This year I started a new adventure. After a 17 year career holding multiple jobs within the education sector, I ventured out on my own and became an independent educational consultant. I want to take the time to share my story and explain the process I went through. Perhaps this article can shed some light on the process for others and answer questions about the logistics around an endeavor like this.
If there are ways I can help or advice you feel I can give, don’t hesitate to reach out at [email protected]. And if Dan Frederking Consulting, LLC can help you or your organization, I’m always happy to chat!
Dan Frederking Consulting, LLC
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The catalyst for the change to independent educational consulting
In my early career, I spent time as a high school teacher, a state education agency worker, and an instructional assistant professor. For the past 10 years, I served as a consultant with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), working on federal, state, and local contracts as an educational technical assistance consultant and researcher. I was generally satisfied at AIR, but in early 2025, our federal contracts began to disappear as a result of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. AIR was a huge player in the work funded by the US Department of Education, the US Agency for International Development, and the US Department of Labor, so the cuts resulted in sweeping layoffs across the organization. I found myself caught up in the chaos.
Finding another job similar to my role at AIR was going to be tough because the whole industry was experiencing the same issues as AIR (as I discussed in another post). I considered returning to a school district, possibly in a district-level role. I considered entering academia in a college of education. I considered leaving the education field altogether and applying my skills elsewhere.
My top consideration, though, was my family. I have two children under 5 and a beautiful wife with a good but demanding job that ties us to this community. It was always a struggle when we both worked fulltime, but having a remote-based job allowed for the flexibility we needed. Now, whatever I ended up doing, I needed to find a way to be available to get my kids dressed, fed, and to where they need to be. And, for us, relocation wasn’t an option.
Setting up my educational consulting LLC
Getting into educational consulting was not easy, but I decided it might be a good path forward for me and my family. The work might not be consistent, and at times there might be no work at all, but I did have a set of skills that contracting organizations could use. And I did have experience in writing proposals, conceptualizing projects, and managing contracts.
I researched how to set up a small business in the state, talked to an accountant about the pros and cons of different business structures, and eventually decided to establish a limited liability company (LLC). Because I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself into any specific consulting niche just yet, I picked the not-very-creative name of Dan Frederking Consulting, LLC.
I paid the state registration fees, set up a website, had a buddy help me design a simple logo, and started to dig into how I might actually find work.
Building my brand
My consulting firm carries my name, and I knew it could only go as far as my own credibility. I’ve been in the field for a while and have built up a good network and several advanced degrees, so I wasn’t starting from scratch, but it was clear that I needed to do more.
I decided to start this blog for many reasons: First and foremost, I knew I would enjoy it. I love researching and writing and I knew I’d have fun putting posts together each week for people to read. Secondly, it seemed like the right thing to do to let people know about my background, my skillset, and my specialities. Third, I saw it as a way to open doors for whatever unforeseen things might happen in the future. Hopefully it would lead to some consulting work. Maybe I could monetize it through ads or affiliate links some day. Perhaps it could help me get a book deal down the road. Regardless, it just made sense to me as being the right thing to do. I studied up on search engine optimization (SEO) and tried to put together a weekly blog that people would actually visit.
I tried to build an attractive website and I made some marketing materials to showcase how I could help, but I still knew that this probably wasn’t enough. I no longer had an impressive organization behind my name and I wanted to make sure I had enough credibility to actually undertake this endeavor. So, in addition to my own business, I took on a second part time gig: adjunct professor. Being an adjunct is similar to independent consulting in that it’s not always steady work but it does allow for flexibility when I need it. I can decide when to take on a teaching assignment and when to pass on the opportunity. I can typically work around my schedule and accept tasks that fit into my life.
Finding help
I did a lot of research online, read a lot of helpful blogs, and followed a lot of useful YouTube channels designed to help people in my same position. I reached out to people who I know have done independent consulting in the past. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t the only one in my network that chose the independent educational consulting route. For the same reasons that I discussed above, many of my former colleagues have ventured out on their own just like me. With that has come further opportunities for collaboration.
I was contacted by a former colleague who started her own firm and had developed a collaborative structure that allows for multiple individuals to go in together as subcontractors on contracts. This immediately became appealing because it allowed for us to take on projects that I could never have done alone, and it gave us the chance to pool our backgrounds and experiences into a group that covers multiple specialties.
Another former colleague noticed the number of independent consulting ventures that were popping up in his network and he established a cohort of individuals who meet regularly to discuss strategies, solve problems, and simply learn from each other. The existence of this support group was hugely beneficial to all of us who were just trying to figure this thing out.
The hard parts of independent educational consulting
Though I have found success in balancing this work with my homelife, there are many challenges that must be overcome. Of course, the biggest question is where to find work. I started with the strategy of engaging my already existing network. I’m new to independent consulting, but I’m not new to consulting in general. I’ve been doing this work for years, and that leads to relationships, referrals, and plenty of other pathways to pursue. There’s also value in getting your name out into the field through conferences, publication opportunities, or media appearances. Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is a great way to get connected with reporters who are looking for sources on all kinds of topics.
The costs of maintaining the LLC can be prohibitive to some. I’m lucky when it comes to things like health insurance because I can be covered by my wife’s employer. I know this can be a big barrier for many. There are also registration fees for establishing the LLC. Then, of course, there are purchases that are needed to be able to do the job. I had to pay for the website domain, I’m going to need a new computer before long, and I’m about to pull the trigger on new business cards. All of these things can add up. I had to be very conscious of what is necessary now and what could wait until I had some money flowing in.
What’s next?
For now, this is my plan. I’m not saying I won’t return to a more traditional fulltime job in the future and I’m open to opportunities as they come along, but I’ve found some success in the route I’m on and I’m enjoying the freedom it gives me to take control of my own work and schedule.
Shameless plug time: Contact me if Dan Frederking Consulting, LLC can help you in any way. We’re also on LinkedIn! Even if it doesn’t lead to anything, I’m always happy to connect and build my network!
