Two years ago, I intentionally stepped out of a corporate role and into consulting (and still don’t like this word). The time felt right. I’ve always had FOMO being one of the few among 9 kids who did not go the self-employed route.
The upside has been real.
Better control of time. Broader exposure. I’ve worked with early-stage brands, established businesses, well-capitalized ventures, and companies running on fumes. Fewer meetings. More time spent on actual problems. When you see enough companies in a short period, patterns start to repeat.
A few that show up consistently:
* The strongest leaders want to be challenged. They don’t look for validation. You can usually tell in the first conversation whether they’re an operator or a builder. The former is usually a sign they want you to ask, "Would you like fries with that Sir?"
* Getting into a distributor or landing accounts feels like momentum, and plans around pull-through often get lost; otherwise, it’s inventory waiting to come back.
* New SKUs. New channels. New ideas. Expansion feels productive. Focus doesn’t. The businesses that scale pick fewer priorities and execute them well.
* Brand matters. Culture matters. But pricing, margins, and execution determine survival. At some point, the numbers catch up. Case in point, some start-ups become obsessed with design and often forget there's so much work to do thereafter until they realize their design is driving strategy vs the other way around.
There are trade-offs.
Healthcare outside a corporate structure is a “#nocomment” and am tempted to write a blog on this subject alone. Chasing invoices is part of the job. Capital raising is often necessary, but it’s a different discipline. I’m frequently asked to tap my network to do a raise, but that’s not a role I take on.
And one thing people don’t talk about much is: it can be lonely. Inside a company, you’re part of the daily rhythm. The pressure, the wins, the momentum, the systems. Consulting is different. You help solve, then move on. You don’t always stay to see how it plays out.
What this period clarified for me isn’t independence versus employment. It’s impact. I care about alignment between brand and commercial reality, between distribution and pull-through, between ambition and discipline.
I gravitate to those with shared values, and work where outcomes matter. Where decisions carry weight. Where execution is measured, not just discussed.
Stepping outside the building has made me better. Every path has trade-offs, but in the end, its results that matter.
