Corporate to Consulting: What’s REALLY Different for HR Professionals

The five biggest shifts when making the leap from corporate HR to independent consulting

Are you considering leaving corporate HR for a more flexible and rewarding career? You’re not alone. Many senior HR professionals are exploring how to become an HR consultant as a way to take control of their time, income, and career direction.

But while the rewards of HR consulting are significant, the shift from corporate to consulting is much bigger than simply changing job titles. It’s a complete change in mindset, skillset, and daily reality.

After supporting over 250 HR professionals in making this HR consulting career change, here are the five key differences you need to prepare for.

1. From Employee Mindset to Entrepreneur Mindset

In corporate HR, your responsibilities are defined by the organisation. In consulting, you define your role, goals, and client base.

• You are 100% accountable for your income.

• Every decision,from pricing your HR consulting services to choosing your clients,rests with you.

• You create your own career path (no HR job ladder to climb).

This is the core of a successful transition to HR consulting,embracing ownership of both your business and your results.

2. From Salary to Self-Generated Revenue

One of the biggest changes when leaving corporate HR is moving from a guaranteed monthly salary to generating your own income.

That means:

• Learning how to price HR consulting services for profit.

• Understanding cash flow management.

• Building multiple income streams such as project work, retainers, and online products.

With the right approach, you can create financial stability that’s not dependent on one employer.

3. From Specialised Role to Multi-Hat Operator

In corporate HR, you might specialise in L&D, employee relations, or recruitment. As an independent consultant, you’ll initially wear many hats:

• HR expert

• Marketer

• Salesperson

• Business owner

• Finance manager

Knowing enough to get started is key.and then outsourcing strategically as your HR consultancy grows.

4. From Office Politics to Client Politics

One reason HR professionals leave corporate life is to escape office politics. But as a consultant, you’ll still navigate human dynamics, just in a different way.

You’ll need to quickly understand client culture, manage multiple stakeholders, and deliver results while maintaining strong relationships.

5. From Fixed Hours to Flexible Freedom

One of the top reasons for a career change to HR consulting is flexibility. You choose your working hours, where you work, and how you balance life and business.

But flexibility comes with responsibility:

• Self-management to stay productive.

• Setting boundaries to avoid burnout.

• Planning for holidays without paid leave.

Final Thoughts: Is the Leap Right for You?

Making the leap from corporate HR to consulting is more than a career move,it’s a lifestyle change. It offers freedom, control, and financial potential, but also requires self-discipline, resilience, and business skills.

If you’re ready to explore your own corporate to consulting journey, my book Leap into HR Consulting® and our Corporate to Consulting Programme give you the tools, strategies, and confidence to succeed.

We also run regular webinars - How to Succeed as A Consultant and have a podcast .

We look forward to seeing you on your consulting journey,

Sarah & the team

 

 

If you're an HR professional with ADHD, you might be wondering whether running your own consultancy is realistic or even possible.

You may have heard you’re too distracted, too forgetful, or not structured enough for business ownership. But here’s the truth: your ADHD could actually be your superpower in the world of HR consulting.

In this blog, we explore how ADHD presents both strengths and challenges and how you can build a thriving, flexible consultancy that plays to your natural talents.

I have only just been assessed with severe ADHD and Dyslexia and this makes my corporate struggles now make sense.

The Unique Strengths ADHD Brings to HR Consulting

Running a successful HR consultancy requires strategic thinking, empathy, problem-solving, and resilience all areas where many people with ADHD excel.

1. Big Picture Thinking & Creative Solutions

Many ADHD professionals are natural visionaries. You see connections others don’t and can quickly devise innovative solutions to complex people issues a key asset in consultancy.

2. Empathy & Intuition

You may have strong emotional intelligence, allowing you to connect with clients and their teams on a deeper level. This makes you a trusted partner during periods of change or challenge.

3. Passion-Led Hyperfocus

When you’re working on something that truly matters to you, you can enter a state of deep focus—producing exceptional work that makes a lasting impact for clients.

4. Agility & Resilience

Living with ADHD means you've likely learned how to adapt and bounce back from setbacks. These traits are vital when you're growing a business or navigating shifting client needs.

5. High Energy & Vision

Your natural enthusiasm and drive can be contagious. This energy, when channelled strategically, can fuel powerful business momentum and build strong client relationships.

The Challenges and How to Manage Them as a Consultant

While ADHD brings many strengths, it can also present obstacles. The good news? As a consultant, you have the autonomy to build systems and routines that support how your brain works best.

1. Overwhelm & Executive Dysfunction

Solution: Use visual project tools like Trello or ClickUp to break work into bite-sized tasks. A Virtual Assistant can help manage your calendar, inbox, and reminders.

2. Distractions & Idea Overload

Solution: Limit your goals to one or two priorities per quarter. Regular check-ins with a mentor or accountability group can help you stay focused.

3. Time Blindness & Missed Deadlines

Solution: Use alarms, countdown timers, and automated tools. Block time in your calendar for specific tasks—especially follow-ups and invoicing.

4. Perfectionism & Imposter Syndrome

Solution: Launch before you’re ready. Clients value your knowledge and impact, not perfection. Keep a “feedback folder” with testimonials and success stories for a confidence boost.

5. Burnout & Overcommitment

Solution: Build a sustainable model with clear boundaries. Retainers, project-based work, and a strong onboarding process help reduce the energy drain of chasing new work.

Why Consultancy Can Work Brilliantly for ADHD Brains

In a traditional HR role, you’re expected to fit into fixed structures and rigid schedules. Consultancy offers the exact opposite:

• Flexible working hours and environments

• Client work that aligns with your strengths and interests

• Opportunities to focus on strategy and transformation—not just admin

• Freedom to create systems that work for you, not against you

Whether you’re just starting to consider a move away from corporate life, or you’re ready to take the leap, the consulting world can be an empowering fit for neurodivergent professionals—especially those looking to make a bigger impact on their terms.

Final Thoughts: ADHD Isn’t a Limitation - It’s a Catalyst

Being an HR professional with ADHD isn’t a reason to doubt yourself. It’s a reason to reimagine your future.

You don’t need to fit a traditional mould to succeed. In fact, your unique wiring could be the very reason your future clients choose you.

Ready to Explore What Consulting Could Look Like for You?

At Leap into HR Consulting®, we’ve helped hundreds of HR professionals including many with ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence build successful, flexible businesses that work for them.

 Book a discovery call to explore how we can support your journey.

 Or join us for our next webinar "How to Become a Successful Consultant"

 

 

 

Why Now Is the Time to Plan Your HR Consulting Career for 2026

Every summer, senior HR professionals across the UK and beyond face the same challenge: the great juggle. You're managing employee relations, navigating change, and sitting on leadership teams,while simultaneously sorting childcare, summer clubs, family holidays, and everything in between.

If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone.

Summer often magnifies the imbalance many HR leaders feel between their professional commitments and personal priorities. And for many, this becomes a tipping point,a moment to ask:

• Is this really how I want to spend every summer?

• What would my life look like if I worked for myself instead of someone else?

• Is now the time to start planning a career change?

If these thoughts resonate, now is the perfect time to explore what a future in HR consulting could look like in 2026.

Why Senior HR Professionals Are Making the Leap Into HR Consulting®

HR consulting offers the freedom and flexibility that many in-house roles simply can’t. More than 250 professionals have already launched successful HR consultancies with the support of our award-winning Leap Into HR Consulting® Bootcamp - and many of them were working parents who wanted to reclaim control over their time.

By transitioning into consulting, our Bootcampers have gone on to:

• Replace (and often exceed) their corporate income

• Build businesses around their families and personal priorities

• Work with clients they choose and truly align with

• Speak at events, chair CIPD branches, and gain industry recognition

• Enjoy a better quality of life without sacrificing professional impact

What Is the Leap Into HR Consulting® Bootcamp?

Our internationally CPD-accredited HR Consultants Bootcamp is a 6-week, fully online programme designed for senior HR and People professionals ready to leave the corporate world.

You'll be guided through a proven framework built around the 5C’s Model:

1. Confidence – Gain belief in your skills, strengths, and value

2. Clarity – Define your niche, services, and ideal client base

3. Credibility – Build your personal brand and presence

4. Collaboration – Discover powerful partners and business tools

5. Courage – Learn to price, pitch, and promote your business

6. Launch – Step-by-step guidance to open your consultancy doors

With access to weekly live coaching, private peer communities, and 12 months of learning resources, you'll build not just a business, but the mindset to succeed.

Why 2025 Is the Best Year to Prepare for a 2026 Launch

Planning your exit from corporate HR doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, support, and structure which is exactly what our Bootcamp provides.

Most of our participants go from corporate to consultant in 12 weeks, and we have new cohorts starting in September  and November 2025.

That means if you start planning now, you could be running your own HR consultancy in time for next summer, on your terms.

So instead of dreading next year’s summer holidays, you could be:

• Working flexibly from home (or even abroad!)

• Managing your own schedule around your children

• Doing meaningful work with clients you love

• Finally achieving the work-life balance you’ve dreamed of

Is It Time to Put Yourself First?

If you're feeling burned out, stuck, or simply curious about what life could be like as an independent HR consultant this is your sign to take action.

You can learn more about the programme and book a free discovery call with me, Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD, right here:

 https://www.leapintoconsulting.com

Or go straight to booking a call:
 https://calendly.com/sarahhg-ghr/discovery

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let Another Summer Slip By

You don’t need to wait until you burn out to make a change. Start planning now, and by this time next year, you could be working for you with a business that fits around your life, not the other way around.

 

Let 2025 be your year of preparation.

Make 2026 the year you become your own boss.