The Business of Authority (youtube feed)

What you need to do BEFORE you start writing a book.

Which ideas you should validate, which you shouldn't, and how to do it if you're going to.

There is a yin and yang between productivity and creativity—how soloists can find the right balance Talking Points Why authority-based businesses require being unproductive sometimes—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 at any given momen...

How to find the overlap between your expertise and your what your client needs so you can operate in your genius zone. Links Rochelle's Customer Avatar Brandsheet If You’re Not Turning Down Work You Don’t Have A Brand

We unpack the concept of a big idea, share some examples, and suggest how to start to define one for yourself. LINKS Larry Tesler Finding Your Mission The Elon Musk Post Series

It's counterintuitive but true: focusing on a narrow market segment is great for business. Links PRLeads HARO Trust Me I'm Lying

Having "clients for life" isn't always a good idea.

How to stop trading time for money. Links Ditching Hourly Hourly Billing Is Nuts

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 marketplace. Why experimenting between the quadrants will lead you to your ideal balance between specializing and generalizing. Quotables “In the etch-a-...

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...

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...

What can you do when your niche turns into a rut? Talking Points Are ruts always bad? What to do when you feel stuck Narrowing your niche may help you get out of a rut Importance of picking the right niche How to identify the group that you’re trying to serve Looking beyond the edges of your rut Your unique twist on your specialization Thinking more broadly about your skills Being adamant about bo...

Episode Summary Why (and ultimately how) you want to get specific in your niche vs. thinking “small” Episode Notes Why it’s more important for your target market to be specific than small. What happens when you truly understand your group of target clients and buyers. How to think about the revenue model you might build to serve your targets (and one incredible real-life example). What changes in...

Episode Summary: In this episode, we dive deep into the world of cold outreach and explore the art of creating meaningful connections with people we don't know. We discuss the difference between good and bad cold outreach and share tips on making it an easy "yes" for potential connections. From leveraging LinkedIn to warming up cold outreach with personalized approaches, we cover various tactics t...

Four primary ways to assemble and deliver your expertise—and the pros and cons of each. Shifting your mindset while shifting your service and product packaging, AKA how to move upstream confidently. How to conduct a listening tour of your ideal clients and buyers for focused direction on (re)packaging and price points. Integrating what your audience most wants from you with your genius zone. Quota...

The differences between the opposite ends of the spectrum and how to own any position you choose to claim. How to migrate from one point on the spectrum—selling, marketing, service delivery and authority building—to another. Matching your business and revenue model (including how big an audience you’ll want to attract) to your unique balance between consulting and coaching. Deciding which kinds of...

Seth Godin joins us to explain the generosity of authority. Talking Points What “authority” means to Seth The first things that Seth thinks of when it comes to funding a mission Two different games Writing every day Levels of freelancing Imposter syndrome Podcasting Akimbo workshops Comfort zone vs. safety zone Publishing Word of mouth Writing a book Finding your alignment Making a decision Quotab...