If you’ve ever felt like your pipeline is out of your control, this episode is for you.

It’s common for independent consultants to think an unpredictable pipeline is just “how this works.” But that belief keeps them stuck in feast or famine, working with clients who underpay, don’t fully value their expertise, and leave their skills underused.

In Episode 244, Melisa reveals what’s really going on beneath a stop-and-start pipeline and how to create consistency that lasts, no matter the market or your bandwidth.

This episode breaks down the three root causes of pipeline unpredictability (none of which are the market, your niche, or your availability) and walks you through the Predictability Formula Melisa teaches inside her Lead Gen Sprint.

She also challenges a common consulting mindset: waiting to work on pipeline until you need leads. That cycle is not sustainable. You’ll walk away from this episode with a clear framework to break it.

What you will learn in this episode:

[06:58] Why most consultants misdiagnose pipeline issues, and how those false narratives keep you from creating sustainable lead flow.
[10:12] The three true root causes of unpredictability (hint: it’s not external, it’s operational).
[15:22] The Predictability Formula: mindset, system, and measurement, and how to apply it in your business.
[24:55] A quick self-check to audit how predictable your pipeline really is and how to fix the gaps.

Tune in to Episode 244 for practical ways to build a reliable, repeatable lead generation process that runs like a system, not a hope-and-pray cycle.

Mentioned Resources

1) Companion Resource: The Consultant's Lead Gen Effectiveness Scorecard

2) Full Show Notes: https://shownotes.melisaliberman.com/episode-244/

3) Melisa’s Books, Planners & Journals: https://linktr.ee/melisaliberman

4) Related Podcast Episode: Episode 236 – Why Your Pipeline Isn’t Filling (And It’s Not What You Think)

5) Mentioned in this Episode:

1) Join the waitlist for the 2026 Lead Gen Sprint

2) OnePageCRM

Want help achieving your consulting business goals? Melisa can help. Click here for more on coaching tailored to you as an independent consulting business owner.

Most independent consultants think their business bottlenecks come from systems, tools, or strategy.

But the real bottleneck is often you, and specifically, how you respond to resistance.

In this episode, you’ll learn why resistance shows up, how it slows your growth, and a simple plan to move through it so you can scale faster and with less friction.

Whether it’s overthinking a new offer, delaying a move into advisory work, or hesitating to raise your pricing, that internal friction isn’t a fixed limitation or missing trait. It’s a signal that you’re ready to move beyond your current comfort zone.

Melisa shares a practical framework for noticing, normalizing, and navigating resistance so it doesn’t sabotage your results.

If you want to stop getting in your own way and start taking clean, strategic action, this episode gives you the tools to do it.

What you will learn in this episode:

[03:12] Why you, not your systems, are likely the bottleneck in your consulting business
[07:40] How resistance shows up and what it looks like day to day
[15:26] The two root causes of resistance and how to identify them in your thinking
[20:41] Five methods to work with resistance, not against it
[32:15] How to implement a resistance plan so you can stop circling and start progressing

Tune in to Episode 243 for tangible coaching tools to help you shift from bottleneck to business accelerator.

Mentioned Resources

1) Companion Resource: The Consultant Mindset Audit

2) Full Show Notes: https://shownotes.melisaliberman.com/episode-243/

3) Melisa’s Books, Planners & Journals: https://linktr.ee/melisaliberman

4) Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 237 - Make the Most of Your Business Owner Thinking Time

5) Mentioned in this Episode: Podcast - Huberman Lab

Want help achieving your consulting business goals? Melisa can help. Click here for more on coaching tailored to you as an independent consulting business owner.

Forming a partnership as an independent consultant can feel difficult and even risky. You’re used to autonomy. You’ve created your own unique way of running your business. And, you also feel lonely at times.

Bringing someone else into your process? That can feel like a threat to your freedom, your income, or your control.

But what if the right partnership expanded your possibilities instead of limiting them?

In this episode, I sit down with two of my past coaching clients, Abbie DuBois and Scott Allen, who have built a mutually beneficial joint offering.

They share how they met through this podcast (I am so honored to be part of their story) and how they organically grew from one conversation to a fully functional collaboration, without sacrificing their individual practices.

We unpack how they brainstormed, pressure-tested their idea, went to market, and ultimately signed joint clients.

You’ll hear how they use divide-and-conquer tactics for business development, how they structure contracts and compensation, and how they manage capacity between solo work and joint projects.

They don’t hold anything back.

If you’ve ever considered working with another consultant or dismissed the idea entirely, this episode will challenge your assumptions.

What you will learn in this episode:

[05:12] How an organic connection led to a formal partnership and why they never forced the outcome
[08:44] Why complementary skills are the key to building a synergistic joint offer
[13:22] How they used surveys and iterative testing to identify a viable niche (value-based care)
[17:40] Their client acquisition approach and why they focused on building reps together first
[23:55] How they structure contracts, fees, and incentives in a way that preserves autonomy and ownership
[30:41] What’s next: retainer models, advisory boards, and leveraging AI for scalability

Tune in to Episode 242 to hear the behind-the-scenes of a successful partnership model that preserves independence and accelerates growth.

Mentioned Resources

1) Full Show Notes: https://shownotes.melisaliberman.com/episode-242/

2) Find Abbie DuBois: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-dubois

3) Find Scott Allen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-allen-b06b6b5/

4) Melisa’s Free Resources, Books, Planners & Journals: https://linktr.ee/melisaliberman

5) Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 172 - Filling Your Pipeline, Landing Ideal Consulting Clients, and Turning Away Work with Abbie DuBois

Want help achieving your consulting business goals? Melisa can help. Click here for more on coaching tailored to you as an independent consulting business owner.