Guide

The Independent Consultant playbook

Keep each client, the people you meet for them and what you learn in one place. Then you can show your results and hand the work over well.

Start with what you need today.

Independent consultant
1 · Clients , jump to this chapter 2 · People , jump to this chapter 3 · Stages , jump to this chapter 4 · Evidence , jump to this chapter 5 · Handover , jump to this chapter
Chapter 01~3 min read

Start here

This guide is for people who run a consultancy on their own. You work with a few clients at a time. You often work inside the client’s team, not off to one side.

You may also talk to people outside the client for them. These might be partners, suppliers, experts or possible customers. Each talk teaches you something. But the notes end up in your inbox, your calendar and a few documents.

The 16 plays in this guide help you answer five questions:

  • Clients: Where is everything for this client?
  • People: Who have I spoken to, for which client, and what did they say?
  • Stages: Where is each piece of work, and what do I do first?
  • Evidence: What have we learned, and what does it show?
  • Handover: What does the client keep when I step back?

You do not need to read the guide from start to end. Start with the question that matters most to you now.

How each play works

Each play starts with a familiar problem. It then shows one way to set it up in Humble, what to check and what gets easier.

These are ideas, not rules. Change them to fit the way you already work.

The guide at a glance

Six ideas run through every play. Select one to go to its chapter.

  • One home per client

    Keep the links, notes and tasks for each client together.

    Plays 1 to 3

  • Tags are your lists

    Tag each person with the client and what kind of contact they are.

    Plays 4 to 6

  • Work in stages

    Split each job into stages. Each one ends with a choice.

    Plays 7 to 9

  • Notes hold the proof

    Link each finding to the person who said it and the choice it supports.

    Plays 10 to 12

  • Share on purpose

    Everything starts private. Share each task or note with anyone, by email.

    Plays 8, 13 and 14

  • Bring your clients in

    Invite clients with Refer a friend, so they can receive your tasks and update them.

    Plays 13 to 16

Chapter 02~6 min read · three plays

Clients

Where is everything for this client?

When you work alone, you are the only one who knows where things are. This section helps you give each client one home, see every client at once and keep your own new business apart from client work.

The plays in this section

  • Give every client one home.
  • See every client in one view.
  • Keep your own new business apart.

Play 1: Give every client one home

The situation

The agreed scope is in your email. The kick-off deck is in Google Slides. The client’s shared folder is somewhere in your bookmarks. When the client asks a question, you open five tabs to find the answer.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Add a note called Client home: Tidewell. Write the goal of the work, the dates, your main contact and who signs off.
  2. Open the agreed scope and use the browser extension to link it to the note. Do the same for the kick-off deck and the client’s shared folder.
  3. Tag the note with the client, such as #Tidewell.
  4. Link your main contact at the client to the note. This stays private. It shares nothing with them.

Check this

A client home is most useful when it always holds:

  • The agreed scope and the dates.
  • The main contact and who signs off.
  • The kick-off deck and the plan.
  • The client’s shared folder.

A useful test is: Could I start a call with this client after one minute on this note?

What changes: you start each piece of client work from one note, not from five tabs.

A client home note in Humble, with the agreed scope, the kick-off deck and the shared folder linked to it.

Play 2: See every client in one view

The situation

You have three clients this month. Each has its own calls and deadlines. While you focus on one, a task for another one slips.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Give each client its own tag, such as #Tidewell or #Meridian.
  2. Tag each task and note with its client.
  3. Connect your Google or Outlook calendars. Client calls then sit next to your tasks, even if each client gave you its own calendar.
  4. Sort your tasks into Now, Next and Later. Now is today, across every client.
  5. Before a call, filter the Tasks page by that client’s tag.

Check this

Useful views might include:

  • Everything in Now, across all clients.
  • One client’s tasks only, before a call with them.
  • Tasks that are waiting on someone else.

What changes: you can move between clients without losing track of the others.

Play 3: Keep your own new business apart

The situation

When client work is busy, your own sales stop. You meet someone who might need you, then forget to follow up. A month later, you have no new work lined up.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. When you meet a possible client, open their LinkedIn profile. Use the browser extension to save them as a contact.
  2. Tag them #Prospect and with their company, such as #Brightmoor.
  3. Add a note on what they need and who introduced you. Link the person who introduced you to the note.
  4. Make one task for the next step, with a date, such as Send Brightmoor a short proposal.
  5. Once a week, filter your tasks by #Prospect.

Check this

Every possible client needs one next step with a date. A useful question is: Who have I not followed up with this month?

What changes: your own sales keep moving while you deliver for clients.

A possible client’s LinkedIn profile with the Humble panel open: a note on how you met, two tags and the next step.
Chapter 03~7 min read · three plays

People

Who have I spoken to, for which client, and what did they say?

Much of a consultant’s value is in conversations. Some are with the client’s team. Some are with people you contact for the client, such as partners, suppliers or experts. This section helps you keep a list of people for each client, get ready for each call and leave each call with clear next steps.

The plays in this section

  • Keep a list of people for each client.
  • See the whole story before each call.
  • Take notes beside the call, and end with owned next steps.

Play 4: Keep a list of people for each client

The situation

For one client, you speak to 20 outside companies. Some are keen and some said no. Some asked you to call back in a month. The list lives in a spreadsheet you forget to update.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Open each person’s LinkedIn profile. Use the browser extension to save them as a contact.
  2. Tag them with the client you met them for, such as #Tidewell.
  3. Add a second tag for what kind of contact they are, such as #Partner, #Supplier or #Expert.
  4. Add a note on their profile after each talk. It shows again every time you open their page.
  5. If someone introduced you, link that person to the note too.

Check this

For each person on the list, you should be able to see:

  • Which client you spoke to them for.
  • What they said, and when.
  • Who introduced you.
  • The next step, if there is one.

What changes: each client has a list of everyone you spoke to for them, and each person keeps their own history.

Notes on the people you met for one client, grouped by tag. Each tag is a list you can open.

Play 5: See the whole story before each call

The situation

You have a call in ten minutes. You spoke to this person six weeks ago. You can’t remember what they offered, or what you promised to send.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Open their LinkedIn profile or their company’s website.
  2. If the Humble icon in your toolbar is green, you already have notes or tasks for that page. Select it to open the sidebar.
  3. Read your notes from the last talk, and any task linked to them.
  4. For a fuller picture, open the Progress timeline and filter by the person. You see your meetings and work with them, day by day.

Check this

Before each call, ask: What did they say last time, and what did I promise them?

What changes: you start every call where the last one ended.

A company’s website with the Humble icon green. The panel shows your notes from the last call and the task you promised.

Play 6: Take notes beside the call, and end with owned next steps

The situation

A good call ends with “let’s keep in touch”. Two weeks later, nothing has moved, and nobody is sure who said they would do what.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Split your screen. Put the call on one side and a new tab with Humble on the other.
  2. Write your notes in one note for the call. Tag it with the client and link the people on the call.
  3. Before the call ends, read out each next step and who owns it.
  4. After the call, make each step a task with an owner and a date. Link the call note to it.
  5. For a step someone else owns, you can assign the task to them by email. Humble does not send them a message, so tell them yourself.

Check this

For each next step, ask: Does it have one owner and one date?

What changes: next steps leave the call with an owner, and your notes stay with the people they are about.

Humble open beside a video call, using the browser’s split view. You write the note while you listen.
Chapter 04~7 min read · three plays

Stages

Where is each piece of work, and what do I do first?

Most consulting work runs in a few stages. You look at the options, test the best ones, then help the client choose. This section helps you plan the stages, share the plan with the client’s team and keep track of what you are waiting on.

The plays in this section

  • Plan the work in stages.
  • Share the plan with the client’s team.
  • Keep track of what you are waiting for.

Play 7: Plan the work in stages

The situation

The plan is one slide from the kick-off. It says what you will do, but not what you will decide, or when. Halfway through, the client asks, “So what have we found?”

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Make one task for each stage, such as Stage 1: Look at the options, Stage 2: Test the best ones and Stage 3: Help Tidewell choose. Tag each with the client.
  2. Make a task for each step in a stage. Open the stage task, select Related, then Add link, and pick the step.
  3. Put the stage you are in now in Now, the next stage in Next and the last one in Later.
  4. End each stage with one task that names the choice, such as Choose which two options to test.

Check this

Each stage should end with a choice the client makes, not only with work you did. A useful question is: What will we decide at the end of this stage?

What changes: the client knows what each stage is for, and progress means a choice made, not hours spent.

Play 8: Share the plan with the client’s team

The situation

The client’s team doesn’t know what you need from them this week. Introductions and sign-offs arrive late. Every week, someone asks, “What happens next?”

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Open a task the client should see. Select Share at the bottom, type the person’s email and choose their role.
  2. For something the client must do, such as Introduce me to your sales lead, assign the task to the right person by email.
  3. Share the stage tasks too, so the client can see the plan as it moves.
  4. Open the plan together at the start of each weekly call. Move tasks when the plan changes.

Check this

Every task the client owns needs one named person and a date. A useful question is: Does the client know what we need from them this week?

You can assign a task to someone at the client even if they don’t have a Humble account. To see all their tasks in one place and manage them, they need a Humble account. Now, Next and Later are the same for everyone on a task.

Share one task at a time, and only what the client should see. Your notes on outside people stay private unless you share them.

To give someone at the client their own access, invite them with Refer a friend (Play 15). Then they can update their tasks themselves.

What changes: the client sees what they owe you and what comes next, without a status email.

One client’s tasks, filtered by its tag. Orange tasks are assigned to the client and purple tasks are yours. Later shows the rest of the plan.

Play 9: Keep track of what you are waiting for

The situation

A supplier said they would send prices. The client said they would check with their finance team. You can’t move on until both reply, and you only notice the delay a week later.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. When you are waiting on someone, make a task that starts with Waiting:, such as Waiting: prices from the supplier.
  2. Give it the date you expect a reply. Link the person you are waiting on.
  3. Tag it with the client, so it shows when you filter by that client.
  4. When the reply comes, link it to the task, then mark the task done.

Check this

Once a week, search your tasks for Waiting:. A useful question is: What is late, and who do I need to contact today?

What changes: delays show up early, while you can still do something about them.

Chapter 05~6 min read · three plays

Evidence

What have we learned, and what does it show?

Clients pay for good choices, not for busy weeks. This section helps you write down what you learn, turn it into a clear choice at the end of each stage and show what you did.

The plays in this section

  • Write each finding where you can find it again.
  • Write a choice note at the end of each stage.
  • Show what you did.

Play 10: Write each finding where you can find it again

The situation

On a call, a possible partner tells you their customers want exactly what your client sells. It is the best thing you have heard all month. Three weeks later, you can’t find who said it.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Write the finding as a short note in plain words, such as Brightmoor’s customers ask for a service like Tidewell’s.
  2. Link the person who said it and the stage task it helps with.
  3. Tag it with the client and #Finding.
  4. Add how sure you are, in one line: heard once, heard from several people, or shown with numbers.

Check this

A useful test is: If the client asks “who told you that?”, can I answer in one click?

What changes: what you learn stays linked to the person who said it and the choice it is for.

Play 11: Write a choice note at the end of each stage

The situation

A stage ends. You know which options look strong and which do not. But the reasons are spread across calls and notes, and the client wants one clear answer.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Add a note called Choice: Tidewell, stage 1.
  2. Filter your notes by the client and #Finding. Link the findings that matter to the choice note.
  3. Fill in the template below.
  4. Link the note to the stage task, then share the note with the person at the client who decides.

A choice note to copy

  • The question: what this stage set out to answer.
  • What we tried: one line for each option.
  • What we learned: the findings, linked.
  • What we suggest: go on, change course or stop, for each option.
  • What it needs: time, money or people for the next stage.
  • Who decides, and by when.

A useful test is: Could the person who decides read this in five minutes and make the call?

What changes: weak options stop early, and strong ones move on with reasons the client can see.

A choice note at the end of a stage: the question, what you learned and what you suggest, with the finding and the person behind it linked.

Play 12: Show what you did

The situation

It is time to send an invoice or a progress report. You know you did a lot. But you have to rebuild the list from your calendar, your sent emails and your notes.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Tag every task with its client as you go.
  2. When you finish a task, mark it done. It appears on your Progress timeline.
  3. Before an invoice or a review, filter the timeline by the client’s people. You see the meetings and work with them, and how much time you spent with them.
  4. Link the choice notes from each stage. They show what the work found, not only what you did.

Check this

A useful test is: Can I list what I did for this client last month in five minutes?

What changes: your report and your invoice come from work you already saved, not from memory.

Your timeline, filtered by one client: the time you spent with them this month, and each meeting. The numbers are an example.
Chapter 06~8 min read · four plays

Handover

What does the client keep when I step back?

Good consulting leaves the client’s team able to carry on. This section helps you build the handover during the work, pass on the people you met, bring the client’s team into Humble and keep your own record when the work ends.

The plays in this section

  • Build the handover as you go.
  • Pass on the people, not only the names.
  • Invite your client’s team to Humble.
  • Close the work and keep your own record.

Play 13: Build the handover as you go

The situation

The last week of the work is busy. You rush to write a handover document. Some of what the client needs is missing, and some is already out of date.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Start the handover note in the first week, such as Handover: Tidewell.
  2. Each time you finish a choice note or a way of working the client will keep, link it to the handover note.
  3. Share the handover note with the person at the client who will carry on. Choose Contributor if they should add to it, or Viewer if they should only read it.
  4. Humble does not tell people when you share with them, so send them a short message.

A handover note usually holds

  • What you found, with the choice notes linked.
  • Which options go on, and who now owns each one.
  • The steps the client’s team will repeat.
  • What is still open, and who owns it.
  • Ideas for the next piece of work.

What changes: the handover is ready when the work ends, and the client’s team has watched it grow.

Sharing the handover note with someone at the client. Type their email, choose Contributor and select Share.

Play 14: Pass on the people, not only the names

The situation

The client’s team will now look after the people you met. They get a list of names. They don’t know what each person said, what was agreed or what comes next.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. For each person who moves to the client’s team, write a short note: who they are, what you talked about and the next step.
  2. Link the person to the note.
  3. Share the note with the person at the client who will take over.
  4. If there is an open next step, assign that task to them too.

Good to know

Your contacts are private, and there is no way to share a contact on its own. When you share a note or task, the people on it can see the details of any contact linked to it. Linking a person to a note shares nothing with that person.

Before you share, read the note again. Share only what you are happy for the client to see.

What changes: the client’s team starts each new relationship with the full story, not a cold name.

Play 15: Invite your client’s team to Humble

The situation

You give the client’s team tasks to do. Without their own access to Humble, they can’t see all their tasks in one place or mark their progress. So you chase updates by email.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. In Humble, select Refer a friend in the menu.
  2. Type the email of each person at the client who will carry on the work, or pick them from your contacts. You can add more than one.
  3. Select Send invite. Humble emails them an invite in your name, so they can get their own access to Humble.
  4. Once they are in, share the client home, the handover note and their open tasks with them. They see these next to their own work.

Check this

The invite uses the name in your profile, so check it is right first. A useful question is: Who at the client will open this work after I leave?

Inviting someone does not share anything with them. You still choose each task and note they see.

What changes: the client’s team receives your tasks and updates them themselves. You see their progress without chasing, and the work carries on after you step back.

Refer a friend in Humble. Add each person’s email, then select Send invite. Humble emails them an invite in your name.

Play 16: Close the work and keep your own record

The situation

The work ends. Six months later, a new client asks for something similar. You remember it went well, but not what you did or who helped.

One way to set this up in Humble

  1. Give each open task to its new owner. Open the task, select the circle with your initials and assign it to them.
  2. Write one note for yourself: what worked, what you would change and which people were most useful. Tag it #Lessons.
  3. Keep the people you met as contacts. Their history stays with them for next time.
  4. Ask the client if you can tell the story of the work. Link their answer to your lessons note.

Check this

A useful test is: Could I tell a new client what this work found, in two minutes, from my own notes?

What changes: each piece of work makes the next one easier to win and quicker to run.

Chapter 07~3 min read

The weekly rhythm

The plays work best as small habits. The rhythm below is a starting point. Change it to fit your week.

Every day: save as you go

You can start with a short look at:

  • What is in Now, across every client.
  • Which calls need you to prepare.

During the day, save things close to where they appear:

  • A new person → saved from LinkedIn, with the client tag.
  • Something you learned → a finding note, linked to who said it.
  • A new request → a task with an owner, a date and the client tag.

Before each call

  • Open the person’s LinkedIn profile or company website, and read your notes.
  • For a client call, open the client home and that client’s tasks.

Once a week: plan and chase

  • Search for Waiting: tasks and contact anyone who is late.
  • Filter by #Prospect and plan one step for your own sales.
  • Plan next week for each client.

At the end of each stage

  • Write the choice note and share it with the person who decides.
  • Link it to the handover note.
  • Move the next stage into Now.

Once a month: report

  • Filter the Progress timeline by each client’s people for reports and invoices.
  • Check the handover note is up to date.
  • Invite anyone at the client who should have their own Humble.

If you only build one habit, make it this one: after each call, write one note and link the people on it.

Chapter 08~4 min read

How to organise this in Humble

There is no single correct setup. The structure below is a simple place to start.

What goes where

When you have… A useful place for it
A clientA client tag and a client home note
The scope, plan and key linksLinks on the client home note
A stage of the workA stage task, with its steps linked to it
Something the client needs to doTask assigned to your contact at the client
Something you need to doTask with a date and the client tag
Something you are waiting forTask starting “Waiting:”, with the person linked
A person you meet for a clientContact, tagged with the client and what kind of contact they are
Notes from a callOne note, with the people on the call linked
Something you learnedFinding note, tagged #Finding and the client
The end of a stageChoice note, shared with the person who decides
A possible new clientContact tagged #Prospect, with one next-step task
An email about the workLinked to its task
What you hand overHandover note, shared from the first week

Tags

Client
#Tidewell#Meridian
Kind of contact
#Partner#Supplier#Expert#Prospect
Kind of note
#Finding#Handover#Lessons

Keep client tags and kind tags apart. A supplier you met for Tidewell is #Tidewell and #Supplier. If you meet them again for another client, add that client’s tag too.

Sharing

Everything you add starts private. Share a task or a note with anyone by email, at the client or outside it, one at a time. Choose what they can do: Viewer can only see, Contributor can see and edit, and Admin can also share. You can take access away at any time.

To give your clients their own access, select Refer a friend in the menu and send them an invite. Then they can receive the tasks you share and update them themselves.

Naming

  • Client home: Client home: [client].
  • Stages: Stage [number]: [what it does].
  • Waiting tasks: Waiting: [what, from whom].
  • Findings: one plain sentence that says what you learned.
  • Choice notes: Choice: [client], stage [number].
  • Tasks: start with a verb, such as “Send Tidewell the shortlist”.
  • Handover: Handover: [client].
Chapter 09~2 min read · 30 min to do

The 30-minute setup

You can use this checklist to set up your first client in half an hour. It does not need to hold everything to be useful.

0–5 minutesFollow Set up Humble: install the browser extension and connect your Google or Outlook calendars.You’ll have: A way to save people and pages, and your calls next to your tasks.
5–12 minutesMake a client home note for your busiest client. Link the scope, the plan and the shared folder, and add the client tag.You’ll have: One place to start all work for that client.
12–20 minutesMake a task for each stage and sort them into Now, Next and Later. Assign the client’s first task to them and share it.You’ll have: A plan you and the client can both follow.
20–26 minutesSave the five people you speak to most for this client from LinkedIn. Tag each with the client and the kind of contact.You’ll have: The start of a people list for this client.
26–30 minutesStart the handover note, and save one finding from this week. Invite your main contact at the client with Refer a friend.You’ll have: A handover that grows from day one, and a client who can see it in their own Humble.

The end state

You should be able to answer:

  • Where is everything for this client?
  • Who have I spoken to, for which client, and what did they say?
  • Where is each piece of work, and what do I do first?
  • What have we learned, and what does it show?
  • What does the client keep when I step back?

You bring the judgement and the relationships. Humble keeps your people, notes and tasks linked to each client, so you don’t have to hold it all in your head.

See how it works in Humble

The plays in this guide use features available in Humble today, on the plan for one person.

See how Humble keeps your tasks, notes and people linked to each client, wherever you work.

See how Humble works Get started
Chapter 11~1 min read

About this guide

This guide was written by the Humble team, based on how independent consultants can use the product in their day-to-day work.

It is a practical guide to one way of working, not the only way to run a consultancy. Every client is different, so use the parts that help and change the rest.

Every play works on the plan for one person. Sharing is done one task or note at a time, by email, and you can invite clients to Humble with Refer a friend. Humble saves people and notes from LinkedIn through the browser extension. Company names in the examples, such as Tidewell and Brightmoor, are invented. The guide describes Humble as of October 2026. Some product details may change over time.

Last reviewed: 26 October 2026.

Found something wrong or missing? Email hello@thehumbleai.com. We read everything.

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