I've been consulting for a year. Here is what I learned

This week marks the anniversary of my first year working solo, as a strategic content and publishing consultant. After a lifetime in media newsrooms, constant travel and regular public engagements, I found myself at a crossroads during what seemed to be the worst time possible. Exactly a year ago my daughter was nine months into her cancer treatment, the world was gripped by the pandemic and I had no clue what my next career step should look like. 

Consulting felt like a good in-between option until I got my ducks in a row. Yet, I’ve never worked for myself, nor have I particularly wanted to; had no idea where to start or how to organise my time. It all felt uncertain, daunting, yet gave me the flexibility no employer would be able to offer. 

A year in and I feel like a new man. I’ve worked with incredibly driven, bright, entrepreneurial people, I’ve been able to make an impact where it really matters, I didn’t have to worry about red tape, and I’ve learned the beauty of streamlined decisions and their timely execution. 

As many of us are still re-evaluating our lives and careers, I thought I would share a few thoughts on the past 12 months in the hope that some of you might find this helpful.

1. Consulting as an act of service

To be honest, I love being a part of a team, part of something bigger than me, I have a need to work towards a common purpose. So last year my cards stacked in a way that meant I’d be a team of one, I knew I had to find purpose in serving others. 

I’ve been very fortunate and have worked with clients who are all driven, excited about change and a better future. Helping their teams made me feel a part of the collective, working towards a common goal, each bringing something special to the table.

I’ve realised that as long as you get out of your own way, stop peddling your own agenda and instead put your clients first, you’ll never feel alone. 

Invest in time with your colleagues, whether on social media or even an occasional drink. Many of your contacts will move from your Linkedin inbox to your Whatsapp messages, and this can only mean one thing - your ties have strengthened and that’s a good thing. 

Grow your network. I did so by participating in WAN-IFRA's World Editors Forum, the newly created News Product Alliance, and also by writing, speaking and chairing at conferences, webinars and workshops. An old Russian saying goes - 'don’t have 100 roubles, have 100 friends', and this year once again has proven this ancient wisdom right. 

Don’t be afraid to reach out to people you don’t know, if you find someone’s work interesting or inspiring, write to them! Naturally, the same applies to you - if someone you don’t know gets in touch with you asking for advice, make sure you do your very best to help. 

2. Jack of all trades or why you should diversify your portfolio 

Last year I wrote an article - Content is Product - which expanded my professional orbit from media and content and got me involved with new sectors -  product and tech. My interest in synthetic media developments, AI/ML application in content creation and new ways of working also opened several new avenues which is an exciting glimpse into the future, when I return to full-time employment. 

Go with your gut and develop your own interests, there is no such thing as too much knowledge. Continue educating yourself and you’ll find that understanding of cross sectors is in constant demand.  

When consulting, my aim is to provide my clients with a clear and concise strategy, the result of which is visible and is there to stay. For instance, our partnership with smartocto, an innovative editorial analytics business, led to an actionable user needs white paper. Separately, user needs-centric models were adopted by a national and a niche publisher. Both have introduced new ways of commissioning content based on their audiences' specific set of user needs (see a grab from a a content management system below, with user needs tagging on the right).

3. Leave time for studies, pro-bono work and self-improvement. 

One of the major discoveries for me this year was how tough you have to be with your own time and how little deviation from the schedule one can allow. In an office we all spend time chatting to one another, going outside for a doughnut or a walk and a talk, but when you’re billing by the hour/day, suddenly every minute has value and cannot be wasted. My productivity and pace have never been higher, and it’s taken a few months to get used to it. 

Twelve months in, and I’ve established a system that divides my working hours between client work, self-development and pro bono work and I absolutely love my current set-up. 

Media, digital, AI are all developing and changing at a very fast rate and I’ve found that unless you allow time for daily reading or listening, you’re falling behind. At a colleague’s suggestion, I’ve signed up for professor Galloway’s class and certified as a strategist which proved invaluable. Again, go with your gut and continue learning and keep sharing what you’ve discovered.

I leave several hours a month for pro-bono work, which has been a great source of discovery and inspiration. My involvement with LSE + Google’s JournalismAI project early on kept me connected with an exciting network of people and ideas, while mentoring post-grad journalism students at UCLAN gave me an opportunity to help current and future leaders. 

Did these takeaways look useful? If you started on your own recently, what have you learned? What takeaways can you share?

Please do get in touch - you can reach me either here or on Twitter @dmitryshishkin - I am interested in content creation, digital products, innovation, digital transformation, synthetic media, developing world, leadership in global setting, and other exciting things this decade is so rich of.