The Power of Self-Trust: Lessons from a Self-Made Consultant

In the competitive world of digital consulting, there's no shortage of advice on the "right path" to success. But what happens when you take the road less traveled? Recently, I had the opportunity to hear from Lexi Boese, founder of the Digital Opportunist, who candidly shared her journey from being "overworked and underpaid" to building a thriving consultancy on her own terms.

Her story offers valuable insights for anyone in the consulting space – whether you're just starting out or looking to level up your practice.

?Starting from Scratch: The Unconventional Path

Unlike the traditional route of building experience and networks within established companies before branching out, Lexi jumped straight into consulting after college. She calls it "the worst path possible" – with no corporate experience, case studies, or built-in credibility.

"I had to build that network and I had to build that trust," Lexi explains. "When you've worked in a corporate setting, you get hands-on experience with bigger companies, bigger projects. I didn't have that."

Instead, she started with whatever projects she could find, using each one to prove her capabilities to the next client. Her early pitch was simply: "I'm scared of nothing. If I don't know something, I will learn it and I will figure it out."

This approach meant working with smaller businesses willing to take a chance on her because her rates were more affordable than established agencies. The benefit? She gained hands-on experience building from the ground up – something that later became her competitive advantage.

?The Pricing Experiment That Changed Everything

One of the most striking strategies Lexi shared was her methodical approach to raising her rates:

"As I started getting busier, I started testing out higher price points. When I noticed that everyone was saying yes, I would raise it 10%. And if everyone kept saying yes, and I was really busy, I would try raising my price another 10%."

She continued this experimentation until she reached a point where only one out of five prospects said yes – but those projects paid well enough that she didn't need additional clients to make up the difference.

This strategy wasn't just about making more money. Lexi discovered an unexpected truth: "Sometimes the less you charge, your price attracts a different type of client." Lower-paying clients often demanded more work, fought to pay her, and requested discounts on agreed rates. As she raised her prices, the quality of her client relationships improved dramatically.

?The Defining Moment: The Power of Silence

A pivotal moment in Lexi's journey came when she was quoting her hourly rate to a potential client. Having previously charged $35/hour, she decided to test $50/hour with a client she didn't desperately need.

When asked about her rate, she simply stated, "$50," and then – crucially – remained silent.

The client asked, "Did you say 50 or 15?" Fighting the urge to backpedal or justify her rate, Lexi simply repeated, "50." After what felt like an uncomfortable eternity, the client said, "Okay."

This experience taught her the power of holding firm on her value: "If I do it and I hold my guns, people are just going to trust... for $50 an hour, you expect a certain level."

From there, she continued raising her rates to $75, then $85, and beyond.

?Embracing Your Greatest Fear

Perhaps the most powerful insight from Lexi's journey was her relationship with fear. Like many consultants, her greatest worry was experiencing a period with no work. When that fear eventually materialized – a month and a half with no projects – she discovered something unexpected:

"The fear of having that happen to me was worse than the actual piece of it happening," she reflects. "Once I experienced that... I wasn't scared anymore of what it would be like."

This period without client work became transformative, allowing her to:

- Start a passion project (designing a jewelry line)

- Reassess what type of work she truly enjoyed

- Become more selective about clients

- Gain the confidence to charge what she was worth

"It wasn't a really fun year. It was a really tough and transformative year," Lexi admits. "Growth, I don't think, is as beautiful as people think. It's hard work. But it pushed me to have my worst fear and live through it. And I lived through it. I survived, and now there's nothing left [to fear]."

?The Competitive Edge: Fighting for Clients

In a crowded field, Lexi differentiates herself with a simple but powerful promise: "I fight for my clients."

Her approach isn't about setting boundaries and limiting scope. Instead, she views clients as part of her community and will "stop at nothing" to achieve their shared goals.

"If we're building a funnel for a client, and the only way to do that is to set up an API integration between their email and a Google form, I'm going to learn how to do that," she explains. "I will make sure that we get the results we need, and I'm not scared of anything."

This commitment to results means clients know she'll never come back and say she overestimated her capabilities. As she puts it: "I will always show up and always get my job done."

?Balancing Life and Business

Today, Lexi's consulting practice provides the lifestyle she dreamed of. She starts each day with something for herself – exercise, yoga, or a walk – before tackling a prioritized to-do list that begins with what she calls "survival tasks" (urgent items with hard deadlines).

While she spends about 80% of her time on client work, she's learned that "it's better to have a smaller client list and make sure that I'm doing a really good job for the people I work with." This approach leads to longer client relationships and more referrals, reducing the need for constant lead generation.

Rather than focusing solely on financial goals, Lexi now prioritizes what she wants her life to look like: "Having the clients that I love, that trust me, getting to work with companies that I'm excited about, and having that work-life balance."

She's found that by focusing on creating the life she wants, "the money and the business has moved with that."

?Final Words of Wisdom

For those considering or currently pursuing self-employment as consultants, Lexi offers this perspective:

"It's not always going to be fun, it's not always going to be easy, but if you wake up every day and commit to trying to move something forward, at some point, you're going to look back and realize how far you came. But, it's not for everyone, that's okay, it's tough work and it's scary."