💼 Side Hustle Guide: How to Get Consulting Clients for AI Enablement in Big Companies

Perfect for: Tech-savvy professionals, solo consultants, or ex-corporate operators who want to monetize their AI knowledge by targeting companies already under pressure to “do something with AI.”

🧠 The Insight

“First comes the mandate, then the hiring, then the outsourcing.”

Most large companies don’t start with consultants — they hire an internal AI Enablement lead first. But once that person is in place, they’re often overwhelmed, under-resourced, and looking for fast wins.

That’s where you come in — as a trusted external who already understands their needs before they even post the RFP.

🛠️ How This Side Hustle Works (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Build a List of Target Companies

• Find 100 enterprise-level companies (F500, unicorns, legacy brands).

• Use job boards or scrape directly from their websites.

• Filter for job titles like:

  • “AI Enablement Manager”
  • “AI Transformation Lead”
  • “Director of AI Strategy”
  • “Head of AI Adoption”
  • “AI Product Manager”

🧩 Tools: Use tools like PhantomBuster, Scrapy, or just Google Sheets + manual input.

Step 2: Track Job Fills + Hires

• Set up LinkedIn job alerts for each company.
• When you see a position filled, track who got hired.
• Use LinkedIn to find them — save to a spreadsheet.

Step 3: Passive Relationship Building

• Don’t pitch immediately.

• Connect on LinkedIn with a soft message:

  “Congrats on the new role at [Company]. I’m also in the AI adoption space — excited to see how you approach it.”

• Then engage over time:

  • Like their posts.
  • Comment on their AI shares.
  • Repost them with insights.

Step 4: Build Topical Authority

Start creating AI enablement content targeted at these roles:

• “How to Avoid the Top 3 AI Governance Mistakes in Your First 90 Days”
• “Frameworks for Enterprise AI Adoption Without Culture Shock”
• “What I’d Do in My First 30 Days as Head of AI Enablement”

📍Post these on: LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, and in AI communities (like Wavelength, ChiefAIOfficer, etc.)

Step 5: Time the Outreach (30–60 Day Window)

• Once they’ve been in the job for 1–2 months, send a warm intro message.
• Use this sample template:

---

Hi [Name],

Congrats again on the new AI enablement role at [Company].

I help enterprise leaders like yourself with AI governance frameworks, rapid internal upskilling, and stakeholder buy-in — especially in the early rollout phase.

Recently worked with [Client] where we helped their team run a 15-day cultural transformation sprint.

If this sounds aligned with your early priorities, happy to connect next week and share some resources.

– [Your Name]

🔁 Repeatable System

Once you nail this down, turn it into a monthly prospecting ritual:

• Scrape job boards.
• Track fills.
• Connect.
• Engage.
• Reach out at the right moment.

You only need 3–5 active client engagements a year to make this a 6-figure consulting side hustle.

🧠 Bonus Plays

• Sell playbooks and templates to AI leads.
• Create a paid “AI Enablement Toolkit” or workshop.
• Turn conversations into case studies → build trust with future clients.
• Run a newsletter just for AI Enablement leaders.

💸 Why This Works

• Low competition: Most consultants wait until RFPs go out.
• High intent: New AI hires are mandated to perform — fast.
• High margins: Strategic AI advisory = premium rates ($200–$500/hr or $5k–$30k per sprint).
• Scalable: Can start solo, then grow into a firm or offer async assets.