As a consultant, chaos was a problem I had to solve. As a founder, it’s the air I breathe.

I entered the startup world armed with what I thought was the ultimate toolkit: a consulting background. Years of strategy decks, stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration taught me how to turn chaos into structure and solve problems fast. I thought I had seen it all.

But I quickly realized that the transition from consultant to founder wasn’t so much a pivot — it was a free fall. See, consultants and founders couldn’t be more different. Consultants are trained to be perfect, founders need to be scrappy. Consultants are trained to eliminate chaos, founders need to thrive in it. Consultants have a safety net, founders don’t.

Related: Are You Ready to Be a CEO, a Founder or Both? Here’s How to Know

Let’s dive right in.

This is what consulting did prepare me for:

1. Finding structure in chaos: I am stating the obvious here, but it is essential for founders to be able to execute on their vision; and to do that effectively, founders need structure. Something as simple as creating an organized folder structure — which coincidentally was my first task as an associate — can go so far as securing your term sheet with investors when they ask for the data room during the due diligence process. Being due diligence-ready isn’t just about having your documents in order; it’s about demonstrating transparency and building confidence with potential investors.
2. Thinking on the spot: As a founder, it feels like you’re in the middle of the ocean and you need to swim your way back to shore. Consulting prepared me for that. I remember being chucked into remote environments to explain technical workflows to non-technical people — in my third language nonetheless. Thinking fast and adapting your message to whoever’s in front of you isn’t just useful — it’s how you create openings. It’s how you pitch before your product is ready. It’s how you get a meeting before there’s anything to show.
3. Burning the midnight oil: Let’s be real, consultants — at least, the good ones — are machines and can be extremely productive. Founders are part of a world where being busy includes attending a lot of conferences, exhibitions and the post-event functions that come with them. Consultants can rarely afford such luxuries. Crunchtime is real and forces them to converge their efforts on work. Knowing when to lock in and say no is crucial as a founder.

This is what consulting did not prepare me for:

1. Building and failing fast: Most founders and visionaries fall into the fallacy of building an end-to-end super solution that promises to be the holy grail of their customers — myself included. Enter the pivots. Your startup does not succeed when it builds out your vision — that is often just a very expensive dream. It succeeds when you find out what your customers are willing to pay for as quickly as possible. As Eric Ries puts it in The Lean Startup, the key is learning what customers actually want – not what you think they should want.
2. Storytelling as an art: In my first days as a founder, I walked into a potential client’s office long before I had a product or even a live website. I took the consulting route and brought a strategy deck with me. I got destroyed that meeting. Off the bat, it sounds like a mistake — but it was the best decision I could have made. I took note of the feedback and acted on them immediately. Get out there, pitch your idea and ask for feedback! Feedback helps you figure out what sticks, what doesn’t and how to sharpen your message until it cuts through.
3. Learning how to network: I did more networking in my first year as a founder than I did during my eight years as a consultant. Let that sink in. I thought I was networking as a consultant, but I was really just moving within the same orbit. As a founder, the galaxy is yours to explore. From day one, you find yourself networking with fellow founders from all walks of life, angel investors, venture capitals, tech builders, community leads — you name it. And the best part is, they don’t care about your CV. They care about your energy, passion and convinction. A study by Queen Mary University of London found that the quality of a startup’s network significantly impacts its chances of success, often more so than initial funding or team size.

Related: Are You Thinking Like a Founder? 4 Principles Every Successful Team Should Follow

In the end, the transition from consultant to founder was less about applying what I knew and more about unlearning what I thought I knew. And if you’re willing to unlearn, embrace different perspectives, take constructive criticism, to be honest with yourself and to move fast without all the answers — you will find yourself growing in ways no corporate job could ever offer.

Remember when learning new skills meant signing up for expensive classes, sitting in freezing (or sweltering) classrooms under fluorescent lights, and wondering if the vending machine would ever accept your crumpled dollar bill? Yeah, StackSkills EDU Unlimited is here to wipe that memory clean.

For just $19.97—yes, less than your last food delivery—you can grab lifetime access to 1,000+ online courses. IT, coding, graphic design, business strategy, marketing—you name it, it’s probably already waiting for you. New courses are added monthly, so your library actually grows with you over time, not against you.

This is real-world learning made for real-world schedules. Whether you’re a business leader trying to sharpen your digital strategy, a parent plotting a return to the workforce, a freelancer adding a new service, or a student supplementing a less-than-exciting course catalog—StackSkills gives you the flexibility to learn on your own time, from any device, without having to sacrifice your sanity (or your weekend plans).

And StackSkills isn’t about fluff. Their 350+ elite instructors are people who’ve been there, done that, and are ready to show you how they actually succeeded (and yes, sometimes how they failed—because that’s where the real lessons live). Each course includes progress tracking, certificates, and even quarterly live Q&As to keep you engaged and growing.

Compared to one college course that costs, what, $600, $1,000, more?—$19.97 for lifetime access is almost criminally affordable. Plus, you’ll be able to pivot your learning as new trends pop up, industries shift, and opportunities arise. No need to re-enroll, re-pay, or re-think every time you want to pick up a new skill.

It’s lifetime learning—built for people who actually have lives.

Take the leap. Own your growth. And seriously, stop paying $300 just to sit through a PowerPoint for beginners class. StackSkills has you covered for life.

Get lifetime access to StackSkills by EDU for just $19.97 (reg. $600) through June 1.

EDU Unlimited by StackSkills: Lifetime Access

See Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: The AdGuard Family Plan helps you browse online with no distractions, and now it’s only $15.97 (reg. $169.99) with code FAMPLAN through June 1.

The average person sees around 10,000 ads a day, according to data from Siteefy.com. Think of how much time you could free up by blocking them all? Entrepreneurs need every spare second they can get, and AdGuard is here to save the day and prevent all those ads from distracting you every day.

Get all those seconds back with a lifetime subscription to AdGuard Family Plan, now just $15.97 (reg. $169.99) with code FAMPLAN through June 1.

Ditch the ad distractions for good with this lifetime subscription to AdGuard

You don’t have time for distractions. Let AdGuard’s ad-blocking module provide peaceful internet browsing, without any pop-ups, banners, or video ads, so you can get your work done.

Entrepreneurs often work with sensitive data, so you can also appreciate that AdGuard doubles as a security guard. It can protect your data privacy, keeping your personal info hidden from trackers and activity analyzers. It also defends you against malware and phishing websites, which could be disastrous for your business.

If you have children in the house, you can also take advantage of AdGuard’s parental control features. It helps ensure your children avoid inappropriate content on the internet.

This lifetime subscription to AdGuard’s Family Plan provides ad blocking, security, and parental controls for up to nine devices. It’s compatible with Android and iOS operating systems so that you can safeguard tablets, laptops, and smartphones.

Protect nine devices with this AdGuard Family Plan, now just $15.97 (reg. $169.99) with code FAMPLAN through June 1.

StackSocial prices subject to change.