The Expert Shift by Dieter Brandt

Starting Your Consulting Business at 50+

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Reduced variance. Higher trust. Better clients.

Let's put one of the most critical questions on the table why many senior exectuves struggle when they start in consulting... Most senior executives do not struggle in consulting because they lack expertise. They struggle because they bring too much of it to the market. That may sound strange at ...

Apr 11, 2026

You do not need more leads. You need better conversations.

Many senior executives think their challenge in consulting is visibility. It isn’t.It is conversation. I learned this years ago selling capital goods in the printing industry.These were not quick transactions.Some projects took up to two years before a decision was made. You do not survive in tha...

Apr 04, 2026

Younger consultants sell theory. You sell pattern recognition.

Too many senior executives look at their corporate years and think: “Was this a detour?”I see the opposite. Your 20+ years in corporate are not baggage.They are your unfair advantage. I know this because I lived it myself.I worked in headquarters and in the market.Spent 20 years abroad in regiona...

Mar 28, 2026

AI will not kill consulting. But it will kill average consulting.

Dear Reader, One question keeps coming up in my conversations with executives and consultants: “Will there still be a future for solopreneur consultants in the age of AI?” My answer is: yes — but not for everyone. Because AI is changing the game fast. Clients will do more research themselves.Th...

Mar 21, 2026

The moment I knew freedom was no longer optional

There are moments in life when your career stops being the priority.Not because you lost ambition.But because life makes the decision for you. Because something far more important takes over:The people you love need you. And in that moment, one question decides everything:Do you control your life...

Mar 14, 2026

When you leave corporate, you don't lose your competence.

You lose your systems. That’s why independence feels harder than it should.Not because you suddenly became “less capable.”Not because your experience stopped mattering.But because, overnight, four invisible systems disappear — and nobody warns you. “Leaving corporate doesn’t remove your value. I...

Mar 07, 2026

How I wasted months after leaving corporate (and the 3 mindset traps that caused it)

A senior executive wrote to me after taking the Index: “Dieter — this is spot on. But why do I still feel stuck, even though I’m doing ‘the right things’?” I know that feeling. When I left corporate and started building Brandt & Partners, I thought my experience would protect me. It didn’t. In...

Mar 04, 2026

From Expertise to Offers

Dear reader, When I started building my consulting business as a solopreneur, I had one thing above all: experience. What I didn’t have was a clear system for turning experience into revenue, revenue into stability, and stability into freedom. I assumed (like many senior executives do): “If I’m g...

Feb 28, 2026

Webinar Slides – Don’t Miss Out

Dear reader, Thank you for registering and showing interest in "From Executive to Entrepreneur". Whether you were able to join us yesterday or not, we truly appreciate your time and participation. As promised, here are the presentation slides:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zjhDw55xtWUlYFGChNwfn...

Feb 27, 2026

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

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