PDF.ai

Founder

Testimonial

Cisco Systems

Senior Software Engineer

Bootstrapping

📚 PDF.ai: Chat with PDFs using AI
💜 Testimonial.to: Grow your business with social proof 

Also, making Docsium.com and Supportman.io for fun

Damon Chen

You're too good to be this invisible.

If you're a junior or mid-level professional drowning in job applications with zero callbacks - or a senior professional who knows you could crush it as a consultant but have no idea how to get started - I get it.

The frustration is real. You're qualified. You've done the work. 

But somehow: If you're early or mid-career: You're one of 500 applicants for every decent role while the best jobs seem to go to people who "knew someone." 

You're stuck in the application black hole.

If you're a senior professional: You've got 20+ years of expertise but consulting feels like a gamble. Will clients actually pay you? How do you find them? Can you really make this work?

Your family's watching. Your confidence is taking hits. 

And you're wondering what you're doing wrong.

Nothing. You just need a system that actually works.

My Story In 2014, I walked away from 22 years in corporate (Unilever, Nokia, Cargill) to start consulting. Terrified? Absolutely. 

But I had a plan. I turned my last employer into my first client. Tapped my network smart. Got my first new client within 2 weeks, and later worked with clients like PVR INOX, Mother Dairy, Altudo, Voltas, and Plantronics. 

Here's How I Help Junior & Mid-Level Professionals: My N.E.X.T. methodology gets you out of the application trap. My clients land roles with 30-100% salary jumps - not by applying more, but by becoming the person companies hunt down.

Senior Professionals (40+): I help you turn decades of corporate experience into a profitable consulting practice. Whether you're planning an exit, facing a layoff, or thinking about post-retirement income, I'll show you how to attract clients who value your expertise and pay accordingly.

After 22 years in corporate and 11 years coaching, I know what works and what's just noise. 

Ready to stop being invisible? 

Let's talk: hello@vikramanand.com

Vikram Anand

I talked for 40 minutes straight, in my first client meeting.
They never called back.

I'd prepared everything. A detailed presentation about my methodology. 

Case studies. My credentials. Examples of frameworks I'd use.

The CEO of a mid-sized manufacturing company in Faridabad had given me an hour. I was going to make every minute count.

I walked him through my 7-step process. Explained how I'd done similar work for other companies in the NCR region. 

He nodded. Smiled. Said "interesting" a few times.

At the 45-minute mark, he glanced at his watch. "This is great. Let me think about it and get back to you."

I left feeling confident. Surely he was impressed.

He never responded to my follow-up emails.

Two months later, I met another consultant at a FICCI event. I told him what happened.

He laughed. Not at me. With me.

"You gave a presentation. He wanted a conversation."

Then he said something I'll never forget: "If you're talking more than 20% of the time in a client meeting, you've already lost the sale."

That hit hard.

I'd been so desperate to prove I knew what I was doing that I never asked him what he actually needed. 

I never found out what was keeping him up at night. 

I never let him talk about his real challenges.

I was performing, not partnering.

Now when I meet a potential client, I prepare questions, not presentations.
I ask. I listen. I take notes.

And I've learned to be comfortable with silence - because that's when they start telling you what they really need.

For those of us who've spent decades in corporate where we had to justify our existence in every meeting, this is hard to unlearn.

What's been your biggest unlearning moment in your journey?

#CorporateToConsultant

I work with experienced professionals to navigate career transitions — from securing senior roles to building independent consulting practices.

Three months into consulting, I sent my client Sandeep a proposal for ₹5 lakhs. He called me the next morning.

"Can we meet for coffee?"

My stomach dropped. Here it comes. The "you're too expensive" conversation. 

Maybe I should've charged ₹3 lakhs. Maybe I should've—

We met at DiGhent Cafe - a nice coffee shop in Gurgaon. 

He slid the printed proposal across the table.

"I already signed it. Payment's being processed."

I tried to look calm. "Great. So, what did you want to discuss?"

"I need to understand why you only gave me one option."

Wait, what?

"If this project is worth ₹5 lakhs, shouldn't the bigger version be worth more? 

Shouldn't there be a smaller version if budget is tight?"

He wasn't complaining about the price.

He was disappointed I hadn't shown him more ways to work together.

That conversation changed everything.

I'd been so scared of looking "greedy" that I'd actually limited what I could do for him.

Since that day, I always offer three options. Always.

The cheapest one might be ₹2 lakhs. The premium might be ₹8 lakhs.

And you know what? 70% of clients pick the middle or top option.

If you're pivoting from the corporate sector to consulting in your 40s or 50s, remember this: your clients aren't looking for the cheapest consultant.

They're looking for someone who understands their problems well enough to offer real choices.

Stop slashing your fees. Start giving options.

#CorporateToConsultant

I had just left Cargill in April 2014 to become a marketing consultant.

My consulting "business plan" was permanently work in progress.

I spent three weeks obsessing over my website colours. Should it be corporate blue? Or that trendy gradient design everyone was using?

Meanwhile, my savings account was having its own anxiety attack.

Then one morning, my wife asked a simple question: "Why haven't you called Ramesh yet?"

Ramesh. My old colleague from the marketing days. Now heading sales and marketing at a mid-sized FMCG company.

"I'm not ready," I said. "Website isn't done. I don't even have a proper deck."

She just looked at me.

So I called him. Awkward small talk. Then I mentioned I was starting something new and could use his perspective.

"Oh thank god," he said. "I've been sitting on this marketing problem for months. Can you come in next week?"

That "not ready" call became my first project.

Turns out, nobody asked for my website. They wanted my 22 years of experience.

If you're in your 40s or older, sitting on years of expertise but waiting to be "ready" – you already are.

Your network knows what you can do. 

They're just waiting for you to pick up the phone.

#CorporateToConsultant

I was chatting with a friend last week in his mid 50s who's been laid off as a CXO and has spent a year trying to find a new job.

The uncomfortable truth - most senior professionals build careers, not economic engines.

They rely on one employer at a time.

They optimize for stability, not optionality.

Corporate roles hide a hard truth: your employability declines faster than your capability.

Start planning your second innings in your late 40s before the first one ends at 60.

What do you think? Do we need to plan a Second Innings?

#VikramWrites #SecondInnings

Last month, I met an ex-colleague from my mid-management years at a virtual networking event.

52 years old, now. MBA from a top B-school. 25 years in IT services.

He'd been passed over for a VP role. The feedback? "We're looking for someone with a longer career runway."

Career runway. As if we're planes about to crash.

Here's what's funny:

The average millennial changes jobs every 2 years. Most professionals switch every 4-5 years.

But a 50-year-old who could give you 10-15 quality years doesn't have "enough runway"?

That's ageism dressed up in corporate speak.

But here's the twist. Sometimes we invite this discrimination ourselves.

I've seen talented professionals treat their last decade like a countdown to retirement. They stop learning. Stop updating. Stop caring.

Same resume format from 2010. Talk about "the good old days" in interviews. Clothes that scream "I stopped trying."

Then they wonder why 28-year-old hiring managers see them as outdated.

Think of it like this. Would you buy a 2010 car with no GPS, no Bluetooth, worn seats, and expect to pay 2025 prices?

That's how the market sees you if you haven't upgraded.

You can't control ageism. But you CAN control your health, energy, skills, and attitude.

Update your LinkedIn. Learn current tools. Dress like it's 2025, not 2005. 

Stop talking about "how we used to do things."

Most importantly? Stop thinking about the next 10 years as a countdown.

Start thinking about them as your second innings.

Because here's the reality: You're likely working into your 70s anyway. The retirement dream at 58? That's gone.

So make the next 20 years count on YOUR terms.

What do you think? Is "career runway" legitimate or just age discrimination in disguise?

#SecondInnings #VikramWrites

It's Saturday. You're reading this with your morning coffee, thinking about the week that just ended.

How many times this week did you think: "Just 5 more years and I'm out"?

I know this feeling. I've heard it from dozens of people I've coached.

Anil, 48, VP at an MNC in Gurgaon. "I'm just keeping my head down till I hit 55."

Mitali, 52, HR Director in Mumbai. "I'll ride this out. What else can I do at this age?"

Pradeep, 46, IT Manager in Pune. "Better to play it safe than take risks now."

Here's the uncomfortable truth.

Playing it safe IS the risk.

That "safe" corporate job you're clinging to? It could vanish tomorrow. 

Automation. Restructuring. Your entire department outsourced to the Philippines.

The company you've given 20 years to doesn't owe you the next 10.

But here's what nobody tells you or me.

The most valuable skill for the second half of your life isn't on any job description.

It's learning to CREATE opportunities instead of WAITING for them.

Think about it. You've spent decades being excellent at what someone else told you to do.

What if you spent your weekend thinking about what YOU could create?

Not a full-blown business plan. Not quitting Monday morning.

Just one question: What problem could I solve that people would actually pay for?

Maybe it's consulting in your area of expertise. Maybe it's training. Maybe it's something completely different that's been sitting in the back of your mind for years.

If you're in your 40s or early 50s, please start thinking of your Plan B - before your organization forces you to do so.

#SecondInnings #VikramWrites

80% of consultants are really professionals in between jobs. 

Given half a chance, they will go back to a stable 9 to 5 job any day.

15% of the others go through periods of feast and famine. They are usually very good in their domain, but don't know how to monetize it as a business model.

5% crack the code to a growing & stable recurring revenue, scalable business models, hedged risks, and a diversified pool of happy clients.

What do they have that others don't?

1. A proven pipeline of current leads

2. A clear idea of where future leads will come from

3. A personal brand that attracts the right clients who will resonate with them

4. A strong network to tap into, in the initial years

5. A pricing model that is premium and attracts high-ticket clients. 

6. (Optional) A paid lead acquisition model that is > 3 ROAS (return on ad spends) 

Solopreneur consulting is hard to start, but incredibly satisfying once you learn the ropes.

#corporatetoconsultant

Steve looked around the busy pub in downtown Vancouver we were in, before he spoke. "Can I be honest with you?"

He's 48. Senior VP at a Fortune 500. Good salary. Corner office. The whole package.

"I hate Mondays," he said. "Actually, I hate most days now."

I asked him what he'd do if money wasn't an issue.

His eyes lit up. "Independent consulting. My own terms. My own clients."

Then reality hit. "But that's retirement stuff, right? I have 12 more years to go."

Here's what I didn't tell him right away:

Last week I surveyed a few working professionals like him with 20+ years of experience, who joined me in my closed door meeting.

Refer to the Zoom survey screenshot below.

Only 15% wanted to stay in their current jobs.

35% wanted independent consulting. Another 24% wanted independent director board positions. 14% wanted to start their own business.

That's 73% of people dreaming of working on their own terms.

But here's the sad part – most of them think they have to wait until retirement to make it happen.

Retirement is when you stop working. This isn't retirement planning. 

This is life planning.

The question Steve needs to ask himself isn't "What will I do after I retire?"

The real question is "What do I actually want to do for the next 20 years?"

Because at 48, Steve isn't planning retirement. He's planning the longest, most fulfilling chapter of his career.

And 12 years from now? The market will have changed. His skills might be outdated. His energy definitely won't be the same.

The best time to pivot isn't after you retire.

It's while you still have the energy, credibility, and professional network to make it work.


#CorporateToConsultant

taplio

The Battle

Damon Chen

Vikram Anand

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreVikram Anand's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Damon Chen

Vikram Anand

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Vikram Anand's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreVikram Anand's LinkedIn Performance