you advise companies on strategy. but you've never built your own.
You know how businesses work. You've restructured them, scaled them, fixed them. But you've never had your own. sidething helps consultants turn their business knowledge into a real product that earns revenue on the side.
for consultants building their own thing on the side
the consulting trap
selling your time for someone else's equity
You help companies generate millions in value. Your reward? A day rate and a taxi receipt. You know how to build businesses, just not your own.
travel schedule makes consistency hard
Monday in London, Wednesday in Munich, Friday on a call with New York. Finding consistent time for your own project feels impossible when your calendar belongs to a client.
golden handcuffs of the consulting salary
The pay is good. Really good. So you keep telling yourself you'll start something next year. But next year never comes, and the handcuffs get tighter.
know how to advise, never built your own
You've written frameworks, growth strategies, and go-to-market plans for Fortune 500 companies. But you've never validated your own idea or shipped your own product.
stuck on client work with no time for your own ideas
Every hour has a billing code. Your best ideas sit in a notes app because there's always another deliverable, another deck, another client fire to put out.
imposter syndrome about being a "real" founder
You can advise CEOs with confidence, but the thought of calling yourself a founder feels fake. You worry that consulting skills don't translate to actually building something.
from consultant to founder (without quitting your job)
validate around client projects
ValidationUse what you already see in your consulting work. Spot a problem that keeps coming up, talk to people outside your clients, and validate demand before you build anything.
build a simple MVP
BuildingNot a 90-slide deck. A working product that solves one problem well. We break it into 30-minute tasks that fit between client calls and flights.
get your first users
BuildingTap into your professional network. Consultants have access to decision-makers most founders would kill for. Put that network to work for your own thing.
launch and learn
LaunchingPut it out there. Get real feedback from real users. Your client-facing skills make you better at this than you think.
earn your first revenue
LaunchingSomeone pays you for something you built, not for your time. Prove the model works before you even think about leaving consulting.
decide what comes next
LaunchingKeep it as a side income? Go part-time at the firm? Leave entirely? Make the decision with real revenue data, not a fantasy spreadsheet.
why consultants have an unfair advantage
You understand business strategy, financial modeling, and how companies actually make decisions. You have a professional network full of potential customers and partners. You know how to present, persuade, and sell. You have real financial acumen and client-facing experience. Most founders spend years learning what you already know. You just need to point those skills at your own thing.
how sidething works for consultants
tell us about your situation
Your consulting focus, your idea (or lack of one), your available hours between client work. We build a plan that works with your unpredictable schedule.
get a personalized roadmap
AI generates your step-by-step plan. Not generic startup advice. Real tasks designed for consultants who need to stop advising and start doing.
execute with accountability
Weekly check-ins, streak tracking, and AI coaching. Stop letting your side project live in a slide deck. Actually build and ship it.
grow with other consultant founders
Connect with consultants who are also building on the side. Share what works, pressure-test ideas, and stay motivated when client work gets overwhelming.
the advice spectrum
Default advice
For consultants
Accountability
Time reality
Building skills
Network
| Challenge | ChatGPT | Indie Hackers | Reddit | sidething |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default advice | "Leverage your consulting experience" | "Just ship it" | Whatever gets upvotes | Validate first, then build the smallest thing that works around your schedule |
| For consultants | No context for consulting workflows | Mostly indie devs and designers | r/consulting is about careers, not building | Built for people with business skills who need to learn to ship |
| Accountability | None | Community posts (optional) | None | Weekly goals, streaks, AI coaching |
| Time reality | Assumes unlimited time | Assumes full-time indie | No structure | Designed for unpredictable consulting schedules |
| Building skills | Generic how-to guides | Scattered blog posts | Random anecdotes | Structured product-building training for business-minded founders |
| Network | None | Open forum, mixed quality | Anonymous, inconsistent | Vetted community of consultant founders |
this is for you if...
You're a consultant with a full-time role who wants to build something that generates revenue on the side
You have strong business skills but haven't actually built and shipped a product before
You want accountability and a community, not another framework or business book
You're ready to stop advising other people's businesses and start building your own
not for you if
You want to start a traditional consulting firm or freelance practice (that's a different path)
You're looking for a co-founder matching service or startup accelerator
You're not willing to move beyond strategy and do the messy work of building something real