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Amanda Schwartz Ramirez

COO: Advisor, Consultant, Fractional

On-Ramp to Advising and Consulting

Cohort 2

Cohort 1

Cohort 3

Turn your executive expertise into a thriving consulting practice that gives you freedom, impact, and control.

On-Ramp to Full-Time Advising and Consulting for Busy Execs

Consultant

(Ex-) CEO

Product Consultant / Advisor / Fractional PM

Head of Financial Planning and Analysis

Fractional CFO / Advisor

Vice President of Product 

Consultant 

I frequently speak with busy execs—from Fortune 500s to high-growth startups—who are ready for their next chapter. They want to leverage their hard-won expertise across multiple companies while building a life on their own terms. If you're reading this, you may be one of them. The thing is, while you recognize this path exists, you also have really good questions: - How, exactly, do you find clients without an existing network of founders?- How many clients can you really serve at once before quality suffers?- How do you price your expertise when transitioning from salary to consulting?- Do you need to be a "thought leader" to succeed?- Can you really replace your executive compensation with this model? Beyond the practical, there are deeper emotional questions as well: - I'm really uncomfortable with sales—will that be a problem?- I'm scared I'll struggle with boundaries when every hour could mean more revenue.- How do you protect your time?- How do I spot red flags with potential clients before signing contracts?- I thrive with structure and clear goals. Can I stay motivated without them?- Am I really expert enough when everyone seems to be consulting these days? After 15 years operating in both startups and Fortune 500s (and three kids later), I took a leap that let me control my time while staying on the steep learning curve I've always loved. In full-time advisory and consulting, I've constructed a work-life grounded in variety, strategic choice, and continuous learning. Every day, I'm expanding my network, sharpening my expertise, and creating optionality for whatever comes next. I now serve a small portfolio of companies simultaneously, each benefiting from the patterns and insights I bring from the others.This path offers extraordinary freedom and impact, and it may be available to you. But let's be real: Building a consulting practice is an entrepreneurial pursuit requiring testing, iteration, and hustle. The income variability and ambiguity surrounding engagements can trigger real anxiety—especially in your first year. This course is for executives ready to navigate these challenges, who find energy in building something of their own, and who want to multiply their impact across organizations.

Get a step-by-step guide for making the transition to full-time consulting.

Course syllabus

For Cohort 1: we will meet bi-weekly on Fridays, from 8 - 9:30am PT, for 5 weeks. There will be 3 live classes, with 1 async kick-off leading in. For Cohort 2: we will meet weekly on Thursdays, for 3 weeks. There will be 3 live classes, with 1 async kick-off leading in.

Live Sessions

Every class will have a clear next-step, allowing you to take action and make progress in your transition. Tools and templates will be provided.

Actionable Steps

For Cohort 1: I will host two one-hour Office Hours, for any student to join with questions or materials to review. For Cohort 2: I will host one one-hour Office Hour, with one 1:1 coaching session for each student.

Office Hours (Optional)

Course schedule

Execs with years of experience in the midst-of or ready to transition into full-time advisory or consulting work.

Seasoned leaders looking for diversification, impact across companies, and freedom while hitting the ground running.

This isn't for you if you're looking for guarantees of seven-figure contracts in six weeks or if you're unwilling to put in the work.

Who is this course for

What you’ll get out of this course

Learn to articulate your unique value in ways that resonate with today's clients who need strategic judgment, not just another pair of hands. Position yourself where human expertise matters most—especially as companies navigate increasing complexity and AI adoption.

Turn your executive track record into a differentiated consulting position that commands premium rates. 

Focus on warm outreach and relationship activation without getting salesy. Lean on your network (connections, former colleagues) to find paying clients using a clear, repeatable playbook.

Build a sustainable pipeline using your existing network as the foundation.

Access the exact templates, pricing models, and operational frameworks I use to manage my clients. Skip the expensive mistakes around contracts, scope creep, and underpricing that trap most new consultants.

Accelerate past 18 months of costly trial-and-error with battle-tested systems. 

Learn alongside peers navigating the same transition who understand the unique challenges of leaving corporate life. Exchange leads, pressure-test positioning, and find accountability partners for the journey.

Join a curated community of executives who become your advisory board and referral network. 

Work with someone who's successfully made the transition and will share the unvarnished truth. Understand the real trade-offs between corporate security and consulting freedom to make an informed decision.

Gain clarity and confidence about whether this path aligns with your goals. 

Get access to both of my live workshops

Live workshops for senior executives (VP+) who want to move from a single employer to serving a portfolio of companies.

COO, Advisor & Consultant — Strategy, Ops, Fintech / Digital Assets

From Paycheck to Portfolio Career

You've spent 15+ years building expertise. Do you know what it's worth?

Fractional COO, Startup Advisor

Fractional COO & Advisor | Founder, Garden Labs

You've led teams, shipped products, navigated reorgs, and built businesses from scratch at companies people recognize. Now you're thinking about what's next — and the honest answer is: you're not sure. Advising? Investing? Fractional roles? All of the above?You have valuable experience, but you can't articulate the expertise that makes for a compelling value prop in today's market.Last year, I collaborated with First Round Capital on their official founder guide to hiring consultants and fractional leaders. I've spent countless hours with execs looking to go solo. Their questions boil down to:<ol><li>What am I uniquely good at — the thing startups would pay me to provide?</li><li>Is there a real market for what I'd do as a solo operator?</li><li>How do I test this without blowing up my career?</li></ol>Most advice is too vague ("just network!") or too premature ("build a website!"). Neither helps when you haven't answered the fundamental question: what's your expertise?This half-day workshop is for executives who want to answer that honestly — with structured frameworks, hands-on AI exercises, and the unfiltered perspective of someone serving a portfolio of startup clients today.

Walk away with a concrete offering you can test with real people, an action plan, and a room full of peers who get it.

Your Expertise Map: 3-5 marketable capability themes

A first-draft Offering Canvas you can share this week

An actionable validation plan for you to run with

Real connection with your instructor

A network of peers with similar goals

Seasoned leaders exploring advisory, consulting, or fractional work. You have valuable experience but haven't nailed down what you'd offer.

Recently departed leaders figuring out what's next. You need to move from "I can do a lot of things" to "here's what I'm world-class in."

Senior operators who want an unfiltered perspective and a room full of peers. Not another webinar — honest conversation and real talk.

You know what you’d offer. Now build the business around it.

COO, Advisor & Consultant 

Fractional COO & Founder, Garden Labs

You’ve defined your expertise. Maybe you’ve tested it with a few trusted people in your network. The feedback was encouraging, but now what? How do you price this? What does your P&amp;L actually look like? How do you go from “I could do this” to a signed engagement with a real client?This is where most new consultants stall. Not because they lack expertise - because nobody teaches the business-building side. You’re a senior executive, you’ve built teams, run budgets, scaled operations. Building a practice around yourself is a different skill, and the learning curve is steep.I wrote <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://review.firstround.com/fractional-exec-hiring-guide/">First Round Review’s guide to hiring fractional executives</a> — I know what buyers are looking for. And I’ve been running my own practice since 2022, landing clients across venture-backed startups and Fortune 500 companies. In this workshop, I’ll walk you through the exact playbook: real pricing models, real P&amp;L numbers, real go-to-market motions, and real back-office decisions — not theory.This half-day intensive picks up where The Expertise Audit leaves off. You’ll leave with a rate card, a pipeline plan, a back-office checklist, and a proposal outline — everything you need to land your first client.

Leave with a rate card, a P&L model, a go-to-market one-pager, and a back-office setup built for your stage.

A rate card 

A P&L model

A go-to-market plan

A back-office checklist

A proposal outline

A Monday Morning Plan

Expertise Audit graduates ready to go to market. You’ve defined your offering, tested it, and now you need the business-building playbook

Executives who already know what they’d offer and need the business side. You need help turning it into a practice.

New independents who landed an engagement but are flying blind on the business. This workshop gives you the system.

Position Your Expertise for Consulting in the AI Era

Prev. VP, now full-time Advisor | Founder, Garden Labs est. 2022

Map your unique expertise against market needs to find your consulting sweet spot

Turn your executive expertise into a differentiated position

Craft positioning that resonates in the AI era by emphasizing human judgment, strategic taste, and relationship capital

Develop a compelling value proposition

Examine the benefits and drawbacks of this setup, apply it to your personal situation, and identify concrete next steps

Clarify your path in the evolving consulting landscape

Impact from the outside: advisor vs consultant vs fractional

Advisor and Consultant, former Strategy & Ops exec at PayPal and Dapper Labs.

Understand the key differences in how fractional leaders, consultants and advisors engage with company leaders.

Dissect the various ways you can serve a company externally

Gain perspective on what drives companies to seek external support in each of these models.

Diagnose the needs of companies who look for each

Know the benefits and drawbacks of each type of engagement, for both you and the company you're serving.

Gain a sense of the pros and cons of operating in each role

How to decide if you should shift from Exec to Consultant

Full-time Advisor and Consultant, former Strategy & Ops exec at PayPal and Dapper Labs. Currently serving 9 cos at Garden Labs. Mom of 3.

Dissect the top reasons why seasoned execs are venturing out as full-time advisors and consultants.

Distill why you would choose to go solo as a consultant.

Hear a first-hand account of the experience and backdrop required to succeed as a solopreneur.

Deconstruct what it will take to succeed as a consultant.

Examine the benefits and drawbacks of this setup and apply it to your personal situation.

Amanda Schwartz Ramirez will help you go from paycheck to portfolio career