Ditching Hourly Jonathan Stark

Denis Čahuk (aka “Coach Denis”) joined me on Ditching Hourly to share his experiences as an engineering team coach in the tech industry. 
He discusses his coaching approach of on-the-job training, or just-in-time training, and his focus on helping tech leaders improve modularity and productivity. He also shares insights on attracting leads, ideal buyers, expensive problems, and improving ROI. Additionally, he discusses his strict KPIs, pricing model, cancellation of sprints, use of JIRA, and minimal rituals for successful teams.

05:50 - “My ideal buyer is a tech lead, an engineering manager, some kind of VP, or a tech technical leader in engineering that has direct reports who are individual contributors.”
17:51 - “It is really easy to avoid Friday releases if you plan not to do them.”
22:22 - “I wrote a script that mimicked doing exactly what the dev did, but it took them two hours, and my script runs it in 40 seconds.”
33:29 - “They would waste 30 minutes every day just checking, ‘Wait, do you mean the thing thing or the other thing thing?’”
36:35 - “But what we are measuring with that last subjective metric is essential. And if the team did well this sprint, did they celebrate?”
47:31 - “I encourage them to cancel the sprint once the team is no longer following the goal.”
Related links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deniscahuk/
https://craftingtechteams.substack.com/

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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/call
I hope to see you there!

Longtime friend-of-the-show and “three-peat” guest Geraldine Carter returns to go deep on the trials, tribulations, and benefits of niching down on a target market.
Talking Points

Going all in and telling everyone where you’re headed is key to getting traction
If starting from scratch, think about what gets you excited and what kind of work you enjoy doing
Don’t be afraid to be transparent with existing clients when transitioning to a new niche
Managing cash flow is crucial during the transition period
Not getting traction feels uncomfortable but should be serially solved, while not fitting into a niche is a feeling of discomfort that doesn’t go away
Niching down has many advantages, including having your own set of people and having more control over your calendar
ACFA can sell certain kinds of financial advisory products and services, but it’s more common for certified financial planners and financial advisors
Quotable Quotes

04:27 “They know down deep inside where they wanna be, but they just haven’t given themselves time and space or permission to let that idea surface as a possible business model.”
21:50 “Once you dive into your niche, you realize just how much there is to learn.”
24:01 “It’s almost like a process of elimination where they need to know what wrong feels like in order to know what Right feels like.”
26:32 “Who do you like working with? What gets you excited? What are the things that you think about when you can’t help thinking about them?”
31:49 “It’s not the curfuffle that you imagine it’s going to be in your mind.”
35:19 “There are a lot of pieces, there are a lot of moving parts, and it includes you having a good product, you talking about that product, but also not just talking, but speaking compellingly about the product.”
41:15 “CPAs do have it easy in a way, and it’s fair that they are in a profession that is in some ways legally required to purchase the service of.”

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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/call
I hope to see you there!

Dr. JJ Peterson, head of StoryBrand, joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain why he says, “You can't build a business on hourly billing.” JJ emphasizes the importance of value pricing and project-based billing for delivering results and customer satisfaction. He offers advice on storytelling and differentiation, finding your target audience, and building an email list for lead nurturing.
Talking Points

Building value-add strategies is crucial to satisfying your customers
Professional pricing is focused on value for each project, not solely billable hours
Value pricing involves reverse engineering and scoping based on different budgets
Productized services can help predict income and make services profitable over time
Storytelling is a powerful tool for making sense of information and engaging customers
Mailing lists and podcasts can increase awareness and trust
Find platforms where your target audience hangs out and offer value before selling
Quotable Quotes

07:16 “Showing clients what kind of return they're going to get is a huge way to position yourself as value in the field.”
22:00 “Story takes a bunch of information that's out there and puts it all in a form that makes sense to somebody.”
29:00 “It's not about you, it's about what your skills and experience do to solve their problem.”
35:28 “Clarify your message first. Figure out what your messaging is gonna be before you do spend money on anything, creating anything else.”
37:33 “You wanna be on those stages. Then the second part about that is once you figure out where you wanna be, you wanna go into those places, and you wanna add a ton of value, don't wanna actually go in and sell.”
39:25 “Building your audience with free stuff and then charge quote unquote for the next level, which is to get your email address.”
47:07 “What you bring to businesses and the problems that you solve and the value that you bring is huge. So don't sell yourself short.”
J.J.'s Bio
Dr. J.J. Peterson has used the StoryBrand Framework to help thousands of organizations clarify their message in order to grow their business. He teaches leaders how to leverage the power of story in marketing and messaging to get results through his Marketing Made Simple Podcast. J.J. holds a Ph.D. in Communication and has spent the last 20 years practicing and teaching communication theory. He has studied C.S. Lewis in Oxford, debated theology with filmmakers at the Sundance Film Festival, directed a documentary, served in marketing and PR for two multinational non-profit organizations, is currently an adjunct professor at the Owen School of Business at Vanderbilt University, and has spoken to thousands of people about creating a clear message. As the Head of StoryBrand, J.J. travels around the world facilitating StoryBrand workshops and keynotes, helping people grow their businesses.
J.J.'s Links

https://storybrand.com/brandscript
https://marketingmadesimple.com



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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/call
I hope to see you there!

Tech trainer and coach Denis Čahuk joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain how he doubled his income by selling his value instead of selling his CV.
Denis’ links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deniscahuk/
https://craftingtechteams.substack.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@technologistpodcast
Additional notes from https://www.podcastshownotes.ai/
Key Points

Productized services are key in creating an offer for clients rather than just presenting a list of skills.
The process of discovering an offer's outcome and connecting it with the needs of the client is crucial for productized services.
Embracing the value-based pricing approach helps clients see the benefits of paying for expertise rather than just services.
Self-publishing on Gum Road can attract tech leads, engineers, freelancers, and individuals in tech looking for a career.
Focus on the things that bring value and decide what not to do on a project
Overcoming self-inflicted limitations: Dennis holds tactical sessions to help teams break free from their own limitations and company culture.
Finding what's valuable and doing nothing else: eliminating waste is more important than improving current processes.
Best Quotes

22:20 "That was super easy cuz by that point, I made like nine YouTube videos, which were about 30 hours of conversations."
23:28 "It does seem to highlight those aspects of coding that make things easier to change and cheaper to maintain into the actual workflow."
24:59 "Okay, this isn't about you, the developer. This is about your team and what your team might be going through."
36:02 "It's like, okay, "how can we get fulfillment?" How can we get that kick-ass "hell yeah!" feeling for developers without forcing them to go vegan and do yoga."
39:11 "And then rather than telling you, I also show you."
43:16 "Just talk to the customer. Find out what's valuable and then do nothing else."
49:32 "The overall message is "think bigger" and don't get hung up on wanting to grind on the disengagement of the employees."

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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/call
I hope to see you there!

Our resident crypto expert and longtime friend of the show, Luke Willis, joined me on Ditching Hourly to explore the psychology and mechanics of inflation.
Links mentioned in the episode
Luke’s Websites:

https://lukewillis.com/
https://thekoinpress.com/
Milton Friedman Speaks: Money and Inflation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_nGEj8wIP0
----
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/call
I hope to see you there!

James Turner, partner at SNAP Copy, joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain the nuances and benefits of selling copywriting services by the credit, not by the hour or the word.
About James
James E. Turner is a marketing strategist and conversion copywriter. He’s a partner at SNAP Copy, offering conversion-optimized copy on demand using a unique, credit-based system. Through his personal consultancy, Turner Creative, he works with founders of indie B2B SMBs to better position their value, understand their audience, and optimize their messaging & marketing. The best way to get in touch with James is to sign up for his short, off-beat daily emails about creativity, productivity, business ownership, and giving yourself a break at One Creative Moment.
One Creative Moment - https://turnercreative.ck.page/one-creative-moment-signup
Turner Creative - https://turnercreative.ca
SNAP Copy - https://snapcopy.co
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnercreative/

----
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/call
I hope to see you there!