No. The official framework describes a gift-based process toward permanent residence through an EB-1 or EB-2 classification for eligible, admissible applicants when a visa is available. It is not a work permit, and nothing in it authorizes on-site work while the process runs.
What the framework is not
Three misreadings recur. The first is that the Gold Card is a visa category one can apply for at a consulate like TN or E-2; it is not, and the official FAQ describes an application, fee, vetting and gift sequence leading to an immigrant classification determined by the authorities. The second is that paying the fee confers interim permission to work; nothing in the official description says so, and a consultant who performs on-site work for clients while an application is pending is in the same position as before the application.
The third is that the gift resembles an EB-5 investment; it does not, because it is given rather than invested, earns nothing and is not described as returnable. What remains for the consultant is the ordinary analysis: for permanent residence, whether his record supports an EB-1 or EB-2 classification, his admissibility, and visa availability; for on-site work in the meantime, whether any temporary category fits a self-employed person, and under TN it does not. Start from the objective, not from the headline.