Turn Your Career Into a Consulting Practice
You've spent decades becoming an expert. This school shows you exactly how to package that expertise, build a credible digital presence, land paying clients, and run your own practice — on your terms, at your pace, starting this week.
Your experience is the credential — I'm just here to help you build the business around it.
— Shari Johnson
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Build a compelling consultant brand identity that positions your career experience as a premium, in-demand asset
- Define a profitable consulting niche and craft an irresistible offer that attracts your ideal clients
- Create a professional digital presence — LinkedIn profile, website, and portfolio — that commands credibility
- Master the essential modern tools (AI assistants, video calls, project management apps) with confidence and zero overwhelm
- Land your first paying consulting clients using a step-by-step outreach and referral strategy
- Set your rates, structure your contracts, and manage client relationships to build a sustainable, flexible practice
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 26 lessons
From Employee to Expert: Owning Your Consulting Identity
Helps you reframe decades of career experience as a premium consulting asset and build a clear, confident professional identity.
- 1.1The Consultant Mindset ShiftIncluded
- 1.2Auditing Your Expertise and SuperpowersIncluded
- 1.3Choosing Your Profitable Consulting NicheIncluded
- 1.4Crafting Your Consultant Brand StoryIncluded
Your Irresistible Offer: Packaging and Pricing Your Services
Guides you to design, price, and articulate a clear consulting offer that attracts the right clients and commands premium fees.
- 2.1Defining Your Ideal ClientIncluded
- 2.2Designing Your Signature Consulting OfferIncluded
- 2.3Setting Your Rates with ConfidenceIncluded
- 2.4Communicating Your Value: The Elevator Pitch and BeyondIncluded
Building Your Digital Presence: LinkedIn, Website, and Portfolio
Walks you step by step through creating a credible, professional online presence that makes premium clients want to reach out.
- 3.1Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile for ConsultingIncluded
- 3.2Building a Simple, Professional Consultant WebsiteIncluded
- 3.3Creating a Portfolio That Proves Your ResultsIncluded
- 3.4Managing Your Online Reputation and TestimonialsIncluded
Tech Without Fear: Mastering the Modern Consultant's Toolkit
Demystifies the essential digital tools every independent consultant uses today, taught at a calm, confidence-building pace.
- 4.1Your Consultant Tech Stack: A Simple OverviewIncluded
- 4.2Video Calls and Virtual Meetings Like a ProIncluded
- 4.3Using AI Assistants to Work SmarterIncluded
- 4.4Project Management and File Sharing Made EasyIncluded
- 4.5Staying Secure and Professional OnlineIncluded
Landing Your First Clients: Outreach, Referrals, and Networking
Gives you a practical, step-by-step strategy to find, approach, and win your first paying consulting clients.
- 5.1Mapping Your Warm NetworkIncluded
- 5.2Crafting Outreach Messages That Get ResponsesIncluded
- 5.3Running a Winning Discovery CallIncluded
- 5.4Turning Referrals Into a Reliable Client PipelineIncluded
Running Your Practice: Contracts, Clients, and Long-Term Success
Covers the essential business operations that keep your consulting practice professional, sustainable, and rewarding.
- 6.1Contracts and Agreements That Protect You BothIncluded
- 6.2Onboarding Clients for a Smooth StartIncluded
- 6.3Managing Scope, Boundaries, and Client RelationshipsIncluded
- 6.4Invoicing, Getting Paid, and Basic Business FinanceIncluded
- 6.5Designing Your Ideal Consulting LifestyleIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
The Corporate Veteran
He's spent 30 years in operations or finance and knows he has more to offer — he just needs a roadmap to turn that institutional knowledge into a client-facing consulting practice.
The Reluctant Tech Holdout
She's sharp and highly competent but has avoided modern tools long enough that they now feel like a barrier — this school's 'Tech Without Fear' section was written for her.
The Almost-Retiree Reconsidering
He was about to wind down, then realized he's not ready — he wants flexible, meaningful work on his own terms, not a full stop.
The Invisible Expert
She has deep expertise and glowing internal respect but zero public profile — building a LinkedIn presence, a website, and a portfolio will change everything for her.
The Side-Hustle Builder
He's still employed but quietly laying the groundwork for independence — this school lets him build his brand, offer, and outreach strategy before he makes the leap.
The Career Pivoter
She's leaving a long tenure in one industry and wants to reframe her transferable skills as a premium consulting offer in a new, more energizing niche.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Shari Johnson
If you're reading this, I'm going to guess something about where you are right now: you have more expertise than most people in your field, a track record you're genuinely proud of, and a growing sense that the traditional path forward — another job, another title, another round of performance reviews — just doesn't fit anymore. Maybe you've been quietly thinking about consulting for a while. Maybe someone has already suggested you should. And maybe, despite all of that experience, the idea of actually doing it feels surprisingly uncertain.
That uncertainty is completely normal. And it has nothing to do with whether you're capable. It has everything to do with the fact that no one ever taught you this part. Building a consulting practice from scratch — positioning yourself, pricing your services, finding clients, managing the technology, running the business — is a different skill set from the expertise you've spent decades developing. It's learnable. It just needs to be taught the right way.
That's what The Second Act Pro is built to do. Every section of this school exists because I've seen experienced professionals get stuck at that exact point: the professional who knows their niche cold but can't articulate it in a way clients respond to; the person with a brilliant offer who has no idea what to charge; the senior executive who freezes at the thought of setting up a Zoom call or using an AI tool. I designed this curriculum to meet you at each of those sticking points and walk you through them — practically, respectfully, and without wasting your time.
Here's what I want you to know: your experience is not a liability in today's market. The clients who hire independent consultants are not looking for the youngest person in the room. They're looking for someone who has seen real problems, made real decisions, and knows what actually works. Your job — our job together in this school — is to package that credibility so the right people can find you, understand your value immediately, and feel confident handing you the work.
You've already done the hard part. Let's build the practice around it. I'm glad you're here, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you build in this next chapter.
— Shari Johnson
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- 6 modules, 26 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed