Podcast
The Business of Authority
Hosted by Jonathan Stark and Rochelle Moulton · EN
How to make a living while you’re making a difference.
A weekly show for independent professionals who want to go from six-figures to seven while increasing their impact on the world.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
It’s A Wrap
Apr 22, 202400:11:53Tap to summarizeWe talk about where we’re taking the show and how your feedback will impact our next steps.It's your chance to reach out (see the links below) and weigh in! LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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April Dunford - Obviously Awesome REPLAY
Apr 15, 202400:46:29Tap to summarizeDo you know how to position your product or service?Talking PointsApril’s backgroundWhy positioning is importantWhat positioning isEmail for lawyersProblems caused by weak positioningHow solos can identify positioning problemsChoosing criteria that ensures clients will be happy in the endPositioning the business itself versus individual offeringsHow publishing a book affected April’s inbound leadsBooks as part of the overall businessQuotable Quotes“There’s branding and there’s positioning. Those two things are totally separate, and in fact, you need to have your positioning sorted out first, before you decide what your branding should be.” –AD“Now I think there’s more of an awareness around positioning.” –AD“Now, I’m booked up 3-4 months in advance, my rates are way higher, I work way less, and my clients are way happier, because I only promise to do this one very narrow thing, but it’s a super valuable thing, and if you’ve got this problem, who else you gonna call?” –AD“If you’re going to make that investment in doing marketing, there should be a call to action in there.” --AD LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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The Passion Economy with Adam Davidson REPLAY
Apr 8, 202400:53:18Tap to summarizeWhy passion alone isn’t enough—we also need rigor and hard work to build a successful Passion Economy business.Rethinking your client base as a very tight, intimate group, because fewer passionate clients beat a lot of indifferent ones.How to get clear on the unique value you bring to your clients—and weave that into your business model (and marketing).When letting go of non-ideal clients is essential and how it changes the dynamics of your work.Why pricing should be a dialogue between you and your client vs. a static thing (and why a “shocking” price may be exactly what you need).Quotables“What do you want to be worried about at 3 in the morning—cause you’re gonna be worried at 3 in the morning if you’re an entrepreneur.”—AD“The passion word should convey: I’m going to put me and the wholeness of me into how I make a living. It’s a strong choice. It’s not a trivial choice.”—AD“The rest of us have to use the tools of scale, use the tools of digital communication…to find our intimate group, to find our tiny village even if they’re thinly spread all over the world.”—AD“You don’t want to be the same. You want to say I do this one thing and I do it really well and 99% of people have zero use for it, but there are people who will love it.”—AD“You want to become THE brand for your micro niche.”—AD“1/3 of your customers…are costing you money...if you actually add up the time and how much you’re making, you’d be way better off doing new customer development—or just sleeping.”—AD“It’s the stuff you’re thinking about when you’re doing the pitch that is often the most valuable. You’re looking at this company, you’re sizing them up, you’re taking in what they’re asking and then you’re really coming up with a big strategic vision…the value you’re adding is often front-loaded in that pitch.”—AD“Price really should reflect a dialogue between you and your customer. That customer is getting unique value from you. What is THAT value?”—AD“What if I doubled my prices tomorrow—what would happen? That probably for most people will provoke a crisis.”—ADLINKSThe Passion EconomyTwitter LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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In Defense of Repetition
Apr 1, 202400:31:49Tap to summarizeHow niching down—think of it as repetition—gives you the opportunity for focused practice.Why we refer to consulting and coaching as practices.Giving yourself permission to suck—while you gradually improve.How to reframe repetition (think continual upward spiral) as practice. LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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Genius Zone vs. Productivity
Mar 25, 202400:33:07Tap to summarizeWhy it’s tempting to conflate productivity with working in your genius zone (and how to think about it instead).Finding joy in “brain dead” activities (or anything necessary, but not strictly in your genius zone).The difference between light lift and deep dive genius zone activities.How to handle resistance to entering your genius zone.Why you don’t have to work solo inside your genius zone (aka the magic of co-creating).----And of course, big thanks to Louis Grenier for inspiring this episode. If you hate marketing BS as much as we do, you are going to love his podcast: Everyone Hates Marketers LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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The Pros And Cons of An Application Process
Mar 18, 202400:40:36Tap to summarizeWhen you want to use an application process to screen potential clients and group members.The particular challenges applications present (and a few work-arounds).Why conversion rates are much higher when using applications to “gate” your service.How to use an application process to enhance the experience of your ideal clients and buyers. LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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Are You Too Cheap To Trust?
Mar 11, 202400:35:37Tap to summarizeHow to use pricing as a tool to niche down your audience.Why engaging clients BEFORE they have the big problem you solve seldom works.Becoming aware of the stories you tell yourself about money—and how they impact your pricing and packaging.Why it’s not unethical to charge top dollar for your services (and one solution if you balk at increasing your profit).The fairness fallacy: why “fair” is an impossible way to set your prices. LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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The Books That Changed Us
Mar 4, 202400:41:25Tap to summarizeHow the books you read as a child can help chart the course of your life.The business and leadership books we found at EXACTLY the right time for each of us.Why the right biographies, self-help and inspirational books (and other non-conventional business books) can lead to business break-throughs.How the personal nature of what we get from books can change depending on when we read them.LINKSThe Servant LeaderManaging The Professional Service FirmThe Trusted Advisor Desert Queen The Big LeapThe Simple Path to Wealth Value-Based FeesHow To Measure AnythingBook Yourself SolidGetting Things DoneThe E-Myth RevisitedThe Secret of Selling AnythingThinking In BetsGodel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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BizDev Systems For Soloists
Feb 26, 202400:48:08Tap to summarizeWhy this is not “slimy selling,” but genuinely providing value to the people you want to serve.The role of business development in “whale” B2B models (and how it fuels high-end consulting practices).Using LinkedIn to discover your ideal people and leverage your interactions.A handful of examples using in-person conferences as part of your business development plan.The importance of prioritizing relationships and tracking your business development activity over time. LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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You Hit The Finish Line. Now What?
Feb 19, 202400:39:34Tap to summarizeGetting past the fear of an empty calendar following an intensive project. Hint: having a marketing system you work even when you’re slammed goes a long way.How to turn a wrap-up meeting into additional work, testimonials and/or referrals (and one specific problem this meeting will solve for you).The magic of taking time for yourself to recharge after an intense bout of work—and a few ideas to try out.The post project questions to ask yourself to narrow down your superpower(s) and focus them on even higher-value future work.How small rituals to close out projects can have big emotional and financial payoffs. LINKSRochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramJonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
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