Author, founder, and CEO Barry LaBov joined me on Ditching Hourly to geek out about niching down - while walking me through the five-step process he describes in his book The Power of Differentiation. Barry's Bio: Barry LaBov is the founder and CEO of LABOV Marketing Communications and Training. He is a two-time Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Ye…

Guest Russ Waddell joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain how he successfully went out on his own for the first time after more than a decade as a full-time employee. Guest Links: https://www.russwaddell.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-waddell/ ---- What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you. every. single. day?…

Zach Stevens, co-founder of Conversion Factory, came back on Ditching Hourly to give an update about how things are going with his “all-you-can-eat” subscription-based service business after two years in business. Zach's Links Conversion Factory Zach's LinkedIn Zach's Twitter Other Links MicroConf Tiny Seed FreePik Visual Electric Somewhere ---- Wh…

Author of Ditch The Billable Hour!, Shaun Jardine, joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain how he transitioned his 240-person law firm off the billable hour. Shaun's Links Shaun's Book Shaun's Website Shaun's LinkedIn Shaun's Twitter The book Shaun mentioned: Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter ---- What if your ideal buyers looked forward to get…

The author of No Bullsh*t Strategy and founder of Basic Arts, Alex M H Smith, joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss what business strategy is, why it matters, and how to get started. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:00 Defining Strategy and the Importance of Unique Value 07:53 Trade-Offs: Creating Space for Unique Value 13:36 Strateg…

LinkedIn Ghostwriter Pranav Kale joined me on Ditching Hourly to do a reverse interview about what I've learned during my recent experiment of posting daily on LinkedIn. Pranav’s Links: Website: https://www.pranavkale.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranavkale120/ ---- What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an email from you…

Matt Kerbis, also known as the Subscription Attorney, joined me on Ditching Hourly to share his novel approach to ditching hourly billing in the legal space with a subscription model. Matt's bio from his website: ”My name is Mathew Kerbis, I’m The Subscription Attorney, and I believe subscriptions can help bridge the access to justice gap and incen…

Ben Zettler, owner and founder of Zettler Digital, joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss pricing tactics for agencies. Ben's Links: Zettler Digital Ben's LinkedIn AI-Generated Stuff: SUMMARY Ben Zettler, owner and founder of Zettler Digital, joins Jonathan Stark to discuss value pricing for agencies. Ben shares his background in sports and how he…

Strategic lawyer and IP expert Erin Austin joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about the intersection of plagiarism, copyright infringement, and generative AI. Erin's Bio A graduate of Harvard Law School, Erin Austin is a strategic lawyer and consultant who uses her 25+ years of practicing law, including roles as COO and general counsel at large a…

Co-founder and Head of Design at Under, Eden Vidal, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about productizing design sprints, optimizing your business to suit your personality, and convincing contractors to ditch hourly billing. Eden's Links: https://edenvidal.com/ https://weareunder.design/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/edenvidal/ AI Summary: Eden Vid…

Sam Browne, lifestyle entrepreneur and LinkedIn expert with more than 100k followers joined me on Ditching Hourly to share his insights on growing your audience on LinkedIn. Sam’s Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-browne/ Gumroad: https://sambrowne.gumroad.com/ Takeaways Know what you want to be known for on LinkedIn and focus on edu…

Long-time friend-of-the-show Kevin Freidberg joined me on Ditching Hourly to share how he helps freelancers and consultants create effective websites by starting with email conversations. Kevin's Links: https://marketyourselffirst.com/ AI-Generated Info: Summary Kevin Friedberg shares his approach to helping freelancers and consultants create effec…

Residential architect Jason Comer joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm how he might migrate from commodity labor to productized leverage with his expertise in home design. Even if you're not an architect, I think you'll find the discussion useful. Jason’s Website: https://www.jasoncomerarchitect.com/ ---- What if your ideal buyers looked forw…

WP Engine founder Jason Cohen joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about why AI is different from other big tech advancements. We also discussed why niching down in a single ideal customer profile will bring you 10x more customers than you expect and how a regular writing practice makes the world a better place (and maybe even builds a legacy). Jas…

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 Quinn Deep Specialization podcast by Corey Quinn Corey…

Geraldine Carter and I swapped interviews about why niching down doesn't lead to boredom. Geraldine's Links: Geraldine's website Geraldine's newsletter Geraldine's podcast ---- 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…

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 chec…

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: Recurver Joe on LinkedIn AI Summary: In this episode, game developer turned consultant Joe Quidara shares his journey …

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/Bryghtpath Podcast: https://bryghtpath.com/resources/managing-uncertainty-podcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin…

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:…

Alexander Lapa joined me on ditching Hourly for a tour-de-force journey through the paths available to tech folks operating with a post-hourly mentality. Talking Points: Setting fixed prices and sticking to them can result in profitable client relationships. Specializing in a specific target market, such as nonprofits, improves marketing efforts an…

Fellow daily emailer and No-BS marketer Rod Aparicio joined me on Ditching Hourly to bust the myth of personal branding. Rod’s Links Twitter Profile Email List AI Summary In this episode, Jonathan Stark and guest Rod Aparicio discuss the concept of personal brand and its misconceptions. They emphasize that personal brand is more about influencing p…

Graphic designer, product marketer, and co-founder of Conversion Factory, Zach Stevens, joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain how he and his co-founders went from zero to more than $36k MRR in one month with a productized subscription business that helps SaaS teams turn traffic into revenue. Zach's links: https://www.conversionfactory.co/ https:/…

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 Points Taking 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…

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/about Summary In this epis…

Denis Gontcharov joined me on Ditching Hourly for a coaching call to help brainstorm a positioning statement for his data consulting business targeting the aluminum industry. ---- 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 s…

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 Points Expectations for attention to detail and planning increase in high-dollar professional services…

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 …

Guest Bio Michael 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 a…

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 Points Subscription pricing is becoming increasingly prevalent, with the subscription economy projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2025. Pricing tiers can be implement…

180Sites.com founder Ryan Golgosky joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain in detail how his web design company manages to add and service more than 30 new clients per month! Ryan’s Links: 180sites.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…

Cross-post from The Business of Authority: Seth Godin joins us again, this time to answer the core question in his brand-new book “The Song of Significance”: What does it take to do work that matters? Talking Points Why right now is the best time ever to make a significant contribution to the change you want to see in your world. The importance of …

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 bu…

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 enj…

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 bu…

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 Poi…

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 ---- Wha…

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, cr…

Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how he grew his mailing list and podcast audiences to 100k+ each and how he got started making money without offering high-ticket services. Side Hustle Nation The Side Hustle Show Custom Playlist http://hustle.show https://twitter.com/nloper https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick…

Canyon Trail founder Floyd May joined me on Ditching Hourly to describe his “shares” pricing model for software development. Floyd’s Links: https://canyon-trail.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/floyd-may/ ---- 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 …

Longtime software developer Tim Burris joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about his transition from annual salary to hourly billing to fixed pricing and the positive effects the transition had on his day-to-day. Pretty good AI summary: In this episode, I had a fascinating conversation with Tim Burriss about his journey from being a software devel…

Steve Folland, creator of the Being Freelance podcast and Doing it for the Kids podcast, joined me on Ditching Hourly to chat about his journey into freelancing, organic business growth, and tips for getting into the business mindset. Chapters: (0:00:00) - The Freelance Journey of Steve Folland (0:05:00) - Organic Growth of a Freelance Business (0:…

Angular expert Alain Chautard joined me on Ditching Hourly to share the novel ways he escaped the trap of trading time for money by packaging and pricing his platform expertise. Alain's Bio Alain is a Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies, Angular, and Google Maps. His daily mission is to help development teams adopt Angular and build at scal…

Ex-Googler Kartick Vaddadi joined me on Ditching Hourly to brainstorm which of his offerings might be most compelling and to find ways to increase the number of leads flowing into his business. Kartick’s Links Website: https://kartick.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ConsultingCTO ---- What if your ideal buyers looked forward to getting an ema…

This week I am joined by Ed Gandia. Ed is the co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer, the host of the High-Income Business Writing podcast, and a coach to ambitious writers and copywriters who want to earn more in less time doing work they love for better clients. As you can probably tell from this bio, Ed and I are very much kindred spirits, so this …

Legal operations advisor and law professor Mitch Kowalski joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about innovation in the legal profession, including alternatives to hourly billing. Talking Points The history of hourly billing in the legal profession Transparency in pricing (and why hourly billing isn't transparent at all) The perverse incentives of h…

Sew Heidi is a business coach and educator who helps freelance fashion designers build better businesses. She joined me on Ditching Hourly to compare notes on the similarities and differences between freelancing in fashion vs. freelancing in software. Spoiler alert: There was a lot more in common than you might expect. Episode Summary In this episo…

Jason Lengstorf joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about the novel way he's using his generalist web skills to create value, have fun, and make a living. Jason's Bio: Jason Lengstorf is the host of Learn With Jason, a web generalist and the undefeated smashburger champ. A creative technologist and educator, Jason helps tech companies connect with…

Home studio architect and author Junaid Ahmed joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about why it's important to look and sound your best on camera, how to level up your home studio without spending a lot of time or money, and the novel approach he took to writing and publishing his new book, Mastering iPhone Video Production. Junaid's Bio: Junaid Ah…

Jeff Doolittle is a software architect, transformational leader, and se-radio.net host who’s on a mission to make good software professionals great. Jeff joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about his journey from a web dev working for free pizza to an in-demand software architect. Along the way, we talked about the importance of strategy, systems …