Consulting Mastery

Karie Miller & Ahmad Munawar
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Welcome to Consulting Mastery, where we help B2B consultants master the business of consulting. Join us as we explore the art of delivering outstanding client value, earning a higher income, and thriving in today's marketplace.

  1. -4 J

    Selling to strangers

    I discovered something shocking after 12 years of coaching consultants - we're facing the most brutal economic environment for independent consultants that I've ever witnessed. Even seasoned pros with 30 years under their belt are telling me they've never seen anything this challenging. The perfect storm has hit: your warm network has frozen budgets, there's a massive influx of desperate consultants flooding the market, and AI is eating away at the bottom tier. While most consultants are drowning, a select few are absolutely thriving and growing faster than ever. The difference? They've cracked the code on selling to strangers instead of relying on their cozy network of friends who used to throw them work. Show Notes: - Why a 30-year consulting veteran said this is the most challenging economic environment he's ever faced - and what happened to his $200K+ anchor client overnight - The "network of 20" trap that's killing consultant businesses (and how expanding to 300+ connections changes everything) - How AI and mass layoffs created a perfect storm that's flooding the market with desperate consultants - The truth about why your warm network can't save you anymore - even when they love your work - Why the consultants who are thriving right now have one thing in common: they've mastered selling to complete strangers - The new "burden of proof" reality - why prospects assume you're just another generic consultant until you prove otherwise - Real example: How one well-positioned consultant got a client to say "pricing is just a side note" in September 2025 - The stark choice every consultant faces: master cold market sales or polish up your resume

    18 min

  2. 8 SEPT.

    Is it time to get a job?

    I've been exactly where you are right now - staring at two divergent paths, paralyzed by the decision between building a consulting practice and taking the "safe" job route. The problem is brutal: you're hemorrhaging cash, questioning every move, and that voice in your head keeps whispering "just take whatever job comes first." But here's what's eating you alive - you're hedging your bets, giving half-hearted effort to both paths, and excelling at neither. The truth nobody wants to tell you? In today's job market, that "stable" employment isn't the safety net you think it is, and while you're chasing corporate security, you're missing the fastest path to real financial freedom and control over your destiny.Show Notes: Why the "stable job" myth is financially dangerous in 2025's employment landscapeThe counterintuitive reason asking for $200K employment is actually HARDER than landing a $40K consulting contractHow one consultant accidentally landed their dream job (and a six-figure payday) while building their practiceThe invisible skill overlap between job hunting and client acquisition that 90% of consultants missWhy employers desperately want to hire the consultant who doesn't need themThe "insurance policy" approach to building consulting skills even if you take a jobHow being "half-assed" at both paths guarantees you'll fail at everythingThe mindset shift that turns consulting from "risky venture" to "strategic advantage"Why your LinkedIn activity for consulting will make job offers come to YOU instead

    18 min

  3. 2 SEPT.

    When consultants fall in love

    I almost made a huge mistake last week that could have killed my consulting business before it even got off the ground. I was so in love with a specific market – one that felt perfectly aligned with my passion and identity – that I was willing to ignore every red flag screaming at me that it wasn't ready yet. The problem? When you're emotionally invested in making something work, you become dangerously good at rationalizing why obvious warning signs don't matter. You'll emphasize every tiny positive signal while minimizing the glaring negatives, all because you want it to work so badly. But here's what I learned from my mentor that changed everything: sometimes the market you love most is the one that will bankrupt you fastest. In this episode, I'll share the counterintuitive advice that saved my business and show you how to pursue your passion market without letting bias destroy your judgment. Show Notes: Why being "too in love" with your target market can be more dangerous than having no passion at allThe devastating bias trap that makes smart consultants rationalize away obvious market warning signsWhen to pull back from your dream market to build financial stability (and how to return to it later)The "too early" advantage: How to position yourself ahead of the curve without going broke in the processWhy small passionate markets can kill your business faster than boring big marketsThe three-option framework for when your favorite market isn't viable yetHow to expand a small market's scope by identifying profitable adjacent opportunitiesThe risk management strategy that lets you pursue passion projects while paying the billsWhy every market has multiple viable "Y" solutions – and how to find the profitable ones

    13 min

  4. 25 AOÛT

    Does experience matter?

    I've been watching consultants panic as seasoned C-suite executives flood the market, convinced they can't compete with decades of boardroom experience. But here's the truth: you're playing the wrong game entirely. While you're busy comparing resumes like you're applying for a corporate job, these "superior" competitors are making a fatal mistake that's about to hand you every deal on a silver platter. In this episode, I reveal why the best product rarely wins in any market, and exactly how to position yourself so that all that executive experience becomes completely irrelevant to your prospects. Show Notes: Why the flood of unemployed executives entering consulting isn't the threat you think it isThe critical difference between corporate success and consulting success that most C-suite consultants missHow to stop thinking like a job applicant and start thinking like a market specialistWhy generalist experience becomes a liability when clients need specific problem-solversThe positioning strategy that makes decades of boardroom experience irrelevant to your prospectsReal examples of how "inferior" consultants consistently outperform seasoned executivesThe marketing advantage that trumps experience every single timeHow to leverage your "disadvantage" into your biggest competitive moat

    13 min

  5. 18 AOÛT

    Are you gatekeeping

    I used to guard my expertise like Fort Knox – terrified that sharing my best ideas would make me worthless and let competitors steal my secret sauce. But here's the truth: while I was playing it safe and staying invisible, my prospects were already 57% through their buying journey before they'd even consider talking to me. They were desperately searching for the very insights I was hoarding, and when they couldn't find me, they found someone else who wasn't afraid to show up. I discovered that in today's AI-saturated world where ideas are literally free, the real money isn't in gatekeeping information – it's in being the expert who can actually apply those ideas in context, and the only way prospects will trust you with that expensive work is if you first prove your value through generous, strategic sharing. Show Notes: The gatekeeping trap: Why most consultants are sabotaging their own success by hoarding their expertise instead of sharing it strategicallyThe "free vs. expensive" pricing model: David C. Baker's game-changing approach that separates ideas (free) from application (expensive) – and why this distinction will transform your business57% invisible problem: The shocking statistic about B2B buyers that explains why your prospects have already made up their minds before they'll even talk to youIdeas are cheap, execution is everything: Why giving away your frameworks actually protects you from competitors instead of helping themThe AI democratization effect: How artificial intelligence has made ideas worthless and why that's actually great news for smart consultantsStrategic sharing formula: The exact framework for deciding what to share publicly vs. what to keep for paying clientsPower Positioning workshop case study: Real example of how giving away an entire framework on a weekly basis actually drives more high-value businessTrust-building through teaching: Why prospects need to see your thinking process before they'll pay for your implementationThe visibility tax: The hidden cost of not sharing your expertise and how it's keeping you invisible to your ideal clients

    13 min

  6. 11 AOÛT

    How to charge more

    I used to think my age was holding me back from charging premium consulting fees – until I discovered the real truth about what drives pricing in our industry. If you're tired of being commoditized, shopped against dozens of other consultants, and forced to compete on price alone, you're focusing on the wrong factors entirely. The problem isn't your age, technical skills, or the "competitive market" – it's that you don't understand the four mechanical drivers that actually determine what clients will pay. Once I learned these principles, everything changed: I stopped being a wandering generality and became a meaningful specific, moved from implementation to strategy, and transformed from a commodity into the obvious choice for high-value problems. Show Notes: The commodity trap exposed: Why consultants get shopped against 100+ competitors and how limiting beliefs about age, skills, and market conditions are actually irrelevant to pricingThe existential problem principle: How to identify and solve the "hundred thousand dollar problems" that keep executives up at night and command premium feesFrom $2K to $100K problems: The truth about why you can't just "dress up your pricing" and charge more without elevating your value propositionThe specialist advantage: Real-world example of how a cardiac surgeon commands higher fees than a GP – and how this applies directly to consultingStrategy door vs. implementation door: David C. Baker's framework for walking into higher-value engagements and why strategy mistakes cost more than implementation mistakesThe meaningful specific transformation: How to go from being relevant to everyone (and chosen by no one) to being irrelevant to 90% but indispensable to your 10%Confidence as a pricing multiplier: Why solving the same problem repeatedly builds both market confidence and self-confidence that shows up in every client interactionThe four mechanical drivers: Complete breakdown of problem size, problem specificity, market positioning, and engagement level that actually determine your fees

    23 min

  7. 4 AOÛT

    How much can I make?

    I used to think replacing my corporate income was a "smart" consulting goal—until I discovered this mindset was sabotaging my success before I even started. Here's the brutal truth: if you're leaving corporate to become a consultant with the goal of just matching your old salary, you're thinking like an employee, not an entrepreneur. This scarcity-based approach will trap you in bad pricing decisions, wrong client choices, and a business model that keeps you stuck at your income ceiling. In this episode, I reveal why "income replacement" is a poverty mindset in disguise and share the powerful reframe that transforms struggling consultants into six-figure success stories. Show Notes: Why setting an "income replacement" goal as a new consultant is actually a recipe for failure and mediocrityThe hidden psychological traps that keep former corporate employees thinking small about their consulting potentialHow your corporate salary has zero bearing on what you can actually earn as an independent consultantThe fundamental difference between being a "cog in the machine" versus being the actual product clients pay forWhy consultants who aim higher from day one consistently outperform those with "realistic" goalsThe energy shift from scarcity ("I have to do this") to abundance ("I get to do this") that separates winners from strugglersReal examples of how different goal-setting approaches create completely different business outcomesThe progression strategy successful consultants use to scale from income replacement to six-figure revenuesHow your pricing, positioning, and client selection must change based on your true income goalsThe mindset upgrade that transforms desperate job-seekers into confident, high-value consultants

    21 min

  8. 28 JUIL.

    The messy middle

    I was crushing it in my consulting business—tons of traction, busy schedule, opportunities everywhere—but then something weird happened that caught me completely off guard. My motivation started tanking right when things were going well. If you've ever felt less pumped up just when you should be celebrating, you're not alone. This motivation dip in the "messy middle" is actually more common than struggling when things are hard, and it can derail everything you've worked for. In this episode, my co-host and I break down exactly why this happens and give you the specific strategies to reignite your drive when success starts feeling like a slog. Show Notes: Why your motivation crashes right when your business starts succeeding (and why this is actually more common than struggling during hard times)The two hidden reasons you lose steam in the "messy middle"—and how to identify which one is sabotaging your progressThe goal-setting mistake that's killing your drive (hint: your initial goal was probably too low and too safe)How to manufacture the motivating "stretch" you had in the beginning by strategically moving your goalpostsWhy doing "all the things" feels overwhelming—and the mindset shift that makes marketing feel less like tortureThe critical business activities you should never outsource (even when you can afford to delegate everything else)The simple exercise that reconnects you to your "why" when tactical burnout clouds your bigger visionHow to get surgical with your goals instead of drowning in a 14-item daily task listWhy accepting marketing as "part of the job" (not an annoying side quest) changes everything about your energy levels

    14 min
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À propos

Welcome to Consulting Mastery, where we help B2B consultants master the business of consulting. Join us as we explore the art of delivering outstanding client value, earning a higher income, and thriving in today's marketplace.

Informations

  • Création
    Karie Miller & Ahmad Munawar
  • Années d’activité
    2023 - 2025
  • Épisodes
    133
  • Classification
    Contenu explicite
  • Copyright
    © Karie Miller & Ahmad Munawar
  • Site web de l’émission
    Consulting Mastery

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