Michael Zipursky

Co-founder, Consulting Success; consultant coach; author

Michael Zipursky is the co-founder of Consulting Success and one of the most experienced coaches working with independent consultants globally.

Over 17 years, he and his brother Sam have coached more than 1,300 consultants across 75 industries, helping them build practices grounded in relationships and conversations rather than marketing systems.

Michael's approach to consulting was shaped by his early career in Japan, where he spent 25 years building business relationships through immersion in Japanese culture. That experience, working with organisations including Panasonic, Dow Jones, and Sumitomo, taught him that consulting success comes from genuine curiosity and sustained relational investment rather than credentials or tactical marketing.

He is the author of Consulting Success and The Elite Consulting Mind, and created the Clarity Coaching Program for consultants seeking to move beyond sporadic referrals to systematic practice growth. His frameworks address ideal client clarity, value-based pricing, and the mindset shifts required for the corporate to independent consulting transition. Based in West Vancouver, Canada.

March 12, 2026

Michael Zipursky Consulting Success: Why Conversations Beat Marketing for Independent Consultants

Michael Zipursky is the co-founder of Consulting Success, where he and his team have coached over 1,300 consulting business owners across 75 industries. His core argument is that conversations beat marketing: the most important activity for any consultant is not polishing a website or refining a lead magnet, but getting into direct dialogue with potential clients. Michael built his first consulting business in Japan by sending cold emails to design firms in Osaka, showing up, and listening. The relationships that followed — through late-night izakaya conversations with senior executives — taught him that curiosity and genuine presence are the foundation of consulting success. He later co-founded Consulting Success with his cousin Sam, starting with a blog and a course before building the coaching business that now serves consultants from six figures to mid-seven figures. The conversation covers the stages of consulting growth, from early-stage positioning struggles through to the sh…

Guest: Michael Zipursky

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