Why Niching Down Isn't Boring with Geraldine Carter

Geraldine Carter and I swapped interviews about why niching down doesn't lead to boredom.  Geraldine's Links:https://geraldinecarter.comhttps://geraldinecarter.com/newsletterhttps://www.businessstrategyforcpas.com

JS on SuiteScript Stories with Tim Dietrich and Eric Grubaugh

Tim Dietrich and Eric Grubaugh invited me to join them on SuiteScript Stories to talk about the pros and cons of a platform specialization, the paradox of positioning, and, of course, the horrors of hourly billing. Tim and Eric were kind enough to let me post the interview here on Ditching Hourly, but if you're a NetSuite developer, you should check out their podcast at https://suitescriptstories.com/ We discuss:Jonathan's and Tim's shared history in the FileMaker Pro spaceJonathan's AHA moment when he realized hourly billing was killing his businessThe misaligned financial incentives created by hourly billingHow specializing in a narrower target market amplifies your opportunitiesThe various forms of specialization: Vertical, Horizontal, PlatformThe obstacles an agency faces when trying to specialize

Joe Quadara - From Fighting Fires to Lighting the Way: How Expertise Creates Leverage in Consulting

Indie game consultant Joe Quadara (aka Joe Q) joined me on Ditching Hourly to share his journey from putting out fires for indie game studios to advising them to accurately scope and fund their projects.Joe's Links:Joe's website: RecurverJoe on LinkedIn AI Summary: In this episode, game developer turned consultant Joe Quidara shares his journey from putting out fires for game studios to helping studios accurately scope and fund their projects. He explains how developing deep expertise about the indie game industry allows him to quickly assess and advise studios, creating leverage in his consulting business. Chapters:[00:00:00] Introductions[00:07:00] The size of the video game market[00:10:00] What is indie game consulting?[00:14:00] The appeal of weird, indie games [00:19:00] What an indie game studio looks like[00:23:00] From firefighting to preventing fires in game studios  [00:28:00] Helping studios accurately scope and fund projects[00:32:00] Creating a sustainable indie game studio model [00:35:00] Leveraging expertise to streamline the consulting process[00:41:00] The benefits of specialization for consultants[00:46:00] Keeping an open mind while leveraging expertise  [00:48:00] Conclusion The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.Hope to see you there!

Bryan Strawser - Breaking Seven Figures For The First Time

Bryghtpath CEO and Ditcherville lifetime resident Bryan Strawser joined me on Ditching Hourly to share the secrets behind his huge business wins in 2023. Bryan's Links:Website: https://bryghtpath.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BryghtpathPodcast: https://bryghtpath.com/resources/managing-uncertainty-podcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanstrawser/Summary (ai generated):In this episode of Ditching Hourly, Jonathan Stark interviews Bryan Strausser of BrightPath about how positioning his consulting firm and using program evaluation "roadmaps" as a first engagement with clients has led to major growth and 7-figure revenue. They discuss Bryan's journey from generalist consultant to focused niche positioning, using content marketing and authority building to attract ideal clients, the roadmapping process to diagnose client needs before prescribing solutions, how to price and sell high-value services, and building ongoing managed services for recurring revenue.  Chapters:[00:00:00] Introduction [00:02:00] From generalist to focused positioning[00:08:00] Attracting clients through content marketing [00:13:00] Client onboarding with program evaluation roadmaps[00:21:00] Using the podcast to build authority [00:25:00] The importance of positioning[00:28:00] Pricing and selling high-value services [00:36:00] The roadmapping sales process[00:44:00] Writing effective proposals [00:51:00] Increasing profits through pricing [00:53:00] Growing through managed services[00:56:00] Conclusion ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

The Real Reason You Started A Business

The Real Reason You Started A BusinessYou started a business to help people - and you do help people! - but let’s be honest... you could help people as an employee working for someone else.The real reason you started a business was for the freedom.The freedom of doing what you want, when you want, where you want, with whom you want.So, if you’ve been running your business for a while, but the freedom just hasn’t come yet, I have something that might help.Get your freedom without compromising your business successFolks often ask how I can possibly maintain... a daily mailing list a weekly podcast monthly course launches a coaching community with 700+ members a group of private coaching clients and more... ...all completely on my own without a single employee or VA or anything.I know it seems like I must be working all the time, but the reality is that I get all this done in just a few hours per week.Most weeks, it feels like I spend more time at karate and the gym than doing anything work-related.Heck, I recently took the kids to Disney World for a week, and my business output didn’t miss a beat.Go behind-the-scenesIf you’ve ever wondered how I sustain such a high level of productivity year after year, you’re in luck.On Thursday, December 7th, 2023 at 1:00pm ET, I am giving a behind-the-scenes look at the ruthlessly simple time management system I use to run my solo practice.The webinar is NOT open to the public.If you want to attend, you must be a member of my Ditcherville coaching community.Here’s a sample of what to expect: How I process my inbox in five minutes or less How I use my calendar differently than most people How I use my todo lists to prevent getting overwhelmed How I use SOPs to supercharge my productivity and conserve creative energy How my systems work together to keep me focused, not distracted Live Q&AThere will be plenty of time for Q&A, so if there’s something I don’t cover that you’re interested in, ask. I’ll answer every question, even if I have to stay late to do it.Will it be recorded?Yes, the presentation will be recorded, but the replay will only be available for 48 hours. After that, it’s gone for good.This is the first time I’ve shared this info anywhere. I don’t know if I’ll do it again. So, this might be your only chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at how I run my business.See you there?If you feel like you’re working so hard that you can’t get ahead and desperately want to get back to running your business instead of it running you, I hope to see you on Thursday, December 7 at 1:00pm ET.Click below to become a member of Ditcherville and get access to this private presentation:JOIN NOW »Monthly, annual, and lifetime memberships are available.The Benefits of MembershipOf course, the webinar access is just the beginning.When you join more than 700 of your colleagues in Ditcherville, you’ll get instant access to the following:💬 24/7 asynchronous discussion and support in the Ditcherville Slack🎟️ Invitations to all future Ditcherville LIVE Q&A sessions🔦 A searchable database of 700+ individual questions with answers in audio and video format (more than 150 hours!)📚 My library of email sequences, business templates, coaching questions, daily emails, and more👂 A private audio podcast feed of past Q&A sessions so you can binge-listen to the back catalog hands-freeIf not now, when?Don’t waste another year moving one inch in every direction.Join my group coaching community today and get the answers you need to start moving forward again.Here’s the link again:JOIN NOW »I hope to see you in Ditcherville soon!Yours,—J ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Jonathan on Everyone Hates Marketers with Louis Grenier

The handsome and talented Louis Grenier had me on Everyone Hates Marketers to go behind the scenes on how I run my business.Much to my delight (and true to form), he asked very specific and pointed questions so we could avoid the typical BS you hear on business podcasts.It's also on YouTube if you prefer to watch:Watch Now »Louis’ Links:https://www.everyonehatesmarketers.com/links ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Alexander Lapa - The Non-Profit Salesforce Guy

Alexander Lapa joins me for a tour-de-force journey through the paths available to tech folks operating with a post-hourly mentality.  Alex's Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderlapa/ Consulting: https://dryadconsulting.com/ Product: https://dryadreceipting.com/ Newsletter: https://thegoodenoughconsultant.com/ Podcast: https://dryadconsulting.com/podcast ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Rod Aparicio - The Myth of Personal Brand

Fellow daily emailer and No-BS marketer Rod Aparicio joined me on Ditching Hourly to bust the myth of personal branding.Rod’s Links Twitter Profile Email List AI SummaryIn this episode, Jonathan Stark and guest Rod Aparicio discuss the concept of personal brand and its misconceptions. They emphasize that personal brand is more about influencing perceptions rather than controlling how one is perceived. The importance of authenticity and credibility in building a personal brand is highlighted, along with the distinction between brand and reputation. The episode also explores the relevance of personal branding for solopreneurs and small businesses, emphasizing the need for positioning oneself and focusing on the needs of the target market rather than obsessing over self-image or becoming an influencer. Credibility and trust are emphasized as crucial factors in attracting and retaining clients for solopreneurs.Key Points Authenticity can be defined differently, with some emphasizing being true to oneself and others focusing on being different from others. Building a personal brand requires a curated version of oneself, but should align with one's values and not be hypocritical. Aspiration is the desire to become something, while inspiration is the internal motivation to do what one truly wants. Aspiration in personal branding could lead to a lack of authenticity and failure. Positioning oneself based on alignment and targeting the right audience is more valuable than building a personal brand. A credible offer, backed by testimonials, case studies, and referrals, builds trust with potential clients. Personal branding can lead to a sense of desperation and may not result in long-term success. Best Quotes “A personal brand is mainly how people can control how they want to be seen and perceived by others.” “A reputation can be linked to a person, and a brand is something that you make artificial.” ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Zach Stevens - Going from Zero to $36k MRR with a Product-Marketing-as-a-Service Subscription Business

Graphic designer, product marketer, and co-founder of Conversion Factory, Zach Stevens, joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain how he and his co-founders went from zero to more than $36k MRR in one month with a productized subscription business that helps SaaS teams turn traffic into revenue. Zach's links: https://www.conversionfactory.co/ https://twitter.com/zstvns https://www.designdive.co/ Talking Points:The fear of not being able to fulfill client expectations led to starting small with a hypothesis-driven approach.Communication is primarily done through asynchronous channels like Notion and Loom, with some exceptions for in-person meetings.Building rapport with clients and providing detailed explanations of deliverables enhances communication and feedback.Centralizing communication efforts avoids the nightmare of having to navigate multiple platforms and channels.Work-life harmony is about acknowledging that work and personal life will fluctuate in priority.Quotable Quotes:“Our conversion rate only had to be in the thousandths of a percentage point to be booked solid.”“We only wanna take on five clients at one time to see how well we manage the workload.”“More than half of our clients right now are on a higher strategy-based $9k/mo tier.”“At the initial onset, it did feel like there was a lot going on, but then it kind of fizzled out, and things got a lot smoother.”“We love using tools like Loom, anything that we can do to make it feel like we are in the room with them.”“If you follow this model and it works, you’re going to have way more concurrent clients than you’re used to.” ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

David Shriner-Cahn - Helping Corporate Refugees Start, Run, and Grow Their Own Businesses

David Shriner-Cahn of Smashing the Plateau joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how longtime corporate execs can increase the odds of going out on their own successfully. Key Points Taking the leap into entrepreneurship can be daunting, but with the right support and mentorship, it is possible to build a successful business. It's important to decide whether you want to look for another job or truly commit to building a business, as both require different mindsets and energies. Make the decision between being your own boss or maintaining the comfort of a steady paycheck. Understand the differences between being an employee and an entrepreneur. Identify your current stage in the transition and determine any obstacles holding you back. Validate your business idea by having conversations with people in your target market, industry experts, and potential clients. Joining a community of like-minded entrepreneurs can provide collaboration opportunities and support. Best Quotes"My mission in life is to help corporate refugees start, run, and grow their own businesses so they can do more of what they love and get paid what they're worth.""I was doing what I was taught to do in engineering school, which is to focus on solving engineering problems. What I didn't focus on was the fact that the company that I worked for had lost a huge portion of their business and ended up firing a significant chunk of the staff.""In those days, the model was you went to work for one of these big companies, and if you stayed there, usually it was like 20 plus years, you were eligible to receive a pension. And in those days, pensions were a defined benefit. So you really needed to be with one of these companies for a long time.""I really wanted to figure out a way to just be in control of my career and my family's financial health in a way that I knew that I wouldn't be as an employee.""At some point, you need to make a decision about whether you're going to look for another job or build a business because they require very different mindsets and activities.""What's way better is to talk to three kinds of people about the problem.""If you're looking for something that you can sell in your sleep, you know, an evergreen, like a digital product, then it would be a do-it-yourself."David’s Links https://smashingtheplateau.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshrinercahn/ https://twitter.com/smashingplateau ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Luke Willis - $39k Launch

Coaching Call with Data Engineer Denis Gontcharov

Denis Gontcharov joined me on Ditching Hourly for a coaching call to help brainstorm a positioning statement for his data consulting business targeting the aluminum industry. ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

John Grant - Streamlining Delivery Workflows for Lawyers

The Agile Attorney, John Grant, joined me on Ditching Hourly to share how he helps his clients transition from inefficient workflows, WAY too much work, and low margins, to efficient workflows, a comfortable amount of work, and higher profits.Key Points Expectations for attention to detail and planning increase in high-dollar professional services like law practices. Many law practices lack upfront planning and make assumptions based on past experiences. Transition planning is often triggered by the need for change in firms that have been operating in the same way for many years. Maximizing employee utilization can lead to gridlock and hinder growth. Phased flat fees, where different phases of a case or project are billed at a flat rate, provide flexibility and room for adjustment. The desire for fixed pricing and the potential for higher rewards motivates software developers to move towards productization. In the legal industry, professionals are transitioning from delivery work to strategy work. Best Quotes “When the lawyer does plan, oftentimes they plan for this sort of ideal situation.” “If you are constantly having to do QA on other people’s work, it’s really hard to feel like you’re ever gonna get off that hamster wheel.” “The beautiful thing is that if you take the time and you begin to express your quality standards in a written form, then you can actually push those standards upstream.” “I think there’s been a ton of movement away from hourly billing. I think there’s more movement than most people in the profession want to recognize.” “Different ways of exchanging value for their services than they were certainly when I first hung my shingle back in 2008.” “It turned on this mechanism in my brain that immediately started asking, ‘How can I make this more effective and efficient, quicker, less work for me without cutting corners?’” “So it’s like even if they came close to what they would’ve made hourly, they have set themselves up in a way that they can deliver that thing probably in half of the time for the same money.” John's Links https://www.agileattorney.com/ https://law.builders/@AgileAttorney ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

James Williams - Fractional CTO Masterclass

James Williams of Cofebe.com joined me on Ditching Hourly to give what amounted to a masterclass on how to avoid failure and delight clients as a fractional CTO.“The chance of failure increases proportionally with you accepting what the client tells you what to do.”“If you accept 100% of your client’s suggestions and three months from they can’t launch or it fails, guess whose fault that is.”“If you keep the narrative on the goal, you can avoid debates about scope.”“I lead with questions from the back.”“I ask a trillion questions upfront to disqualify prospects before considering pricing.”“I’d rather take the advisory part and use the client’s dev team whenever possible.““I’d rather use their team than mine.””We don’t even do scope of work.““It’s not about the hours. It’s about the outcomes.”“To guide the engineers, I write paragraphs on how the client should feel at every demo and what the qualitative goal should be.““My goal is always to get smaller, not bigger.”James’ Links Website: https://www.cofebe.com/ Courses: https://courses.cofebe.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdubyou/ Substack: https://jdubyou.substack.com/ ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Michael Zipursky - Selling Consulting Into Large Organizations in 2023

Guest BioMichael Zipursky – Michael has consulted for organizations and advised leaders throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East in over 30 industries, from service providers to billion-dollar multi-national corporations, including Panasonic, Dow Jones, Financial Times, Royal Bank and many others. Michael is an in-demand speaker and gives keynotes and workshops for the Certified Management Consultants Association, Canadian Internet Marketing Conference, Social Media Camp, and others. Michael’s work has appeared in MarketingProfs, Huffington Post, Financial Times, FOX Business, Maclean's, HR Executive, Business Edge, Marketing Magazine, and in several other media and publications. He is the author of 5 books, including:  Elite Consulting Mind Consulting Success® ACT NOW Follow Michael on Twitter @MichaelZipursky and LinkedIn Michael Zipursky or learn more at his website: ConsultingSuccess.comAnd here's the fees guide that Michael mentioned on the show: What Consultants Really Charge In 2023 ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like: Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time? Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space? Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal? Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!