failure as part of the process. I realized that my greatest value lay not in having all the answers but as someone who could support others in their creative journeys, helping them navigate complexity and pursue meaningful progress.
Distilling the Experience
This journey has not merely been about survival—it has been about the search for enduring principles. Here, then, are ten philosophical tenets that emerged from this process, each one an echo of my own experience:
10 Principles to Launch Your Consultancy
- Leverage Your Network: Start by reaching out to those closest to you. Your network is your first line of offense, offering both psychological safety and invaluable feedback.
- Old You vs New You: Transformation involves reconciling who you were with who you are becoming. The people who knew the "old you" must be shown the path you are walking towards the "new you."
- It’s a Conversation, Not a Pitch: Authenticity lies in dialogue. Pitching was a selfish imposition but to converse was a natural exchange. Understanding arises when we truly listen.
- Tune your ears: Every question, response, and critique was feedback... insight into what the listener actually wanted, or insight to how you communicated your vision. Each valuable.
- Integrate What You Hear: All feedback, all questions, all critiques—these are gifts. They provide insights into what resonates and what requires further clarity.
- Find Your Hook: Distill the essence of your purpose into something that evokes curiosity—a magnetic entry point that captures the imagination.
- Iterate on Your Value Proposition: Meaning is rarely fixed; it evolves. Continuously refine your articulation until it resonates clearly, with both simplicity and depth.
- Active Lead Generation as Inquiry: Engaging others is not a sales tactic—it is an exploration. Meet people, share your vision, inquire into theirs, and watch as reciprocal curiosity leads to opportunities.
- Build Gradually: Growth, like all natural phenomena, is incremental. Expand your pitch step-by-step, evolving outward from the known to the unknown.
- This is Your First Draft: There is no final version of your message, only continuous drafts. Each conversation is a laboratory in which new versions are tested.
Bonus:
Persistence as Commitment: To persist is not merely to endure; it is a commitment to the process of becoming. It is the daily choice to affirm your path, even when the outcome remains uncertain. This means removing options and distractions that stray from your vision. More importnatly, it also means continuing to produce work and take action towards the building of that vision.
The Power of Sharing
Take ownership. No one can convey the essence of your business better than you, because no one understands your vision, passion, and purpose quite like you do. Your unique journey, filled with it's weird insights and lived experiences, is what gives authenticity and resonance to your message.
Every interaction, every workshop, and every seemingly mundane conversation served as a mirror. Each reflection offered me the opportunity to see myself more clearly, to articulate more honestly, and to refine with greater precision. Eventually, I came to realize that my greatest value lay in being a "thinking partner for thoughtful founders"—a phrase that captured both the essence of what I do and who I aspire to be.
Taking Action
To embrace these principles is to engage in an ongoing process of becoming. Here is a practical way to start:
- List your first 20 people: who can you share your vision with?
- Reach Out: Share your vision and do it in person if possible -- that initial feedback (and relief) is irreplacable
- Listen Actively: In every one of their questions and responses is insight, into what was unclear about the pitch, what they actually wanted, and how you might realize the idea
- Refine Your Message: Develop your pitch based on those insights, continually evolving and adapting to each different audience
- Repeat: Expand your circle and embrace the unknown.
Beyond the Consultancy
So much of this journey of entrepreneurship was ultimately about personal transformation for me. It was the movement from abstract idea to concrete action, from a cloud of nebulous ideas to an articulated reality. See this moment now as an invitation to engage—to embrace the messiness, the uncertainty, and the beauty of bringing forth something meaningful into the world.
Remember that the essence of what we do is not encapsulated in a polished pitch or a perfect plan. It is found in the energy we bring, the authenticity we live, and the connections we make. People may forget the specifics of your words, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
So step out. Share your vision. Engage in the dialogue. Refine, grow, and, most of all, remain open to the journey that lies ahead.
Brian Tam
-Thinking partner for thoughtful founders
This article was based on the original workshop 'Meeting the Road,' created for HISH — a community dedicated to helping professionals achieve career freedom. First delivered on April 18th, 2024.