The Business of Authority

The birth of Startup Pregnant (which led to Startup Parent) via a book proposal that led to a podcast that led to a business. Turning a podcast into a money-making endeavor on your terms (hint: pitching people you know with a compelling story). The power of connecting one-to-one vs. one-to-many—and how to build it into your routine without interrupting your flow. The deep need for community among...

The signs you’re ready to start pitching to media. Identifying the right media for you today—bloggers and podcasters, niche media and name brand digital and print outlets. How to think of and treat journalists to capture their attention and get your message heard. The role of media attention in building your authority and your business (hint: it is often NOT a straight line). Deciding which succes...

What kind of pricing model would you recommend to a consulting agency that has traditionally relied on a retainer model? How do you think international business and economics can and should impact pricing? I’ve seen agencies price certain fixed cost products lower in certain countries to make them more accessible. How should small businesses consider reorienting their offerings within the current...

When it makes sense to write a proposal and when to take a pass. The role of the sales interview in writing your proposal. How to capture the essence of the outcomes you’ll deliver in non-jargon (and avoid weasel words). Enticing your clients to actually read your proposal and learning to anchor high with the value you’re delivering. Adopting the posture of an expert and carrying it through in you...

This week on TBOA, Rochelle and I talk about the importance of knowing how to get your clients to shout “Heck, yeah!” Talking Points What your website is for Who your website is for What you want to happen in the first second a visitor lands on your page The importance of knowing the language of your ideal buyer What to do if niching down on an ideal buyer feels too risky Quotable Quotes “If your...

We're planning a special episode for #150 and you can have a chance to participate! Just record your question and send it to either of us and if it's chosen, we will play your question and answer it on the show.  Evaluating the continuum from leading (like say thought leadership) to exploring in your space. How to know when to explore vs. when to lead. When “busy” feels productive, but is instead...

What is scope and when do you talk about it with your client? How to make it clear that you’re a consultant, not an order taker. Scoping with (and without) value pricing. The relationship between mastery, value and scoping. Shifting from doing full implementation to strategy and project oversight (hint: it starts in the scoping meeting). Quotables “Push it back to: what is the desired business out...

Note: We're planning a special episode for #150 and you can have a chance to participate! Just record your question (QuickTime is great for this), send it to either of us and if it's chosen, we will play your question and answer it on the show. What to do when your audience growth stalls—or worse. How to shake things up when you’re out of content ideas—and discerning the difference between a dry s...

Note: We're planning a special episode for #150 and you can have a chance to participate! Just record your question (QuickTime is great for this), send it to us and if it's chosen, we will play your question and answer it on the show.  What happens when you get so attached to a specific outcome that you become blind to other possibilities? How to get to those epiphany moments that will open you up...

How to think of innovation when we talk authority businesses. Warning signs it may be time for you to innovate. How to deal with and ride the wave of a sea change—in the world, technology, attitudes, your industry. Acting on the cues that it’s time to innovate. Incorporating innovation into your business model and routines. Quotables “Innovation is the opposite of resting on your laurels.”—JS “Par...

How to know when you’re ripe for starting a new specialty. Overcoming the challenges of changing your identity—how you see yourself in your business. Questions to ask yourself for clues to defining a new specialty direction. Recognizing when clients are actually pointing the way to a new specialty. How to tell a connected story to your buyers as you enter a new specialty. Quotables “The people tha...

How to get clear right now on your 20%.  Decreasing the friction (time, process, money) of any actions that don’t fall into your critical 20%. A handful of ideas to leverage your time on activities that will deliver 80% of your results. Identifying the actions that are not fun, not easy and don’t contribute to your 80%—so you can stop doing them (or hand them off). Why freeing up headspace to focu...

The value of starting small, including carefully curating the initial members you invite to your community. Growing your tribe organically by tapping into existing members and setting a consistent tone. How building an engaged community can build your authority quickly. How to position yourself (and your ideas) inside a community to increase your chances of being successful. How to think about the...

When nurturing what you already have is more important than trying to reach a specific metric.  How setting extreme goals can work provided they operate as motivation vs. a source of disappointment. The difference between progress metrics and success metrics—and how to use them to understand the trends in your business. Using social media metrics in meaningful ways. The relationship between busine...

Why the extremes get stronger during massive change and why you don’t want to be in the middle. The real value of your brand and the experiences you deliver (vs. what you might think they are). How price aligns with value and the bargaining power of the market leader. Deciding which experiences and outcomes you want to promote. The value of being the head or the tail—and why as an authority the he...

How a mailing list can be your saving grace. What to do if your business stinks right now. Using the level of difficulty in your services and products to decide where/how to invest your resources. The role of data vs. gut instinct in making key decisions. Timing the launch of your business changes to when your audience is most receptive to your message. Mapping out your year (and linking it to you...

This week, Jonathan and I tackled a listener question: What’s the best way to set-up a supportive technical ecosystem—website, email, podcast, billing, etc.—for the first time? We addressed this question strategically and then offered some tactical feedback on various platforms and systems to support your authority business: Why email is the centerpiece of your ecosystem (hint: it’s your relations...

The idea for this week’s episode of TBOA came from none other than Mister Rogers (as in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) who articulated his big idea perfectly to journalist Tom Junod.  How Mr. Rogers’ big idea changed the worldview of a cynical journalist—and how to apply the same framework to yours. A formula to start pinpointing your big idea (with a live example to see how it works in real life)....

Getting clear on the experiences and stories that have defined your life and your work (including an exercise to try on your own). Why you want to suspend judgment around your experiences and instead look for the connecting threads that your clients will value. Turning your experiences into powerful stories that align with your brand. Specific actions that allow you to go deeper with clients and p...

NOTE: Rochelle and I recorded this episode before the terrible news about George Floyd hit. We both support the #blacklivesmatter movement and hope everyone will take action to support much needed change. Here’s a good place to start if you’re not sure how to help: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ How to make selling the invisible—your services—tangible in the mind of your ideal buyer. Why once...

Learning to recognize (and redirect) the shiny ball syndrome. Is this an opportunity or a distraction: how to tell the difference. Getting comfortable experimenting with strategy-based tactics (knowing there’s no guarantee which ones will work). Why tactics used by others are data points, not a personal prescription. How focus—even boundary limits and some structure—can actually multiply your crea...

1:15—Leveraging your expertise into an unconventional (short!) self-published e-book. 11:16—Developing a “set it and forget it” course: how to price it and target your audience. 14:06—Building (and pricing) high engagement virtual workshops. 24:13—On-line seminars (think a workshop/self-paced course hybrid) and the rewards of building a peer group cohort. 30:24—Starting membership communities and...

  2:16—How you can look at the world right now and start thinking about (and even betting on) what’s coming. 11:20—The impact of potential fundamental shifts on how you work. 14:20—Why this can be a time to increase the “altitude” of what you discuss with your clients (and how to do it). 17:12—A strategic way to look at the future and how it meshes with your talents and passions. 24:15—Adopting a...

  2:36—What’s happening right now with social media and how to reflect that back in your interactions. 9:38—How to choose the right platforms for you and your message. 14:09—Why Instagram is so engaging right now (and how to explore whether/how it will work for you). 18:34—Joining the conversation that’s already happening in people’s heads. 23:18—The core question to answer to be successful on soc...

Are you ready to let go? Talking Points The feeling of letting go Re-evaluating your choices amid the pandemic Spring cleaning different aspects of your life Questioning whether you need all of the things you have Emotional and mental letting go Reframing your ideas and routines Cutting little anchors while bigger roots help to ground you Giving yourself an alternative dialogue Doing the things th...