We talk about where we’re taking the show and how your feedback will impact our next steps. It's your chance to reach out (see the links below) and weigh in! LINKS Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter...
Do you know how to position your product or service? Talking Points April’s background Why positioning is important What positioning is Email for lawyers Problems caused by weak positioning How solos can identify positioning problems Choosing criteria that ensures clients will be happy in the end Positioning the business itself versus individual offerings How publishing a book affected April’s inbound leads Books as part of the overall business Quotable Quotes “There’s branding and there’s posit...
Why passion alone isn’t enough—we also need rigor and hard work to build a successful Passion Economy business. Rethinking your client base as a very tight, intimate group, because fewer passionate clients beat a lot of indifferent ones. How to get clear on the unique value you bring to your clients—and weave that into your business model (and marketing). When letting go of non-ideal clients is essential and how it changes the dynamics of your work. Why pricing should be a dialogue between you a...
How niching down—think of it as repetition—gives you the opportunity for focused practice. Why we refer to consulting and coaching as practices . Giving yourself permission to suck—while you gradually improve. How to reframe repetition (think continual upward spiral) as practice. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter...
Why it’s tempting to conflate productivity with working in your genius zone (and how to think about it instead). Finding joy in “brain dead” activities (or anything necessary, but not strictly in your genius zone). The difference between light lift and deep dive genius zone activities. How to handle resistance to entering your genius zone. Why you don’t have to work solo inside your genius zone (aka the magic of co-creating). ---- And of course, big thanks to Louis Grenier for inspiring this epi...
When you want to use an application process to screen potential clients and group members. The particular challenges applications present (and a few work-arounds). Why conversion rates are much higher when using applications to “gate” your service. How to use an application process to enhance the experience of your ideal clients and buyers. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter...
How to use pricing as a tool to niche down your audience. Why engaging clients BEFORE they have the big problem you solve seldom works. Becoming aware of the stories you tell yourself about money—and how they impact your pricing and packaging. Why it’s not unethical to charge top dollar for your services (and one solution if you balk at increasing your profit). The fairness fallacy: why “fair” is an impossible way to set your prices. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram J...
How the books you read as a child can help chart the course of your life. The business and leadership books we found at EXACTLY the right time for each of us. Why the right biographies, self-help and inspirational books (and other non-conventional business books) can lead to business break-throughs. How the personal nature of what we get from books can change depending on when we read them. LINKS The Servant Leader Managing The Professional Service Firm The Trusted Advisor Desert Queen The Big L...
Why this is not “slimy selling,” but genuinely providing value to the people you want to serve. The role of business development in “whale” B2B models (and how it fuels high-end consulting practices). Using LinkedIn to discover your ideal people and leverage your interactions. A handful of examples using in-person conferences as part of your business development plan. The importance of prioritizing relationships and tracking your business development activity over time. LINKS Rochelle | Email Li...
Getting past the fear of an empty calendar following an intensive project. Hint: having a marketing system you work even when you’re slammed goes a long way. How to turn a wrap-up meeting into additional work, testimonials and/or referrals (and one specific problem this meeting will solve for you). The magic of taking time for yourself to recharge after an intense bout of work—and a few ideas to try out. The post project questions to ask yourself to narrow down your superpower(s) and focus them ...
NOTE: Rochelle and I (Jonathan) couldn't record last week. Rather than give you nothing (or a TBOA repeat) to listen to, I decided to dig through the Ditching Hourly archives and find an episode that long time fans of TBOA would be sure to enjoy. Here's the info from the Ditching Hourly site: The “Expertise Expert” himself, David C. Baker, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about the five things that happen right after you specialize. Summary Here is an AI summary of the key points from the ep...
When to shake things up by trying an experiment in your business. Why it’s worth challenging your own perceptions and/or the norms of a popular platform. Creating your own “book central” to capture everything you need to help with marketing and sales of your product in one place. One surprising outcome of this experiment (and why it will keep leveraging itself indefinitely). How starting with a niche book can expand your audience well beyond your intended target. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | Li...
When to consider learning from a 1-1 coach vs. a group experience—and how to think about when an investment makes sense. Building your own network of peers—through community participation or seeking out 1-1 relationships. Why guided experimentation works for so many soloists in the expertise space (and how to find those experiences). How to match your learning investments (time and money) with your business stage. Learning from your marketplace, including having regular conversations with your p...
Why you want to move those “bees in your head” to a Projects List where they don’t interfere with your focus right now. The importance of testing your concept (with yourself) and perhaps others before investing significant build time. Ways to organize the design flow of a time-bound challenge—and why cohorts can be so magical. Using technology short-cuts (like Zapier and ConvertKit)—and the value of testing your automations before you go live. Why documenting the process as you go is an easy mov...
How to identify your target market and create just enough of a description of the new offering to test it with them. Different ways to construct a “listening tour” for feedback and constructive criticism depending on your idea and your goal. Why you want to prepare a throughline—the compelling story that connects what you’ve been doing to your new thing. The value in embracing imperfection and adopting an experimental mindset. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan...
Which is best: using your name or creating a company name for your expertise business (hint: what’s your end game)? How to deal with an unusual, unpronounceable (to your audience) or too-common name. Why your company name matters less than you think (but your URL is gold). Naming your books, products and services and why that’s different than naming your firm. The non-intuitive question to ask yourself when naming each of your babies. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram ...
Why you can’t let what’s going on in the world keep you from playing your game, serving your niche. How to decide your themes for the year (and a sneak peek into ours). The role of energy in deciding how you want to spend this moment/this day/this month/this year. Why how you feel about your to-do list is a leading indicator of what you’ll actually accomplish (spoiler alert: delete/offload the low energy stuff). How to identify small changes to remove draining tasks and add energizing ones—AKA g...
Why we tend to think “balance” is a single point where we remain forever (even though that’s not how life usually works). The role boundaries play in how happy you feel with your choices. How your genius zone factors into structuring your work and your life. Choosing to keep your work and your life in an upward spiral—and why that sometimes means letting go of your past self. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditchervil...
How to blend both analytical and feelings-based reviews into your planning (and the key questions to ask yourself before making any final decisions). Translating your bets into systems to lock-and-load your goals into your recurring (daily, weekly, monthly) actions. How adding a paper—yes paper!—calendar to your planning routine might pay off for you. Why you want to choose a theme for the year—and how to think about yours. The most important factor to consider when evaluating multiple bets. LIN...
How to know if your next move is all that risky—or just feels risky? Why it’s worth doing an analytical assessment of a specific risk before just saying no (or yes). How to reduce the uncertainty in any action(s) you’re considering. When your fear is more about the qualitative experience than about how you’ll look/how much money is at stake. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter LINKS Roche...
Licensing your intellectual property into tools and assessments. Translating your reputation (and personality) into live events with tiered pricing. Leveraging books beyond the book sale into significant revenue streams. Designing creative pricing for memberships. Using contractors to deliver fixed-price services for value-priced projects. LINKS Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter Rochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram LINKS Rochell...
How you’ll know the rules of the game you’ve been playing have changed. Why creating a new service or product is a better solution than cutting prices on existing offerings. An alternative that will increase your insight (not to mention your revenue) into why demand is softening. How to test if you’re following “rules” that no longer apply. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter LINKS Rochel...
LINKS Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
Inverting the podcasting pyramid to have a faster impact on your business (and waste less time promoting in social media). When how many listeners you have really doesn’t matter as a success metric. Why you might conduct some interviews in person (and how to leverage your attendance at industry conferences). When podcast hosting is a relationship builder between you and your ideal potential clients and buyers. How you’ll get the most benefit from podcasting (hint: clearly aligning your podcast w...
How to make the final decision to let challenging clients go. Making spending more time in your genius zone a reality. Substack vs. ConvertKit. What to say when clients ask about your costs. Is it time to give up on my business and go back to being an employee? What do you say to creative people in their 20’s who feel like their only viable career choice is building an on-line creative business? How do I create recurring revenue from support or advisory options without talking about hours? Shoul...
What happens when we get unconsciously caught up in lifestyle inflation (and how to escape that trap). How to think about your two primary buckets of “enough”. The handful of markers to know you’re taking the right risks and protecting your downside (even though your “enough” number will be unique). How spending fits into your personal equation and when to consider flexing (stepping on the gas or the brake) your business. LINKS Rochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagr...
Why the stories we tell ourselves about our luck vs. skill aren’t always true. Why most of your business bets will be small-ish stakes (a series of pivots) vs. flinging yourself into the volcano. The early signs your bet is working—or not—and why we tend to ignore them. How to make your feedback loops shorter to increase your longer-term likelihood of success. Why it’s helpful to determine the roles luck vs. skill played in past big decisions (and the factors we consider). LINKS Jonathan | Daily...
“There are only two things that determine the way your life turns out. Luck and the quality of your decisions. That's it.” Annie Duke When we won’t quit a bad idea because we hear a unicorn success story—instead of making the smarter move to invest “our treasure” (talents, time and energy) elsewhere. Why we never have ALL the facts when making decisions (and how luck swings outcomes more than we think). When we have to ignore how much money we’ve “put in the pot” and fold instead (and why pre-be...
Rising above the “holy war of craft” into focusing on business impact. How to raise the level of a craft conversation (and what can happen when you do). Growing your business once you decide to take your expertise on an upward spiral. Why there is room for soloists to be a top craftsperson OR a top advisor (and how those business models differ). LINKS Rochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter LINKS R...
Why the gurus’ advice to spend all of your genius zone time alone does not apply to our kinds of businesses. How the transformations you want to make with your people drive the way you structure your business. What can happen when you’re responsible for employees (and perhaps feel the need to escape 😎). Creating the ultimate non-escape plan by pivoting your business to a “go out with your boots on” model. LINKS Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn Twitter Rochelle | Email L...
