Lightning Lessons

How to Land Your First Client as an Independent Consultant

Hosted by Emily Hollender and Silvi Specter

Wed, Sep 10, 2025

5:00 PM UTC (30 minutes)

Virtual (Zoom)

Free to join

60 students

Invite your network

Go deeper with a course

From Full-Time to Fractional: A Step-by-Step Launch Playbook for Senior Leaders
Emily Hollender
View syllabus

What you'll learn

Proven Approaches to Finding Your First Clients

Learn practical strategies to identify and land your first independent consulting or fractional opportunities.

How to Build Your Pipeline

Get simple frameworks to activate your network and create a steady flow of potential opportunities.

How to Make Business Development a Habit

Learn habits and mindset shifts that make business development feel natural and sustainable.

Why this topic matters

More and more experienced operators are stepping off the traditional career ladder to explore consulting, advisory, and fractional work. One of the hardest parts about getting started? Finding your first clients. In this session, Emily and Silvi will dig into proven, “non-salesy” strategies to help you build confidence, land your first engagement, and start growing a sustainable practice.

You'll learn from

Emily Hollender

Fractional Marketing Leader, Startup Advisor, Founder of Next Wave Marketing

Emily Hollender is a Fractional Marketing Leader (prev. RTR, The Wing, Tia) and the founder of Next Wave Marketing, where she partners with early-stage consumer startups to harness the power of community to drive growth. She’s passionate about helping full-time operators get off the sidelines and kickstart their own fractional journeys. She teaches a quarterly Fractional 101 course on Maven.

Silvi Specter

Marketing Consultant for B2B SaaS Startups; Founder of The Growth Tribe

Silvi Specter is a marketing consultant and founder of The Growth Tribe, a membership community for marketing freelancers. Specializing in B2B SaaS startups, Silvi builds high-performing messaging, go-to-market programs, and conversion-focused content that drives organic growth. Her expertise lies in helping startups position themselves effectively and close more deals. She previously was the first brand and content hire at Lemonade (nyse:LMND), led the marketing team at Healthee (NYC), and has worked with over 20 startups as a marketing consultant.

Trusted By

Rent the Runway
Lemonade
Tia
Modern Animal
Healthee

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