Yes. That's how I got started.
Find an acquaintance who already runs a consultancy, and arrange to subcontract for them for odd-jobs, or take a 2-week vacation and spend it on one of their projects.
Find an acquaintance who already runs a consultancy, and arrange to subcontract for them for odd-jobs, or take a 2-week vacation and spend it on one of their projects.
Do you think it's frowned upon to cold-email people that you're only vaguely acquainted with? Say for instance, I make a very politely and concisely worded email, asking them if they have any extra work that they could off-load.
Consulting is all about networking... odds are very good you'll get far more work via referrals than through bidding or similar processes.
The quicker you can build up that network, the quicker you can start building up that queue of projects, and in the meantime, it's a good way to find someone to sub for while you get yourself started.