Ditching Hourly Jonathan Stark

Corey Quinn joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss his excellent new book, “Anyone, Not Everyone.” In it, Corey shares insights on deep specialization, selecting a target vertical market, and using gifts like cookies to transform outbound marketing. 
Corey's Links:
Anyone, Not Everyone by Corey QuinnDeep Specialization podcast by Corey QuinnCorey's Website0:00 - Episode intro0:17 - About Corey Quinn and his background 1:30 - Corey's ideal client: agency founders doing $1-5M and looking to specialize3:07 - Benefits of specializing in a vertical market vs. skillset5:17 - How to define a vertical market7:19 - Detecting traction in a potential vertical to specialize in11:33 - Identifying a vertical market that's the right size (2,000-10,000 businesses)15:25 - How specializing enables you to speak your target market's language 17:35 - Creating a "point of view" to differentiate beyond just positioning22:33 - Shifting from founder-led sales through deep specialization 25:09 - Using gifting (like cookies) to transform outbound marketing30:42 - Creating an ongoing gifting campaign, not just a one-time gift32:21 - Reaching your target market in multiple channels beyond just gifting37:46 - The multi-million dollar cookie budget that drove Scorpion's growth41:17 - Adapting this approach for smaller shops through focus and consistency45:01 - Advice for soloists: specialize, do thought leadership, focus on dream clients48:54 - Consistently engaging with a target industry year after year to build trust50:34 - Where to find Corey's book and other free resources

Geraldine Carter and I swapped interviews about why niching down doesn't lead to boredom. 
Geraldine's Links:
Geraldine's websiteGeraldine's newsletterGeraldine's podcast

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

Indie game consultant Joe Quadara (aka Joe Q) joined me on Ditching Hourly to share his journey from putting out fires for indie game studios to advising them to accurately scope and fund their projects.
Joe's Links:
Joe's website: RecurverJoe on LinkedIn AI Summary:
In this episode, game developer turned consultant Joe Quidara shares his journey from putting out fires for game studios to helping studios accurately scope and fund their projects. He explains how developing deep expertise about the indie game industry allows him to quickly assess and advise studios, creating leverage in his consulting business.
Chapters:
[00:00:00] Introductions
[00:07:00] The size of the video game market
[00:10:00] What is indie game consulting?
[00:14:00] The appeal of weird, indie games 
[00:19:00] What an indie game studio looks like
[00:23:00] From firefighting to preventing fires in game studios  
[00:28:00] Helping studios accurately scope and fund projects
[00:32:00] Creating a sustainable indie game studio model 
[00:35:00] Leveraging expertise to streamline the consulting process
[00:41:00] The benefits of specialization for consultants
[00:46:00] Keeping an open mind while leveraging expertise  
[00:48:00] Conclusion

Bryghtpath CEO and Ditcherville lifetime resident Bryan Strawser joined me on Ditching Hourly to share the secrets behind his huge business wins in 2023.
Bryan's Links:
Website: https://bryghtpath.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BryghtpathPodcast: https://bryghtpath.com/resources/managing-uncertainty-podcast/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanstrawser/Summary (ai generated):
In this episode of Ditching Hourly, Jonathan Stark interviews Bryan Strausser of BrightPath about how positioning his consulting firm and using program evaluation "roadmaps" as a first engagement with clients has led to major growth and 7-figure revenue. They discuss Bryan's journey from generalist consultant to focused niche positioning, using content marketing and authority building to attract ideal clients, the roadmapping process to diagnose client needs before prescribing solutions, how to price and sell high-value services, and building ongoing managed services for recurring revenue. 
Chapters:
[00:00:00] Introduction 
[00:02:00] From generalist to focused positioning
[00:08:00] Attracting clients through content marketing 
[00:13:00] Client onboarding with program evaluation roadmaps
[00:21:00] Using the podcast to build authority 
[00:25:00] The importance of positioning
[00:28:00] Pricing and selling high-value services 
[00:36:00] The roadmapping sales process
[00:44:00] Writing effective proposals 
[00:51:00] Increasing profits through pricing 
[00:53:00] Growing through managed services
[00:56:00] Conclusion

The handsome and talented Louis Grenier had me on Everyone Hates Marketers to go behind the scenes on how I run my business.
Much to my delight (and true to form), he asked very specific and pointed questions so we could avoid the typical BS you hear on business podcasts.
It's also on YouTube if you prefer to watch:
Watch Now »Louis’ Links:
https://www.everyonehatesmarketers.com/links