Consultants and Freelancers are NOT the Same

If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me, “Oh, I’m going to do some consulting while I look for a job” I would have a bunch of dollars.

It’s because there is a common misconception that any time a person does work for someone for a fee that it makes them a consultant. That is like saying because I was paid to do yard work, I’m a landscaper. It’s just not so.

As a person with a strong consulting segment in my career arc, I can confirm that picking up projects while looking for work, or even to make extra money on the side, is not the same thing as consulting.
It’s called Freelancing.

Today, when we think of a freelance person, we think usually of writers or designers or someone else with a specific skill that works on a specific section of a project. They don’t necessarily sell intellectual property or insights; instead, they sell a skill they have developed.

You might wonder where the term “freelance” comes from as it’s an interesting word for any type of job.

The term Freelancer comes from Europe in the Middle Ages and refers to mercenaries. A “free lance” at that time was a knight or soldier who sold their services on the battlefield for a fee. (If you like sports, they were similar to free agents.) They didn’t necessarily have a commitment to the person paying them or to their patron’s cause, and once they were done, they rode away to find another patron.

While I have nothing against Freelancers having been one myself, I have always kept it very clear in my own mind the differences in the approach and the services.

Freelancers offer specific skills to clients or customers for a fee; once they do their work they are done. They go on to another contract or client; some freelancers may even support consultants in the work they do.

Freelancers are also people who “pick up project work” while looking for full-time regular employment. They aren’t committed to freelancing in the long term; they are just doing it until something else comes along.

Consultants are professionals who offer advice, counsel, and guidance in specific areas of expertise that is based on the intellectual property they have developed from years of experience. They are committed to providing these types of services as their career choice; they are professionals who build relationships with clients and potential clients over time.

There is a difference between a person who is committed to the profession of Consulting and someone earning money in between jobs. When I found myself out of a job in 2017, I had every intention of finding full-time employment. But when people started contacting me to see if I was available for project work during my search, I told them yes because I am FREELANCING.

It was very clear in my own mind that I was not yet ready to commit to full-time professional CONSULTING. After some time freelancing, I made the decision to go back to Consulting. That is when I started my current consultancy, Rogue Tulips.

When it comes to selecting the best person to help you with a project, consider whether you want to work with a freelancer (specific skill like graphic design or picking up projects during a job search), or whether you want to work with a full-time professional Consultant that brings to the table years of experience, insight, and business expertise.

All are appropriate for different projects, but not everyone is a Consultant.

Want to learn more about working with a Consultant? Watch this video: http://bit.ly/WorkingwithConsultants