Become an Independent Consultant
Turn Your Experience Into Your Next Career
You've spent 20, 25, perhaps 30 years building expertise. What if your next career wasn't another full-time job? The Second Act Consultant™ is an 8-week coached professional development program from CommandPoint Consulting designed for experienced professionals, managers and executives who want to turn their knowledge and experience into a successful independent consulting practice. This isn't about starting over. It's about learning how to sell the experience you already have.
The Second Act Consultant™ | CommandPoint Certificate in Independent Consulting Practice
8 Weeks | Live Coaching | Practical Assignments | Final Assessment | Certificate
Who Is This Program For?
The program is designed primarily for experienced professionals with approximately 15+ years of career experience who are considering independent consulting or have recently started consulting. It may be particularly valuable for senior managers, directors, executives, project managers, IT professionals, engineers, and specialists in finance, defence, and the public sector. You don't need to have a business today; you need experience that organizations may be willing to pay for.
What You'll Learn
1. Is Independent Consulting Right for You?
Before leaving a successful career, determine whether consulting actually makes sense for your financial situation, lifestyle and professional goals. Outcome: Your personal Consulting Readiness Assessment.
2. Discover What Your Experience Is Worth
We'll identify your marketable expertise, ideal clients, niche, value proposition, and realistic market rate. Outcome: Your Consulting Positioning Statement.
3. Build Your Consulting Business Model
Learn how independent consulting actually works financially: rates, comparisons, recruiter margins, and building financial reserves. Outcome: Your 12-Month Consulting Business Model.
4. Avoid the Financial & CRA Traps
Module introduces critical disciplines: corporate money, GST/HST, tax reserves, and cash-flow planning. Outcome: Your Consultant Financial-Control Checklist.
5. Position Yourself as a Consultant — Not a Job Applicant
Work on résumé positioning, LinkedIn credibility, and communicating outcomes rather than responsibilities. Outcome: Your Consultant Professional Profile.
6. Find Consulting Opportunities
Learn how the marketplace actually works: recruiter relationships, direct clients, and networking. Outcome: Your 90-Day Client Acquisition Plan.
7. Rates, Recruiters & Negotiation
Approach target rates, professional negotiation, evaluating contract terms and recruiter margins. Outcome: Your Rate & Contract Decision Framework.
8. Build Your Second Act
Develop longer-term strategies for independence, location flexibility, and a sustainable consulting practice. Outcome: Your Independent Consulting Roadmap.
Executive Coaching Is Built Into the Program
Leaving the identity of a long-term professional career can involve uncertainty. Candidates aren't simply given information; they're coached through the decisions involved in designing their next professional chapter.
Your Final Capstone
Candidates complete a practical Independent Consulting Business Plan demonstrating their ability to apply what they've learned, covering niche, rates, revenue models, financial controls, and a 12-month roadmap.
Earn Your Certificate
Successful graduates receive the CommandPoint Certificate in Independent Consulting Practice, including a digital certificate, individual ID, and records of professional development hours. (Note: This is a professional-development credential, not a government-regulated designation.)
Program Format
- Duration: 8 weeks / ~30 PD hours
- Time Commitment: 3-5 hours per week
- Method: Structured learning, live coaching, real-world templates and scenarios
Program Investment
Founding Cohort: $1,995 CAD + taxes. Limited size to provide high-level direct coaching. Price expected to increase for future cohorts. Includes all materials, tools, and final assessment.
Not Sure Whether Consulting Is Right for You?
Independent Consulting Readiness Assessment
90 Minutes | $495 CAD + taxes. Leave with a clear recommendation on whether independent consulting is your best move. Fee applies toward full tuition if you proceed within 30 days.
Why CommandPoint?
The Second Act Consultant™ isn't a textbook course; it grew from real-world experience building an independent consulting business. We're not teaching you how to invent a startup; we're teaching you how to turn the career you've already built into a business.
Ready to Find Out What Your Experience Could Be Worth?
The Second Act Consultant™
Turn your experience into independence.