Whether you’re looking to escape the 9-to-5 grind to become a self-employed freelancer or entrepreneur, or if you just want a way to earn extra cash, consulting is a great way to monetize your expertise. It’s also a field that’s growing fast in recent times, with more individuals and businesses looking for knowledgeable professionals to help give advice and direction.
However, consulting is a broad term. If you want to stand out in this crowded market, you need to specialize. Without a clear niche, it’s nearly impossible to attract the right clients or build a loyal audience. Luckily, there’s a good variety of problems across various niches that people will happily pay a consultant to solve.
To help you get started, here’s a list of the most in-demand consulting businesses that are thriving right now.
These ideas are tailored for solopreneurs and cater to real market needs, so if you have skills and expertise aligned with one of them, you have a high chance of cashing in by offering it as a consulting service.
20 consulting business niches
1. Social media
Today, every business owner knows the importance of a strong social media presence. However, many don’t have the time or expertise to get this done the right way, meaning there’s a massive demand for social media consultants.
As a social media consultant, you can focus more on giving high-level advice such as giving feedback on which platforms to use or which tools and staff to employ to make the most out of their online presence. The great thing about social media consulting is that it doesn’t require you to take on a fully active role like a social media manager would, freeing you up to cash in without getting too in the weeds with the operations.
2. Content strategy
With so much content online today, it’s no longer a viable strategy to simply pump out mass content and hoping the right people see it. Additionally, with social media algorithms constantly changing, figuring out what content to post and when to post it has become such an issue that many are willing to pay for consultants in this field.
For success in this niche, you’ll want to stand out with a specific skill such as creating content that appeals to the Gen Z audience or being a specialist in creating hooks that help brands speak directly to their audience or go viral.
3. Personal branding
More people are realizing the significant opportunity that lies in the creator economy of today, and the easiest way to bridge the gap from employee to entrepreneur by far is creating a personal brand. So, consulting in this area is in demand not just for professionals and job seekers, but also for entrepreneurs looking to level up and gain more credibility from a growing loyal audience.
So, whether it’s helping an employee or CEO establish thought leadership with their social media accounts or if you’re helping an influencer refine their brand voice and maximize their monetization potential, this niche is all about helping to create a unique and authentic online presence in the form of a personal brand.
4. Startup consulting
If you have experience in the startup realm, you should be happy to know that you’re in perhaps the most in-demand and high paying consulting realms today. There’s no shortage of investors looking to fund innovative new businesses, however, in order to stand out and get their money, founders of new startups need to have a winning strategy that most lack.
Whether you’re a previous founder, C-Level team member, or seasoned employee who saw the inner workings of a successful startup in all of its stages, you can address this demand as a startup consultant. This can take the form of providing guidance surrounding business planning, fundraising, product development, or market positioning.
5. Digital nomad relocation
With remote work and an abundance of modern-day online money opportunities funding the lifestyle, being a digital nomad is more popular today than it’s ever been. However, with this newfound freedom often comes a host of unexpected issues that often come at a surprise for individuals that realize this lifestyle isn’t always the dream they had imagined.
One of the most pressing issues for digital nomads is figuring out exactly where to live, and with so much nuance and context for each individual, it can be hard to find advice online that fits. Being a consultant for these individuals is an overlooked yet abundant opportunity for experienced digital nomads who can help, particularly when it comes to relocating. Navigating visas, finding accommodation, and figuring out tax burdens are all specific needs that are in high demand today.
Check out: Top digital nomad communities
6. Small business consulting
It’s common knowledge that most small businesses fail, and in most cases, these failures could have been prevented with the right strategies given by a knowledgeable consultant. If you’ve run a business yourself or worked closely with a business during its growth phase and struggles, you could market yourself as someone to fill this need.
The key to earning high rates here is to specialize. This can be done by focusing specific revenue levels (like helping businesses scale from $2k per month to $10k per month), particular industries, or specific challenges (like systemizing operations or building sales funnels. The more targeted your expertise, the easier it will be to attract clients who will happily pay you, especially if you build up case studies.
7. Ecommerce consulting
Today, just about every business today is either already online or strategizing their move online, so consultants in this field are in high demand. Whether you’ve run your own successful stores or helped manage them for others, your experience can be valuable to store owners looking to establish or increase their online operations.
With so many types of online business models, you’ll need to specialize if you want to command high rates. For example, you might highlight your skill for conversion rate optimization, reviewing overall marketing strategy, or maximizing profit margins by finding better suppliers for physical inventory. Be sure to demonstrate clear ROI that justifies your rates, especially if they’re premium.
8. Freelance career consulting
A growing group of individuals are looking for an alternative to traditional structured careers. In lieu of taking on the risk of starting a full-on entrepreneurial venture, most individuals wisely choose to go the freelancing route.
Although this is the most realistic way for people to cash in on their existing skills on their own schedule, it comes with a unique set of challenges, opening up the room for consultants. You’re best off marketing yourself directly to freelancers in your field. It’s also possible to consult more broadly by strategically breaking down how to market yourself and find quality clients using platforms like LinkedIn and X.
9. Personal finance
Everyone can benefit from actionable advice to improve their finances, and while traditional financial advisors can certainly help, they tend to only focus on investments and retirement. This opens up an opportunity for individuals to be financial consultants, covering everything from daily budgets to how to best plan for vacations and other splurges.
The most successful personal finance consultants specialize in specific demographics by being able to directly relate not only to their financial situation but their desires and general world view. For example, a tech employee in a high growth startup might want assistance on how to best handle or negotiate their equity, and a business owner with irregular income might need specific help setting money aside for both ongoing expenses and taxes.
Want to know where to start? Check out the best personal finance books.
10. Real estate investing
The real estate market today has evolved far beyond traditional buy-and-hold investing. Not only is it uncertain that homes will continue to rise in value as they have historically in the past few decades, there are also so many other ways to make money in real estate.
Consulting in real estate can manifest in many methods, including advice on short term rentals, wholesaling, or how to share equity in a complex group deal. Focus on teaching systems that work in today’s market and give your clients an edge such as finding off-market deals or maximizing occupation rates for short-term rentals.
11. Event and retreat planning
Event planning is a field that is continuing to evolve with a combination of both in-person and virtual events in a growing number of niches. This evolution has created high demand for consultants who can guide businesses and individuals through the challenges of modern event and retreat planning so they can focus on high-leverage decisions without getting too caught up in the details.
Consulting in this field typically means you are dealing with individuals selling high-ticket, niche specific clients, so by nature, it’s highly paid. However, in addition to experience, reputation is everything in this field–unlike a product that can be returned and improved later, events just happen once, so proper delivery is of utmost importance.
12. Home organization
The rise of minimalism, remote work, and overall conscious living has brought with it a demand for individuals seeking assistance on how to best curate their living space. Those who want to get this done right are willing to turn to consultants, particularly those that are busy, high-earning professionals.
You can stand out by focusing on specific spaces such as home offices, highlighting an ROI resulting from greater productivity. Demographics such as busy families or young and single high earners are also good to target.
13. Fitness and nutrition consulting
The health and wellness industry is perhaps one of the most established and evergreen markets, and its continued influx of information is causing overwhelm for many. This has created an opportunity for fitness consultants of all levels to provide clear, personalized guidance without the full-on commitment that comes with traditional personal training.
In addition to niche-specific focus on typical demographics like busy professionals or people looking to lose a certain amount of weight in a defined timeframe, you’ll want to highlight your ability to deliver results efficiently. The best fitness and nutrition consultants help to create a sustainable system that fits within current lifestyles and forges habits that their clients can carry out on their own.
You could even complement your consulting by selling fitness programs online.
14. Pet training consulting
With pet ownership still on the rise especially with high-achieving individuals, more of these people are looking for specialists to help them raise exceptionally well-behaved pets. In addition to in-person sessions, you can also benefit from the flexibility of remote consulting which can increase your income and flexibility greatly.
Content marketing with videos and moving testimonials will be necessary to land clients in this field. Specializing in specific breeds is the best way to get high-paying clients, and while this might start slowly, you’ll be better equipped to foster long-term loyalty and compete against others that might market themselves more broadly.
15. Resume and LinkedIn profile consulting
Getting a job is itself a job, and for those on this search, time is quite literally money so they’ll often pay to get higher quality results faster. The job market is perhaps more competitive than it’s ever been, and standing out requires much more than just a well-formatted, stereotypically attractive resume.
Focus on specific industries and career levels–for example, recent college graduates in competitive tech fields, or mid-level professionals looking to rise the ranks. Of course, you’ll need the experience yourself, so be sure to build up a personal brand to showcase your expertise and clout in your career field to attract clients that will gladly pay you for consulting services.
16. New parent consulting
Becoming a parent is always harder in practice than it is in theory as every single new parent will eventually discover. People are often highly motivated to succeed in this field and will do whatever it takes to do their best, so they’re likely to be open to hiring a specialized consultant.
You can start by focusing on specific challenges such as sleep training or balancing a career with new parenthood. The most successful consultants combine professional credentials with practical experience and focus on creating sustainable routines and DIY guides. Content marketing with video or blogs that highlight personal experience and results will do wonders for finding new clients.
17. AI integration
By now, every individual and business owner knows that they’ll eventually need to adopt AI if they want to compete against those who have already done this. However, most find this task both intimidating and overwhelming, so this has opened up a huge opportunity for knowledgeable consultants in this field.
Teaching individuals and businesses how to integrate AI into current workflows to increase productivity and profitability is a great way to land clients as a consultant. The good thing about this field is that it’s moving so fast that there’s no need for formal certificates or accreditation–all you need is demonstrable experience. You can gain this quite quickly simply by using the tools yourself.
18. AI-powered content creation
Content is and always has been king in terms of organic marketing and brand presence, but today, some individuals have effectively supercharged their content ability far beyond competition with the help of AI. However, while there are many tools and services that have popped up on the market recently in this realm, they often don’t provide the expected results and can also prove difficult to use.
Positioning yourself as an expert in AI content creation specifically can let you cash in by using these tools to offer as services or by giving time-saving advice for business owners to use these tools themselves. Aligning this AI-powered skill set with traditional best practices such as an authentic brand voice is a winning formula to becoming a high-paid consultant in this realm.
19. Sustainability consulting for homes
Growing environmental awareness combined with rising energy costs has created strong demand for consultants who can help homeowners go green in all areas. This niche is particularly attractive as it combines positive environmental impact with measurable cost savings, giving it both a financial and moral ROI.
You can focus on aspects like energy efficiency improvements, smart home technology integration, or how to practice conscious consumerism to minimize environmental impact. The most successful consultants in this field have genuine intention and an aligned personal mission, and clients are quick to sus out those that are purely in it for the money.
20. Online course creation consulting
Selling digital products still stands as one of the most abundant opportunities today, and in lieu of creating one yourself, consulting those who are in the process of making their own offering is a great way to cash in. Online courses in particular require a more well-crafted strategy, so there’s a strong demand for consultants who understand both course creation and marketing.
Teach systems surrounding efficient course creation and effective marketing while highlighting how your services can lead to a more successful launch sooner. Combine this skill set with testimonials, and you’ll have clients pouring in. Soon, you’ll also want to create and launch your own course. Not only will you increase your income, you can do so without needing to sell more of your time for money by monetizing your knowledge as a productized service.
Picking the right consulting niche
The most profitable consulting niches share the following key characteristics:
Alignment with your unique expertise and experience
Consultants are valued for their actionable advice that can only come from specific experience that was gained hands-on. Focus on niches where you’ve achieved real results and not just theoretical knowledge, and while it’s good to frame yourself in a positive light, never oversell your capabilities as this will negatively affect your reputation.
If you don’t yet have expertise and experience to justify your services as a consultant, start as a freelancer to gain income and reputation so you can work your way up to higher paid consulting work.
Growing demand that isn’t oversaturated
While established consulting fields are certainly profitable, the biggest opportunities lie in emerging markets where expertise is scarce. These areas are ripe for entry even for those that have acquired this knowledge fairly quickly, as long as there is evidence of results.
AI-based consulting is the field that fits this qualification best, with newer forms of content marketing such as UGC a close second.
Clear ROI that justifies premium pricing
Just like any product or service, a customer needs to value the price of the service more than the money they’re giving away for it. The best consulting niches make it easy to display this clear ROI with measurable results that greatly outweigh the investment.
So, leading with clear case studies that show specific ROI along with expected timeframes is a great way to become highly attractive to prospective clients. Frame these case studies with key metrics that business owners or individuals are aiming for–this could look like increasing revenue or streamlining operations to decrease costs or to expand reach significantly with effective marketing.
Specific problems that clients actively seek help for
The fastest path to consulting success will combine an obvious ROI with a solution to a pressing problem that your target market is already struggling to fix. Some consultants make the mistake of trying to convince potential clients of a problem that they might not even have, a method that turns into a difficult game of hard sales–avoid this.
This starts by putting yourself in the shoes of your client and showing up as their solution right when they need it. For example, an ecommerce store owner likely knows they’re losing to competition that is effectively using AI to cut costs and scale, so showing you’re the right person to help them do this for them is an easy sell.
Clients with disposable income and urgency
While consulting has a high degree of flexibility and the chance to align with your abilities and interests, the reality is that you need to respect what the market will actually pay for. Not every niche can support consulting rates, even if people are looking for assistance with their problems. For example, budget-conscious individuals who have time to pick a good solution might outsource to a cheap freelancer or figure out how to fix something on their own.
The right clients are those that have some sense of urgency and understand the value of paying an expert for their advice and strategic guidance. For example, a high-growth startup that is already turning a profit will happily budget $10,000+ for any guidance for continued growth, while a dropshipping newbie will be more likely to sign up for a lower ticket course or ebook. In short, clients who lose money every hour they’re not fixing their problems are always willing to pay for a knowledgeable consultant to get them on track.
Tips for starting your consulting business the right way
Once you’ve found a target market and picked a niche that aligns with the key characteristics we’ve covered, it’s time to set up your consulting business for maximum profit and scalability. Here’s how to do it the right way:
Build your authority
In an ideal world, simply being good enough at what you do to become a consultant in your niche will attract paying clients immediately. However, the consultants that win in today’s landscape are those that are able to showcase their expertise by becoming a topical authority.
It will take time to build your authority, but your efforts will produce compound returns as you continue to demonstrate your expertise in the right place. To carry this out effectively, you’ll need to figure out which platform your ideal client hangs out most on and then churn out helpful content to grow and engage an audience.
Building an authority goes hand-in-hand with your personal brand identity–check out some examples here to give you more clarity on the topic.
Be crystal clear on your offering
Vague consulting packages like “business strategy”, “growth consulting”, or even “AI implementation” make it hard for savvy clients to say yes. To win them over, you’ll need to create a specific offering that solves a clear problem with measurable outcomes as we mentioned earlier in this guide.
Additionally, for the sake of your own success, you need to get clear on how much exactly your services cost and how you’ll bill clients. Are you offering hourly calls, monthly retainers, or a combination of both?
This will allow you to gauge whether or not the work is worth it not just for the client but for you as well. However, you always need to keep in mind current market rates, and price yourself realistically based on what people are actually willing to pay.
Check out this guide to high-ticket offers, and learn more about expert pricing strategies.
Consider pricing based on value and deliverables, not time
Hourly rates are typically the standard for freelancers and can be a good starting point for beginning consultants, but the most satisfied and profitable consultants will price based on deliverables rather than time. When done right, this will create a win-win situation for both you and the client as projects are results-focused that reward based on outcome rather than potentially inefficient time spent.
Start by creating small packages that solve specific problems with clear deliverables. For example, instead of charging $250 per hour as a high level social media consultant, offer a $2000 package that includes a content strategy, posting schedule, and clear implementation plan complete with a report that includes goals and expected ROI.
The key to making this work is to build case studies in the beginning and to refine your delivery process for easy fulfillment and a high rate of success.
Create repeatable systems that scale
While every client will be unique, you should never be starting completely from scratch when onboarding a new client. As soon as you can, create a systematic process that you can reuse, refine, optimize, and scale over time.
To do this successfully, you need to start by documenting every step of your consulting process. Create templates for everything from discovery calls to final delivery that can be used either internally or externally–this could include onboarding questions, welcome packets, and frameworks or templates for reports.
By doing this, you’ll achieve consistent quality while making it possible to scale with more clients without needing to necessarily work much harder.
Productize your services
If you truly want to thrive as an individual and get to the next level in the money game, you need to get beyond trading time or effort for money and learn how to make money around the clock whether or not you’re actively putting hours in. Even the highest-paid consultant would benefit from the passive income that comes with productizing their services–this is best done by creating a digital product.
You can start by looking at your most successful client work and identifying elements that can be transformed into standalone templates. The added benefit of these is that not only can they be sold as digital products, they can help streamline your workflow. From there, you can consider launching a high ticket course or even launch your own private community. Both of these paths will open up the potential for multiple streams of highly scalable income, all while freeing you up to live the dream of earning money in your sleep.
Cash in with your knowledge on Whop
Ready to turn your expertise into income from consulting or digital products? Whop provides the perfect platform to package and sell your knowledge, whether it’s through one-time deliverables or something that provides recurring revenue.
So, whether you want to sell a consulting package, sell templates, start your own course or community, or combine all of those things into one store, you can do so by creating your very own whop.
Not only is it free to do so, Whop also gives you everything you need to scale your impact while maintaining high profit margins. Best of all, you’ll gain exposure to a thriving marketplace that has generated its creators a combined $200 million+ in the past year alone.
Head over here to start monetizing your expertise and join the ranks of those who are cashing in big with the digital product gold rush that is happening right now on Whop.
