Jessica Lackey - Stop Betting On Tactics

Aug 19, 2025

Jessica Lackey, founder of Deeper Foundations, shares insights from her book, Leaving The Casino. She warns against blindly following oversimplified business strategies and emphasizes the importance of understanding unique business models. Jessica highlights the 'zone of enoughness,' encouraging entrepreneurs to balance finances with personal priorities. She delves into effective pricing strategies, marketing approaches, and the transition from client work to creative growth, stressing the need for clarity and strong sales skills in building sustainable businesses.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Tactics Don't Transcend Business Models

Tactics from different online business models don't transfer cleanly between models.
Jessica Lackey warns that buying tactics without matching your business model wastes money.

INSIGHT

Pick Your Business Archetype First

Know whether you run a delivery-style or creator-style business before choosing tactics.
Different archetypes (craftsman, advisor, agency vs teacher, gatherer, edutainer) need distinct marketing and pricing.

ADVICE

Use Five Pricing Lenses

Evaluate pricing using five lenses: hourly, audience, value-based, market-based, and justice-based.
Use justice-based pricing to find alternative funders when target clients can't afford your sustainable price.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Author of Leaving The Casino, Jessica Lackey, joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss the importance of understanding different business models, pricing strategies, and the concept of the 'zone of enoughness' in building a sustainable business.

(00:00) - Introduction and Guest Welcome
(00:09) - Jessica Lackey's Background and Career Journey
(01:05) - Introduction to Jessica's Book
(03:13) - The Casino Metaphor in Business
(04:28) - Frameworks and Types of Expertise-Based Businesses
(08:55) - Pricing Models and Strategies
(19:22) - The Zone of Enoughness
(30:46) - Transitioning Business Models
(31:21) - Financial Planning and Expectations
(32:30) - Balancing Flexibility and Income
(34:28) - Optimizing Delivery for Efficiency
(40:41) - Marketing Strategies for Delivery Businesses
(42:48) - The Importance of Direct Outreach
(51:03) - Building Authority Through Writing
(54:29) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Jessica's Bio

Jessica Lackey is the founder of Deeper Foundations, a consulting and training firm that helps expertise-based business owners grow and scale sustainable companies rooted in stronger business foundations. She brings a unique blend of corporate expertise and soulful business building, drawing on an MBA from Harvard Business School, a coaching certification from iPEC, and experience at McKinsey & Company and Nike, Inc. Jessica has supported over 200 entrepreneurs through her programs, blending systems thinking, operational rigor, and deep values alignment. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband.

Jessica's Links:

Website: https://www.deeperfoundations.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-lackey/
Book: https://www.deeperfoundations.com/casino
Predictable Revenue Roadmap: https://predictablerevenueroadmap.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicalackey_consulting/

----

Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!