The Business of Authority (youtube feed)

When moving from freelancing to consulting, how should I approach building my website portfolio? What kinds of best practices do you suggest? How do I make sure I don’t lose my technical edge as I transition to more strategic consulting? I’m not comfortable traveling or mingling with people whose vaccination and cautiousness status I don’t know—and yet it feels like everyone in my industry is anxi...

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 yo...

Why relying on referrals is a passive strategy with few controls—and a dangerous hidden cost. The difference between referrals and word of mouth from your authority-building efforts. The one exception where a referral system can be exactly the right approach (and it applies to a VERY small slice of experts). Why investing in broader market moves (e.g. publishing and speaking) will bring you busine...

Aligning your appearance—how you dress and style yourself—with your brand of authority. Why what matters most is what makes you feel confident and strong. The dangers in making assumptions about your audience’s judgement (or listening too closely to critics). How to match your exteriors with who you are, how you feel confident and the audience that you want to attract. When—and how—to call in the...

Getting over any residual guilt from not charging based on your effort (“I can’t charge them that much—it wouldn’t be fair/right/honorable”). Why the best clients don’t really care about how much time you spend serving them—and what they do care about instead. How to begin shifting your sales conversations toward high value outcomes and away from time. The relationship between the altitude you’re...

Why, if you’re not feeling like an imposter, you’re not “working hard enough” (a Seth Godin quote from episode 100). Facing the fear—and the resistance—and moving beyond a self-limiting label. How working to become an expert can raise imposter feelings (and what to do). Shifting your mindset to treat your work as an experiment. The benefits of focusing on the people you’re serving vs. your own fea...

Why a big chunk of trusting your voice is being brave enough to let your “weirdness” out so you can find your tribe. The value in being authentically consistent and how to course correct as you go. Learning to keep playing your game, in your style, no matter where you are and what you’re doing. Why trusting your voice is an iterative process—and how to ensure you’re consistently reinforcing who yo...

Why breaking the rules in a surprising way is so important. Reaping the benefits of surprise—and how to figure out which rules are made for breaking. Balancing your strengths and available time with the highest impact moves. How to think about your rule breaking so you’re not copying someone else, but building your unique brand. Quotables “Some of my favorite strategies really do have a surprising...

Why you need to answer this question: how much profit is enough for you? How to work your way up the difficulty scale to find clients with bigger, more expensive problems so that you can work less. The myth behind doing hard work—and how to work less without guilt. Making an impact with your ideal audience that leaves a memorable footprint (and builds a sustainable business). Quotables “Assuming y...

Why raising your price(s) doesn’t always bring you better clients—and how to keep pushing the envelope to find the right balance. How to raise—or lower—your prices without feeling manipulative or doing a bait and switch with your audience. The value of being vulnerable and asking for input (with the side benefit of getting you deeply wired into your audience). Joining high-end masterminds (or buil...

Why the more you invest—time, money and processes—in any system the more it starts to limit your thinking. The value of choosing your apps/vendors wisely and then going all in for the future vs. frequent platform switching. Protecting yourself (and your business) if one of your systems goes bad. How to think about changing and communicating systems when you have clients and buyers using them regul...

What insights your current behaviors, systems and habits can give you into creating more time. The value of time boxing—limiting the period (and the amount of head space) you’ll devote to a particular thing. Using habit stacking to create efficient ways to complete “must do” tasks. How to use consistent habit tracking—aka streaks—to motivate you to stay on course. When to buy back time—and overcom...

Why a focus on outcomes naturally changes your sales conversations and how you think about delivery. How becoming the client yourself helps crystallize the importance of outcomes vs. inputs. Changing your mental model away from valuing time spent to the outcomes your clients are seeking. Becoming the Mercedes option where your clients happily pay big premiums for your reliably transformative outco...

Using this as a path out of hourly billing and/or simplifying your sales and marketing while juicing your revenue. Why offering productized services forces you to get really tight on your delivery, messaging and outcomes. How you can use a productized service offering to test drive a more laser-focused positioning for your entire business. We share a host of real life examples you can check out to...

The role of your mindset in breaking through set points and powering past income plateaus. Deciding when it’s time to change your revenue model to provide your business with greater leverage—and larger earnings potential. How to think about and reframe limiting beliefs that keep you from making big leaps in your business. When your past experiences are powering decisions today that don’t serve you...

The two main reasons to write a book for your expertise or authority business. The pros and cons of self-publishing vs. seeking out a traditional publisher. Positioning and pricing your self-published book—and whether to sell it on your website and/or amazon. How to find and vet the right editor(s) for your situation. The role of e-books vs. physical books and why you probably want both. Quotables...

How “selling” your work completely changes once you’ve positioned yourself and monetized your expertise. Building your business in “white space” and a new way to think about your big idea (hint: we’re talking revolution). Why your genius zone is a pivotal element of your authority positioning. Rethinking your business and revenue model to more closely match your positioning (and your genius zone)....

Why profit is the most important measure of how your business is doing—even when profits are not your purpose. The difference between relying on vanity metrics and your bottom line to show you how you’re doing. Measuring impact vs. measuring revenue and what you need to build so they grow in tandem. How to avoid short-term thinking while still keeping your eye on your profit line. The value of rel...

A new way to think about big projects based on how you work best—and the value of absolute clarity with your plan. What happens when you fall into flow on a big project that needs room to breathe. The unintended consequences of changing your environment. How to find the system(s) that will work for you—and why you don’t need to worry if they look entirely different than what works for someone else...

What’s an Authority Circle and why you need one. The role of your rat pack, apostles and tribal leaders and how to enlist them in your cause. Earning apostles for your work and connecting with influential tribal leaders. How selling your authority becomes more focused and simple once you clearly identify your circle.  How to think about your Authority Circle and enlist them in spreading your visio...

How to set expectations and boundaries in the initial sales meeting (and why that’s critical to the progression of your project). Why the client isn’t always right or always wrong—and how to adopt a mindset that allows you to keep the outcomes front and center. Finding socially acceptable ways to push back when the client(s) starts leading down a path that doesn’t serve the outcome. Getting to the...

The definition of authority and the challenges in building it. How to think about and price different products and services based on how they contribute to your overall business model. The challenges of bringing new ideas to market and developing sustainable habits to keep growing your business. The role of trust in building authority (and your business). Why clients value outcomes above all else....

When outsourcing is freeing vs. when it simply adds more friction to your life. How to tell the difference between good friction and bad friction (hint: it’s not the same for everyone). Why it makes perfect sense to outsource critical functions that are not core to your business—think taxes, legal, payroll. The surprising benefits from documenting what you do and how you do it. The human side of h...

The questions to ask yourself if you want to start or stop providing a particular service to a particular client. Breaking up with your client: when to do it, how to do it and what to watch out for. Why you always want to build a time constraint when transitioning clients—and how to think about the transition process. When retainer scope creep is your fault—think guilt around doing less for a bigg...