During the author's second year of graduate school, a few friends approached him with the idea of taking on independent consulting projects together or perhaps even starting an evaluation consulting company. He was thrilled and anxious all at once. More than anything else, he had lots of questions that needed answers before fully committing himself to a business: What would it be like to work independent of an established firm or institution such as the university, where he was comfortable conducting research and evaluations? Would a consulting path provide him with sufficient income? Would he find the work fulfilling? What qualities are required to succeed as an independent evaluation consultant? He began to search for answers by reading start-up guides and recommended books on the consulting field. His reading uncovered important considerations, but he knew that learning directly from experienced evaluation consultants could provide further insight into what it would actually be like to start and build an independent consulting practice. Therefore, he decided to pick the brains of current experts in the field. The experts' responses piqued his interest, heightened his fears, and largely fueled his desire to become an independent consultant. In this article, the author reflects on his hopes and fears as he considers an independent consulting career.