Building an independent consulting practice in the Microsoft ecosystem

The Microsoft ecosystem is one of the better markets for independent consulting. Platform breadth means adjacent problems to solve. Community is active. Enterprise adoption creates demand for specialist knowledge internal teams often lack.

Positioning: narrow is better

The instinct when going independent is broad positioning. Narrow positioning works better in practice. Power Platform governance and CoE specialist for financial services organisations is immediately clear. The fear that narrow positioning excludes work is largely unfounded.

Finding work: the community advantage

The best source of consulting work in the Microsoft ecosystem is community activity — speaking at events, writing content, participating in forums. This is a long-term strategy. Over two to three years, consistent community presence creates a reputation that generates inbound interest consistently.

Pricing

Most people going independent underprice. As an independent, you cover benefits, pension, insurance, equipment, training, marketing, and non-billable time between engagements. Research what consulting firms charge for similar skills and price in that range.

The single client dependency risk

The most dangerous situation is full dependence on one client. Build a portfolio: some smaller advisory engagements alongside a primary engagement provides resilience.

The goal in year one is not maximum revenue. It is building a sustainable practice: multiple client relationships, a visible market presence, and enough runway to make quality decisions.