Going independent as an M&A, PMI, or strategic finance professional means setting your own rate, winning your own mandates, and staying visible without a firm’s brand behind you. There’s no fixed path for how to do that well, and most people learn it through a few expensive mistakes.
This guide, co-authored by Ömer F. Güven, Founder & Managing Director at Fintalent, and Marty Kaufman, Founder of Indie Intel, puts what that process actually looks like in one place. It draws on contributions from independent consultants already building practices through the platform: Chris Mukoro, Alexander Tezlaw, James Ransome, and Clément Ducreux.
What the guide covers
The guide works through the questions that come up most for independent consultants in this space, from deciding whether you’re ready to make the move, to pricing your work, winning mandates, and staying visible between projects. Below are a few of the topics covered in more depth.
Is independent consulting in M&A right for you?
Before pricing or positioning, the real question is whether you’ve owned outcomes, not just supported them. The guide breaks down what experience actually qualifies you, and what changes the moment there’s no institution behind you.
How much should an independent M&A consultant charge?
Rates vary by seniority and region, but the guide includes current median day rates and hourly rates across analyst through partner level, plus how to structure pricing for retainers, success fees, and project-based work.
How to write an application that gets shortlisted
Clients see dozens of applications per mandate. The guide walks through what separates a generic pitch from one that gets a callback, including real examples of applications that worked and ones that didn’t.
How independent consultants find their next project
Referrals, returning clients, and visibility on LinkedIn outperform cold outreach for most independents in this space. The guide covers how to stay visible between projects without it becoming a second job.
What to expect financially in your first year
Independent M&A work rarely pays out evenly. The guide includes realistic timelines for landing a first project, what utilization actually looks like across a year, and how to plan around the gap between project end and payment.
The part nobody talks about: isolation and self-doubt
Dry spells and quiet months are part of the work, not a sign something’s wrong. The guide includes input from independent consultants on how they manage the isolation that comes with working alone.
None of this replaces the work of building a practice, pricing a project, or sitting through a quiet month. What the guide offers is a clearer starting point through the questions worth asking before you make the move, and a more grounded sense of what the first year tends to look like.
Get your copy of the guide
“How to Build a Successful Independent Career in M&A and Finance” — download it here ->
