The Business of Authority

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! LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

Do you know how to position your product or service?Talking PointsApril's backgroundWhy positioning is importantWhat positioning isEmail for lawyersProblems caused by weak positioningHow solos can identify positioning problemsChoosing criteria that ensures clients will be happy in the endPositioning the business itself versus individual offeringsHow publishing a book affected April's inbound leadsBooks as part of the overall businessQuotable Quotes“There's branding and there's positioning. Those two things are totally separate, and in fact, you need to have your positioning sorted out first, before you decide what your branding should be.” –AD“Now I think there's more of an awareness around positioning.” –AD“Now, I'm booked up 3-4 months in advance, my rates are way higher, I work way less, and my clients are way happier, because I only promise to do this one very narrow thing, but it's a super valuable thing, and if you've got this problem, who else you gonna call?” –AD“If you're going to make that investment in doing marketing, there should be a call to action in there.” --AD LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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 and your client vs. a static thing (and why a “shocking” price may be exactly what you need).Quotables“What do you want to be worried about at 3 in the morning—cause you're gonna be worried at 3 in the morning if you're an entrepreneur.”—AD“The passion word should convey: I'm going to put me and the wholeness of me into how I make a living. It's a strong choice. It's not a trivial choice.”—AD“The rest of us have to use the tools of scale, use the tools of digital communication…to find our intimate group, to find our tiny village even if they're thinly spread all over the world.”—AD“You don't want to be the same. You want to say I do this one thing and I do it really well and 99% of people have zero use for it, but there are people who will love it.”—AD“You want to become THE brand for your micro niche.”—AD“1/3 of your customers…are costing you money...if you actually add up the time and how much you're making, you'd be way better off doing new customer development—or just sleeping.”—AD“It's the stuff you're thinking about when you're doing the pitch that is often the most valuable. You're looking at this company, you're sizing them up, you're taking in what they're asking and then you're really coming up with a big strategic vision…the value you're adding is often front-loaded in that pitch.”—AD“Price really should reflect a dialogue between you and your customer. That customer is getting unique value from you. What is THAT value?”—AD“What if I doubled my prices tomorrow—what would happen? That probably for most people will provoke a crisis.”—ADLINKSThe Passion EconomyTwitter LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | 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 episode. If you hate marketing BS as much as we do, you are going to love his podcast: Everyone Hates Marketers  LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | 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. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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.LINKSThe Servant LeaderManaging The Professional Service FirmThe Trusted Advisor Desert Queen The Big LeapThe Simple Path to Wealth Value-Based FeesHow To Measure AnythingBook Yourself SolidGetting Things DoneThe E-Myth RevisitedThe Secret of Selling AnythingThinking In BetsGodel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid  LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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 on even higher-value future work.How small rituals to close out projects can have big emotional and financial payoffs. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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.SummaryHere is an AI summary of the key points from the episode:The episode is a discussion between Jonathan Stark and David C. Baker about positioning and specialization for consultants and professional services firms.They discuss the importance of niche positioning to stand out, attract ideal clients, see client patterns more clearly, accelerate learning, and always have things to write and talk about.They outline 5 things that happen after narrowing your business focus:You don't instantly become smarter, but your rate of learning accelerates because you start seeing more examples of your niche.Impostor syndrome kicks in because you're making expertise-based claims you didn't make before, but this fear is often unfounded because you were willing to work with those clients previously.You don't have to turn down unrelated work right away during the transition period, though over time, you'll likely feel unsatisfied with off-target projects.You immediately start narrowing your focus even further, fine-tuning your positioning through real-world conversations and testing.Counterintuitively, you'll have way more to write and talk about when focused on a niche than as a generalist.Jonathan and David emphasize that niche positioning is critical before you can effectively differentiate, charge value-based pricing, market yourself, or even decide what content to produce. It brings focus to everything that follows.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 worldwide, and has worked with 900+ firms through his Total Business Review process.David's LinksDavid's WebsiteDavid's book: The Business of ExpertiseDavid's podcast (with Blair Enns)  LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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 potential clients and buyers. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

Soloist Women: The Mastermind LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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 move that pays off big if you decide to launch the program again. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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. LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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 genius zone work—to your schedule.LINKSJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | TwitterRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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.LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

You 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 lista weekly podcastmonthly course launchesa coaching community with 700+ membersa group of private coaching clientsand 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 lessHow I use my calendar differently than most peopleHow I use my todo lists to prevent getting overwhelmedHow I use SOPs to supercharge my productivity and conserve creative energyHow my systems work together to keep me focused, not distractedLive 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:

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.

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.LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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.LINKSJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | TwitterRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

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.LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | 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 with already proven positioning is an excellent start).LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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?Should I be immediately value pricing my services in my brand new expertise business?LINKSJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | TwitterRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

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.LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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).LINKSJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | TwitterRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

“There are only two things that determine the way your life turns out. Luck and the quality of your decisions. That's it.” Annie DukeWhen 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-bet kill criteria will be your friend).Thinking in bets: how to calculate your expected value from a decision (and why horses are more dangerous than sharks).How soloists can establish truth-seeking groups to get the value of constructive advice (and why this is so critical to high performance).Be sure to stick around to the very end for a lightning round of Q+A on making better decisions.LINKSAnnie Duke | Substack | Website | Quit | Thinking in Bets BIOAnnie loves to dive deep into decision making under uncertainty. Her latest obsession is on the topic of quitting. In particular, she is on a mission to rehabilitate the term and get people to be proud of walking away from things.Annie is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund. Annie's latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, was released in 2022 from Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint. Her previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute and serves on the board of the Renew Democracy Initiative.

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).LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

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

More info on the Soloist Women Mastermind

How we think about using your time—so you can not only be productive, but genuinely enjoy your work.Blocking and tackling your calendar to align with your priorities.How to create to-do lists that incent you to act vs. pushing items around “for later”.Alternative ways to handle your email so that it supports how you do your best work.Addressing your “maybe someday” list to decide which ideas will make the cut to your business.LINKSRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedInTwitter

Why you want to weigh how you want to work and your overall vision before making delegation decisions.Considering whether you're buying a “box” that someone else has assembled or are designing your own unique process.The sneaky ways delegating small tasks can eat up your time and/or change how you work (aka when delegating has a waterfall effect on your other processes).How to recognize delegation creep: when outsiders add complexity you just don't need for where you want to take your business. LINKSJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedInTwitterRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

The magic email to send when you want to get a go/no go on a proposal that's gone dark (and why triggering FOMO can be exactly the right move).Sending cold outreach that avoids the stench of desperation (and a sample template you can personalize).Why you want to lead with the pointiest point of your spear when you're pitching.How to intrigue with your ask (hint: a compelling call to action), while still being exquisitely clear on WIIFM for your target.LINKShttps://www.winwithoutpitching.com/magic-email/https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/prospecting-by-email/https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/telephone-intro/Rochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedInTwitter

Why you want to start with a sales page when designing for clients and buyers.What to do with “sparks”—those tiny bits of an idea that light you up.How to think about putting together your idea (aka does your buyer want the pineapple?)Overcoming avoidance (fear), imposter syndrome (fear), and worrying your audience won't like you/your idea (fear).How to choose the right people to share your fledgling ideas with.LINKSJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | TwitterRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

How to get clear on what your “target” wants most—and why it matters.Why you want to answer your reader's WIIFM (what's in it for me) question right up front.How to “punch above your weight” to connect with household-name-type people.The value of being genuine and coming from a helpful place.Crafting your pitch so that the reader can make a quick Yes/No call.LINKS:The Introduction GameRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter

Why perspectives are easier to change than our mindset (and how to get help when you need it).The one question to ask yourself if you think your mindset is getting in your way.Six specific mindsets (and how to recognize them) that can prevent soloists from breaking through to high-end revenue combined with the free time to enjoy it.Crossing the line from being tentative to charging premium prices because you are confident in your transformations and your business.The links between your mindset and your confidence in making bets inside your business.RESOURCESJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | TwitterRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Talking PointsThe four zones of work and how to continue morphing toward your personal genius zone.How to think about (and master) the upward spiral that is consistently spending more work time in your genius zone.The clues that tell you it's time to exit the trap of doing work where you're merely competent or excellent.Embracing the counterintuitive idea that you can do less—and do fewer things—to move ahead faster.Understanding those things that are a drag on your energy vs. a source of fuel.RESOURCESRochelle | Email List | Soloist Women | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website  | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | TwitterQuotables“One of the ways that we sabotage ourselves is we stay in our zone of competence or excellence. We actively push away opportunities to be in our genius zone. It's almost like, who am I to have it this good?”—RM “(The upward spiral) is aspirational. It's not perfectionist. It's like this iterative process, which to me is so much more real than this like magic bullet.”—JS“You do nobody any favors by staying in your zone of excellence or your zone of competence.”—RM“(Your genius) is way bigger than like a business model or something like that. It's almost like a trait, like a superpower or something.”—JS“Your genius zone is about how you contribute to the world by bringing it your best talents.”—RM “The process of honing down…to the extent that I would call it my genius zone, is really just like looking at the stuff that drains me and not doing it anymore.”—JS“Every day that you're alive, you could get a little bit more into your genius zone.”—RM“That feels weird: it's like, wait, do less, do fewer things to get ahead. It's counterintuitive.”—JS

How it feels when clients have several choices, but don't trust any of them to bring them reliably to their finish line.The perceived experience and control clients feel from a DIY solution (that they don't completely trust they'll get from you).How to make it easier for certain clients to either hire you or drop out earlier in the process.What goes through clients' heads as they consider spending money for your services/outcomes.Quotables“Once you make that decision and you pick the horse, you're riding that horse to the end.”—JS“Just because you decided to do it yourself doesn't mean that you know what's behind the walls.”—RM“There's no real way for a non-expert to judge the capabilities of an expert.”—JS“You consciously chose this because it was a better perceived experience for you than the level of unknown with hiring somebody to do it.”—RM“All of the decision-making processes that kept us paralyzed turned out in retrospect to have been unfounded.”—JS“Sometimes when you (bring in additional team members), it allows you to make a different promise to your client and make it easier for them to hire you.”—RM

The power and potential of AI for authority businesses, even in use cases where pundits insist it will decimate business models.Some of the new tools (that you can use right now) that innovators are developing for experts, authorities and soloists.Why using AI for first drafts may be the immediate best use of AI for experts and authorities.New uses of AI in the authority space: automated transcription, voice replication and first-draft content generation from tweets and hashtags to turning podcasts into book drafts. The potential of AI to leverage your soloist business, including taking tasks you used to pay for or do yourself off your plate entirely.Quotables“It's like this thing you can see on the horizon. And it's like, are you going to paddle out and ride it or just stay on the beach, nice and comfy?”—JS“I don't have to be a tech bro to figure this out…this is achingly simple.”—RM “The power of that (AI) for someone who is trying to lead a revolution or spread a big idea or lead a mission—especially a soloist—it's jaw-dropping.”—JS“It's dangerous to be resistant to new ideas. Doesn't mean you're going to embrace them ever, but just being flat out resistant usually is not a great long-term strategy for your business.”—RM“Let's say that it takes half of your time to do first drafts, and you could increase your productivity by like, say, double. And you could take on twice as many clients working the same amount of time as you currently work.”—JS“This is about getting a first draft. As a writer…your client doesn't care where it came from. What they care about is that it works for their brand or their campaign, or whatever they're hiring you to do.”—RM “It's kind of like I have a first drafter, like an intern type of employee who understands my stuff and can do a good first pass.”—JS“If I can get clients to something that is going to cut the amount of time they spend and increase their profits, hello! I want that at the top of my list for my practice.”—RMLinkshttps://hello.podium.page/blog/convert-your-podcast-to-a-book-with-podbook-by-podiumhttps://thebusinessofauthority.simplecast.com/episodes/seth-godinhttps://www.podcastshownotes.ai/https://www.getmunch.com/https://www.chatcsv.co/https://www.stfo.io/ffbihttps://www.descript.com/https://www.midjourney.com/https://beta.elevenlabs.io/

How to think about sunk costs—and the cultural and emotional messages around abandoning your “thing”.Evaluating opportunity costs—how to know when it's time to quit to free up resources for other things.The value of asking for outside input before making large investments—and how to get it.Why setting kill criteria right at the start of your new investments (and not well into the project) may be your best move.The cultural and emotional aspects of quitting that no one talks about, but pretty much everyone experiences.Quotables“It's always easier to see when you think someone else should quit something. It's like, you've been trying to become an actor for 40 years and you've had one walk on part. I think it might be time to quit.”—JS“I'm thinking of something that I dropped and, duh, it didn't work because I didn't do any freaking research to make sure anybody even wanted this thing.”—RM “If you've only got a few chips on the table, it's no big deal. It's just like, eh, this is an experiment, didn't work out. And if you keep doing those, eventually one is gonna be not crickets. One is gonna be take my money.”—JS“The right people will say yes to a call or some kind of an interaction. And if they won't, then it doesn't matter how good your idea is—then you need to spend some time getting these people to want to take your calls...”—RM“If you think quitting is for losers, maybe reframe that in your mind in terms of knowing when to quit.”—JS“Fear is what keeps people in terrible jobs, in terrible relationships, in businesses that don't fit them, in roles that really are bad for them. It's that fear of…but what do I do next?”—RM “The type of goal that you have can make it easier or harder to know what the kill criteria is or are.”—JS“So much is possible, if we allow ourselves not to stick with everything that we start.”—RM

Why navigating the dip (the desert you have to cross to get to Mecca) is so much easier when you have decided to be the best in the world.What does “best in the world” mean for you—and what are you willing to commit to to achieve it?How that decision translates to revenue and picking the right next moves—even (especially) when they're hard.Choosing where to place your bets when faced with turning point decisions.Why the “glorious quest” nature of some missions allows you to tap into energy you didn't even know you had to get through obstacles.Quotables“It is sort of a call to arms to be more than mediocre.”—JS“The dip is kind of like the desert that you have to cross to get to Mecca. And on the other side are all the riches you get from doing the hard, dirty, nasty work of the dip.”—RM“If you're spending all of your time doing this thing, you need to have a way to put Cheerios in the bowl.”—JS“You're willing to do it because it's worth it. It's worth it in terms of your emotional connection to the outcome. It's worth it in terms of the transformations you deliver to your ideal people. It's worth it in terms of the business you can build for yourself and the revenue that you can make.”—RM“It's like every decision you make is a bet. There's no guarantee, right? So it's a bet.”—JS“It's not like you only have one chance in your life to do this one big thing. You have multiple, multiple chances.”—RM“It's just going to come back to…focusing down on demand that is so specific that you can reasonably decide to be the best in the world at this very specific thing and then use the excitement of that to carry you through whatever dips you encounter (which you will).”—JS“You're not like the Renaissance person who knows a lot about a few things and a little bit about a lot. You're someone with deep knowledge—and that makes you really valuable.”—RMLINKSThe Dip by Seth Godin

Why right now is the best time ever to make a significant contribution to the change you want to see in your world.The importance of focusing on the smallest viable audience to accomplish significant work.How to transform your work into your art (hint: it includes the story you tell yourself about where you're going).Why “soft skills” need to be considered as “real skills”—and why they are often far more valuable than skills that can be easily measured.What to tell yourself to push past imposter syndrome.Quotables“It's way more likely that adroit committed, passionate, smart people are going to realize they have more tools than anyone on Earth ever had before.”—SG“What I'm trying to help undo is industrial brainwashing and remind people that significance comes from making a change in the world.”—SG “I've done more than 200 projects in my career. I've never missed a budget and I have never missed a deadline. And the reason is because when I run outta time or I run outta money, I'm done.”—SG“The key to significant work, particularly for the soloist you're talking about, is understanding the power of the smallest viable audience. The goal cannot be the biggest possible audience, ‘cuz that will water down your work and wreck it.”—SG“Part of my contribution is helping people tell themselves a story so they can transform parts of their day from work to art.”—SG“Real skills are honesty, generosity, leadership, connection, charisma, creativity, a sense of humor.”—SG “We have filled our lives with dangerous, ineffective proxies. Things we measure that look like they're gonna give us a hint as to what we're gonna get, but they don't.”—SG“People say how do I get rid of imposter syndrome? And I say you can't. And that's a good thing because feeling like an imposter is a symptom that A, you're not a sociopath, and B, that you're actually doing something difficult. Something important, something that might not work, something you can't prove because you're leading.”—SGLinksThe Song of Significance The Carbon Almanac

What exactly is a guarantee and why/when does it make sense to offer one?Why you are probably already offering a guarantee even if you haven't explicitly stated it (and what to do instead).How to develop meaningful guarantees when the client is intimately involved in the outcome.What happens with your client conversations and relationships when you offer a guarantee.How clients are (already) telling you which guarantees they'd value most.Quotables“The thing with guarantees is that you - as a buyer - automatically know they're a good thing.”—JS“One has to kind of punch through the fear of making a guarantee. And it always feels a little bit easier on products to make a guarantee—just give it back.”—RM “I'm sure everybody who's ever billed hourly has eaten hours because they're like, ‘Dang, that took me six hours and I thought it was only going to take me one!' which is them honoring a guarantee that they never explicitly made.”—JS“If you really listen in your sales conversations, they will tell you what they're worried about…it's like big old giant neon signs pointing you to a potential guarantee.”—RM“You could address that fear (when they're afraid of themselves) with something like a red alert guarantee.”—JS“This is what goes through their head: ‘I'm gonna mess this up…I will never be hired again, I'm gonna have to go be a Walmart greeter.'”—RM “For an info product, it makes a lot of sense to just offer an unconditional 100% money back guarantee—if you're unsatisfied for any reason, I'll refund your purchase in full, no questions asked.”—JS“Acknowledging their fear…will make offering guarantees more smooth, because you'll see the ways that you can make it more comfortable for them at no cost to you.”—RM

Why capturing the pain your ideal buyer is experiencing is the perfect opening for a successful sales page.How to move away from focusing on your “fix” to the emotionally charged decision your buyers are making.The four essential parts of every successful sales page (and how to up the ante once you've got those covered).What to do if you don't have social proof for your new offering just yet.How to think about what you're selling and why your mindset impacts the success of your sales page.Quotables“You want someone to know immediately that you understand them. And by describing their pain…they're automatically going to be somewhat convinced or beginning to trust that you've got a solution to this thing.”—JS“We buy how something is going to make us feel. We don't buy on logic.”—RM“In the dream section, you want to present the reader with the mirror image of the pain—you want to flip it.”—JS“This (the CTA) should be a big button. It should be in major contrast to all of the copy and the colors around it. Your eye should be drawn to this giant button.”—RM“Social proof: like the smiling faces of people who have just been transformed in the way that you promised above, that that will resonate with the ideal reader of the page.”—JS“If you've already got an audience, you're hitting on their pain, you've designed the solution that your kind of people are looking for—the solution matches the pain and their dream—you're golden.”—RM“If someone is coming to the page ready to buy…in the first five seconds, they know what it is and how to buy.”—JS“If you don't sell, you're denying your people the opportunity to be better than they were before they experienced this thing.”—RMLinksBuilding The Perfect Sales Page

Why small buckets of time can often be easier to exploit than large swaths of free time.How to think about protecting your creative time for your business while also enjoying the rest of your life.When rethinking large creative projects and parsing them into smaller chunks makes sense.The role of consuming other people's content in “loading the cannon” of your own creativity.Quotables“Not that swanning around the neighborhood with a full day off is a bad thing, but we're talking about the sort of creative things that you're doing to build your authority business.”—JS“When you have a whole day, you can say ‘Wow, look at all this open space—what can I create today with that?'”—RM “What can I squeeze in between these two appointments?”—JS“We do these soloist expertise businesses so that we can do great work, make huge transformations, make piles of money, and enjoy our lives.”—RM“Writing a podcast outreach pitch where I am reaching out to a podcast host to pitch myself as a guest—half an hour is a perfect amount of time for me to do one of those.”—JS“When I'm invited to guest, especially on a well-known podcast, I'm going to do prep…I will think about how do I want to position this? I don't ever want to go into those cold.”—RM “If you know what they're going to ask you, they're going to put you on the spot. Then it's like, you might as well rise to the occasion.”—JS“Sometimes I'll just look at all the highlights (I've collected from other people's content) and ask…how would this apply to expertise and authority and consulting? Is there an angle I haven't thought about?”—RM

Why authority-based businesses require being unproductive at times—and how to give yourself permission to go there.The hidden costs of failing to innovate, especially for soloists.The wide spectrum from productivity to creativity—and deciding where you want to be in any given moment.Pushing through any residual guilt from not being highly productive, all the time.The difference between exploration and expedition—and why exploring (a proxy for creativity) may be challenging for experts.Quotables“There are things that you probably need to do for an authority-based business…that require you to be unproductive.”—JS“Creativity is like being delightfully unproductive.”—RM “There's no stopwatch to be like, okay, like how fast did you come up with an idea today?”—JS “You may have this sort of mindset that you need to always be busy. And sometimes that just has to be broken.”—RM“The question immediately comes up like, how do you schedule projects back to back if you're not sure when they're done? And I'm like, why are you scheduling projects back-to-back at all?”—JS“You just have to find a way to shift back and forth between those times where you're really busy and it's relatively quiet.”—RM “There's a thing that I do that looks like I'm doing nothing from the outside. And if you just recognize that that's part of the process, like without that, you're not gonna innovate.”—JS“People resist it (allowing an idea to roll around before it gels) like I can't even tell you because there's so much discomfort in sitting in the not knowing.”—RM

The two ways you can decide to be a specialist or a generalist.A four quadrant approach to choosing where you want to take your business on the generalist to specialist continuum.How to make a generalist skill set work in a hyper-differentiated market place.Why experimenting between the quadrants will lead you to your ideal balance between specializing and generalizing.Quotables“In the etch-a-sketch metaphor there's these two knobs you can dial…one would be who you help and the other is what you do.”—JS“Is there a market for this? And how big is that market?”—RM “The lower left quadrant is a rough place to be because that's the place where you have downward pricing pressure. You're commoditized.”—JS“If you just pick one of these two axes, I think most people know right away which feels better.”—RM“If you really want to be a generalist, I'd say, okay. Stay general in your skills, but pick a vertical, pick who you help.”—JS“This can be an experiment, but even if it doesn't work, what do you learn from that experiment? Well, you learn what you didn't like, so how do you get closer to what you DO want?”—RM “You create a moat around yourself that very few competitors will be able to cross.”—JS“You can think about which quadrant am I in? And is it the right quadrant for me and for my business? “—RM