The Expert Shift by Dieter Brandt

Starting Your Consulting Business at 50+

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The Independence Readiness Index™: Your mindset is the real business plan

A senior executive asked me last week: “Dieter — do you think I have what it takes to become independent?” Most people expect my answer to be about experience, industry knowledge, or a toolkit. But the truth is different: Your skills may get you started.Your mindset determines whether you’ll stil...

Feb 25, 2026

The most expensive mistake new consultants make

Quick invite (before we start): On February 26 at 5:00 p.m. CET, I’m hosting a live 90-minute workshop: From Executive to Entrepreneur. If you are serious about building a consulting business — not experimenting, but building something that works — this session will give you a structured view of...

Feb 21, 2026

The most expensive mistake new consultants make

Feb 21, 2026

Think with the eyes and ears of your customer

Dear reader, In my first semester at university, one sentence shaped my entire career... “You have to think with the eyes and ears of your customer.” At the time, I didn’t fully grasp it. After more than two decades in corporate leadership — 20 of those years abroad — and after building my own ve...

Feb 14, 2026

Why most executives fail as consultants

Here's something many executives find surprising:The market values experience differently than you might expect. I know that might sound unexpected. And I also know how much resistance it creates — especially if you’ve spent 20, 30, sometimes 40 years building exactly that experience. But if you’...

Feb 07, 2026

Last call — launch offer closes Monday

Hi {{ first_name }} quick reminder: Expert Shift OS starts February 16. Enrollment closes next week. If you've been thinking about joining, now's the time. What you'll walk away with: Clear positioning that explains what you do (Week 1) An offer you can price and defend (Week 2) A sales pro...

Feb 04, 2026

How do I actually get in front of clients?

Hi {{ first_name }} after Thursday's webinar, the most common question was: "This all makes sense — but how do I get the first conversations with clients?" Fair question. A great positioning and offer don't help if no one knows you exist. Here's what most independent consultants get wrong: The...

Feb 02, 2026

Interested but the timing doesn't work?

Hi {{ first_name }} after Thursday's webinar, I heard the same thing from several people: "This looks helpful, but February 16 doesn't work for me." I get it. Your calendar is full, and adding a 4-week program right now feels impossible. Here's the thing: waiting for the perfect moment usually ...

Feb 01, 2026

The hardest decision wasn't finding clients. It was choosing focus.

Let me share today a learning that will reduce stress, time and money. It is about the hardest part of starting my consulting business. For many surprisingly, it wasn’t about finding clients. It was deciding who I would not work with. When I left corporate life, I made a classic ex-executive mist...

Jan 31, 2026

Webinar recording + a flexible path forward

Hi {{ first_name }}, thank you for joining "From Executive to Entrepreneur" yesterday. Here's the recording from the session: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/a62yfe3Xtinu_ts-uJpgOD0S2C15b0OPx0jdl1c8bbSCnU36RdGsRBeYMu6N_B0F.-yIJ1gZjVGxKtZhC?startTime=1769701973000 If you're interested in the Exp...

Jan 30, 2026

Your webinar slides + next steps

Thank you for joining "From Executive to Entrepreneur" today. As promised, here is a link to the presentation slides from the session. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_e4JQvXo5z_iA85dL6crWxr9spnlh1CG/view?usp=sharing If you found the session valuable and believe that building a structured consu...

Jan 29, 2026 events

Just started: "From Executive to Entrepreneur"

We've just started with the webinar "From Executive to Entrepreneur" — and there's still time to join. We're covering how to build a structured consulting business instead of relying on ad-hoc projects and hoping your network will be enough. Join here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85270607614?pwd=jB...

Jan 29, 2026

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