Consultant for a Day™
Build your portfolio. Rebuild your confidence. Create your next career.
In a tough job market, consulting, freelancing and portfolio work can open another way forward. Come as you are and leave with a ready-to-pitch business portfolio, an online presence and a plan of action—in one day.
Created by
Neha Lagoo Ratnakar
The job market has been tough. Your experience can still create another way forward.
After a career break, competing for a traditional role can feel especially difficult. Yet today’s gig economy also creates room for experienced women to solve problems through consulting, freelancing, fractional work and portfolio careers.
C4D helps you stop waiting for the perfect job description and start turning what you already know into something you can confidently offer.
Not another career talk. A day to create your next professional chapter.
Career relaunch
Clarify the experience, strengths and problems you are ready to bring back into the market.
Portfolio-career bootcamp
Turn your expertise into a possible consulting, fractional or freelance direction.
Practical creation
Use accessible AI tools to build something tangible—not just a notebook full of ideas.
Think of it as a career relaunch day with the energy of a hackathon, the practical focus of a consulting bootcamp, and the community of a carefully curated professional gathering.
Apply. Be selected. Confirm your place. Join the day.
Applications are open for the next Consultant for a Day™. Applying does not involve payment.
- 01
Apply
Tell us about your professional experience, what motivates you to participate, and what you could bring to the day.
- 02
Get selected
We review every application and select a carefully balanced cohort of 20 participants.
- 03
Confirm your place
Selected participants receive a payment link. Your place is confirmed once the €65 incl. VAT participant fee is paid.
- 04
Consultant for a Day™
Join us for a full day of real business challenges, collaboration, learning and connection.
Participant fee: €65 incl. VAT
A commitment and contribution towards the full-day experience, including food, drinks and refreshments. Payment is requested only if you are selected.
Selection is never based on ability or willingness to pay.
We want the experience to remain accessible. A small number of fee-waived places may be available for participants experiencing financial difficulty. You can indicate this confidentially in your application.
Seven stages from experience to action.
Come as you are. In one focused day, you will make, test and refine a ready-to-pitch portfolio, online presence and practical action plan.
- 01
Reclaim Your Expertise
Identify the experience, strengths and problem-solving skills you already bring to the table.
- 02
Turn Experience Into an Offer
Explore who you could help, what problem you could solve, and how your experience could become a service.
- 03
Build Your AI-Powered Portfolio
Create a case study, proposal, service offer, workflow, dashboard, website, research or strategy document.
- 04
Understand the Practicalities
Get a practical orientation to ZZP considerations, registration, invoicing, contracts, taxes and insurance—not legal or tax advice.
- 05
Explore Where the Work Is
Look at routes into consulting, fractional work and freelancing through marketplaces, networks and direct relationships.
- 06
Socialise Your New Identity
Work on your LinkedIn positioning, professional introduction, networking message and elevator pitch.
- 07
Put It Into Motion
Leave with a realistic 30-day plan for testing your direction, sharing your work and starting conversations.
Practical AI for your next professional chapter.
AI is not the point of C4D. It is one of the tools that can help you move faster from experience to action.
You do not need to be technical or an AI expert. The focus is practical and accessible: turning what you know into something visible, useful and genuinely yours.
Experienced women ready to explore a different way forward.
You do not need to arrive with a business idea, a polished personal brand or a clear five-year plan.
- Have taken a career break
- Bring meaningful professional experience
- Are considering what comes next
- Want more flexible or independent work
- Are curious about practical AI
- Want to build something tangible
- Are ready to take a next step—even without the full map
Something clearer. Something tangible. Something already in motion.
A clearer professional direction
A draft offer or service concept
A tangible portfolio asset
Practical AI confidence
A stronger LinkedIn and networking message
A 30-day visibility and action plan
New professional connections
Small by design. Full of momentum.
A full hands-on day
Time to work, reflect and exchange ideas.
20 selected participants
A curated cohort designed for quality, contribution and connection.
Guided creation
Practical exercises with expert input where useful.
An evening borrel
An invitation-only extension of the day.
Your next conversation could change your direction.
Selected founders, People leaders, consultants, fractional talent experts, marketplace representatives, community partners and supporters will join the evening.
The evening creates possibility, not a promise of a client, role or offer.
Neha Lagoo Ratnakar
TEDx speaker · Author · International dual-career strategist
Neha understands that career transitions are about more than finding work. They touch identity, mobility, confidence and how we explain our value in a changing market.
She created Consultant for a Day™ to give experienced women a practical space to reconnect with what they know, explore what it could become, and leave with evidence of forward motion.
Connect with NehaApply for one of 20 places.
We’re looking for experienced professionals who can bring valuable perspectives to real business challenges and who are motivated to explore what comes next.
Before applying
Selected participants contribute €65 incl. VAT to confirm their place. This includes the full-day programme, food, drinks and refreshments. You do not pay when you apply.
What we consider
- Relevant professional experience
- Depth and breadth of expertise
- Contribution to real-world business challenges
- Motivation for participating
- Perspective brought to the cohort
- Potential for meaningful collaboration
Your application opens in Google Forms. Payment is not a selection criterion and is only requested after selection.
Support practical career relaunch work and responsible AI exploration.
C4D welcomes a small number of partners who want to support this experience and connect with the community around it in a thoughtful, non-recruitment-first setting.
- Support women returning to professional work
- Contribute to future-of-work skills
- Join the invitation-only networking evening
- Support participant stories and impact reporting
- Explore relevant future collaborations
Partner and sponsor participation is subject to approval or invitation.
Knowledge & community partners
Before you apply.
Who is C4D for?
Highly qualified women returning from career breaks who want to explore consulting, fractional work, freelancing, portfolio careers or other independent professional directions.
Do I need to be a consultant already?
No. The day helps you explore whether consulting or another independent route could fit your experience.
Do I need to have a business idea?
No. You can arrive with experience, questions and curiosity. The programme helps you shape a possible direction.
Do I need AI experience?
No. The AI activities are practical, guided and designed for non-technical professionals.
Is this a job fair?
No. C4D is a career relaunch and portfolio-building experience, not a recruitment event.
Will I get a client or job?
There are no guaranteed clients, jobs or income. You will leave better prepared to explain your value, show your work and start relevant conversations.
What does the participant fee include?
The €65 incl. VAT participant fee includes the full-day Consultant for a Day™ experience, food, drinks and refreshments. Payment is requested only after selection.
How are participants selected?
We select 20 participants based on relevant experience, expertise, motivation, perspective, potential contribution to real business challenges and meaningful collaboration. Ability or willingness to pay is not a selection criterion.
What does the day include?
Guided exercises, practical creation, accessible AI use, independent-work orientation, reflection, peer exchange and an invitation-only evening borrel.
Is the networking evening open to everyone?
No. It is invitation-only for participants and selected business contacts, partners and professional community members.
When and where will it take place?
23 November 2026 at Hackathon Space, AI House Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerplein 5, Amsterdam.
How can I apply?
Use any Apply button on this page to open the application form. There is no payment when you apply.
How can I partner with C4D?
Complete the separate partner interest form. Participation is subject to approval or invitation.
23 November 2026 · AI House Amsterdam
Come as you are. Leave ready to pitch what comes next.
Bring your experience, questions and curiosity. Leave with a business portfolio, online presence and a plan of action.
20 selected participants · €65 incl. VAT after selection · Full day, food, drinks and refreshments included