Types of Consulting That Pay in 2024

Are you searching for ways to utilize your years of expertise and experience in a particular subject without committing to a full-time contract with one company?

Have you considered consulting?

When many people hear the term “consulting,” they think of marketing consulting, but in truth, there are many different ways that you can consult in your field of expertise.

Here, we will look at the different types of consulting available to you to help you decide which area you would like to become an expert in.

Short on time? Here are the headlines

Consulting provides you with a career full of new experiences and challenges and is a perfect option for problem-solvers.
If you are a specialist in something, chances are there’s a business out there that needs your expertise.
You can watch our digital agency masterclass for free to help you get your consultancy off the ground.

What Is Consulting?

Are you an expert on a particular product or service? Perhaps you have the ability to solve specific problems a business may face or offer guidance to help them make informed decisions on important topics.

If so, you could be the perfect fit for consultancy work.

Consultancy consists of using this expertise and insight to provide support during challenges, help develop strategies, and advise on decisions.

Essentially, when a business needs to do something and doesn’t know how they call in the consultants. It’s a little bit like being a Marvel superhero for the business world without the disappointing TV spin-off shows.

Nonetheless, consultants are superheroes in their field of expertise, flying in and saving the day when needed, helping those less experienced in a particular topic thrive.

Plus, when you choose a niche you are truly an expert in, the rewards can be greater than if you were a full-time employee.

Just don’t expect to get paid as much as Robert Downey Jr.

Keep Learning: How Much Do Consultants Make? Get Ready to Consult.

9 Consulting Ideas for You to Consider

Now we have a better grasp on the concept of consulting, let’s take a look at a nine consulting ideas you might want to consider.

1. AI Consulting

With the rise in AI, there is a growing fear that this could be the beginning of sweeping layoffs and a potential artificial intelligence world takeover.

But let’s put a pin in that one for now and focus on the positives!

AI, in its current iteration, has actually opened many doors for consultancy opportunities. Whether it be consulting businesses on how they can implement different aspects of AI into their marketing strategy, how to use AI to provide improved customer support, or even teaching brands how to use AI for app-building or data security, the possibilities are endless.

As a consultant, you are required to stay more up-to-date than the equivalently skilled workers who are in full-time positions.

Because for many full-time employees, change is scary, requires extra work, and disrupts their comfort.

But for you, change is essential to provide value to your clients. While you could see that as a negative, you shouldn’t. It means you likely already know ways more about AI’s capabilities (and current limitations) than many businesses, making your information valuable.

And what does valuable information bring? High-paying clients.

Want to get yourself up to speed on all things AI? Join our AI-infused ecom course now.

2. IT/Tech consultant

If there’s one thing many managers do not understand, it’s technology. Sure, they may have a grasp on the basics, but good management can identify when there is a tech shortage in the business and often seek out an expert to help fill the gap.

If you are trained to a high level in IT, you could easily use your skillset to help out companies that lack the infrastructure to tackle tech issues.

3. HR consultant

Many companies struggle to implement good processes, policies, and practices on their own, and frankly, they don’t have time to.

However, without a happy and productive workforce, any business is doomed to fail. High staff turnover can be incredibly expensive, and if there’s one thing businesses across any industry don’t like, it’s high costs.

As an HR consultant, you will have free reign to implement effective policies, flex your people skills and test yourself with new complex working relationship dilemmas.

4. Strategy consultant

Are you passionate about planning? Are you the type of person who likes to plan holiday time down to the minute before you go away? Is a fun night in for you planning what you’re going to do tomorrow?

Okay, you don’t need to live and breathe planning quite that much, but if you do find a job creating plans and strategies to achieve objectives, a strategy consultant could help scratch that itch and get you paid at the same time.

It’ll also justify all those binders you’ve got saved in your Amazon basket (good ol’ business expenses).

5. Design/branding consultant

If meticulous planning isn’t your cup of tea, and instead, you prefer to work in a much more visual style, you might consider consulting in design or branding instead.

There aren’t many businesses now that can compete without an online presence, and those websites and marketing collateral aren’t going to design themselves, are they? (don’t worry, AI still can’t do fingers properly).

As a branding consultant, you will have a direct influence on the image of companies, helping shape their future by choosing the perfect complimentary colors and fonts.

6. Sales consultant

Having a stunning brand and happy workforce is all well and good, but ultimately, every business needs to make a profit!And how do they do that? By making sales.

Clients hire sales consultants if they’re finding it tough to make a mark in their field, to train up their current sales team, or to build out a sales technique that their team can use going forwards.

As sales are such a vital aspect of any business, you can expect to be remunerated handsomely for successful consulting in this field.

7. Ecommerce consultant

It is now easier than ever for people to set up their own ecommerce brand. Thanks to rapid developments in technology, all you need is to set up a branded website, organize your supplier, and start marketing your product or service.

And while it is a huge positive for entrepreneurs that the barrier to entry has dropped significantly, it has also made the space much more competitive than it ever used to be. As a result, many exommerce brands are on the hunt for an experienced exommerce Wizard (if that isn’t your title on LinkedIn, it should be) to come in and take their brand to the next level.

If you have experience in the field of ecommerce, consultancy could be the way forward.

8. Management consultant

Management consultants are often tasked with problem-solving, helping businesses fix issues with leadership. The term “marketing consultant” tends to have a wide reach, and the day-to-day role can differ greatly depending on the company’s requirements.

The benefits of working as a management consultant are that you can come into situations with impartiality and help brands move forward with a much better structure in place. If you have plenty of management experience and you like the challenge of managing different personalities and company structures, this could be a great option for you.

9. Marketing consultant

We’ve actually already covered this form of consulting in much greater detail in a previous article. You can check it out here.

Frequently Asked Questions About Types of Consulting

Keep Learning: How to Get a Consulting Job in 6 Steps

Ready to Consult? Now You Need Clients.

When it comes to starting a consultant business, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you realize just how many things there are to do. And most importantly, you need clients to build momentum.

Let us clear the brain fog for you with our free consulting lead generation masterclass.