Episode 83: From Corporate Consultant to Independent Success: Strategic Authority Building for Self-Employed Consultants

Season #1 February 25, 2026

What if building confidence in your consulting business wasn't about having all the answers, but about trusting your gut and blocking out the noise? Today's guest shares her 10-minute daily LinkedIn strategy that works even when you're buried in client work—plus the mindset shifts that helped her thrive for 8 years despite everyone telling her she'd fail.

In this episode, host AJ Riedel talks to Diane Davidson, Managing Partner of Clever Fox Advisory LLC. After working at major consulting firms like EY, Slalom, Capgemini, and Wipro, Diane launched her own consulting practice specializing in post-merger integrations and business transformations.

Why You Should Listen to This Episode

Let's be honest upfront: Diane's core business model of partnering with major consulting firms works because she spent years building relationships and credibility at places like EY and Slalom. If you came from corporate rather than consulting, that specific model probably isn't your path. But here's what is universal and incredibly valuable: her 10-minute daily LinkedIn strategy that busy consultants can actually maintain, her approach to building reciprocal relationships through strategic referrals, her 90-day framework for testing new ideas and knowing when to walk away, and most importantly, her mindset around blocking out doubters and trusting your gut when building something unconventional. Whether you're struggling with visibility, trying to figure out how to market yourself while working full-time on client projects, or questioning whether you made the right choice going solo, Diane's tactical strategies and hard-won confidence lessons will give you both practical tools and the permission to do things your own way.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

The 10-Minute Daily LinkedIn Strategy for Busy Consultants - How to maintain consistent LinkedIn presence even when working 40-hour weeks on client projects, including the iPhone notes method for capturing content ideas from everyday conversations so you never stare at a blank screen wondering what to post.
Building a "Hype Crew" for LinkedIn Engagement - Why having 8-10 people who consistently engage with your content is more valuable than thousands of passive followers, and how reciprocal engagement creates visibility without feeling salesy or manipulative.
The Reciprocal Referral Approach That Keeps You Top-of-Mind - How making strategic introductions and referring quality people to potential partners, collaborators, or complementary consultants builds relationships more effectively than constantly asking for work—applicable whether you're connecting with firms, industry peers, or other solo consultants.\
Understanding Your Personal Sales Timeline - Why knowing your specific timeline from prospecting to closing (Diane's is 6 weeks) helps you avoid panic and plan your business development activities, even if your model looks nothing like hers.
The 90-Day Experimentation Philosophy - A practical framework for trying new business development strategies, knowing when to pivot, and walking away from approaches that aren't generating revenue—essential for consultants who struggle with perfectionism or staying too long in situations that aren't working.
Blocking Out Noise and Trusting Your Gut - How to build confidence in unconventional business decisions by creating a small circle of trusted advisors and ignoring the doubters who will tell you you'll fail (spoiler: they're usually wrong).

Listen to These Key Moments

[00:01:00] Diane's Consulting Firm Partnership Model - Understanding her unique business model and why it works for her background (note: requires big firm credentials, but the relationship principles are transferable).

[00:04:30] Understanding Your Personal Sales Cycle - Why knowing your timeline from prospecting to closing helps you plan and avoid panic, regardless of your business model.

[00:04:55] The 10-Minute Daily LinkedIn Strategy - How Diane uses early morning hours before client work starts to maintain consistent LinkedIn presence without sacrificing billable time.

[00:06:42] The iPhone Notes Content Capture System - A simple method for capturing LinkedIn post ideas from everyday conversations so you never struggle with "what should I post?"

[00:08:30] Building Relationships Through Strategic Referrals - Why referring quality people to potential partners keeps you top-of-mind more effectively than just asking for work (works with any type of strategic relationship, not just consulting firms).

[00:10:00] Creating Your LinkedIn "Hype Crew" - How having 8-10 people who consistently engage with your posts creates visibility and credibility more effectively than thousands of passive followers.

[00:13:45] Authenticity Over Perfection on LinkedIn - Why Diane's posts take just 10 minutes and come from genuine experiences rather than carefully crafted thought leadership.

[00:26:21] Staying Relevant Across Generations - How learning from people 10 years younger helps you stay current with business trends and avoid becoming obsolete in your field.

[00:27:41] The Career Advice Diane Wishes She'd Had - Why blocking out other people's opinions and trusting your gut is essential when everyone tells you you'll fail.

[00:29:33] The 90-Day Experimentation Philosophy - A practical framework for testing new business strategies and knowing when to cut your losses instead of persisting with approaches that aren't generating revenue.

[00:31:06] Knowing When to Walk Away from Bad Clients - The story of leaving a client after one week of being yelled at, and why protecting your wellbeing matters more than holding onto every contract.

About Diane Davidson

Diane Davidson is the Managing Partner of Clever Fox Advisory LLC, a financial consulting firm specializing in post-merger integrations and business transformations. After working at prestigious consulting firms including EY, Slalom, Capgemini, and Wipro, Diane launched her own practice nearly 8 years ago. She's a certified Six Sigma Green Belt with a passion for large-scale transformations focused on finance processes. Her clients include Fortune 500-1000 companies. When she's not managing her consulting business, Diane can be found sailing around Lake Michigan. She's known for her contrarian approach to building a consulting practice—partnering with consulting firms rather than competing with them, and maintaining a thriving business through strategic relationship building and consistent LinkedIn visibility.

Connect with Diane Davidson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-davidson-clever-fox/

Email: [email protected]

Episode Transcript

DIANE DAVIDSON FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

**Opening**

AJ: Welcome to this episode of the Thriving Through Podcast. Today, I'm excited to welcome Diane Davidson to the show. Welcome, Diane.

Diane: Hi, glad to be here, thank you.

AJ: Diane, the name of this podcast is called Thriving Through. Do you think that you are thriving in your consulting practice?

Diane: Yes. I would say, overall, I'm on year... I'm about to be year 8. Last year was one of the more challenging years, but this year, 2026, even though we're just in the beginning, has been really good, so I feel like I would say overall, yes.

**Building a Thriving Practice Through Consulting Firm Partnerships**

AJ: Okay, I want to get back to the challenges and the good start to this year, but first, tell me about your consulting practice and business model, because you have a bit of a different approach from a lot of consultants.

Diane: I am a solopreneur, just myself. I work on basically a lot of post-merger integrations and business transformations. Throughout the years, as I mentioned, I'm on year 8, I have pivoted. I started working probably more on some SAP work, and what you alluded to is, whereas a lot of people may get their work from knowing someone at a C-suite or a director level, I have very strong... I came from EY, Slalom, Capgemini, and Wipro. I bounced around before I started my own business.

I have had a lot of success and thriving through partnering with consulting firms. I get a lot of my work—my very first project came from a connection I had at EY when I worked there. They allowed me to partner with them, and even now, to this day, I get a lot of my work through consulting firms that just can't... they've got a client, but they don't necessarily have someone to run in that area. Either they're limited, or especially because I'm very focused on post-merger integrations and business transformation, they just may not have someone with that skill set. And so that is why I say I'm thriving, because that relationship has allowed me to have consistent book of business.

**Creating Long-Term Contract Stability**

AJ: Okay, and does that mean that you don't need to do any sort of lead generation?

Diane: No, I do lead generation, and I use LinkedIn. One of the things I've had a lot of success with, especially going into this year, is LinkedIn. But a lot of my projects are very large, so they are 8 to 10 months. Once I get a client, it's 40 hours a week, it's a very large engagement.

I will... and I'm trying to get better... sometimes I get so focused on the project that I don't start the lead generation until I kind of know it's wrapping up. But because I do have this strong book of business with this one client, and the nice thing about it is because it is a consulting firm, the money is a little more secure. The chances that they're... they've got... typically, I partner with them and their other consultants, sometimes I actually manage their consultants, but they have a relationship, and so my relationship with them is very much more transactional. It is making sure I'm doing good work, and then obviously the terms of our payment.

When I've worked with smaller companies, you may have feasts and famines. It's very nice, because typically when we sign contracts, they're 3 to 6 to 9 months long. You know that for 9 months, I've locked that client in.

AJ: Okay? And that is your one client for that year period?

Diane: Correct.

**Nurturing Relationships with Consulting Firm Partners**

AJ: So it sounds to me like what's most important in terms of lead nurturing is more relationship nurturing with these consulting companies to make sure you stay top of mind when they have a need that they don't have the in-house resources to fulfill.

Diane: Correct. I maintain that relationship two ways. Obviously, when I'm about to be available, I have kind of figured out it takes me about 6 weeks from when I start to push out a client in the funnel. But I also will refer others, so because I am very active on LinkedIn posting, sharing my thoughts, sharing my experiences, I get a lot of inbound traffic from other people who are interested, other consultants. And so I will make introductions to these consulting firms of, hey, I met this independent, they might be a good fit for you.

So it keeps me top of mind as well. They'll also come to me sometimes, these consulting firms, and say, hey, we're looking for XYZ, do you have someone in your network? So it is more... and I think that's one of the pieces... it's not just checking in, saying, hey, I have availability, it's really nurturing that relationship and saying, let me make introductions to high-quality people as well.

**LinkedIn Strategy for Lead Generation**

AJ: So the LinkedIn stuff is kind of ongoing, to be able to post. You can't disappear for 9 months and then begin again and expect the same kind of continuity. So how do you manage essentially full-time projects with a couple hours a week on LinkedIn, articles, and connecting, and commenting, building relationships, communicating?

Diane: Yeah, so I try to... and every client's different. I had my last client was a West Coast client, so I didn't really start my day sometimes till 9 o'clock. So I would keep my schedule, I would start at 7, and I would say, okay, from 7 to 9, I'm going to focus on posting on LinkedIn. And for me, posting on LinkedIn, I don't want people to think that this is a very crafted... I'm taking 10 minutes. A lot of times, I have a little notepad in my iPhone, and when I'm out with someone, just a friend or family, or talking to someone, and I'm sharing a thought, and they're like, that's a good idea, I just write it down as a thought.

When I go to post on LinkedIn, I just look at what I've already kind of written and then I'll just kind of expand it. And it could be something like, I was late to a meeting, and I'm like, oh, what did I do? Well, I sent them a message saying I was going to be late, and I apologized. I was like, people do that in their personal lives, why don't they do that at work? So then I'll write a post about if you're late to a work meeting, just send a message letting people know. Don't leave people hanging on a conference line, have that same...

AJ: Common courtesy.

Diane: Exactly. So I think it's really not overthinking it. My posts take me about 10 minutes. If I'm taking any longer, I probably need to reevaluate what I'm trying to say, because I feel like, for me, it just needs to come from genuine places of either something I've learned recently or something I'm working on, or something I'm thinking. So I think a lot of people... I think where consultants struggle or other people who are trying to get on LinkedIn and get traction is they feel like it has to be this very orchestrated thing, and I just don't think it does.

AJ: So your 7 to 9 in the morning, Monday through Friday, you're posting, you're commenting on other people's posts, you're messaging people, DMing people?

Diane: Yes, so I actually have... I call them my hype crew. So there's about 8 to 10 of us, and so when someone posts something, we're... because we're trying to all... you know, everyone's got different niches, but we're trying to support each other. So I'll be like, okay, this person posted something, I'm going to make sure I comment on theirs, and then they'll comment on mine. You are trying to engage and create that dialogue, right? You want people to feel comfortable with you. You want people to know you before they even meet you.

So yes, the first part of my 7 to 9 would be... so I would... first thing I do is I post my thing, right? I've got it, take me about 10 minutes, post it. Then I go and I scroll through and I engage with other people, find articles that are interesting to me, and then I engage with them. And then, yes, sometimes people will reach out and message me and I'll... and I'll make sure to respond. And also looking at who's viewing my profile. LinkedIn has that feature, and so I'll be like, okay, interesting, this person's looking at my profile. Do I want to now view their profile and figure out... maybe I can help them or reach out to them?

AJ: One thing I'm really interested in knowing is how much effort do you put into growing your network? In other words, like intentionally making new connections versus just staying in front of the people that are already in your network?

Diane: I would say it's probably like a 60/40. 60% of it is staying in front of people. Because I've been doing it consistently for the past year, I've gotten a lot of traction and people... it's kind of like if you know someone's name, and you just see their posts all the time, eventually you're going to engage. I definitely have, from one of the... through my posts I've had conversations with consulting firms and then it's turned into a meeting, and then we'll see what it turns into.

And so I would say it's probably 60/40. I'm not necessarily seeking out new, but when I see someone has viewed my profile and I'm like, oh, that's interesting, you're a recruiter at X company, or you're this person, I might send them a message just saying, hey, I noticed you viewed my profile, happy to connect. And then people are usually responsive because they're like, oh yeah, I've seen your post, but I just... and so I think that... what's been nice is just that consistency. And I don't post every single day. I'll go... you might post 3 days in a week and then take a week off. But I think it's just being consistent enough that people see you and they're like, oh, she's still around.

**Building Reciprocal Relationships Through Referrals**

AJ: One of the things that I think is so smart about what you said is that you do a good job of making referrals to your consulting firm clients. I think that's incredibly smart. How did you think to do that? Or did it kind of happen organically?

Diane: It kind of happened organically in that someone reached out to me, and I realized that they weren't a fit for me, but I... because I remembered someone at this consulting firm said, hey, if you ever come across anyone, let me know. And I was like, oh, let me make an introduction. And then I just got thanked profusely, and I was like, oh, well, that's a really good thing. This person got what they needed, this consulting firm got someone good. And so I just... it organically happened, and then now people reach out to me pretty regularly. I probably refer someone maybe once a month, maybe once every two months.

AJ: And do you think that those... making those introductions helps keep you top of mind with those firms?

Diane: Absolutely. Because sometimes you can... and it's not that I'm worried that they're going to forget about me, but it's just like you want to stay... and it's nice for them, because if someone comes to them, they have someone that can... they're like, oh, I can rely on Diane to send me quality people. And so even if... it's just a nice... it's a good reminder of like, oh yeah, Diane. And then sometimes they'll be like, oh, how are things going on your project? And I'm like, oh, it's great, when this is over I'll reach out. And they're like, okay, great. So it just is a natural, organic way to stay in touch versus like, hey, remember me, I work here. It's like, I'm giving you something that's valuable versus just asking you for something.

**Staying Relevant Across Generations**

AJ: I'm curious, what do you think is the key to staying relevant in 5 years? In other words, business is changing, things are changing quickly. What do you think you need to do now or what are you already doing to make sure that you are relevant to the kind of projects and companies that you want to work for in 5 years?

Diane: That is a great question. I think it's really surrounding yourself with people that are 5 to 10 years younger than you, or even more. Just always being curious about what's next, what's... how are things changing? I think a lot of... and even in consulting, if you look at who the consultants are and their age... I mean, I'm 43, and most of the consultants that I work with are in their 30s or 20s. And I think what's been really key is understanding how they see the world, how they consume, what's important to them, because the next generation of people who will be leading companies, you need to understand how they think.

And so I think that's been really key is not being dismissive of a new idea because it's different from how you would have done it, or being dismissive of something because it's not the way you would have looked at it. I think we can get really set in our ways. I think consultants do this all the time where it's like, well, this is how I've done it for 20 years. Well, that's great, but that may not be the way forward for the next 20 years. And I think technology, Gen AI, I think that's probably something that, if you're not paying attention to that, you're going to struggle.

AJ: Are you doing anything specific in that area?

Diane: Yeah, I mean, I definitely... when I'm not running a business, I sail. I'm a member of a sailing team. There are a lot of women, as you probably can imagine, not in sailing, so the younger generation wants to learn sailing. And as I'm teaching them, I'm asking about their job, I'm asking what they're thinking about. I'm very... I watch Instagram, I'm into social media, I have friends that are 10 years younger than me. Just constantly keeping your eye open, and coming from a place of, I want to learn more, not I know.

And then they have questions. How did you do this, or what should I invest in, or how did you start your own company? I think it's just being open, and being from a place of, I want to understand you better, not I need to teach you something. And in the process, they ask me to teach them something, but I never come in to say, I know what's good, let me teach you that.

**Trusting Your Gut and Blocking Out the Noise**

AJ: What one piece of advice do you wish you had had when you first started out?

Diane: Oh yeah, I think about this all the time. And I think this resonates with a lot of women. If someone tells you... so I used to get the feedback that I was too passionate, too loud, and just wanted to do my own thing too much. And for an employee, that made sense. And people would tell me constantly what I was doing wrong. When I left my last consulting firm, people were like, why would you do that and start your... you're gonna fail.

It's like, now I don't care. I love when people tell me I shouldn't do something, because that just makes me want to do it more. I think it is just blocking all the noise out, and having your trusted advisors. I have a very best friend who I know I can talk to about anything. I have a couple friends in consulting who will give me checks on what's going on, and if I'm being ridiculous about something, and then I have my mom. And outside of that, I don't need anyone's other opinion.

And I wish I had done that, because I think I was too worried about what other people thought of me, or I wasn't a team player because I wanted to zig and zag. That's what made me successful today. If I had just continued working at a consulting firm, I never would have started my own business. I wouldn't have been 8 years in. I can't tell you how many people told me I was gonna fail. I thought I was going to fail.

But now I'm okay. And so, I think it's really being comfortable with people doubting you, and just putting those blinders on and saying, I'm gonna do what I need to do.

AJ: Listen to your gut instead of listening to everybody else and what your gut is saying?

Diane: Yeah, and just... I think just because someone else is worried about doing something, doesn't mean that your idea is different, or it does not mean it's a bad idea.

**The 90-Day Experimentation Philosophy**

Diane: And I have kind of a 90-day philosophy, so I'm willing to start something, learn about it, and try it out for 90 days. If after 90 days it's not suiting me, or it's not making me money, and it can be a hobby, but if it's supposed to be a business, and in 90 days it doesn't make any money, I have to let it go.

And so I think that failing fast... I tried something, I put my effort into it, I gave it a good shot. After 90 days, I kind of give myself a little, do you want to continue doing this? It takes time away from your other activities. And if it's not a yes, then it's a no.

AJ: If it's not a hell yes, it's a no.

Diane: That's right. I wasn't sure if we could use profanity, so I was trying to... I think people are like, oh, you're giving up. No, I gave an effort, I tried, but I have benchmarks, and I think that knowing when to walk away is also something, a lesson I wish I had learned.

**Knowing When to Walk Away**

Diane: I stayed at some clients and some companies, I wish I had left immediately. I've left a client after one week. I had a client I got yelled at twice in one week, and I said, no, this wasn't my fault, there was some miscommunication. And I was like, man, it's only been 4 days, do you want to... and the consulting firm, when I left, was very upset, and I said, look. At the end of the day, my personal wellbeing is the best. I need to be comfortable, and if this is how you operate in day 4, I don't think it's gonna get better at day 200.

**Closing**

AJ: And I have one last question, and it is the most important question. If someone wants to find out more about you and what you do, where do they find you?

Diane: Yeah, so I am Diane Davidson, Clever Fox on LinkedIn. But my email address is diane at cleverfoxadvisory, all one word, dot com. So those are probably... LinkedIn, I'm very... as I've mentioned, I should be paid by LinkedIn at this point for all the plugs I gave them. But I would say LinkedIn and my email are the two items that I'm in the most.

AJ: Okay, and I'll put the links to those into the show notes for those of you listening, if you want to check them out. Well, Diane, it's been delightful. Thank you so much for your wisdom and just giving us the direction of things that are working. You're kind of a contrarian in a lot of ways to a lot of self-employed consultants, and I love getting the viewpoint from somebody who's contrarian and successful at being a contrarian.

Diane: Thank you, I appreciate that.

AJ: And for those of you listening, until next time, keep thriving through.