Consultant. To be one has long meant to occupy one of the vaguest and least understood employment categories in circulation within the Western world. Unless you need a consultant for something, you probably don’t know what they do.
This is particularly true within niche consultancy categories. What, for example, does an AI consultant do?
It’s a job that hardly existed at all before two years ago. Now, it’s an organizational priority for many of the biggest businesses on the planet.
Digital marketplaces, including freelancer platforms, are creating expansive opportunities for consultants, particularly those who operate in non-traditional niches. In this article, we take a look at how these opportunities are being created and what they mean for consultants all over the country.
What Is a Consultant?
Before we begin, let’s define what consultants actually do. At a fundamental level, consultants typically operate independently or within an agency environment to provide bespoke solutions to specific organizations.
For example, a business might bring in a consultant to help with a cybersecurity initiative or a technology overhaul.
In these applications, the consultant will go in, help the business develop the system they require, and then exit. They may be brought in later to troubleshoot problems or processes or provide additional support.
Basically, they are there to provide expertise in situations where a business needs significant help, but only in the short term. In many cases, consultants are brought in briefly but to provide high levels of advanced support.
How Digital Platforms Change the Way Consultants Work
The increasingly digital and nomadic nature of modern employment has made it possible for consultants to reach a much wider audience than was ever before possible. Freelancing platforms are the most basic, and in many cases, far-reaching applications of this.
On a platform like Freelancer, Fiverr, or Upwork, it’s possible for a consultant to find dozens of new leads per day. This is particularly ideal for people operating in niche categories where local demand might be limited.
For example, if you’re an AI consultant working in the Midwest, you may not have many businesses within driving distance that require your type of expertise. But if you set up shop on Upwork or a compatible platform, you might find 10, 20, or even 30 new listings matching your skill set every single day. These online marketplaces make it much easier for people to seek help and for professionals to provide it.
What Types of Consultants Are Finding New Opportunities?
Quick answer: anyone—at least anyone who understands how to leverage digital connectivity to position their talents in front of more potential leads. In 2026, that’s a category that includes most successful consultants.
In the next few sections, we’ll take a more granular look at what kinds of consultants are finding new opportunities in an age of remote collaboration and the digital marketplace.
Technology Consultants
We’ve already referenced the advent of AI consultancy. It sounds modern and trendy, but it’s actually a much-needed skill at organizations all over the planet. To date, despite nearly every large business having invested in AI, virtually none have seen a return on it. About 98% of companies that have put money into AI still haven’t seen a return.
Is that because the technology is less impactful than we’ve been led to believe? Maybe, kind of. It’s true that artificial intelligence gets more coverage than its actual capabilities deserve, but it’s also true that AI is still in its infancy. Companies don’t really know how to leverage it effectively. Should it replace employees? Should it be used as a skill enhancement? Is there a specific way to monetize it, or is it just a tool companies should be using without a specific ROI objective in mind?
AI consultants can provide answers to those questions by going in, finding out what an organization is trying to accomplish, and helping them meet those goals.
Technological consulting exists beyond AI, though. Tech consultants are often brought in to help companies adopt new software or train on cybersecurity protocols. There are many ways to leverage a keen understanding of digital technology in an age where every company knows they need to use it but isn’t always great at doing so.
Education Consultants
Believe it or not, school districts all over the country regularly rely on the services of consultants. Sometimes it’s to adopt technologies, as we described in the last section. Other times it’s to help meet certain regulatory requirements, such as testing benchmarks.
Consultants are also brought in for support with finances, processes, policies, curriculum, and more. There are so many moving pieces within a school district that local talent can’t always cover all of a school’s requirements. Consultants come in to fill gaps and provide support where it’s needed.
Many of these consultants are former teachers who have advanced degrees in education, particularly at the administrative level.
Healthcare Consultancy
Consultants also regularly work in the healthcare arena, with the goal of refining processes to meet specific organizational objectives. For example, a consultant might be brought in to improve retention rates within nursing units. They might address quality-of-life considerations, communication procedures, and organizational policies designed to retain employees.
Consultants may also be brought in to tackle specific problems a healthcare system is facing, such as higher-than-expected rates of infection. They’ll go in, identify what’s going wrong, and offer targeted solutions to address the problem.
As in any other industry, there are many ways to leverage insight as a consultant. One organization may require multiple types of consultants depending on the challenges it faces. Healthcare is a prime example of this.
Just the Tip of the Iceberg
We’ve described many different types of non-traditional consultancy work, but the truth is that if we were to cover everything, this article would never end. If you can imagine a professional environment or even a generalized work-related problem or process, chances are there is a consultant specific to solving it. If there isn’t, there could be—it could be you.
Healthcare, education, social work, business, accounting, human resources—anything that is process-driven can be enhanced through the work and support of a consultant. Digital marketplaces, particularly freelance platforms, make it easier than ever for consultants to find opportunities, develop their personal brand, and start working.
That said, there are many ways to leverage your skills as a consultant. Freelance platforms are a good starting point, but it’s also wise to consider other lead-generation streams. For example, develop your own website, start cold calling, or create a referral program. The more ways you put yourself out there, the more successful you will ultimately become.
