
Ditching Hourly
For freelancers, consultants, and other independent professionals who want to make more and work less without hiring.
Latest episodes

Feb 22, 2022 • 53min
Coaching Call with Trading Card Creator Colyn Brown
Longtime web developer and freshly minted trading card creator Colyn Brown joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm about how to capitalize on early interest in his bluegrass trading cards. Related LinksBluegrass Trading Co.
----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!

Feb 15, 2022 • 48min
Digby Leigh - Alternative Fee Arrangements for the Legal Industry
Long-time lawyer, second-time guest, and first-time SaaS co-founder Digby Leigh joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about alternative fee arrangements making inroads in the legal industry.Talking PointsPricing trends in the legal industryThe three most common non-hourly pricing models for law firmsThe benefits of "agreed upon" up-front fixed fee pricingWhat types of engagements aren't a good fit for fixed fee pricingWhat to expect when clients know they can talk to you for free instead of “on the clock”The internal attitude you need to beat back when you first ditch hourly billingThe importance of being helpfulThe indignity of having to justify how you spend your timeThe magic of The Why ConversationThe benefits of offering pricing optionsRelated LinksDigby’s Firm, Leigh & CoFrank Fee™Digby’s SaaS, AltFeeGoliath
----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!

Feb 8, 2022 • 57min
Coaching Call with Equity-Driven Design Strategist Lucy Flores
Equity-Driven Design Strategist Lucy Flores joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm her positioning. Talking PointsThe difference between a specialization and a nicheThe difference between a mission statement and a positioning statementWhy positioning is especially important for soloistsHow to know when your positioning is specific enoughRelated LinksLucy's website
----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!

Feb 1, 2022 • 31min
Ton Dobbe - The “Broken” Triangle
Is the problem you solve for your clients a “nice-to-have” or mission critical?Author, consultant, and podcast host, Ton Dobbe joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about the three requirements of any expensive problem, and how to reverse engineer these factors into a simple formula you can use to decide what to focus on in your positioning, segmentation, and value proposition.Taking PointsThe three levers of the value foundationThe importance of uncovering the worldview of your ideal buyers (and how to do it)The three sides of The “Broken” TriangleHow to set yourself apart from your competitors in a way that they can’t copyRelated LinksTon’s book, The Remarkable EffectTon’s WebsiteTon’s PodcastTon’s LinkedInTon’s Twitter
----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!

Jan 25, 2022 • 45min
Paul Klein - The Three Pillars of Revenue
Entrepreneur, consultant, and former hair metal guitarist Paul Klein joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about his Three Pillars of Revenue: consulting, training, and infoproducts.Making the leap to self-employmentSelling your first infoproductUsing workshops to build your consulting businessNiching down to grow an expertise-based consulting businessScaling up your business by getting bigger clientsIncreasing fees and accelerating sales by focusing on expensive problemsRelated LinksThou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel LapinThe E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About ItPaul's LinkedInPaul's Consulting WebsitePaul's Coaching WebsitePaul's SaaS WebsitePaul's PodcastBizable TVYours,—JP.S. If you like Bizable, you can use coupon code DITCHINGHOURLY at checkout to save 40% forever. NOTE: This is NOT an affiliate coupon. I just think Paul's doing great stuff and you might find it useful.
----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!

Jan 18, 2022 • 1h 9min
Coaching Call with Java Developer Alice B.
Java Developer Alice B. (name withheld by request) joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about what to do when the skills you’ve built over many years become less valuable to clients.The pros and cons of platform specializationThe difference between horizontal and platform specializationWhat to focus on when your technical skills are no longer in demandHow to spot a truly expensive problemWhy freely sharing your expertise is the right thing to doThe three “good, better, best” ways to generate new businessWhy being specific about who your ideal clients are can dramatically increase your referralsWhy thinking about something harder or longer often doesn’t workThe importance of having conversationsHow to learn to what your ideal buyers really wantHow cold outreach, warm referrals, and organic inbound work togetherThe difference between “hunting” and “gardening” sales modelsHow to know when to double down or cut bait with a given target marketHow to ask for testimonials from active clients before a project is finishedWhy your odds of success are probably better if you focus on a type of buyer instead of a particular skillRelated LinksBuilding The Perfect TestimonialThe Pricing Seminar
----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!

Jan 11, 2022 • 1h 2min
Coaching Call with Business Appraiser Charlie Stanton
Business appraiser Charlie Stanton joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm how to differentiate what is typically considered a commodity service. Talking PointsPricing risk mitigation instead of cost cutting or value creationDifferentiating in a commoditized marketCreating productized services for a specific marketPartnering with adjacent business that serve the same marketConnecting with the target market way before they need youCharlie's Links The listeners can find out more about Charlie at www.StantonValue.com or contact him directly at charlie@stantonvalue.com
----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!

Jan 4, 2022 • 49min
Coaching Call with Outdoor Brand Identity Designer Devin Renaud
Outdoor brand identity designer Devin Renaud joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm how to get more leads. Devin's Links: https://fourestdesign.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renauddesignco/https://www.instagram.com/fourestdesign/
----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!

Dec 21, 2021 • 1h 6min
Paul Boag - Helping People For Free At Scale
Paul Boag, UX consultant, digital transformation expert, and OG podcaster, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how helping people for free is good for business.Talking PointsThe value of jumping on a new platform.How podcasting creates trust.How to create a good podcast.Hunting versus gardening.Expertise by association.Video-first workflow.The benefit of publishing your mistakes instead of editing them out.Why you don’t need to be outgoing to have a podcast.The benefits of daily publishing.The trust difference between writing and speaking.The simplicity of being a helpful human being.Why you should share absolutely everything you know.How tactics change over time.Why you need to adapt for the reality you’re in.What to copy from your heros (spoiler: copy the strategy, not the tactics).Why niching down is a great way to become dominant in a sector.Why it’s critically important to find out where your ideal buyers talk to each other.How to work your way into a niche market.Show your expertise, don’t tell your expertise.Niching around an audience instead of a deliverable.Connect with Paul:Paul's website Paul's newsletterPaul on Twitter
----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!

6 snips
Dec 14, 2021 • 58min
Sam Shepler - Productized Testimonials
Sam Shepler, founder of Testimonial Hero, joined me on Ditching Hourly for a wide ranging discussion about the moving parts of productized services. Links We MentionedSam's TwitterTestimonial HeroHaute StockRange by David Epstein
----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!