So, You Want To Be A Consultant
Turn Your Experience As An Executive Into A Vital New Career
by Robert L. Nellson & Jonathan Nellson
The Book
You're in a bookstore on a Saturday morning. You've had a successful career in corporate America — decades of hard-won expertise, a network of contacts, and a track record that speaks for itself. But now you're thinking about what comes next.
Robert Nellson wrote the original edition because the question kept coming up. Friends, colleagues, former executives — they all wanted to know the same thing: How do you actually do this? How do you take a career's worth of knowledge and turn it into an independent practice?
The 2026 edition is co-authored by Robert and his son Jonathan, who brings a modern perspective on technology, AI, and building a consulting practice in today's landscape. Together they've updated and expanded the original work while preserving the practical, no-nonsense approach that made the first edition valuable.
This isn't a motivational book. It's a practical, chapter-by-chapter guide to every decision you'll face — from whether consulting is right for you, to pricing your services, to knowing when it's time to close the shop. Grounded in real experience spanning Booz Allen & Hamilton, Fleet Financial Group, Barnett Banks, and modern enterprise technology consulting.
244 pages. 30 chapters. 5 parts. Everything you need, nothing you don't.
What You'll Learn
Part I Should You Be A Consultant?
The honest self-assessment most people skip. Three make-or-break criteria that determine whether independent consulting is the right move — before you invest a dollar or burn a bridge.
Part II How To Be A Consultant
From proposals to deliverables. How to structure engagements, maintain integrity, troubleshoot client relationships, and deliver work that earns referrals.
Part III Getting Paid
Pricing strategy, expense management, collecting what you're owed, and building long-term wealth as an independent professional. The financial mechanics most consultants learn the hard way.
Part IV Getting Clients
Marketing when you hate marketing. Building your contact pipeline, converting leads, handling competition, and creating a steady flow of work without a sales team.
Part V Running A Consulting Business
Setting up the business, equipping your office, securing financing, and — the chapter nobody else writes — knowing when it's time to stop.
About the Authors
Robert L. Nellson
Founder, Nellson Associates (Original Practice)
Robert Nellson founded Nellson Associates in 1997 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, after a career spanning the highest levels of financial services. He served as a consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton, held the role of Corporate Vice President at Fleet Financial Group — where he led corporate development through 30+ acquisitions that grew the institution from $5 billion to $50 billion — and served as Executive Director at Barnett Banks and SVP to CEO at The New England (MetLife).
A U.S. Army officer, Robert holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University. His specialties include financial services M&A, corporate development, bancassurance, and venture capital.
Jonathan Nellson
Co-Founder, Nellson Associates (Current Practice)
Jonathan co-authored the 2026 edition, bringing a modern perspective on building a consulting practice in the age of AI, cloud architecture, and distributed teams. He leads the current Nellson Associates practice, specializing in enterprise systems, AI integration, and technology consulting for regulated industries.
Why This Book Still Matters
Tools change. Platforms change. The fundamentals of independent consulting don't.
Whether you're leaving a Fortune 500 company or a mid-size firm, the questions are the same: Can I do this? How do I price myself? How do I find clients? How do I get paid? Robert and Jonathan Nellson answer these questions with a combined perspective that spans three decades of traditional consulting and the realities of building a practice today.
Interested in the Book?
Purchase includes the full audiobook — 24 chapters, ~4h 46m of narration.
50% of every purchase supports the Nellson Associates Scholarship Fund.