How to Network as an Independent Educational Consultant
Learn how to network with professional tips built for independent educational consultants. Discover networking tips to grow your IEC practice and expand reach.
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Ideas for running a better practice — expert resources and insider tips to help you launch or elevate your consulting practice.
Independent College Counselor Fees: 5 IEC Pricing Strategies
Independent College Counselor Fees don't have to be guesswork. Learn five pricing strategies to grow a sustainable business while staying true to your mission.
How To Find the Right College with CollegePlannerPro
How to Find the Right College with College Search: A Faster, Smarter Way for IECs to Build College Lists Finding the right colleges for each student starts with…
How Do I Start My Own Educational Consulting Business? A Step-by-Step Guide for New IECs
While there's no single blueprint for building a successful practice, there are proven strategies that can help new IECs establish a strong foundation and grow with confidence.
Email Marketing Strategies for Independent Educational Consultants: 4 Steps for Success
As an independent educational consultant, you're responsible for all the moving parts of your business. With so many competing priorities, it's important to focus on marketing activities that…
How Athena AI Honed My Essay Review Skills
As an Independent College Counselor and former AP English teacher, one of my core beliefs is that writing isn't meant to be easy; it is meant to challenge…
6 Reasons Why I Thought I Wouldn’t Use Athena AI
Hi everyone! My name is Anora, the newest member of CollegePlannerPro’s team dedicated to Athena AI. Up until this role, I have worked directly in education; I taught…
Operational Planning for IECs
When it comes to business strategy , operational planning is the backbone of a sustainable practice. For IECs, your plan determines how your business actually runs, from structuring…
Maximizing Operational Efficiency: A Guide for Scalable IEC Practices
The transition from being an education expert to a business owner is a significant milestone. You’ve spent years mastering the nuances of college admissions, but suddenly, you’re also…
Team Building Tips for IECs: 5 Networking Tips for Independent Educational Consultants
We’ve talked about networking and building relationships before, but here we’ll dive deeper into what “team building” really looks like for IECs, including how to build a strong…
Website Building Tips & Tricks: A Guide for IECs
Build a high-converting digital home for your practice. Explore website building tips, platform options, and design best practices tailored for IECs.
Website Fundamentals
As an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC), your digital presence is often the first interaction a family has with your practice.
Branding Tips for IECs: How to Build a Brand Identity
Branding tips for IECs: actionable tips for independent educational consultants to build a strong brand identity and stand out to students and families.
Marketing Strategies for Launching a Successful Business as an Independent Education Consultant
Launching a successful college counseling practice requires consultants to hone many important skills, namely a strong command of the college admissions landscape and a knack for attracting the…
Lead Nurturing for IECs: Converting Families into Clients
Engaging with prospective parents specifically for your educational consulting practice is the key to converting curious families into long-term clients. For Independent Educational Consultants (IECs), this process isn’t…
Legal Considerations for Starting a Small Business
5 Legal Requirements for Small Business IECs Building a professional Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) practice requires more than expert student guidance; it demands a rock-solid legal and operational…
7 Best Business Tools for IECs
7 of the Best Business Tools for Independent Educational Consultants Starting and growing an independent educational consulting business requires more than expertise; it takes the right systems to…
How to Write a Business Plan for an Independent Educational Consulting Business
How to Make a Good Business Plan: 10 Steps To Set Your IEC Business Up For Success Launching an independent educational consulting (IEC) business is a meaningful way…
10 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make When Starting an IEC Business and How to Avoid Them
Starting your own independent educational consultant (IEC) business can be exciting, but it comes with its own set of challenges, especially for entrepreneurs who are navigating the complexities…
How to Build a Marketing Strategy to Help Launch Your IEC Business
Launching an independent educational consultant business requires more than just expertise and passion; it requires a strategic approach to marketing that helps you stand out and connect with…
How Word of Mouth Marketing Will Expand Business Success: 7 Strategies to Help You Get Started
Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most effective ways for independent educational consultants (IECs) to grow their businesses, as it is rooted in trust and genuine client experiences.…
Social Media Strategy for IECs: Step-by-Step Guide
Step-by-Step Tactics to Build Visibility and Win More Clients Social media is not optional for growing a service-based business. In the United States alone, the number of social…
6 Steps For An Efficient Consultation Process That Will Boost Business
An efficient consultation process is one of the most powerful tools an independent educational consultant can use to grow a sustainable business. The way you structure and lead…
New Year's Resolutions For Your Business: How to Succeed As An IEC
New Year's Resolutions For Your Business: How to Make Your IEC Business Stand Out In 2026 The start of the new year is the perfect time to reflect…
Successful Website Design: 6 Tips to Build Your Professional IEC Website
Your website is often the first impression prospective clients have of your independent educational consultant (IEC) practice. In many cases, it’s where they decide whether to reach out…
Logo Design 101: Tools and Tips on Where to Start
Logo Design 101: How To Create a Memorable Visual Brand for Educational Consultants At its core, logo design 101 is about mastering the essentials of a strong logo…
How to Start an Educational Consultant Business Online
How to Start an Educational Consultant Business Online: Tools and Workflow Recommendations To launch a modern, scalable independent educational consulting (IEC) practice, you need more than just expertise.…
Benefits of Joining National Professional Associations for IECs
Successful independent educational consultants (IECs) always aim to stay informed, build credibility, and connect with fellow professionals to achieve long-term success. Joining a national professional association can give…
Establishing Your College Counseling Program
As an independent college consultant, your expertise, guidance, and personal approach are your greatest assets. But as your practice grows—or even if you’re just getting started—creating a repeatable…
SAT/ACT Diagnostic Tests: Q&A with ArborBridge
Q&A with ArborBridge about diagnostic ACT and SAT exams for students.
Using CollegePlannerPro as a Powerful Marketing Tool
CollegePlannerPro's eBook: Creating an Impressive Sample Student Profile is an incredible training tool for new members but the robust sample student profile you create can also be a…
Why CollegePlannerPro is a Tool for You, Not Just Your Students
If you’ve hesitated to invest in CollegePlannerPro because you’re worried your students won’t use it, you’re not alone. Many IECs assume the platform’s value depends on student engagement—but…
Using CollegePlannerPro’s Scheduling Tool to Level-Up Your College Counseling Practice
I'm not exactly sure why I was reluctant to use a scheduling tool. Maybe I was nervous about losing control of my calendar. Could a scheduling tool really…
How CollegePlannerPro’s To-Do Feature Helps IECs Streamline College Counseling During Application Season
As an IEC , I find myself battling an endless mental checklist of things I've asked my rising seniors to take care of from mid-summer to late fall…
How Much Should I Charge for my Independent College Counseling Services?
Setting the right pricing for your services as an independent college counselor is crucial to your business's success. It ensures that you're compensated fairly while offering value to…
Marketing & Tech Tips to Expand Your IEC Practice
Whether you're just starting or looking to grow your college counseling practice, these marketing tips will help you stay organized and reach potential clients.
Character Counts in College Applications
The Importance of Personal Character Qualities in College Admissions In the highly competitive arena of college admissions, academic excellence and extracurricular achievements often take center stage. However, many…
Networking for IECs: Building Partnerships and Expanding Reach
Networking is essential for independent educational consultants looking to grow their practice and enhance their professional network. Building strong partnerships and expanding your reach within the community can…
2024 New Year's Resolutions for Independent Educational Consultants: 5 Tips for Achieving Your Business Goals
Achieve your business goals as an independent educational consultant in 2024 with these essential tips. Set clear objectives, create a plan, foster client relationships, prioritize professional development, and…
Logo Design: Creating Your College Consulting Logo with Canva
As an independent college consultant, a well-crafted logo can speak volumes about your services, values, and approach. Fortunately, you don't need to break the bank to have a…
Building Your IEC Clientele: Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Students
Are you a college consultant looking to expand your education consulting business and attract more students to your services? In the competitive world of college admissions, it's essential…
Navigating the Competitive Landscape: Tips for Differentiating Your College Consulting Business
As an independent college consultant, it's crucial to stand out and differentiate your business from the competition. In this blog post, we will explore effective strategies to help…
Essential Steps to Launching Your Independent College Consulting Business
Starting your own IEC business can be an exciting and fulfilling venture. With the increasing demand for personalized guidance in the college admissions process, there is a growing…
Educator or Entrepreneur? Setting Your Price as an Educator and Business Owner
Are you an educator or an entrepreneur? As IECs, we face this question daily. While most of us enter the field of college counseling because we want to…
What College Students Wish They Knew When Applying to College
College is not just about the facts and figures of an institution or the brand name. It is also about the community and campus life. The two main…
IECs and the College Money Talk – Are you ready to have the conversation?
Does the idea of talking to your families about how they are going to pay for college scare you or intrigue you?
3 ways IECs can support their students' mental health
One of the biggest misconceptions about independent college counselors is that their work is all about getting students into the most prestigious colleges and universities. Indeed, many students…
Who’s Moving Up? Nine Universities With Newly Minted R1 Research Status
Choosing where to go to college is one of the biggest decisions students and their families will make. While many factors are at play–from tuition to school size…
IEC Team Survey Results
CollegePlannerPro is dedicated to providing business tools and resources for independent consultants at every stage of their business. When looking to add team members to a solo practice…
7 Ways to Inspire High School Students with STEM for College and Beyond
At the high school level, STEM goes far beyond Advanced Placement classes, and the latest techie devices. Teachers, counselors, and IECs have numerous tools at their disposal to…
IEC Pricing Webinar: Panel Q&A
The CollegePlannerPro team was joined by four IECs for a transparent conversation regarding the pricing of college consulting services. During the insightful conversation, our panelists shared their experiences…
Why I Offer Comprehensive Package Pricing: A Conversation with IEC, Katie Garrett
It could be said that one of the most debated topics in the world of independent educational consultants is how to be compensated for one’s work: hourly or…
How to Set Boundaries and Value Your Work as an Independent College Counselor
"Educators often forget that they have a right to be compensated for their expertise and should not be made to feel badly about that." In all the years…
High School Research Projects — The Key to Test-Optional College Admissions
Insights from the Harvard Admissions Lawsuit The pandemic has completely changed the college admission landscape. As colleges have gone test-optional, there has been a rise in the importance…
Personal Assessments vs Aptitude Tests
Different paths on the journey to self-knowledge and enlightenment We’ve all probably “wished we knew then, what we know now” at least a few times in our lives.…
Quarterly Product Update: September 2021
This quarter, we've made some key updates to the software for students and counselors alike. Let's take a look!
Benefits of Implementing a Student Management Software Platform
Most companies—large, small, and everywhere in between—rely on software platforms and online tools in order to run more efficiently. For large companies, these systems are essential and the…
6 Reasons You Need to Be Involved in a Professional Association (and Why I Cannot Live Without Mine!)
Can you pinpoint one professional experience that changed your life? My pivotal moment happened when I was only twenty-four. I was asked to attend a professional association admissions…
Tools for Independent Educational Consultants
One of my favorite gifts my mom has ever given me is a hammer. Yep, I know. Crazy, right? I think the reason I love it so much…
Why Use an IEC Blog to Attract Prospective Clients?
I know your type. You love meeting with families. You love working with stressed-out high schoolers who struggle to write their college essays. You're thrilled to help nervous…
4 Steps to Steer Keyword Intent When College Blogging
Did you know that good search engine optimization (SEO) begins with excellent keywords? Sure does! However, it goes further than that. Not only do you need to master…
Quarterly Product Update: June 2021
This quarter, we've made some key updates to the software for students and counselors alike. Let's take a look!
5 Habits of Highly Successful College Consultants
Here are five habits that highly successful independent college consultants embrace in order to stay productive and build thriving businesses.
The Recipe For Success for the Independent Educational Consultant
I’m not a great cook. In fact, for many years, cooking seemed like more of a chore than a hobby. My son is an excellent cook, but I…
The Power of Research Projects in College Admissions
Janos Perczel , former Harvard research fellow and co-founder of Polygence , discusses how research projects and working with mentors can help students stand out to universities, and…
How to Write a Rockstar Blog Post
A blank Google doc is the worst. Especially when you’re a blogger. But what’s even worse is not knowing the components of writing a great blog post at…
Preparing Your Business for the IEC Industry Growth
In CollegePlannerPro's recent COVID-Impact Survey , 53% of survey participants reported business growth since the pandemic hit in March, with 19% reporting significant business growth. Citing the uncertainty…
Survey Results: COVID-19's Impact on Independent College Consultants' Businesses
We know that 2020 is the year in which no amount of planning could have anticipated all the twists and turns since its start. While there have been…
Introducing the Mobile-Responsive Student Portal
Throughout the years, one common piece of feedback we have heard from consultants like you is that students are reluctant to log in and engage with a student…
Finding Your College Fit From Afar
Having been through the college admissions journey before with two older kids, one might think the 3 rd time around is easier. Well, as we all know, each…
The Value of an Independent Educational Consultant
Twas the year before college, the world was not the norm The freshman were virtually visiting universities and filling out forms The essays were submitted and edited with…
7 Tips to Overcome Your Fear of Technology
We hear from many prospective members that their general discomfort with technology is the roadblock holding them back from implementing a student management software platform. Although "old-school" methods…
Utilizing student assessments as a starting point for IECs
CollegePlannerPro recently hosted a webinar in conjunction with Human eSources, one of our trusted partners and the creators of the AchieveWorks® suite of assessments. Human eSources has been…
A letter to members regarding COVID-19 and its impact on our community
We at CollegePlannerPro have been keeping our ear to the ground on developments related to COVID-19 and its effects worldwide, as most of you likely also have been…
Here's How to Optimize an Independent Educational Consulting Practice
Becoming an educational consultant can be a financially rewarding and emotionally fulfilling profession.
IECA Professional Member Retreat Takeaways
CollegePlannerPro was fortunate enough to join and sponsor the IECA Professional Members retreat last month in Phoenix, AZ. Participants spent the retreat with their business hats on, learning…
How to Set Up First-Generation College Students for Success in College
For IECs, your goal for working with first-generation college students is to not only help them get into a school that fits them well, but also make sure…
Top Essay Tips From Prompt
This recorded webinar, hosted by our partners at Prompt, covers the top essay tips to help you help your students write compelling essays
Top Resources for Pricing Your IEC Services
Pricing your services is hard and getting it wrong can greatly impact your ability to build a thriving college consulting business. That's why we did some research to…
How to Get Your Business Organized
Small business owners often struggle with getting and staying organized. The brainpower and time associated with the day’s ever-evolving task list leave us with just enough energy to…
Introducing Canadian and UK College Profiles
As more and more consultants work with students applying to international schools, Canadian and UK school data has been in high demand. After a thorough search for the…
Advising Students on the Optimal Testing Timeline
The CollegePlannerPro team was recently joined by ArborBridge's Senior Director of Instruction, Dr. Megan Stubbendeck, for a webinar focused on advising students on the optimal testing timeline. A…
Tips for Effectively Working From Home
Many individuals who choose to pursue a career in independent college consulting will likely be faced with the reality of working from home for either most or all…
Why I Believe in Assessments – an Interview with Susie Wood
You may already know Susie Wood, MA, MSSW, a senior consultant and trainer at Human eSources. For the past 20 years, Susie has been helping individuals find their…
Secrets of the Financial Aid System: An Insider’s Guide to Helping Families Get Maximum Money for College
College costs have risen exponentially, almost 200% in the last twenty years. This means that most families are unprepared to pay for college. Many turn to costly options…