If your Sunday evenings feel like you’re trudging through wet concrete, you’re not alone. I spent years watching talented colleagues (myself included) trade autonomy and meaning for a payslip that barely covered the cost of burnout. But 2025 is handing us a rare, time‑boxed invitation to flip the script and build the consultancy careers we keep sketching on coffee‑shop napkins.

Below, I’ll unpack the market forces reshaping work, share the exact questions that moved me from burnt‑out employee to independent programme‑management consultant, and lay out a roadmap you can action this quarter, not “someday.”

1. The Cracks in the Corporate Ladder (and Why They’re Your Launchpad)

Problem
Quiet‑quitting, toxic leadership, and AI‑driven redundancies are no longer fringe issues; they’re structural. A recent chat with my cousin confirmed what I’m hearing within my professional network: fulfillment scores are very low on meaning, learning, achievement, and joy. My coaching mentor taught me that when those four pillars wobble, the ladder you’re climbing becomes a sinking ship.

Action
In situations like this I’ve previously ran a brutally honest alignment audit: four categories, scored 1-10. Anything under a six, flagged a misalignment. Seeing “4” next to joy in one of my previous roles jolted me into action.

Result
As an example, during my time as a commissioning officer, I strategically repositioned myself as a cross-functional project lead, building expertise in contracts, digital transformation, and performance management; all skills that would later form strong elements of my consultancy offer.

What’s your lowest pillar score, and how long are you willing to ignore it?

2. Market Shifts You Can Monetise

AI and Automation

Claude writing code in 30 seconds isn’t science fiction; it’s procurement reality. Partners at big consultancies are spinning out boutique firms precisely because smaller outfits can adopt tech faster and bill leaner.

SME‑Friendly Procurement Rules

The UK’s 2023 reform unlocked government frameworks for small‑to‑medium consultancies. It says the following on the government website:

On 24 February 2025 new rules governing public procurement came into force. The Procurement Act 2023 will improve the way procurement is done, so that every pound goes further for our public services.

Translation: You can bid and win contracts that were once ring‑fenced for the Big Four.

Rising Consultancy Spend

Public‑sector consultancy budgets have climbed yearly since 2017. When government buyers feel the pressure to deliver change at pace, independents with niche expertise trump bloated teams every time.

Use ChatGPT or Perplexity to surface live tenders in your niche and Toggl or Notion to track how long each bid task really takes. Data beats gut feel.

3. Four Questions That Shape a Six‑Figure Offer

Before drafting a logo or splashing out on a website, answer these with ruthless clarity:

1. What exact problem am I solving?
   Mine: stalled digital‑health programmes struggling with governance and delivery pace.
   
2. Who, specifically, owns that pain?
   Think hiring manager persona: NHS programme directors juggling political pressure and legacy tech.
   
3. How do I solve it better or faster?
   My MSP‑lite framework blends PRINCE2 structure with Agile cadences for quick wins without bureaucracy bloat.
   
4. How will I articulate that value?
   Use the PAR Model in every CV bullet and sales call: Problem → Action → Result.
   
   
   “Inherited a £3.5m national health data programme mid-transition (Problem). Restructured governance, instituted 2‑week sprint reviews, re-aligned priorities, strengthened reporting, and secured direct engagement with NHSE funders (Action). Delivered business case approval, closed 95% of critical risks, and secured £500k interim funding to enable BAU transition (Result).”

If you can’t express similar proof, run a pilot for free or at cost to collect hard data, then raise your rates.

4. Test Before You Leap

I spent evenings packaging a Minimum Viable Service:

• One problem: Recovery of derailed programmes.
  
• One ideal client: Health‑sector PMOs with £1–5 m portfolios.
  
• One promise: “Stabilise in 30 days or your day‑rate back.”

And to be frank, these tests were done during my permanent role as a Commissioning Officer. I didn’t know it, but my pursuit to grow and learn helped me test my offer centred around process and performance improvement within an NHS or public sector digital transformation environment.

This created a solid foundation for conversations I had with colleagues who introduced me to recruiting agents. All because I:

1. Shared my lessons, testimonials and case studies via LinkedIn
2. And spoke to my experiences with expertise.

Seasonality matters

Hiring spikes: Late Jan to May and late Sep to early Dec. The July to Aug lull is perfect for networking and content, not quitting without the pipeline. These are hard truths but patterns I’ve noticed aligned to the economic cycles.

5. The Real Cost of Waiting

Imagine you land a six‑month outside‑IR35 contract at £1,000/day. As an example, after a 33 % tax buffer and the odd sick day or holiday, that’s roughly £ 80,000 banked. Delay six months and you’re potentially waving goodbye to the same figure; money that could underwrite marketing, up‑skilling, or buffer everyone on TikTok brags about.

When you run the math on a spreadsheet, despite the possible cons, you realize postponing exploring these contract opportunities is effectively paying your employer £80k for security that feels increasingly fictional.

Bonus Tip: Own a Niche, Not a Job Title

The broader the label, consultant, project manager, strategist, the sharper the race to the bottom on price. Flip it:

“I rescue multi‑million‑pound health‑tech programmes stuck at amber/red and hand them back green in 90 days.”

Specificity accelerates referrals because stakeholders can instantly recall who fixes what. You may but talk like this, and you don’t have to, it’s more how your mindset translates into money behaviours.

Conclusion

Corporate cracks aren’t just widening; they’re signalling a once‑in‑a‑decade redistribution of opportunity. If your alignment audit flashes red, if AI is scooping chunks of your role, and if procurement doors are swinging open, it’s time to step through them as an independent.

Key takeaways:

1. Score your role on meaning, learning, achievement, joy; act on any score ‹6.
2. Surf the macro‑waves: AI acceleration, SME procurement access, rising consultancy spend.
3. Answer the four‑question litmus test before branding anything.
4. Validate with a Minimum Viable Service while still being salaried (even if it’s in your workplace and done for free).
5. Calculate opportunity cost, seeing £ 80k on the line sharpens decisions.

Which of the four offer‑design questions is your sticking point right now? 

Feel free to reach out. Let’s unstick it together.

Understand, reach, and expand. Peace.