Yes — and the market for independent senior consultants is large and active across most developed economies. There are no licensing requirements for the vast majority of business consulting disciplines, and the structural basics — registering a business, opening a business account, straightforward contracting — are simple to arrange almost anywhere. The challenge is not legal or structural. It is positioning: most senior professionals leaving corporate roles underestimate the commercial value of what they know and struggle to articulate their offer clearly enough to attract clients at the fees their experience genuinely commands. That is exactly what Expertise Decoded is built to solve.

The market rewards specialisation over generalism. Generalist consultants compete on price. Specialists compete on expertise — and expertise commands dramatically higher fees. The starting point is identifying the specific, recurring problems you have solved across your career — not the sectors you worked in or the titles you held, but the actual challenges you navigated and the outcomes you delivered. Once those problems are named clearly, they become the foundation of an offer that buyers recognise and value. This is the work most people get stuck on, and it is precisely what Expertise Decoded is designed to do — quickly and specifically.

These are four distinct ways to sell senior expertise, and most independent professionals end up combining several. Consulting means being paid to solve a defined problem or deliver a specific outcome for an organisation. Coaching means developing an individual leader or team over time, focused on their growth rather than a deliverable. Advisory and board work means lending your judgement on a recurring basis — sitting alongside decision-makers rather than executing the work yourself. Fractional roles mean taking a part-time leadership seat — effectively being a CFO, COO or CMO for a set number of days a month. The right mix depends on how you prefer to work and what your expertise is worth to each type of buyer.

No — and the evidence strongly supports this. The consulting and advisory market is heavily experience-weighted. Clients are paying for judgement, pattern recognition and the kind of credibility that only comes from having navigated real situations at scale. Professionals in their 50s and 60s are consistently among the most sought-after independent advisors precisely because they bring what younger consultants cannot replicate. As an independent you are also stepping entirely outside traditional employment structures — which means age-related hiring biases that exist in the corporate world become largely irrelevant. Your track record is your advantage.

Rates vary widely by region, but the structure is consistent everywhere. Senior independents typically price work in four ways: a day rate for project and advisory work; a monthly retainer that bundles a set number of days; a fractional C-suite arrangement that secures a recurring multi-day commitment each month; and a full-programme fee for executive coaching engagements. Within each, the higher end is commanded by those solving the most complex, high-stakes problems. The primary driver of your rate is not experience alone — it is how clearly and specifically you have positioned your offer. Vague generalists get negotiated down; specific specialists set the price.

There is no single best model — the strongest independents build a portfolio of several. Strategy and management consulting — selling your analytical frameworks and problem-solving capacity directly to organisations — is the most traditional route. Executive coaching has grown rapidly as senior leaders increasingly invest in their own development. Fractional C-suite roles — part-time CFO, COO or CMO positions — have become a mainstream way for growing organisations to access senior leadership without the full-time cost. Independent board and advisory seats offer recurring income with flexible time commitments and carry real professional status. The right combination depends on your expertise, your appetite for delivery versus oversight, and how you want to spend your time.

Your first client almost always comes from your existing network — former colleagues, managers, direct reports, clients or contacts who already know your work and your reputation. The most common mistake new independents make is waiting until everything is perfectly set up before telling anyone what they are doing. You do not need a finished website, a polished pitch or a reworked LinkedIn profile before you start. Tell ten people in your network what you are now doing and the kinds of problems you solve. One of them will know someone who needs exactly that. Referrals and reputation, not cold outreach, are what build a senior independent practice.

Replacing a full corporate income usually takes between six and eighteen months, depending on your target market, fee level and how consistently you pursue opportunities. The single biggest variable is how clearly you have articulated what you are selling. Vague descriptions of broad experience produce long, slow sales cycles. Specific, well-positioned offers produce faster decisions from better clients. Getting to that level of clarity in under three minutes is exactly what Expertise Decoded delivers.