Geraldine Carter, an expert in niching down strategies, discusses with Jonathan the benefits of specializing in a specific niche, debunking the fear of boredom. They explore how niching down can lead to more success, fulfillment, and increased revenue through tailored solutions and deep expertise in a niche market, emphasizing the courage and excitement needed for niche mastery and business growth.

Tim Dietrich and Eric Grubaugh invited me to join them on SuiteScript Stories to talk about the pros and cons of a platform specialization, the paradox of positioning, and, of course, the horrors of hourly billing. Tim and Eric were kind enough to let me post the interview here on Ditching Hourly, but if you're a NetSuite developer, you should check out their podcast at https://suitescriptstories.com/ We discuss:Jonathan's and Tim's shared history in the FileMaker Pro spaceJonathan's AHA moment when he realized hourly billing was killing his businessThe misaligned financial incentives created by hourly billingHow specializing in a narrower target market amplifies your opportunitiesThe various forms of specialization: Vertical, Horizontal, PlatformThe obstacles an agency faces when trying to specialize ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Joe Quadara, former indie game developer turned consultant, shares his journey from fighting fires in indie game studios to advising them on scoping and funding projects. Topics include the size of the video game market, the appeal of weird, indie games, preventing fires in game studios, accurately scoping and funding projects, creating a sustainable indie game studio model, leveraging expertise in consulting, and the benefits of specialization for consultants.

Bryan Strawser, Bryghtpath CEO, shares the secrets of his business wins, including focused niche positioning, using content marketing and authority building. They discuss the roadmapping process to diagnose client needs, pricing and selling high-value services, and building ongoing managed services for recurring revenue.

Jonathan, a business owner, shares his insights on running a business. The podcast covers various topics including the value of time over money, transitioning from consulting to coaching, the power of daily emails as a marketing strategy, the importance of clear positioning, and advice on transitioning from weekly to daily emails.

Tech professional Alexander Lapa discusses transitioning to Salesforce, specializing in the nonprofit market, different types of services and pricing, contract duration and categorization, selling Salesforce customization projects, pricing options for Salesforce support, and exploring business models and Salesforce expertise in the nonprofit space.

No-BS marketer Rod Aparicio joins Jonathan Stark to debunk the myth of personal branding. They discuss the importance of authenticity and credibility, the concept of aspiration vs inspiration, differentiating between demographics and psychographics, and building trust and credibility. They also highlight the dangers of personal branding and the need to shift focus to providing value and assistance to the target audience.

Zach Stevens, co-founder of Conversion Factory, shares how they achieved $36k MRR in one month by helping SaaS teams monetize traffic. They start small to manage client expectations, communicate via Notion and Loom, centralize efforts to avoid confusion, and value work-life harmony. They discuss fear of burnout, pricing tiers, and the importance of clear communication to solve churn problems.

David Shriner-Cahn of Smashing the Plateau joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how longtime corporate execs can increase the odds of going out on their own successfully. Key PointsTaking the leap into entrepreneurship can be daunting, but with the right support and mentorship, it is possible to build a successful business.It's important to decide whether you want to look for another job or truly commit to building a business, as both require different mindsets and energies.Make the decision between being your own boss or maintaining the comfort of a steady paycheck.Understand the differences between being an employee and an entrepreneur.Identify your current stage in the transition and determine any obstacles holding you back.Validate your business idea by having conversations with people in your target market, industry experts, and potential clients.Joining a community of like-minded entrepreneurs can provide collaboration opportunities and support.Best Quotes"My mission in life is to help corporate refugees start, run, and grow their own businesses so they can do more of what they love and get paid what they're worth.""I was doing what I was taught to do in engineering school, which is to focus on solving engineering problems. What I didn't focus on was the fact that the company that I worked for had lost a huge portion of their business and ended up firing a significant chunk of the staff.""In those days, the model was you went to work for one of these big companies, and if you stayed there, usually it was like 20 plus years, you were eligible to receive a pension. And in those days, pensions were a defined benefit. So you really needed to be with one of these companies for a long time.""I really wanted to figure out a way to just be in control of my career and my family's financial health in a way that I knew that I wouldn't be as an employee.""At some point, you need to make a decision about whether you're going to look for another job or build a business because they require very different mindsets and activities.""What's way better is to talk to three kinds of people about the problem.""If you're looking for something that you can sell in your sleep, you know, an evergreen, like a digital product, then it would be a do-it-yourself."David’s Linkshttps://smashingtheplateau.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshrinercahn/https://twitter.com/smashingplateau ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!

Our resident crypto/web3 expert and longtime friend of the show, Luke Willis, re-joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how having a weekly podcast and daily mailing list contributed to a product launch that generated $39k in 24 hours.  Luke’s Links:https://lukewillis.com/https://thekoinpress.com/https://kap.domains/aboutSummaryIn this episode, Luke Willis discusses the successful launch of KAP, a blockchain app offering NFT name services. He reveals the mechanics behind the launch, the problem it solves, and the unique features of KoinOS blockchain. Luke shares how he generated $39,000 in just 24 hours and the key factors that contributed to his success. Additionally, Luke highlights the journey of building trust within the blockchain community, their initial DAPs, launch strategy, and positive reception. They provide a platform demonstration and emphasize the power of blockchain technology. Furthermore, Luke emphasizes the benefits of having a podcast and mailing list to build trust, authority, and attract a loyal audience for a successful launch.Key PointsLuke Willis shares his experience and success in launching the KAP blockchain app.Pricing for KAP is based on the length of the name, with options available for various budgets.Experienced a spike in sales during the initial launch, followed by steady sales in the following weeks.Plan to expand the platform by launching a free tier, enabling users without coins to access and utilize the platform’s features.Launching during a crypto winter can still be successful.Speculating on tokens can lead to potential profits in the future.Building trust and authority through consistent content publishing.(Generated by podcastshownotes.ai) ----Do you have questions about how to improve your business? Things like:Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to: https://jonathanstark.com/callI hope to see you there!