When I became a consultant in 1994, I wasn’t looking for an easier life.

I was looking for a life that could flex when I needed it to.

As a single parent raising two boys, I spent many years juggling clients, deadlines, childcare and the responsibility of creating a secure future for my family. After one caesarean, I took just two weeks off. Looking back, that says as much about the pressure I placed on myself as it does about my determination.

  

What Consulting Gave Me That Corporate Never Did

Consulting gave me something I would never have had in a traditional corporate HR role. It gave me more control over what I did, when I did it and how I organised my life around my children.

Was it total flexibility? No.

Clients still had expectations. There were deadlines to meet, promises to keep and times when the business had to come first. I also needed support around me, including a team and, when the boys were young, an au pair. I have never been ashamed of that. Building a successful business does not mean doing everything yourself.

Over time, I built a consultancy that turned over £1 million a year while raising two young children. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible. 

Flexibility Changes as Your Life Changes

My need for flexibility changed as my life changed.

When the boys were younger, flexibility meant being able to support them and provide for them. Later, it meant protecting my health, managing my energy and creating space for the people and experiences that mattered to me.

For almost 40 years, I dreamed of living in Corfu. Consulting eventually made that possible. 

A Desk on a Balcony in Corfu

Today, my office can be a desk on my balcony overlooking the sea. My team works remotely across the UK and Greece. I can work when my energy is at its best, travel between countries and take a Friday to go sailing, walk in the mountains or head out with my camera.

I have built a business that travels with me.

That, to me, is the real gift of consulting.

It's Not About the Hours, It's About the Choice

Flexibility does not necessarily mean working fewer hours. It means having greater choice over where those hours sit in your life. It might mean collecting your children from school, caring for an elderly parent, taking your dog for a walk, managing your health or working from somewhere that makes you feel alive. 

Freedom Has to Be Built

Freedom does not appear automatically when you become a consultant. You have to build for it, create the right services and systems, establish boundaries and resist the temptation to be constantly available.

But when you do, consulting can give you something far more valuable than a different job.

It can allow you to design a life and a business that work together.

My dream was Corfu.

What would flexibility make possible for you?