7 Lean Growth Strategies for Solo Consultants

Solo consultants often face unique challenges—and don’t always have a team to brainstorm solutions with. That’s why we’ve pulled together a set of real questions that consultants are asking each other right now.

These insights come straight from the trenches—covering everything from LinkedIn outreach and pricing structures to outsourcing and scaling. Each section below addresses a specific, common question solo consultants ask as they build and grow lean B2B service businesses.

Whether you're just starting out or tightening up your systems, you'll find practical, actionable advice tailored to your exact stage.

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1. Ditch Cold Pitches: Start Conversations Instead

LinkedIn outreach doesn’t have to feel sleazy or robotic. Skip the generic sales pitch and focus on building a connection. Here’s a simple 3-line framework that works:

1. Mention how you found them. Example: “Hey Alex, I came across your profile through the [industry group name].”
2. Share your one-liner. Example: “I help B2B consultants streamline their marketing so they can grow without a big team.”
3. Close the message softly. Example: “Looking forward to your posts!”

That’s it. No pitch. Just a reason to connect.

After that, engage with their content consistently. Comment meaningfully. Share insights. This warms up the relationship before you ever land in their DMs again.

Pro tip: Wait for at least 2-3 engagement signals (like profile views, newsletter sign-ups, or regular comments) before you deepen the conversation.

2. Know What to Delegate—and When

Solo consultants don’t need a big team, but they do need smart support. The secret? Start by offloading the things you’re bad at or hate doing.

Use the Eisenhower Matrix:

• If you don’t enjoy it and you’re not good at it, outsource it first.
• For most, that means things like bookkeeping, taxes, project management, and tech admin.

Once your essentials are off your plate, free up more time by delegating energy-draining tasks—even if you can do them. For example:

• Posting content to your CMS
• Scheduling social media
• Updating your website

Start with a fractional CPA or a virtual assistant. You’ll instantly gain back hours to focus on high-impact work.

3. Stop Charging Hourly—Productize Your Services

Hourly billing punishes efficiency and creates awkward power dynamics with clients. A better model? Productized, outcome-based packages.

Build a three-tier structure:

• Tier 1: Core services or deliverables at a base price
• Tier 2: Add-on value with a moderate price jump (this is your anchor)
• Tier 3: Premium offer with exclusive features at a significantly higher price

This not only streamlines your sales process but helps clients choose based on value—not hours.

You can also experiment with "popcorn pricing", where tiers are close in price to encourage upgrades. Or, price your top tier intentionally high to guide people toward the middle.

4. Start Business Development with Niche Communities

You don’t need to be a natural-born salesperson to build a strong pipeline. Focus on niche community engagement and relationship nurturing.

Here’s how to start:

• Find small, targeted communities where your ideal clients hang out.
• Answer questions. Add value. Be consistent.
• Set up keyword alerts so you can jump in early when relevant topics pop up.
• Connect with people on LinkedIn to continue the conversation beyond the community.

This organic method doesn’t just generate leads—it builds trust and authority.

5. Use Pop-Up Offers to Test New Ideas

Want to validate a new offer without locking yourself in?

Try this two-step method:

1. Create a waitlist. Tease the idea on social and in your emails. Use sign-ups as a “hand raise” to gauge interest.
2. Run a pop-up offer. Make it available for a limited time (e.g., 7 days only). Keep it lightweight, clear, and easy to deliver.

This gives you a quick cash injection and a chance to test if the offer has traction—without long-term commitment.

6. Know When to Bring in Help for Client Delivery

Eventually, your calendar gets full—and that’s when it’s time to stop flying solo in execution.

You don’t need to jump into hiring a team right away. Start by bringing in support for repeatable, low-touch deliverables that don’t require client interaction. This could be content formatting, research, reporting, or technical setup.

Here are your signs it's time to add support:

• You’re turning down work
• Quality is slipping
• You’re stretched too thin

At that point, profit preservation is no longer the goal—sustainability is.

7. Keep Clients Focused with a Gateway Offer

Big-picture clients can easily lose sight of priorities. To avoid project creep and rabbit holes, start every engagement with a gateway offer.

It’s a low-commitment, high-value mini project that helps:

• Define the scope
• Document the priorities
• Align everyone before full execution

Once approved, use that document as the north star for the larger project. If alignment breaks down at this early stage, it’s a sign they may not be a good long-term client.

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Final Thoughts

Growing a solo consulting business doesn’t mean doing everything alone. With a few smart systems—like structured offers, community-led business development, and lean outsourcing—you can scale sustainably without burning out.

Start small. Take one action this week. Whether it's refining your LinkedIn outreach or mapping out your first productized service, momentum builds fast once you focus on the essentials.