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Skilled freelance

Business consulting

You help companies solve problems and grow, from strategy to operations. You're paid per project or on retainer, and results build referrals.

4.0Last review 2 weeks agoLow data
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Low data. These numbers come from just 2 reviews, so treat them as an early signal, not a reliable average — they'll sharpen as more people report.
Median monthly earnings
$5,875
Middle 50%: $4,250 – $7,500
Effective hourly
$95.83
Earnings over the hours people logged
Hours per week
21 hrs
Median across reviews
Startup cost
$100–500
To get up and running
Time to first $100
1–4 weeks
From starting out
Monthly expenses
$600–1,000
To keep it running
Schedule flexibility
Some fixed commitments
Most common answer
Would recommend it
100%
2 of 2 say yes or probably yes
What people make in a month
Gross earnings people entered themselves, before expenses and taxes. 2 reviews.
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
Under $100
$100–250
$250–500
$500–1,000
$1,000–2,000
$2,000–3,500
$3,500–5,000
$5,000–10,000
$10,000+
How it scores
Happiness8.0 / 10
Would do it again100%
Schedule flexibility3.5 / 5
Pay predictability3.6 / 5
What surprised people most
Every option reviewers could pick, most common first. 2 reviews.
How much I could earn
1
Taxes — how much I owe
1
How little I could earn
0
How much time it takes
0
How difficult it is to get started
0
How difficult it is to find customers or clients
0
Unexpected expenses
0
How competitive the market is
0
Nothing really surprised me
0
Reviews
Everyone here is anonymous. Nobody sees who wrote what.
· 1–2 years in · 2 weeks ago
Monthly $5,000–10,000Hours 120+ hrs/moHourly $50.00

I love the flexibility of business consulting. I make my own schedule and get to drive innovation. I hate having to wear too many hats and do too many things at once without additional pay. I would advise someone just starting out to be ready to not only do the work but also learn how to run your business as well. I wish I would have found KeeperTax sooner.

· 1–2 years in · 2 weeks ago
Monthly $3,500–5,000Hours 20–40 hrs/moHourly $141.67

I love my time freedom and that my success is up to me. I hate that I sometimes get in my own way. I would tell someone starting out that if you have a job, you have a business. Everything you do for a company, you can create malt others in how to do or do it for them. I would change all the pay rates I agreed upon. I accepted low offers to get started. I don’t regret it completely. But I would not accept clients who say my price is too expensive again.

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