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Hey there,
Before Thiago joined The AI Consultancy Project, he was completely burnt out from being in the corporate world.
First came the restructure, then came the merger, and before he knew it, he was working even more than before (which was already a lot and, if you’ve ever experienced corporate, then you already know).
So it was no surprise when thoughts like these kept popping into his head:
“I just needed to completely change my career and everything about my life…” - Thiago
And so…
He made one of the hardest decisions anyone can make -- he left his job -- because his health and well-being was more important than a monthly or bi-weekly direct deposit.
That’s when he heard about The AI Consultancy Project.
Naturally, given the situation he was in, being hesitant wasn’t some ‘I just need to believe myself!” situation -- he was clear, calculated, and pragmatic:
“Coming from a situation where I had just left my job, obviously the resources and the money was really important, but at the same time, I knew that I needed to do something if I really wanted to change my career.”
“I did more research about AI consulting in general, I found a lot of articles that mentioned it was a really up and coming career, and even one of the most popular, new roles on places like LinkedIn for job applications”
“I finally decided to join when I had an opportunity to do a little bit more research on Rob and find out that he was actually a very reputable person [with] a good track record in his own company.”
So, he made an informed decision.
While on the surface, it was a decision to join AI Consultancy…the deeper decision was to believe in himself.
Which, as you might imagine, might be harder if the career move you’re making is to move into a ‘tech industry’ without a background in tech!
“As somebody not from the tech industry or with any kind of tech background, I had a lot of hesitation and imposter syndrome”
And, just as it is with any unaddressed fear, sometimes they can cause us to self-sabotage our own progress in unexpected ways.
“I wish I had followed Rob's prescription for the program exactly from the beginning. I decided to take my own path and didn't complete those tasks that were supposed to help me get over imposter syndrome and other insecurities that I was facing.
I decided to just put my head on technical skills and forget about the other stuff. So my path admittedly took quite a few months -- I was just not really sure if I was doing the right thing [and] that was hard to overcome.
But I'm glad the program provides tools in order to be able to overcome that fear [by addressing it] directly.
As for me, that's definitely been one of the biggest changes. Once I was able to get over that imposter syndrome, that's when my business started to see great results.
It's definitely been an interesting ride. Everybody has a different path and mine has been unique.”
As for how unique his path has been once he faced his fears?
Well, I’ll let you see it for yourself:
1 - The Spark (3-figures: $150).
A friend asked for help. He invoiced a modest consult + mini-training (~$150). Tiny? Yes. But it flipped the switch from “I’m studying” to “I’m in business.”
2 - A Real Project (4-figures: $7,000).
He kept showing up live -- workshops for nonprofits and small businesses. Referrals started landing. His first automation build (a dashboard for a local health-insurance company) came in around $7,000, plus follow-on work discussing a fractional CAIO retainer.
3 - Training Becomes a Lane (5-figures: $15,000).
He leaned into what he enjoyed most: teaching. When our AI Consultant Directory was being announced, a company reached out for help with AI training. That turned into a $5,000 package: two full days, eight sessions (Fundamentals, Prompting Deep Dive, Copilot Power Hour, “Build Your Own Bot,” and more) -- they even flew him to New York to deliver it in person.
That first bootcamp went so well the client booked three more (New York, Atlanta, Salt Lake City), plus consulting hours, for $15,000 in additional work -- and started planning an org-wide AI restructuring with him in the conversation.
4 - Five Figures in Five Days
A separate lead asked for a niche web app. He wrote the SoW, shipped v1 in five days, and invoiced $10,000. His note to the community: “I probably spent 20–25 hours, but it felt like zero because I was having so much fun.”
5 - Please welcome to the stage…Professor Thiago |