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 ----What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?That’d be pretty sweet, right? But how would you get started...Email365 will show you the way.Sign up to get notified about the next session before "life happens" and you forget:KEEP ME IN THE LOOP »I hope to see you in the next session of Email365!

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) ----What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?That’d be pretty sweet, right? But how would you get started...Email365 will show you the way.Sign up to get notified about the next session before "life happens" and you forget:KEEP ME IN THE LOOP »I hope to see you in the next session of Email365!

Data Engineer Denis Gontcharov discusses his journey from aluminum smelting to data engineering. They also explore targeting medium-sized aluminum manufacturers, the division of IT and OT in the industry, the relationship between Industry 4.0 and AI, and using products/services for consulting gigs.

The Agile Attorney, John Grant, joined me on Ditching Hourly to share how he helps his clients transition from inefficient workflows, WAY too much work, and low margins, to efficient workflows, a comfortable amount of work, and higher profits.Key PointsExpectations for attention to detail and planning increase in high-dollar professional services like law practices.Many law practices lack upfront planning and make assumptions based on past experiences.Transition planning is often triggered by the need for change in firms that have been operating in the same way for many years.Maximizing employee utilization can lead to gridlock and hinder growth.Phased flat fees, where different phases of a case or project are billed at a flat rate, provide flexibility and room for adjustment.The desire for fixed pricing and the potential for higher rewards motivates software developers to move towards productization.In the legal industry, professionals are transitioning from delivery work to strategy work.Best Quotes“When the lawyer does plan, oftentimes they plan for this sort of ideal situation.”“If you are constantly having to do QA on other people’s work, it’s really hard to feel like you’re ever gonna get off that hamster wheel.”“The beautiful thing is that if you take the time and you begin to express your quality standards in a written form, then you can actually push those standards upstream.”“I think there’s been a ton of movement away from hourly billing. I think there’s more movement than most people in the profession want to recognize.”“Different ways of exchanging value for their services than they were certainly when I first hung my shingle back in 2008.”“It turned on this mechanism in my brain that immediately started asking, ‘How can I make this more effective and efficient, quicker, less work for me without cutting corners?’”“So it’s like even if they came close to what they would’ve made hourly, they have set themselves up in a way that they can deliver that thing probably in half of the time for the same money.”John's Linkshttps://www.agileattorney.com/https://law.builders/@AgileAttorney ----What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?That’d be pretty sweet, right? But how would you get started...Email365 will show you the way.Sign up to get notified about the next session before "life happens" and you forget:KEEP ME IN THE LOOP »I hope to see you in the next session of Email365!

James Williams of Cofebe.com joined me on Ditching Hourly to give what amounted to a masterclass on how to avoid failure and delight clients as a fractional CTO.“The chance of failure increases proportionally with you accepting what the client tells you what to do.”“If you accept 100% of your client’s suggestions and three months from they can’t launch or it fails, guess whose fault that is.”“If you keep the narrative on the goal, you can avoid debates about scope.”“I lead with questions from the back.”“I ask a trillion questions upfront to disqualify prospects before considering pricing.”“I’d rather take the advisory part and use the client’s dev team whenever possible.““I’d rather use their team than mine.””We don’t even do scope of work.““It’s not about the hours. It’s about the outcomes.”“To guide the engineers, I write paragraphs on how the client should feel at every demo and what the qualitative goal should be.““My goal is always to get smaller, not bigger.”James’ LinksWebsite: https://www.cofebe.com/Courses: https://courses.cofebe.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdubyou/Substack: https://jdubyou.substack.com/ ----What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?That’d be pretty sweet, right? But how would you get started...Email365 will show you the way.Sign up to get notified about the next session before "life happens" and you forget:KEEP ME IN THE LOOP »I hope to see you in the next session of Email365!

Guest BioMichael Zipursky – Michael has consulted for organizations and advised leaders throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East in over 30 industries, from service providers to billion-dollar multi-national corporations, including Panasonic, Dow Jones, Financial Times, Royal Bank and many others. Michael is an in-demand speaker and gives keynotes and workshops for the Certified Management Consultants Association, Canadian Internet Marketing Conference, Social Media Camp, and others. Michael’s work has appeared in MarketingProfs, Huffington Post, Financial Times, FOX Business, Maclean's, HR Executive, Business Edge, Marketing Magazine, and in several other media and publications. He is the author of 5 books, including: Elite Consulting MindConsulting Success®ACT NOWFollow Michael on Twitter @MichaelZipursky and LinkedIn Michael Zipursky or learn more at his website: ConsultingSuccess.comAnd here's the fees guide that Michael mentioned on the show: What Consultants Really Charge In 2023 ----What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?That’d be pretty sweet, right? But how would you get started...Email365 will show you the way.Sign up to get notified about the next session before "life happens" and you forget:KEEP ME IN THE LOOP »I hope to see you in the next session of Email365!

Pricing legend Ron Baker joined me again (for a record-setting fourth appearance!) on Ditching Hourly to talk about the nuances of the subscription model for service business.Talking PointsSubscription pricing is becoming increasingly prevalent, with the subscription economy projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2025.Pricing tiers can be implemented based on the range of services offered, providing flexibility for customers.Providing outcomes and guiding transformations creates a better customer experience.Non-rival assets, such as knowledge and ideas, can be leveraged through subscriptions, allowing professionals to serve more clients simultaneously.Wasting customers' time is a major downfall in many professional firms, and subscriptions can help mitigate this by fostering consistent and meaningful client interactions.Subscription is a straightforward pricing model that offers a set price for a defined range of services or products.There is a potential shift towards performance-based payment models, where sellers are paid based on results rather than promises.Quotable Quotes“The more services we pile on brick by brick, we add more value.”“If you're going to the market with an uncommon offering, you're commanding uncommon prices.”“You are building lifetime annuities that are worth more than it costs you to acquire them.”“A business model explains where revenue will be earned when services are provided free of charge.”“I do think it's a way station. I think we'll move to a world where we're actually paid for performance and not promises.”“We're too busy selling services brick by brick by brick by brick. And that's not where our value is.”Ron’s LinksTwitter: https://twitter.com/ronaldbakerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronbaker1/The Soul of Enterprise: https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/Times-up Club: https://timesupclub.com/Verasage: https://www.verasage.com/ ----What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?That’d be pretty sweet, right? But how would you get started...Email365 will show you the way.Sign up to get notified about the next session before "life happens" and you forget:KEEP ME IN THE LOOP »I hope to see you in the next session of Email365!