The Six-Figure Public Health Consultant Quiz
"You're already doing consulting-level work — you just haven't named it, priced it, or put a doorway on it. Yet."
Whether you're new to the public health workforce or sitting in a mid-level seat, you have instincts that look a lot like consulting. What you don't have — yet — is the structure: a clear niche, a rate sheet you trust, and the right amount of direct experience under your belt. Below is the honest map for getting there.
Strong consulting work rests on real expertise. We generally recommend at least five years of direct public health experience before you start taking paid client work. If you're not there yet, that's not a stop sign — it's a roadmap. PHC 101 still helps you get ready: name the niche you're growing into, build the portfolio you'll use later, and step into the room with the people already doing the work.
Hidden Consultants come from two places. Some are new to the public health workforce — building the credibility and direct experience that consulting requires. Others are mid-career professionals who have been quietly running consulting engagements inside their 9-to-5 for years and just haven't named it yet. Wherever you sit, the path is the same: build the foundation now, package it when you're ready.
Each one is sized to fit on a lunch break. Do them in order — whether your first contract is six months out or three years out, this is the prep that pays off. Walk into PHC 101 with all four done and we'll sharpen them together.
Open a doc and list the last 5 projects you've worked on. Next to each, write the single service inside it a consultant would charge for — "needs assessment," "training facilitation," "evaluation plan," "grant writing."
Fill in this template, out loud, until it stops feeling weird: "I help [who] with [what specific outcome] through [your service]."
Take your current annual salary, divide by 1,000 — that's your starting hourly. Then build two tiers above it: a "project minimum" (40 hours) and a "retainer floor" (10 hours/month, 3 months).
Open a single doc called "Portfolio." Every time you finish a project at work, add three lines: the challenge, what you did, the outcome. Whether you bill next month or in three years, this is the asset you'll wish you'd started today.
A two-day live workshop built specifically for Hidden Consultants — whether you're getting ready years out or finalizing your first paid engagement. You'll walk in with the four exercises above; you'll walk out with a named offer, a defensible rate, and a clear plan for the next stretch of your consulting journey.
The foundation you need — from identifying your strengths to positioning yourself as a consultant clients want to hire.
The channels, strategies, and outreach approaches that actually land your first contract.
A realistic look at the daily rhythm of consulting work — so you know exactly what to expect.
You leave with a clear, actionable game plan to start making moves toward your first consulting engagement in 30 days or less.
Same résumé pattern, same "I do consulting-adjacent work but I'm not really a consultant" loop in my head. What changed wasn't my skill — it was finally putting it into a packaged offer with a real number on it.
PHC 101 is the version of that conversation I wish someone had handed me on a Friday afternoon ten years ago. Two days, live. Your hardest questions, answered in real time. Come bring the homework above and let's get you visible.
Hidden Consultants thrive when they have a room of people doing the same work. The Public Health Club is 900+ public health professionals — sharing contracts, reviewing each other's proposals, and quietly turning each other's side work into full-time businesses.