Free Consulting Never Works

Free Consulting never works.

Don’t believe me? Let me tell you a story.

Tomorrow, I was supposed to be on a flight to Hamburg, Germany, to attend a workshop led by a renowned expert. My role? Assess their work and strategize ways to grow their brand, business, and speaking career.

Flashback to a month ago: I met this expert at a casual gathering—a house party, of all places. They’re the real deal, with 25+ years of experience working with heads of state and some of the toughest communities on the planet. But watching them present, something felt off. There was a major disconnect between their reputation and how they were communicating about their work. I invited them to visit a project I’d been working on, hoping we could exchange ideas and learn from one another.

Two days later, we met for a site visit at a location where I had done similar work. That visit turned into a day-long excursion. We walked around a lake, diving deep into their business, opportunities, goals, and challenges. Sounds idyllic, right? So, what’s the problem?

Here’s the thing: during that walk, I uncovered significant gaps in their business model, speaking engagement fees, and organizational structure. As we talked, I started solving their problems. By the end of our hour-long walk, they had a clear action plan—steps to fix their issues. I was proud of myself. Over the last ten years, I’ve honed my ability to assess a business quickly and create a growth plan. But it didn’t hit me until this week, while already in Europe, just how much value I had given away.

Here’s the catch: when you provide solutions for free, people often think they can implement them on their own. They either try it themselves (which is often why they needed help in the first place) or hire someone else—who may not even be the right fit. And you, the expert, are left out.

We parted ways with an agreement that I’d attend their next workshop in Germany. In good faith, I booked a flight—since I was already in Europe for another workshop in Sofia—expecting everything to go smoothly. We had another conversation where I expressed my excitement, and I filled out all the necessary forms.

Then… crickets. No address, no event details—nothing. I sent multiple texts and inquiries but got no response (which ironically highlights one of the problems I had identified in their business). I had a choice: wait until the last minute and hope for a reply, or cancel. I chose to cancel my flight, took the financial hit, and said to myself, "Enough of this nonsense."

Will I miss out on the chance to learn? Yes. Will I lose a potential business opportunity? Probably. But this situation is my responsibility, and if I want things to change, I get to make the change. As the saying goes: "Nothing changes if nothing changes." So, I canceled my flight and moved on.

What’s the takeaway here? How do we prevent these situations?

Be direct from the start and recognize when you’re in a sales conversation. One of my sales mentors always said, “The close happens up front.” In hindsight, I lost this opportunity the moment I didn’t acknowledge that our “casual walk” was, in fact, a day-long sales conversation. I hesitated to be upfront about my services.

Both of us benefited from meeting, and who knows what the future holds? But the frustration and resentment I feel now could have been avoided if I had been clear from the beginning about how I work with clients. Giving away solutions for free—without clear boundaries—leads to frustration. It’s a habit I picked up during my time in academia, where sharing knowledge is different. But I’m not in academia anymore.

The silver lining? I get to keep exploring Eastern Europe and share this lesson that might change how you view your expertise and client interactions. Moving forward, I’m learning to say, “I’d love to answer your questions, but in my experience, doing so without compensation leads to resentment. If you’re interested in my services, we can discuss what that would look like.”