209. Going from employee to consultant with Reza Saeedi
Mar 1, 2024
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Reza Saeedi shares insights on transitioning from employee to consultant, acquiring clients, niching down in business, and managing risk. He discusses the importance of word of mouth, exercise for productivity, and balancing advisory work. The podcast covers fee structures, optimizing productivity, and impactful books for personal growth.
Transitioning from employee to consultant requires risk-taking and niche specialization for success.
Effective communication of value and risk-free engagements are essential in sales conversations.
Balancing advising with primary job entails aligning personal projects, prioritizing health, and maintaining efficient workflows.
Deep dives
Transition to Marketing Consultant and Role at Passage
The podcast episode features Reza Syedee discussing his swift transition from employee to marketing consultant, advisor, and CMO after leaving his job. He quickly secured clients and embarked on a new role at a company called Passage. The focus was on how he facilitated advising alongside his new position at Passage, empowering individuals globally with transformative opportunities.
Marketing Origins and Career Evolution
Reza shared his journey from being a chemical engineer to venturing into business, marketing, and startups. His early business experiences culminated in marketing and growth leadership roles at five early-stage startups. The podcast delves into the process of starting a business, pivoting, and ultimately achieving a mini-exit.
Diving into Consulting and Advisor Role
Reza's shift to consulting and advising emerged from his passion for helping early-stage founders. Despite informal advising earlier in his career, the podcast highlights how interactions at On Deck and running office hours for founders sparked his interest in consulting. Reza navigated the challenges of pricing structures with pre-seed startups, emphasizing value delivery and risk-free engagements.
Balancing a Job with Entrepreneurial Ventures
The podcast episode discusses the importance of aligning personal projects with your primary job, ensuring coherence and consistency. It emphasizes the satisfaction of aiding individuals in their business growth, whether through mentoring or advising, especially in small business settings. The value of teaching as a high-leverage activity in a digital world and the significance of finding broader meaning in your work are highlighted. Additionally, the episode delves into the impact of helping immigrants connect with the economy and the rewards of guiding startups toward profitability.
Productivity, Systems, and Personal Operating Method
The podcast episode delves into the host's personal operating system for productivity and learning. It explores the importance of capturing, organizing, and expressing information effectively, using tools like Readwise for retaining knowledge. The discussion extends to the significance of maintaining exercise routines, sleep hygiene, and nutrition for enhanced clarity and energy. Strategies for leveraging tools and maintaining an ideal stack to boost efficiency without over-optimizing are also emphasized, along with the benefits of mental health practices for better focus and personal growth.
I recently interviewed Reza Saeedi—a marketing strategist and former Director of Marketing at On Deck—about his transition from employee to marketing advisor to employee again with advising as a side venture.
In this episode, we chatted about things like:
How Reza got into marketing and eventually, as a mentor/advisor to entrepreneurs
How he was able to get one fractional CMO and two advisory clients quickly after leaving his job at On Deck
The role of casual networking and how it led to unexpected opportunities down the line
The difference between being specific and niching down in business based on your strengths and interests
The role of risk-reversing guarantees and discussing prices against value during sales conversations
Why turning away poor-fit clients helped with his overall confidence and contributed to his early success
How to internally handle the fact we can’t guarantee successful outcomes
The value of factoring in word of mouth and referrals into your marketing plan
The intersection and overlap between teaching and advisory work
How Reza plans to do part-time advising in a low-labour, sustainable way
How Reza stays productize and organized in his work
The importance of exercise, habits, and mental health optimization
Plus many fun tangents along the way!
Whether you currently have a job and are thinking about advising full or part-time, or you’re already independent but looking to get into advisory work, this episode will have a ton of insights to offer you.
