Start That Consultancy: Package & Price With AI 📦
Part 2 of 3: Your guide to getting started this summer!
💜 Hey M(AI)VENS,
Welcome to Part 2 of our Start That Consultancy series! Part 1 was about discovering what you’re uniquely qualified to do and if there’s a demand in the market. This week is about shaping that into something you can confidently package and get paid for.
I’ve heard from several women lately who are thinking about going out on their own, whether as a side hustle or full-time leap. This series is my way of walking alongside you, sharing what I’ve learned in building my own consultancy (and what I’d do differently if I were starting now) with the help of AI tools.
In this edition, we’ll use AI to help you draft your consulting offer, explore pricing strategies (including why I often recommend the monthly retainer model), and start building an intentional list of potential clients.
It’s okay if you don’t feel 100% ready yet. But by putting this into motion now, you’re laying the groundwork for something real, whether you want to fully leap into consulting this summer or start slowly while you figure things out.
Also, don’t forget: M(AI)VENS Premium Membership 💼 is open! Come join the conversation and connect with other brilliant women.
Let’s dive in!
✅ Put it Together
As we prepare for the next steps, make sure you’ve established:
1 problem your ideal client is actively trying to solve
1 service you could offer to help them solve it
Proof point that shows this problem is real and valuable to solve (from your market demand research)
These three pieces form the foundation of your potential consultancy.
✅ Step 3: Design Your Consulting Offer with AI Assist
Last week you identified a consulting path that aligns with your unique strengths and market demand. Now it’s time to design your offer. This is where many women get stuck. How do I explain what I do, what to charge, and who it’s for?
The good news is that AI is an incredible collaborator when it comes to getting your offer out of your head and onto paper.
✍️ What Makes a Great Consulting Offer?
You don’t need a fancy pitch deck or a logo. Sure, those are nice to have. But to get started, you need to clearly communicate the following:
Who you help
The problem you solve
The outcome you deliver
How much it costs
💬 Use AI to Write Your First Draft
The best consulting offers aren’t focused on the consultant. They’re focused on the client. When drafting or prompting with AI, keep the spotlight on what your potential client wants to solve or achieve. Your offer should clearly speak to the outcome you deliver, not just the process or services you provide. Always lead with the result that your customers care about most.
Prompt to use in ChatGPT or Claude:
Help me draft a consulting offer. I want to work with [target audience] who are struggling with [key problem]. I help them achieve [desired outcome] using my experience in [your zone of genius]. I plan to offer [type of service— a one-time consulting session, ongoing monthly retainer, or project-based].
Once it generates a draft, ask it to finesse or refine your tone:
“Make it sound warmer/more polished/more direct” or
“Add a touch of personality and confidence.”
Naturally, different inputs will generate different outputs. It may take a few tries to get it just right (it’s worth multiple attempts). Don’t be discouraged if the first version doesn’t hit the mark. Keep refining your prompts, adjust your tone or structure, and treat it like a conversation. The beauty of AI is that it’s fast and flexible, so you can quickly test multiple versions until your offer feels clear, confident, and true to you.
🤳 Refresh Your Social Media Bios
Before you begin outreach, you may want to refresh your social media sites to reflect your role as a consultant. As you did in crafting your consulting offer (above), you’ll want to keep the needs/solutions of your potential client as the main focus (rather than on the service you provide). Consider updating your Instagram bio, LinkedIn headline, LinkedIn bio, X/Twitter bio, TikTok bio, and any other social media you may use.
Prompt to use in ChatGPT or Claude:
I’m writing a new bio headline for [insert type of social media] as a [consultant or side-hustle]. I help [type of client] solve [specific problem] so they can [desired outcome].
Suggest a few clear, confident, and creative bio options that highlight the result I help clients achieve, not just the service I offer. The tone should be [insert tone]. Use an emoji.
Examples of details:
Type of social media: [e.g. Instagram bio, LinkedIn headline, TikTok bio]
Type of client: [e.g. small business owners, nonprofit leaders, creative entrepreneurs]
Problem I help solve: [e.g. inconsistent revenue, team burnout, lack of visibility]
Desired outcome: [e.g. steady growth, better systems, more impact with less stress]
Desired tone: [e.g. professional but creative, funny and light-hearted, inspirational]
✅ Step 4: Use AI to Explore & Establish Pricing
You deserve to be paid for the value you deliver. But pricing is often one of the hardest parts, especially when you’re just starting out. I recommend using Perplexity for pricing research because it’s designed specifically for research. It pulls real-time data from trusted sources and cites them clearly, so you're not guessing or relying on outdated info.
Try this prompt in Perplexity:
“What is the typical pricing for [your type of consulting] in 2025?”
“How do consultants in [your niche] typically package and price their services?”
“How much do executive consultants charge for [specific outcome]?”
Look for a range and don’t be afraid to start near the middle. You can always adjust once you’ve worked with a few clients.
If you want AI to help you calculate or propose your own pricing tiers, try:
“Suggest three pricing tiers for my consulting service that help [target audience] achieve [outcome], with escalating value at each level.”
📌 Common Pricing Models:
One-Hour Strategy Session: Good for quick wins
VIP Day or One-Day Intensive: One-day deep dive
Project-Based: Deliverables or transformation tied to a timeline, priced by project
Monthly Retainer: Ongoing advisory or implementation. This is what I recommend most women aim for. More on this below!
💼 Why the Monthly Retainer Model Works
If you’re building your consultancy as a steady, sustainable business, the monthly retainer model offers some clear advantages:
1. Predictable Income = Peace of Mind
When you work on retainers, you’re not starting from zero each month. That consistent revenue helps with planning, both financially and mentally, especially if you're juggling other responsibilities.
2. Deeper Client Relationships
Retainers create space for longer-term transformation. Instead of being called in just for quick fixes, you become a trusted thought partner and someone clients turn to regularly.
3. Easier to Scale
When you know your income baseline, it’s easier to decide when (and how) you’ll grow. Whether that’s taking on more clients, raising your rates, or building up your support systems.
4. Clients Love Simplicity
A flat monthly rate often feels easier for clients to approve than fluctuating project costs or time-tracked invoices. It’s clean, consistent, and lets them budget ahead.
5. You Can Layer Value
Want to offer different levels of service? You can build a tiered model (e.g., $2,500/month for strategy only, $4,000/month for strategy + implementation) that grows with your clients (and with your confidence).
🍦Note: I recommend offering no more than three pricing options. When clients are presented with too many choices, it can lead to decision paralysis, making it harder for them to choose any option at all. Three clear tiers help guide the decision-making process and showcase the value of your services without overwhelming your potential client.
Think of it like standing in front of the ice cream case with 31 exciting flavors. You end up sampling half the case and still can’t decide. But when there are just a few great options, it’s much easier to pinpoint the one that fits best. “I’ll take chocolate peanut butter!”
✉ Test it With Someone You Trust
Send your draft offer to one thoughtful friend, colleague, or mentor who knows your work and/or understands your field. It could be the same or different person you reached out to back in step one.
The idea here is to get feedback on the value proposition of your offer before pitching to potential clients.
Here’s a message you can adapt:
Hi [Name],
I’d like to offer my consulting services this summer and have drafted an early version of what I might offer potential clients. Since you know my work and have a unique perspective in this industry, I’d really value your feedback.
Would you be open to taking a quick look and sharing your thoughts? I'd especially like to know if the value proposition feels strong.
Thanks so much. I really appreciate any input you can offer.
[Your Name]
Use their perspective to refine your offer before moving to outreach (covered in the next edition).
✅ Step 5: Build Your Prospect List
Now that you’ve refined your offer with (human) feedback from someone you trust, you’re ready to start exploring who might actually need and want what you’re offering.
It can be tempting to make a big announcement on social media and hope your whole network sees it and responds with interest. While that may work for some businesses, consulting tends to grow through more personal, intentional outreach.
And that’s one of the beauties of consulting. You don’t need millions of TikTok followers to build a thriving consulting business. In fact, you probably only need 1 or 2 paying clients to start. Those first clients are most likely to come from real conversations, relationships, and individualized networking, not viral posts. You can do this! 🤩
📬 Start with Your Existing Network
Most first clients come from people who already know, like, and trust you. Think about:
Former colleagues and managers
Past partners and collaborators
Friends, family, and people who know your work ethic
Alumni networks
Professional associations (local, regional, national)
Membership clubs
Affinity groups (women’s initiatives, volunteer groups)
People you’ve worked with before who trusted your expertise
Companies you admire, follow, or are familiar with your industry
Small businesses, startups or nonprofits that might need what you offer but don’t have the capacity to handle it with a full-time, in-house hire.
Someone you’ve seen post recently about the exact problem you help solve
Ask yourself:
Who has the problem I solve and might value my unique solution?
Then, make a list of names and companies. You can track it in a simple spreadsheet. No fancy tools needed.
🪅 This Is a Big Milestone!
Here’s what you’ve done so far:
Clarified the kind of consulting work you are uniquely gifted to offer
Matched your skills with real-world demand
Used AI to shape your offer based on your strengths and ideal client
Updated your social media bios (putting yourself out there!)
Priced your service using research-backed ranges, with up to three simple tiers (one single offer with no tiers is also fine to begin with!)
Started building your prospect list
You’re already further than most ever get. Keep going! Your first client might be closer than you think. In Part 3, we’ll look at outreach strategies, follow-up, and client agreements.
Cheyenne 💜
Founder, M(AI)VENS
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