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Erin Halper, CEO of The Upside
Champion of Independent Consultants || Leading a global community of top consultants who join forces to grow and advance their businesses. || Fast Company || Forbes || Nasdaq
Erin Halper is the founder and CEO of The Upside, a company that supports and empowers independent consultants.12 She launched The Upside in 2017 and has since become a leading authority on independent consulting.23
Background and Experience
Erin's journey into entrepreneurship began with her own successful 7-year independent consulting career, during which she provided marketing expertise to private equity, real estate investor, and hedge fund clients.1 Her work resulted in more than $3 billion in outside funding and deal sourcing for her clients.1
The Upside
The Upside is a collective that helps consultants advance their businesses and thrive.14 Since its inception, Erin has:
- Advised over 1,000 professionals on building respected consultancy practices1
- Helped members generate consistent clients and achieve work flexibility1
- Connected members to numerous opportunities, including client leads, referrals, podcasts, press features, and speaking engagements1
Achievements and Recognition
Erin has established herself as a prominent figure in the consulting and entrepreneurship space:
- She is a mentor at Columbia University's Almaworks startup accelerator1
- Serves as a judge at NYU's TrepCamp entrepreneur simulator1
- Frequently speaks at events and conferences, including those at Harvard University and Brown University1
- Has been featured as a guest on various podcasts1
Education
Erin holds a BBA in Marketing from The George Washington University and studied art at Parsons School of Design in Paris, France.1
Through her work with The Upside, Erin Halper has created a global movement that empowers independent consultants worldwide, providing them with the support and resources needed to build successful businesses.34
Highlights
I hosted friends for dinner recently and thought it would be a smart idea to smoke a brisket.
I mean, why not?
Briskets are decadent. Briskets are versatile. Briskets are delicious.
Plus, I figured I could just set it and forget it. Easy peasy.
But, about an hour before my guests were supposed to arrive, I realized that the temperature knob was turned down way too low and my brisket was hours away from being ready.
So, frantically, I cranked up the heat.
What happened next won't surprise anyone who knows how to cook:
My brisket turned out dry, rubbery and ruined.
Which made me realize that building a consulting business you love is a lot like smoking a summer brisket:
You gotta do it low and slow.
And that's the thing about briskets and businesses. There are no fast hacks, quick fixes, or one-and-done solutions for creating something great, despite what some may s̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶tell you.
You can't just crank up the heat when you find yourself in scarcity mode.
Briskets and businesses take time and consistent care if you want them to turn out great.
So, be patient with your business.
(and block out the noisy "overnight success" stories)
Be kind to yourself when you fail.
(because failing = quick and critical learning)
Embrace all the imperfections.
(because there's no such thing as "perfect" or "done" in business)
Tend to your business at all times.
(because set-it-and-forget-it businesses are unrealistic)
And always remember:
No one is you, and THAT is your superpower.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ 👋 I’m Erin Halper. 💪Champion of independent consultants. ✨Leading a community where consultants support and advance each other in business and beyond.
Want to learn from me each week? 🔔 Ring it on my Profile 🔗Get my Wednesday Wisdom: https://lnkd.in/e--aatVz ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Special thank you to Jay Acunzo for inspiring this post! Photo description for accessibility: Smoked brisket on a platter courtesy of BBC Good Food.

When Upside member and community expert Tatiana Figueiredo asked if she could write about The Upside, I didn't expect THIS.
Although she works with hundreds of community businesses, she noticed something different about The Upside...something we are doing better than others.
She noticed...
...a certain stickiness of our membership. ...our high engagement numbers. ...the human touch that every member experiences. ...how we facilitate trust between our members. ...how we invite members to lead. ...how we've maintained a high-caliber, intimate culture.
Interested to know more about our secret sauce? She shares it all right here in the article below:
https://lnkd.in/eEpwrEWF
Thank you Tatiana Figueiredo!
#community #culture #engagement
