My name is Jonathan Stark and I’m on a mission to rid the earth of hourly billing. I hope that Ditching Hourly will help achieve this, one listener at a time 🙂
Absolutely Everything Can Be Measured
Other than hourly billing, this is the mindset shift that has had the biggest impact on my business.
What if you had no competition?
This time on Ditching Hourly I answer a question from Kenneth Taylor about how to build a solo authority business that essentially has no competition. Related links: Positioning Definition XY Position Statement More articles on positioning The Business of Authority
Coaching Call with “JavaScript-in-FileMaker” expert Jeremy Brown
“JavaScript-in-FileMaker” expert Jeremy Brown joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm which business models might make the most sense for his highly specialized area of expertise. Links We Mentioned: integratingmagic.io jsinfm.com jonathanstark.com/fm/filemaker-to-php-translation-table
David C. Baker - The 5 Things That Happen Right After You Specialize
The “Expertise Expert” himself, David C. Baker joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about the 5 things that happen right after you specialize.About David C. Baker“The Leading Authority on Positioning, Reinventing, and Selling Firms in the Creative and Digital Space.”David C. Baker is the author of five books, three of which focus on the central elements of the business of expertise: positioning, financial management, and leadership. David speaks regularly on more than 70 topics relevant to entrepreneurial expertise, from 20 executives to 5,000 live on TV, all over the world, and has worked with 900+ firms through his Total Business Review process.David's Links David's Website David's book: The Business of Expertise David's podcast (with Blair Enns)
Rick Finkelstein - The Heavy Metal Lawyer
My dear old friend Rick “Fink” Finkelstein joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about he got booked solid using fixed fees, specialization, and niching. Related Links Fink's website Mike Fortin Liliac Guitar Player Magazine Gittler Guitar
Coaching Call with Trading Card Creator Colyn Brown
Longtime web developer and freshly minted trading card creator Colyn Brown joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm about how to capitalize on early interest in his bluegrass trading cards. Related LinksBluegrass Trading Co.
Digby Leigh - Alternative Fee Arrangements for the Legal Industry
Long-time lawyer, second-time guest, and first-time SaaS co-founder Digby Leigh joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about alternative fee arrangements making inroads in the legal industry.Talking Points Pricing trends in the legal industry The three most common non-hourly pricing models for law firms The benefits of "agreed upon" up-front fixed fee pricing What types of engagements aren't a good fit for fixed fee pricing What to expect when clients know they can talk to you for free instead of “on the clock” The internal attitude you need to beat back when you first ditch hourly billing The importance of being helpful The indignity of having to justify how you spend your time The magic of The Why Conversation The benefits of offering pricing options Related Links Digby’s Firm, Leigh & Co Frank Fee™ Digby’s SaaS, AltFee Goliath
Coaching Call with Equity-Driven Design Strategist Lucy Flores
Equity-Driven Design Strategist Lucy Flores joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm her positioning. Talking Points The difference between a specialization and a niche The difference between a mission statement and a positioning statement Why positioning is especially important for soloists How to know when your positioning is specific enough Related LinksLucy's website
Ton Dobbe - The “Broken” Triangle
Is the problem you solve for your clients a “nice-to-have” or mission critical?Author, consultant, and podcast host, Ton Dobbe joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about the three requirements of any expensive problem, and how to reverse engineer these factors into a simple formula you can use to decide what to focus on in your positioning, segmentation, and value proposition.Taking Points The three levers of the value foundation The importance of uncovering the worldview of your ideal buyers (and how to do it) The three sides of The “Broken” Triangle How to set yourself apart from your competitors in a way that they can’t copy Related Links Ton’s book, The Remarkable Effect Ton’s Website Ton’s Podcast Ton’s LinkedIn Ton’s Twitter
Paul Klein - The Three Pillars of Revenue
Entrepreneur, consultant, and former hair metal guitarist Paul Klein joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about his Three Pillars of Revenue: consulting, training, and infoproducts. Making the leap to self-employment Selling your first infoproduct Using workshops to build your consulting business Niching down to grow an expertise-based consulting business Scaling up your business by getting bigger clients Increasing fees and accelerating sales by focusing on expensive problems Related Links Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It Paul's LinkedIn Paul's Consulting Website Paul's Coaching Website Paul's SaaS Website Paul's Podcast Bizable TV Yours,—JP.S. If you like Bizable, you can use coupon code DITCHINGHOURLY at checkout to save 40% forever. NOTE: This is NOT an affiliate coupon. I just think Paul's doing great stuff and you might find it useful.
Coaching Call with Java Developer Alice B.
Java Developer Alice B. (name withheld by request) joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about what to do when the skills you’ve built over many years become less valuable to clients. The pros and cons of platform specialization The difference between horizontal and platform specialization What to focus on when your technical skills are no longer in demand How to spot a truly expensive problem Why freely sharing your expertise is the right thing to do The three “good, better, best” ways to generate new business Why being specific about who your ideal clients are can dramatically increase your referrals Why thinking about something harder or longer often doesn’t work The importance of having conversations How to learn to what your ideal buyers really want How cold outreach, warm referrals, and organic inbound work together The difference between “hunting” and “gardening” sales models How to know when to double down or cut bait with a given target market How to ask for testimonials from active clients before a project is finished Why your odds of success are probably better if you focus on a type of buyer instead of a particular skill Related Links Building The Perfect Testimonial The Pricing Seminar
Coaching Call with Business Appraiser Charlie Stanton
Business appraiser Charlie Stanton joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm how to differentiate what is typically considered a commodity service. Talking Points Pricing risk mitigation instead of cost cutting or value creation Differentiating in a commoditized market Creating productized services for a specific market Partnering with adjacent business that serve the same market Connecting with the target market way before they need you Charlie's Links The listeners can find out more about Charlie at www.StantonValue.com or contact him directly at charlie@stantonvalue.com
Coaching Call with Outdoor Brand Identity Designer Devin Renaud
Outdoor brand identity designer Devin Renaud joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm how to get more leads. Devin's Links: https://fourestdesign.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/renauddesignco/ https://www.instagram.com/fourestdesign/
Paul Boag - Helping People For Free At Scale
Paul Boag, UX consultant, digital transformation expert, and OG podcaster, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how helping people for free is good for business.Talking Points The value of jumping on a new platform. How podcasting creates trust. How to create a good podcast. Hunting versus gardening. Expertise by association. Video-first workflow. The benefit of publishing your mistakes instead of editing them out. Why you don’t need to be outgoing to have a podcast. The benefits of daily publishing. The trust difference between writing and speaking. The simplicity of being a helpful human being. Why you should share absolutely everything you know. How tactics change over time. Why you need to adapt for the reality you’re in. What to copy from your heros (spoiler: copy the strategy, not the tactics). Why niching down is a great way to become dominant in a sector. Why it’s critically important to find out where your ideal buyers talk to each other. How to work your way into a niche market. Show your expertise, don’t tell your expertise. Niching around an audience instead of a deliverable. Connect with Paul: Paul's website Paul's newsletter Paul on Twitter
Sam Shepler - Productized Testimonials
Sam Shepler, founder of Testimonial Hero, joined me on Ditching Hourly for a wide ranging discussion about the moving parts of productized services. Links We Mentioned Sam's Twitter Testimonial Hero Haute Stock Range by David Epstein