[300k-500k per week 💰] What is it really like to be a consultant advisor? 2025 Year-End Review
Looking back on the way of working as a consultant advisor in 2025
Hello, this is Roel.
Today, I want to pause for a moment and look back on how I lived through 2025.
The theme is
“the way of working as a consultant advisor”.
▼ Click here if you're wondering what a consultant advisor is
※ I do various things, so it's complicated, but this job is my main business is
Honestly, at the beginning of the year, I didn't decide, "I'm going to be a consultant advisor this year."
On the contrary, it was a year that started from a place that was quite vague, indecisive, and hazy.
It started with an unexpected independence and the question, "Well, what should I do?"
Until February 2025, I was an executive at a listed company.
Then, due to various circumstances, I ended up becoming independent in an unexpected way starting in March.
My honest feelings at that time were,
"So, what should I do from here?"
That was it.
I'm still in my 40s. They say it's the era of the 100-year life, and I still have a long way to go in my career.
So at first,
finding a new job somewhere
joining an organization as an executive again
I was normally considering options like that.
On the other hand, based on my past experience
I honestly felt that
joining an organization full-time again might not be for me.
That sense of discomfort was definitely there.
I couldn't fully commit.
I couldn't decide between all or nothing.
I was in such an indecisive state.
The 'and' mindset: when in doubt, do both.
In times like these, I always try to
stop using an 'or' mindset.
Instead of
'changing jobs or going independent,'
'try moving forward with both for now.'
That's it.
So,
while reaching out to a recruitment agent I'm close with,
I also explored ways of working outside of an organization,
and started both paths in parallel.
In my job search,
I insisted on one condition.
'I must be able to have a casual interview with the president.'
You can't know until you talk to them,
and the vibe of working together
is something you can never tell from a resume.
As a result,
'I might be okay returning here'
—I found a really great company that made me feel that way.
However, based on past lessons,
rather than jumping straight into a full-time position,
'Let's start with a freelance contract, 1-2 days a week.'
That was the arrangement.
It is a very high-growth startup, and
I am still involved as the person in charge of AI promotion
as an independent contractor.
Rather than an advisor,
I am completely on the ground, on the side of driving the organization.
While recalling all the
hardships, benefits, and passion of the companies I have belonged to in the past,
I have been assigned team members, and I am able to be involved in a very fulfilling way.
Another trend. The way of working of "being involved once a week"
On the other hand,
a path other than "going all-in on one company"also
naturally became visible.
The trigger was a drinking session.
In a completely different field from mine,
such as CFO or back-office roles,
once or twice a week
involved with multiple companies
I had an old close friend who was working in a way that involved
that.
At the company he was involved with,
actually, in the past, I
had done pro bono spot consulting on the business sidefor them.
What I was told at that time was,
"If you have time in the future, I want you to get involved again."
And this time, when I became independent,
that conversation naturally connected.
Not through an agent,
not through sales,
just by word of mouth,
"Roel, can you join us once a week?"
That was how it started,
my first advisory consultant project.
It also spread through agents
At the same time,
Feeding my resume into an AI
and looking for agents that match "weekly consultant" roles
was something I also did.
▼ How to find consultant advisor projects
As it turned out,
this fit better than I expected.
Sales, marketing, new business, digital, and executive experience.
They are expensive to hire full-time, but
"I want to borrow expertise for one day a week"
needs like this
were especially common among startups.
As a result,
large corporate projects
startup projects
referrals through personal connections
overlapped, and
before I knew it, I was
involved with about 6 companies as a consultant/advisor.
When I talked about
"I'm working like this now"
at year-end parties or drinking sessions,
"Then, why don't you join us, even if it's just for an hour?"
conversations like that kept increasing.
It was completely
a way of working like a waterway flowing between people.
In terms of income, honestly, it was a bit too good to be true.
I will write honestly about this part.
Looking at income alone,
it is far more than when I was an executive at my previous job.
And my working hours are half.
Less than a year after going independent,
I honestly didn't think I would
get this far myself.
Of course,
there were some contracts that ended after six months.
It's not all good news.
But looking back overall,
2025 was
the first year I stood on the CtoB side,
having previously been on the BtoC / BtoB side
and
a year that went almost too well
I think.
Next, I'd like to talk about 2026.
2025 was
a 'year of experimentation'.
Rather than being intentionally designed,
it was a year where the shape became clear as I moved.
That is precisely why,
next time, I want to paint a
more intentional 2026.
I'll talk about that next time.
Thank you for reading
this far.
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