A love for networking, a track record in problem solving and the confidence to bet on yourself are the essentials of media consultancy, says Ramaa Sharma, who made the career switch after 17 years at the BBC
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Ramaa Sharma did most of the jobs at the BBC in her 17 years there: radio presenter, broadcast journalist, digital and social media trainer, digital editor, social media and mobile editor, head of digital pilots. She even lead the broadcaster's Online Creative Review, a project commissioned by then-director general Tony Hall.
In 2021, she decided to take the leap into media consultancy. Nearly four years later, she's successfully carved out a niche specialising in artificial intelligence, diversity and inclusion, and digital transformation.
She spoke on the Journalism.co.uk podcast about her journey and shared advice for others thinking about making the same career transition.
The foundation of successful consultancy lies in understanding what you truly offer beyond the "journalist" label. Sharma discovered her core strength was solving big challenges, a skill she'd developed across multiple BBC roles without fully recognising it.
"In every role, I could see where the star was and would come up with how to reach it," she explains. This ability to identify problems and create solutions became the cornerstone of her consultancy work.
Try this: Reflect on your career pattern. What have you consistently done well across different roles? What do colleagues come to you for? These strengths often translate directly into consultancy services.
Sharma's consultancy success didn't happen overnight. It was built on years of taking initiative within the BBC. She convinced journalists to embrace social media when Twitter was still new, championed diversity and inclusion initiatives and has helped shape guidelines and training.
A big career opportunity came in 2015 when she was commissioned by the BBC's then-director general Tony Hall for the Online Creative Review - a strategic and budgeting assessment that reorganised the BBC's digital services around six flagship priorities.
Try this: Start building your consultancy credentials while still employed. Identify organisational challenges, propose solutions, and demonstrate your ability to execute them successfully. Bold initiatives that create real change become the foundation of your consultancy reputation.
Before leaving the BBC, Sharma ran an important experiment. She pitched a project, landed the deal, and delivered it from start to finish while still employed.
This test run helped her understand whether she enjoyed the entire consulting process. The strategic thinking and implementation is the fun part, but there's a lot more to the process: client acquisition, project management, and delivery.
"What is it that I offer? Let me pitch it, get the work, deliver it," she explains. "And then, have a think: how did that whole chain feel from beginning to end?"
Try this: Run a pilot project while still employed. Test the entire consulting cycle from pitch to delivery to assess whether you genuinely enjoy the process and can deliver results consistently.
Landing your first client can feel daunting, but Sharma's experience shows it's often closer than you think. Her first deal came from the Reuters Institute. She expected her pitch to be a one-time deal, but it led to ongoing quarterly work three years later.
More encouraging is that it was not a product of some elaborate business development strategy - it was a straightforward pitch that worked. The key was having the confidence to approach a potential client with a clear value proposition based on her established expertise.
Try this: Don't overthink your first client approach. Identify organisations that could benefit from your specific expertise and make a direct pitch. Your first deal often comes from existing networks or reputation, rather than complex marketing strategies.
Sharma identifies two significant psychological adjustments when pivoting into consultancy work.
Anxiety tolerance: "There will be moments where you'll have lots of work and moments where it will feel thin and you might start to get anxious."
Loss of community: "There is a lot of comfort in going into an organisation and being a part of a community day after day. When you're working with a client you may only go in for a little while so you can feel slightly on the outside of things."
Try this: Develop mindfulness practices to manage anxiety and actively create your own professional community through networking groups and industry connections.
Looking back, Sharma wishes she had been more strategic about networking during her employment.
"So much of the work I've got since I've left has been from reputation - from people who know me and know what I did at the BBC."
Try this: Start networking strategically now in sectors that interest you. Think about how you can be useful to others, not just what you can gain from them. Build relationships before you need them.
Sharma took time between leaving the BBC and launching her consultancy full-time. This sabbatical allowed her to process the identity shift and prepare mentally for her new career.
"How do you leave behind some of the old work that doesn't serve you anymore? Some of the old habits, some of the institutional work that you will have embodied..." she reflects. "I personally think that's important if you want to start afresh, to think about creating space to let go."
The question isn't whether you have the skills. It's whether you have the courage to bet on yourself.
Try this: Consider taking a proper break between leaving employment and starting consultancy. Use this time to process the identity shift from employee to entrepreneur and shed institutional habits that may not serve you in client work.
We used Claude AI to draft this article before it was edited by a human
