Make more money by swapping value for time

There is one fact that no one can deny: we all have 24 hours in a day. How we choose to spend those hours can be the thing that drives us forward to success or keeps us stuck. But the mistake most people make is that it’s not about quantity. Working harder and working longer is not the path to success because it’s a zero sum game, a race to the bottom, a slippery slope to burnout and breakdown. Especially for women, as our hormonal cycles peak and drop through our reproductive month affecting our available energy. Not to mention life changes like pregnancy, perimenopause, and pervasive chronic illnesses like endometriosis which affect our ability to simply work harder and longer. It’s about quality: it’s about doing more with less, adding more value in less time, and receiving more buck for that bang. 

The first mindset shift

One of the smartest things a Change Manager can do is to move from permanent or fixed term employment to day rate contracting. In fact, that’s how I managed to double my income in one move and triple my salary to almost $200,000 in 3 years and I’ve had Leading Successful Change students get similar salary growth success. My Intro to Change Management webinar details how salaries and day rates compare and what to consider with this, but obviously get your own financial and tax advice and make sure you’re better off overall (particularly if you’re in a different country to Australia). However, you’re starting to treat yourself like a business, to put a value against your time, and separate yourself from your employer so that’s why I say day rate contracting is the first mindset shift. 

The problem with day rate contracting

The only problem with day rate contracting is that you are still working dedicated days and/or hours and trading time for money. You have a maximum number of billable hours (usually 8 hours a day, or a full day / half day / quarter day) and while you might be able to occasionally bill on weekends or public holidays, that just means you never get a break. Many day rate contractors make the mistake of never taking sick leave or holidays because they think they’re “missing out” on income, but again this might provide more funds in the short term but isn’t sustainable in the long run. It will catch up with you and life is meant to be enjoyed, not just work until you drop.

The other problem with day rate contracting

The other problem with day rate contracting is that you will reach the market cap at some point. The rates are set by employers and recruiters, and while sometimes it will boom like the years post-COVID, at other times it will right-size like the last couple of years. You might get incremental increases but unless you’re going to go up a level in the Change Management position hierarchy (which often requires even more responsibility, time, and stress), you will hit the ceiling of what the market is willing to offer you as a day rate contractor.

The second mindset shift

And this is what brings me to what I call the second mindset shift, and this is the mindset shift to consulting. Specifically, independent consulting. This is where you’re no longer an employee or even a day rate contractor, but you have the ability to find more freedom and flexibility by choosing your own clients, choosing your own schedule, and choosing your own rates. I tripled my rates overnight when I went out on my own as an independent consultant and thereby increased the ceiling of what I could earn. But interestingly, you can also deliver more value in less time, by crafting packages for your services instead of trading time for money. Rather than committing specific days or hours to a client, you can commit specific deliverables and outcomes. These can be delivered with the client (such as a Future State Workshop or Change Planning Workshop) or in your own time (such as developing the Change Brand and Theme), as agreed. 

Interestingly it can actually work out more cost effective for the client because it’s a fixed price statement of work, especially helpful if the project gets delayed or the change gets extended. And while with an individual client you might make less than if you charged a consulting day rate, because you have the capacity to work with more than one client at a time, overall you have the potential to make more!

Making the move from Change employment to independent consulting was life changing for me and I believe everyone deserves to build a life of freedom and financial abundance on their terms, and enjoy flexibility and flow not just in their day, but in their week, their month, and their year. As a Change Consultant, my lifestyle is my choice: most of the time in my business I work from home 100% of the time, I don’t sit down at my desk on weekdays until 10am, I take 1-2 afternoons off a week to socialise or go on an adventure, and blocks of weeks and months off during the year to travel, rest, and recharge.

If you’d like to learn my secrets to becoming a Change Consultant in record speed, come to my exclusive live in-person Instant Change Consultant Retreat on 20-21 June in Sydney. This two-day immersive experience will teach you how to start or grow your own consulting practice, so you can choose your own clients, choose your own schedule, and choose your own rates. Final enrolments for the retreat close Tuesday 9 June so join now to secure your spot before the deadline.

CLICK HERE to join the 2026 retreat before the final enrolment deadline

Lata xx