When I first started consulting, I was fortunate enough to be hired into a high-performance culture with a great team. We supported each other by sharing knowledge, assisted with troubleshooting, and competed to become the best experts in Oracle applications.

I enjoyed my manager, my immediate team, and the company as a whole. Clients were friendly, and projects were fairly straightforward. I had a good amount of free time and a decent salary. I was comfortable.

Then it all came crashing down, starting with news of the acquisition.

Our company was being sold to a much larger company. Things stayed the same for a while during the transition, yet within two years, everything had changed. There was more friction. Additional approvals and documentation were required for everything from expenses to installing the latest version of SnagIt on my computer.

Colleagues kept leaving, which left more work for those who remained. Projects weren’t as clearly defined, which led to delays and increased pressure on consultants, resulting in more of them leaving.

Soon, I found myself as the only person from my team left. Everyone had moved on to other companies or departments.

I received a decent promotion and raise, which came with the added responsibility of managing a team, except there was no one else but me and one direct report. Due to project delays, I was now on three client projects, billing 50+ hours each week. I was starting to get pulled into scoping calls and became responsible for assisting in building out our team again through interviewing and hiring new consultants.

My breaking point came after I migrated to the new company laptop. Instead of having full administrative access, I was severely limited in what I could do, requiring help tickets to install anything. It took about 17 hours to transfer all my data to the new computer due to challenges and technical issues, and three calls to IT to get the latest SnagIt installed.

I had been thinking of going independent for some time and had seen a colleague recently do it. I stepped back and looked at my current situation and realized it was not a good fit. Everything had changed. I didn’t leave the company; the company left me.

At that point, I realized: “I’m done.”

I wanted more control over my work life, a higher income, and less non-project work. I wanted breaks in between projects. Once I got clear on what I wanted, things rapidly fell into place. I called former colleagues asking for advice on going independent, and by my third call, I received an offer to work on a project as a contractor.

The first step in going independent is getting clear about what you want and aligning with that vision for yourself. Sometimes there’s an inner back and forth about what to do. That’s natural, and it probably means you need more information before you can fully commit to one path or the other.

That’s why I created “The Liberated Consultant: Guide to Independent ERP Consulting.” It shows you the ins and outs of working as a contractor and how your life could be. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re in that stage where you’re exploring what else is out there, you can pick up the book for free (just pay shipping and handling).

If you’re already “all in” on going independent, then you definitely want to grab this book, as it will be like rocket fuel for your journey.

Pick it up at LiberatedConsultant.com.