9 Career Consulting Business Success Stories [2024]
Navigating today's competitive job market can be a daunting task. Starting a career consulting business could be your answer.
This venture involves guiding individuals through career transitions, job searches, and professional development. You'll help clients identify their strengths, optimize their resumes, improve their interview skills, and ultimately find fulfilling careers.
Career consulting taps into the ever-present demand for professional growth and transition. It's a field with significant impact, as you assist people in reaching their career goals and improving their quality of life.
To succeed, you'll need expertise in human resources, strong communication skills, and a genuine interest in helping others succeed. Building a robust network and staying updated on industry trends will also be crucial. Career consulting offers an opportunity not just to make a living, but to make a difference in others' lives. Itβs an ideal business for those committed to long-term client relationships and ongoing development.
In this list, you'll find real-world career consulting business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a career consulting business that makes money.
1. National Trade Institute ($1.92M/year)
During COVID-19 lockdowns, Hector, a laid-off VP, discovered a hidden grant that paid trade school tuition. He leveraged it to create the National Trade Institute in Texas, enrolling over 350 students and generating $3 million in two years.
How much money it makes: $1.92M/year
How much did it cost to start: $35K
How many people on the team: 7
Discover how an online trade school scaled from zero to over 350 students and $3 million in revenue in just two years, leveraging a little-known government grant to dominate the market and achieve 85% profit margins.
2. Career Sidekick ($600K/year)
Biron Clark, founder of Career Sidekick, struggled to find success with previous website ventures until he decided to focus on job search and career advice. Leveraging his expertise as a recruiter, he started a blog to answer commonly asked questions and provide unique insights. Through targeted content, SEO, and long-form evergreen posts, Career Sidekick has gained traction and attracts millions of readers per year, generating a multiple six-figure annual income.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 1
Career Sidekick founder Biron Clark shares how he turned his job search advice website into a multiple six-figure per year business, earning approximately $25,000 per month from revenue streams predominantly based on display advertising and affiliate marketing.
3. MentorCruise ($480K/year)
Dominic Monn came up with the idea for MentorCruise while facing the challenge of finding a mentor during his own career development. He realized that mentorship was a major problem for many professionals, so he built a coaching marketplace where career professionals could turn their knowledge into a marketable coaching business and mentees could easily find a mentor. Despite the challenges of building the platform while balancing his studies and a full-time job, MentorCruise now makes around $24,000 per month in commissions and processes over $120,000 every month for its mentors.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 5
MentorCruise is a career coaching marketplace generating $24k MRR and processing $1M annually for mentors, with most traffic and sales coming from SEO and organic sources, currently looking to expand to the B2B market.
4. AiApply ($180K/year)
Aidan Cramer co-founded AiApply after drawing from his HR tech experience and leveraging the viral success of his previous AI-driven venture, PetVet.ai. Their platform, which now generates $25K in monthly revenue, revolutionizes job applications using personalized AI to streamline the process.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
AiApply case study showcases the journey from $0 to $25K in monthly revenue, highlighting the power of AI-driven solutions to revolutionize the job application process through personalized tools, viral content, and sustainable growth strategies for SaaS founders.
5. Metamorphosis Group ($132K/year)
Danica Octa, the founder of Metamorphosis Group, was inspired by her own experiences of not receiving the support she needed throughout her academic life. After encountering life coaching, she realized the power of helping others build confidence and skills for their careers. This led her to start Metamorphosis Group, initially offering resume building and interview coaching, and later expanding to a career coaching program called CHECKPOINT for Job Seekers.
How much money it makes: $132K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 5
Filipino entrepreneur Danica Octa built her coaching business, Metamorphosis Group, from scratch and now offers a 3-month career coaching program to over 15,000 individuals as well as an internship program, virtual career fairs, and a variety of payment schemes to attract and retain clients.
6. Instamentor ($120K/year)
Leon Wei, the founder of instamentor, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing issues with LinkedIn's career coaching platform. He realized that there was a demand for personalized job interview coaching and career consulting, so he created instamentor to connect young professionals and fresh college graduates with experienced industry mentors. Since its launch in January 2021, instamentor has helped hundreds of customers land their dream job offers and has reached an annual revenue of $120K.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 1
instamentor is a job interview coaching platform launched in Jan 2021 with $120K annual revenue, helping young professionals and fresh college graduates break into the tech industry by offering 1:1 paid coaching sessions with experienced industry mentors and career consulting.
7. CareerPioneer ($72K/year)
pay for. And two, you need the right mindset and determination to push through the obstacles and failures that will inevitably come your way. Focus on providing value, building relationships, and always learning and adapting to the needs of your customers.
How much money it makes: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 0
CareerPioneer CEO Bob Gardner offers "Land your Dream Job" and "Dream Career" coaching services with an impressive QoQ revenue average of 50% growth in their first year of operation.
8. Critical Path Action ($36K/year)
Mike McRitchie, the founder of a resume writing and web marketing content business, came up with the idea after realizing he had a large network of LinkedIn connections in the telecom industry. He decided to leverage his expertise and offer resume writing services to his connections, which quickly converted 50% into paid clients. Through consistent blogging and strategic marketing efforts, Mike was able to grow his side hustle and double his income to over $30,000 in just two years.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How many people on the team: 0
This case study follows a business owner who doubled his income from side hustles in two years, earning over $30,000 annually by writing resumes and LinkedIn copy, blogging weekly, and increasing rates as he attracted more clients from online platforms like Craigslist and LinkedIn.
9. FailTell ($13.2K/year)
Swagat Mohanty, co-founder of FailTell, came up with the idea for the business when he realized that there was no platform where people could share their "failure" stories or life experiences. Recognizing the interconnectedness of health, career, and mindset, Swagat and his co-founder Rahul Mohanty launched FailTell as a social community centered around inspiring stories. With a strong social media presence, collaborations with motivational speakers, and a revamped website offering additional services, FailTell has attracted 11,000 users and achieved profitability within just one year.
How much money it makes: $13.2K/year
How much did it cost to start: $700
How many people on the team: 6
FailTell, an online platform offering a wide range of services for personal, emotional, and professional growth, has achieved 1,100 monthly active users, 220+ experts, and a user base of 11,000, with its most popular service - Career Mentoring - since launching a year and one month ago, offering affordable and accessible quality support to users with mental health, career, or everyday concerns.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
