Does this sound like you?

  • Ready to start

    You’re finally ready to start consulting. You’ve got skills, experience, and motivation—but turning all that into a business is another story.

  • Kinda overwhelmed

    Not knowing where to start leaves you spinning. You try to research, make lists, maybe even sell services—but everything feels urgent and unclear.

  • Feeling alone

    Working alone has its freedom, but it can also be isolating. Without a team to gut-check your decisions, it’s easy to second-guess yourself.

Don't worry, you aren't alone.

Our On-Ramp to Freelance Consulting course curriculum delivers practical, real-time instruction, tools, and exercises to build or pivot your freelance consulting business.

  • Define your services and identify the clients who need them most

  • Set competitive, sustainable rates using real-world benchmarks

  • Build a steady pipeline of consulting opportunities across sectors

  • See inside the operational must haves, from contracts to invoicing

  • Gain confidence through live instruction, practice, and feedback

Hear From Past Participants

5 star rating

100% recommended!

Lisa Taylor

This course provided me with practical tools and insights to build a more successful and sustainable consulting business, grounded in authentic relationship-...

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This course provided me with practical tools and insights to build a more successful and sustainable consulting business, grounded in authentic relationship-building with clients. I walked away with a clear description of my services, an outreach and marketing plan, budgeting tools, an expanded community of colleagues, and improved negotiation skills—plus a contract with a new client that my classmates helped me negotiate! As a result, I feel empowered to rebuild my consulting pipeline (even amid a challenging context for global development work), partnering with social impact organizations to make the world a better place.

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5 star rating

Incredible support, tools and resources!

Kendall Banks

The On-Ramp course provides enormous value to freelance consultants, with loads of templates, tools and resources to hit the ground running. The course helpe...

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The On-Ramp course provides enormous value to freelance consultants, with loads of templates, tools and resources to hit the ground running. The course helped me reframe consulting as a business - not simply something to survive until the next full-time role. Whitney pushed us to do the hard work - defining what we offer (and what we should charge for it), who it's for, and building out a pipeline of potential clients through a well-designed, progressive set of exercises. Whitney's encouragement and the community/support within the cohort is icing on the cake - I truly enjoyed every moment of this course, and cannot overstate how much value it provides!

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Meet Your Instructor

Whitney Kippes, Boss Founder & Certified Coach

Whitney has been helping purpose-driven consultants and organizations build strategies that actually work—not just on paper, but IRL. Whitney’s zone of genius? Translating complex career experience into clear, marketable consulting offers—and helping people feel less alone in the process. She’s known for her honest, practical teaching style, real-world tools, and deep knowledge of what it takes to not just be a consultant, but to thrive as one.

Whether you’re just starting out or shifting gears to pivot, Whitney brings the clarity, structure, and support you need to get unstuck and move forward with confidence.

Want to meet Whitney? Set up a call.

On-Ramp to Freelance Consulting is designed to walk you through everything you must know to get started.

The curriculum outline below is just a teaser of what you'll experience! Our fall 2025 cohort is now open for enrollment. Join us today!

    1. A Message from the Instructor

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Live Call: Welcome & Introductions

    3. Recording: Welcome & Introductions

    4. Video Lesson: Navigating the Course and Community

    5. A Personal Commitment Exercise

    6. Pre-Course Survey

    1. Live Call: Why freelance consulting?

    2. Recording: Why freelance consulting?

    3. Effectuation Exercise

    4. Video Lesson: Who is your ideal client?

    5. Client Brainstorm Exercise

    6. Video Lesson: How do you book calls?

    7. Week 1 Reflection

    1. Live Call: What are you selling (and to whom)?

    2. Recording: What are you selling (and to whom)?

    3. Talking to Humans Exercise

    4. Experience Mapping Exercise

    5. Service Area Brainstorming Exercise

    6. Video Lesson: How do you maintain a pipeline?

    7. Marketing Exercise

    8. Week 2 Reflection

    1. Live Call: How do you sell your services?

    2. Recording: How do you sell your services?

    3. Client Problem Analysis Exercise

    4. Lead Cultivation Exercise

    5. Service Description Writing Exercise

    6. Video Lesson: How do you set your rates?

    7. Rate Setting Exercise

    8. Contract Review Exercise

    9. Week 3 Reflection

    1. Live Call: How do you manage money?

    2. Recording: How do you manage money?

    3. Budgeting Exercise

    4. Pipeline Development Exercise

    5. Video Lesson: How do you negotiate?

    6. Negotiation Exercise

    7. Week 4 Reflection

    1. Live Call: How do you manage clients?

    2. Recording: How do you manage clients?

    3. Operational Planning Exercise

    4. Client Discovery Analysis Exercise

    5. Video Lesson: How do you become your best boss?

    6. Ideal Week Exercise

    7. Community Mapping Exercise

    8. Week 5 Reflection

About this course

  • $649.00
  • 16+ tools and worksheets
  • 12 lessons, including live calls
  • Virtual discussion board

Choose How to Pay

Receive a small discount when you pay in full today, or spread your payments over two months.

What's Included

Join the next cohort, kicking off October 13, 2025 and get these bonus goodies!

  • Planning Toolkit

    Keep going after the six-week course with our quarterly planning toolkit, including a template for your annual budget!

  • Timely Support

    Tackle the issues that are facing you today and get actionable feedback in live discussions with the cohort and instructor.

  • Individual Coaching

    Dive deeper into your own roadblocks (negotiation? imposter syndrome?) with two coaching sessions.

FAQ

Get answers to our most commonly asked questions.

  • When does the course meet?

    The next cohort begins on October 13, 2025. Enroll today to influence when weekly live sessions are held. Past cohorts met Tuesday mornings, eastern time.

  • What’s included in the price?

    You’ll get:

    • 6 live sessions with instruction + Q&A
    • 6 self-paced video lessons
    • 16 practical exercises
    • 30+ tools and templates, including our rate sheet
    • 2 personal 1:1 coaching session
    • 3-month membership to the Consultant Network
    • Ongoing feedback, and a certificate of completion
  • What if I can’t attend the live sessions?

    No problem. All live sessions are recorded and uploaded within 24 hours, and you’ll still be able to submit assignments, receive feedback, and participate in community discussion. You’ll also have access to the instructor via email and our discussion group.

  • How much time should I plan to spend on this each week?

    Most participants spend 5–7 hours per week. That includes live sessions (1-2x/week), optional office hours, and weekly assignments. Everything is designed to be actionable—not busywork—so the time you spend directly supports your business growth.

  • How long do I have access to the course materials?

    You’ll get lifetime access to all course materials, including recordings, tools, templates, and future updates. This isn’t a one-and-done sprint—it’s a resource you can revisit as your business evolves.

  • Is this course right for me if I’ve already started consulting?

    Yes—especially if you’re formalizing your services, building your pipeline, or pivoting into new sectors. While it’s great for beginners, many returning consultants take this course to strengthen their business foundation or expand beyond USG/USAID work.

  • What’s the refund policy?

    We understand things change. You can request a full refund within 7 days of the course start date (by October 20, 2025). After that, all sales are final.

  • Do I need to be based in the U.S. to take this course?

    Not at all. We’ve designed this for a global audience, and many of our participants are based outside the U.S. Live sessions are generally scheduled in U.S. Eastern Time, but recordings and asynchronous components make it accessible from anywhere.

  • Is this meant for development sector professionals?

    We welcome all participants! This course is designed for anyone who is working to launch or strengthen their consulting business. While strategies for those leaving public sector or INGO jobs will be discussed, the materials can apply to all freelance consultants.