Amy Rasdal traded her corporate job for consulting 15 years ago and makes more money than most executives. She works and plays every day. Amy founded Billable at the Beach® to liberate 6-figure earners by helping them build 6-figure consulting businesses. Amy is passionate about helping others find the freedom and flexibility to live the life of their dreams, without sacrificing the career they’ve spent so long building.

We discuss:

• A Silicon Valley kid on her path to becoming a startup CEO [01:32]
• How the environment for consulting is different nowadays [03:30]
• A super hero with super powers making super pay [05:02]
• The sweet spot of maximizing passion and pay together [07:06]
• You’re not imposing, you’re helping [09:25]
• A great example of how a consulting business can evolve [13:16]
• The pause on developing people and why experts should take advantage of this opportunity [16:51]
• Why you already have what it needs to become a consultant [19:57]

Learn more about Amy at https://www.billableatthebeach.com/ and LinkedIn.

Brief Description of Gift

A free email course that will walk you through three action steps to generate revenue now

URL for free gift

https://www.billableatthebeach.com/free-course/

Daniel Daines-Hutt is a self-confessed ‘marketing nerd.’ He has a background in Direct Response advertising, but ironically, it’s his Content Marketing that people know him for.

We discuss:

• Cracking the code of getting people to read, listen or watch your content [02:21]
• Pre-framing problems and objections in advance [03:40]
• The goal of your content [05:13]
• The Ikea effect: building a bigger audience [07:38]
• Strategies behind before and after launching an article [10:07]
• No one wants to eat in an empty restaurant [11:49]
• Selling content on autopilot [13:10]
• Why Google gives higher rankings when we remove thin content [14:11]
• Different business, same techniques [16:42]
• A Netflix of everything content marketing [18:22]
• The unexpected effect of stopping marketing during a pandemic [19:43]

He’s had the Top 10 content of all time on inbound.org and Top content of 2017 and 2018 on GrowthHackers. With only 8 articles in years, he’s been referenced or shared by: Ryan Deiss, Neil Patel, Joanna Weibe, Glen Allsopp, Co-Schedule,

Active Campaign and many more.

He teaches people how to write less often, but get more traffic at https://www.ampmycontent.com.

Learn more about Daniel at https://www.ampmycontent.com.

Camille Nisich is a profitability and business growth advisor.

We discuss:

• Manifesting your business goals on a vision board [01:56]
• One light switches off but another switches on [06:42]
• Burning the candle at both ends [09:37]
• The time when an operator should pivot to a consultant [11:40]
• The one-million to eight-million range client [14:54]
• A profitability breakthrough session [16:22]
• The leak in your cash flow pyramid [17:01]
• Why former long-term employees tend to undercharge [20:15]
• The person that gets as many big ideas profitable as possible [21:26]

After earning a BA from Virginia Tech and an MBA from The College of William & Mary, and then spending 18 years driving projects that turned Dell Technologies into what it is today, Camille had her position eliminated in 2018. She then fully launched Camille Nisich Consulting to help fast-growing Tech companies create a cash flow strategy, make better decisions and turn capital into profit. 

To date she has delivered over $100 million in savings and $1 billion in sales pipeline to grow emerging Technology companies.

Learn more about Camille at www.camillenisich.com and LinkedIn.

Brief Description of Gift

Seven cash flow leaks to plug before you make your net sale 

URL for free gift

www.camillesays.com/goingsolo

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia.com where he helps writers develop a human-centered approach to marketing and reaching their readers.

We discuss:

• How we would have written the headline 50 years ago [02:40]
• Ways people are missing the boat when it comes to marketing their creativity [05:03]
• Why you should be promoting your competitors to your customers [09:27]
• The art kid who carved out a blogging role for himself [11:18]
• A pyramid of clarity cards [13:14]
• Loving working with people who love their work [14:54]
• How the web is changing publishing [16:30]
• The biggest sigh of relief [19:04]
• A marketing campaign that gives your work the best shot [21:10]
• What’s bigger than you in 10 years from now [22:45]

Learn more about Dan at https://wegrowmedia.com, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Gabe Arnold is the Founder & CEO of Business Marketing Engine. He is known as a serial problem-solver.

We discuss:

• Entrepreneurship is not a single-skill set [02:38]
• How to filter inputs that will [not] help you [06:02]
• How to accept or ignore a critique on your selling skills [09:04]
• Worrying about selling first and delivering second [11:36]
• Why you are creating a disservice when you’re putting out a free program [16:04]
• The effective hourly client facing rate [18:02]
• A customized approach with a focus on one primary area [20:45]

With 22 years of experience in professional writing, computer technology and marketing management, it’s a title that fits him well. He’s helped over a thousand young startups grow and establish enterprises. He has dedicated his life to finding ways to help teams of all sizes create effective results-based organizational models. Gabe created his first million-dollar product, Copywriter Today, in 2014 and has continued to scale and grow from there. Behind these successes lies a person who values personal relationships and living life to the fullest. He strives to create an environment of trust and open communication with his team and clients. Gabe believes that the people who make a lasting positive effect in this world are those who choose kindness, love and respect above all else.

Learn more about Gabe at https://businessmarketingengine.com/, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Tom is the founder and CEO of REP. He protects and preserves clients’ assets and reputation through managing their digital risk. 

We discuss:

• The writing is always on the wall [02:05] 
• If you have a breach, it’s a reputational issue [04:50]
• Star Wars: the intersection of IT and PR [08:17]
• Awareness as a solid foundation to a more cyber resilient world [11:15]
• A crash course in avoiding phishing links [12:52]
• Taking time to grief in a time of career transition [14:15]
• The one skill you need to become clear about your true purpose [16:30]
• A special investigator resolving mysteries [18:07]
• Creating something for everybody in a space with 8000 vendors [21:20]

REP is a digital security and reputation advisory firm, specializing in managing risk. REP builds and implements cyber protection programs from individuals to small- and medium-sized businesses. For nearly 20 years, Tom has had a career in public relations, media risk and cyber security. In 2019, his company downsized and eliminated most of the US operations. This paved the way for Tom to become an entrepreneur.

Learn more about Tom at https://securemyrep.com/, LinkedIn and Instagram.

After finding the courage to say “bye-bye” to her corporate marketing career, Kathy Goughenour built a 6-figure Virtual Assistant business from her tiny house in the middle of a forest. Today, she teaches professional women how to create their own work-at-home Virtual Assistant and Virtual Expert^® businesses so they too can enjoy the freedom, flexibility, and financial security they desire and deserve.

We discuss:

• The biggest challenge virtual assistants have [02:19]
• How to figure out there is an opportunity for a particular audience [06:29]
• Where consultants and coaches get stuck most often [09:07]
• The shift that happens with your team once you’ve hit the million-dollar plateau [11:01]
• Embracing numbers instead of hating them [16:14]
• If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough [18:08]
• How to keep money flowing even when the world has stopped [20:35]

Learn more about Kathy at https://expertvatraining.mykajabi.com/

Elizabeth Lamont is a strategic consultant for early-stage, founder-led beauty brands. After a professional career in Toronto, Hong Kong and New York, her job was eliminated in March 2019.  

We discuss:

• Adjust reaction, behave accordingly [01:27]
• Framing stories and reactions to the end of a working relationship [04:19]
• The best thing that could ever happen to you [06:06]
• Good luck is the result of good planning [07:56]
• The beauty of the consulting world [10:16]
• How to tell the story of desire [13:14]
• Why entrepreneurship is less risky than you think [15:30]
• Contacts that present a bridge to your future [16:27]
• An arsenal of three clients [17:33]

Learn more about Elizabeth at www.elizabeth-lamont.com and LinkedIn.

Jim Morris co-founded PowerReviews which grew to 1,200+ clients and sold for $168 million. He product-managed and architected one of the first ecommerce engines at online retailer Fogdog.com which had a $450 million IPO.

We discuss:

• The need for product discovery [02:06]
• Choose your own adventure [05:42]
• Why product discovery is so important for the software industry [07:30]
• The secret behind Zoom’s success in a time of pandemic [09:43]
• The time is now for every company [11:18]
• The best companies where product discovery works well [12:52]
• The wrong things product teams focus on [14:37]
• A reflective process with multiple solutions [17:08]
• From shepherding a concept through a process to becoming a subject-matter expert [21:56]
• A pattern-matching ability that translates theory into practice [23:38]
• Unlocking innovation in companies and potential in employees [25:46]

These days, he coaches Product teams and Product leaders at startups and corporations to replicate this success. He’s created a custom curriculum and training program that pulls from his 25 years of experience and the best minds in Product Management. He graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Computer Science.

Learn more about Jim at https://productdiscoverygroup.com and Twitter. 

Brief Description of Gift

A free 15-minute review of your website or app prototype

URL for Free Gift

https://productdiscoverygroup.com/prototype

Kerrian Fournier, CEO of Vybrante Ventures, has 25+ years of experience on Wall Street, Strategy/Risk Consulting and Technology firms.  

We discuss:

• The big title, the big office, the big compensation, and the big ego [02:07]
• When it’s meant to disrupt yourself [04:50]
• Definitely not a long walk in the park [12:16]
• What you don’t know you don’t know [14:30]
• Rethinking what a productive work model looks like [17:22]
• What’s the worst that could happen? [19:03]
• The four-box approach for hard and high-impact decisions [21:36]
• The mindset that will [not] help you open up a beach bar [23:02]

She is a certified Executive Coach through iPEC, one of the preeminent coaching certification programs, and is passionate about unleashing everyone’s highest selves whether you’re an aspiring leader or the CEO of a Fortune 250 company. She is a sought after speaker on topics of team effectiveness, innovation, and building vibrant corporate cultures. Kerrian has spoken at WorldatWork, Center for Effective Organizations, Marsh & McLennan Inc., Bank of America and Symbol Technologies.

Learn more about Kerrian at https://vybrante.com/ and LinkedIn.

Brief Description of Gift

A complimentary 15-minute Laser Coaching session to help you reframe any aspect of your career and/or business you are frustrated with or stressed out about

URL for free gift

https://calendly.com/kerrian-vybrante/15-minute-laser-coaching-session

Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to raise the bar on book coaching.

We discuss:

• A writer’s approach that makes all the difference [01:54]
• Helping a dream come true with no promises [04:05]
• The outcome is usually not the thing itself [07:10]
• Why [sports] people need a coach [09:53]
• How to charge as a business owner versus as a friend [11:20]
• How to have a ridiculously successful hit rate [15:03]
• Why it gets better after breaking through the one-million-dollar plateau [20:02]
• The opportunity that lies in what you’re angry at [22:31]

Author Accelerator has trained more than 60 book coaches to support writers through the entire creative process. Her own coaching clients have landed top New York agents and six figure book deals with Big 5 houses. Jennie is the author of 9 books in 3 genres, including Read Books All Day and Get Paid for It: The Business of Book Coaching.

Learn more about Jennie at https://jennienash.com/ and https://www.bookcoaches.com/.

Brief Description of Gift

Top ten tips for writers

Free series of videos about book coaching

URL for Free Gift

https://jennienash.com/

https://www.bookcoaches.com/

Jem has lived a very colorful life. From barefoot backpacker to corporate leader. Actor, singer/songwriter, tattooist, fire dancer, volunteer, teacher, travel consultant and now executive coach, speaker and facilitator of retreats in the Himalaya and jungles of Bali. Jem became ‘suddenly unemployed’ in 2013 and commenced his solopreneur journey. 

We discuss:

• Pondering on the future and laughing at yourself [02:05]
• It’s going to be hard but the timing is now [05:38]
• A conviction that empowers you to follow those before you [07:27]
• A smooth transition can help a dream come true [08:39]
• Why being present is crucial to a consultant’s success [10:19]
• From a mentee to a friend [11:34]
• It’s a numbers game [14:20]
• Remarkable stories happen during challenging times [19:36]

Learn more about Jem at https://jemfuller.teachable.com

Brief Description of Gift

A discount off Your Resilience online course. It includes 6 months of support and coaching from Jem

URL for free gift

https://jemfuller.teachable.com/p/personal-resilience

Merritt Minnemeyer, ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, is the Founder of Master of One Coaching, which serves visionary founders transforming into powerful leaders of purpose-driven movements. 

We discuss:

• Choose well, choose wisely, choose love [2:01]
• A guiding principle that creates a third option [12:25]
• Walking the walk of social entrepreneurship [14:25]
• How to turn around an employee’s mind and get them invested in the longevity of the company [18:39]
• Freedom to fail as a way to navigate a transition [20:24]

Merritt is a highly trained coach and speaker who employs 20 years in business, education, social justice, and the arts to create high-touch leadership programs for every client. Passionate about social entrepreneurship, Merritt is committed to contributing to the health, wealth, and harmony of the world. She shares her life with her remarkable husband, their three vibrant boys, and a menagerie of critters.

Learn more about Merritt at www.masterofonecoaching.com.

Brief Description of Gift

A free seven-day leadership journal

A 10 % affiliate fee commission for anybody who refers a client to Merritt

URL for Free Gift

www.masterofonecoaching.com

Deb Zahn is a practicing healthcare independent consultant and the CEO of the Craft of Consulting. 

We discuss:

• When an unrealized entrepreneurial spirit meets financial insecurity [1:43]
• The path of a consultant to becoming a guru for other consultants [5:26]
• The power of podcasts for getting known [8:17]
• How to determine and communicate your value as a consultant [9:22]
• The key factor to securing a $125,000 contract in your first three weeks as a consultant [14:35]
• Confident and comfortable in your new business [18:25]
• A granular method to picking up your market niche [21:41]

Deb helps accomplished professionals start, build, and grow their consulting businesses and have the lives they most want. She is also the host of the Craft of Consulting podcast where she interviews other consultants about what it takes to be a profitable consultant and clients about what makes them hire or not hire consultants.

Learn more about Deb at www.craftofconsulting.com.

Brief Description of Gift

25% off Deb’s online course: Get More Consulting Business Faster (use coupon code: FAST)

URL for free gift

https://courses.craftofconsulting.com/p/get-more-consulting-business-faster/

Meredith Bell is co-founder and President of Performance Support Systems, a global software company. Their award-winning assessment and development tools help leaders and team members become more effective performers. Many clients have done business with her company for more than 20 years.

We discuss:

• Lack of communication skills in a time full of communication tools [2:12]
• The foundational skill that will make your interactions amazing [5:20]
• The consequences of not listening effectively [7:42]
• Asking questions versus offering opinions [9:43]
• What most effective consultants do [11:43]
• How to improve someone’s listening skills without criticizing them [13:33]
• The confidence to start a conversation over again [19:23]
• The balance necessary to form relationships based on openness and honesty [22:02]

Meredith is author or co-author of two books. Her solo book is Strong for Performance: Create a Culture with Learning & Development Programs That Stick. She co-authored Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills, with Denny Coates, her business partner of 30 years.

Learn more about Meredith at https://growstrongleaders.com/.

Brief Description of Gift

A free e-book, Listen Like a Pro

URL for Free Gift

https://growstrongleaders.com/free

Erin Halper is the founder and CEO of The Upside, a collective that helps consultants advance their business and thrive.

We discuss:

• The best of working full time or not working at all [02:50]
• The “top” companies for women to work for [05:05]
• A mindset shift from a place of power and worth [08:36]
• A multilayer strategy for planting seeds [12:08]
• It’s not what you know but who you know [15:07]
• The role of the foundational client for getting a consistent income [19:47]
• A magical unicorn of a consultancy collective [21:34]

Since launching The Upside in 2017, Erin has advised more than 1,000 professionals on how to redefine the 9-5 and build a respected consultancy practice that affords them the freedom of working when, where and how they want. Prior to launching The Upside, Erin built a 7-year independent consulting career providing marketing expertise to her private investment clients.

Learn more about Erin at https://betheupside.com/.

Brief Description of Gift

For anyone already out there consulting, they’d love for you to become a member of The Upside where you’ll expand your network and learn from some of the best and brightest independent consultants.

For those who want a step-by-step action plan for launching a thriving consultancy, they offer The Upside Accelerator for Early-Stage Consultants twice a year…so stay on their mailing list to get notified of the next launch!

URL for free gift

https://betheupside.com/

Zachariah Moreno is the co-founder, CEO and CTO of SquadCast. He is a technologist, podcaster, author, and co-founder of SquadCast. Zach and his team are on a mission to connect creatives.  

We discuss: 

• Why developing only a product is not enough [1:34] 
• A side project that turns into a unique tool focused on quality and reliability [3:54] 
• When you don’t know that you’ve actually found a product fit [7:14] 
• A big leap of faith [8:41] 
• How audio quality impacts credibility [12:30] 
• Major differentiators for improving audio quality [16:00] 
• Creative opportunities to foster collaboration outside the studio [19:39]  

Learn more about Zachariah at https://squadcast.fm. 

Brief Description of Gift 

A promo code to get 10 dollars off your first month in addition to a 7-day free trial – STP2020 

URL for Free Gift 

https://squadcast.fm. 

Mark Butler is the founder of the accounting startup Let’s Do the Books, as well as the bookkeeper, CFO and confidante to top online entrepreneurs like Brooke Castillo and Stacey Boehman. Before working in finance, Mark co-founded three online businesses that brought in close to $2 million in total revenue.  

We discuss: 

• You need a budget [1:47] 
• The right amount of money that self-employed people learn to accept [4:02] 
• The three most dangerous addictions [8:00] 
• A new kind of stimuli to deal with [10:03] 
• Why entrepreneurs need to constrain the time they give to their desk [12:36] 
• The [un]willingness to reframe things as a major factor for success [15:47] 
• The importance of mentally experiencing the worst-case scenario [20:17] 
• Why administrative work comes second to building relationships [22:06] 

Today, Mark combines his business savvy with his certification in life coaching to help business owners take control of their finances and work through the shame and anxiety that almost always comes up when dealing with money. 

Learn more about Mark at http://letsdothebooks.com.  

Stacey Hanke is author of the book “Influence Redefined: Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday”. She has trained and presented to thousands to rid business leaders of bad body language habits and to choose words wisely. She’s worked with leaders at FedEx, Nationwide, Boeing and Oracle. She is a Certified Speaking Professional – a valuable accreditation earned by less than 10% of speakers worldwide.  

We discuss: 

• Why most people believe they’re more influential than they really are [1:56] 
• How to understand how influential you really are [3:27] 
• The importance of silent observers for getting an honest feedback [7:20] 
• The gift you don’t want to receive [9:06] 
• The best way to grow and develop for free [10:50] 
• The three key drivers of influence [12:07] 
• The true test of a leader’s influence [14:19] 
• How consultants and coaches can achieve an athlete’s level of awareness [16:15] 
• The big step is momentum and repetition [20:01] 
• The video camera doesn’t lie [22:46] 

Learn more about Stacey at https://staceyhankeinc.com/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyhanke/, and YouTube. 

Kevin Perlmutter is a Brand and Customer Relationship Strategist. He is Chief Strategist and Founder of Limbic Brand Evolution, where he helps CMO’s, Brand and Business Leaders strengthen customer relationships through the lens of emotion. He applies behavioral science to turn emotional insights into a competitive advantage.  

We discuss: 

• Why experiences are more important than advertisement [1:23] 
• Going back to your roots in order to move forward [4:55] 
• The largest driver of loyalty for brands [6:36] 
• The hardest client you will ever have [9:46] 
• Going solo without going it alone [16:27] 
• Why you have to keep your foot on the gas [18:00] 
• The intersection where limbic sparks happen [19:36] 

Learn more about Kevin  at https://www.limbicbrandevolution.com/,  LinkedIn and Twitter. 

Michael F. Schein is the founder and president of MicroFame Media, a marketing agency that specializes in making idea-based companies famous in their fields.

We discuss:

• What marketing is really all about [3:53]
• The Hype man: reverse-engineering as a way to make people take an action [8:22]
• Milk before meat [10:13]
• Hustle, hustle, hustle [13:50]
• If only people saw how good your product is [15:57]
• What makes negative hype artists so good at what they do [19:55]
• Why you need to make sure you don’t gravitate only toward people like you [23:33]

He is also the author of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets from the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers, published by McGraw Hill, that will appear everywhere books are sold on January 12, 2021.

Learn more about Michael at www.microfamemedia.com, www.michaelfschein.com and TheHypeHandbook.

Susan Drumm is a CEO Advisor and Leadership Coach with over 20 years of experience leading teams and senior executives to achieve their potential.   

We discuss: 

• The surprising benefits of nonlinear transitions [1:47] 
• How to get your fire back and create exciting opportunities for yourself [5:59] 
• What business leaders can learn from great actors [10:16] 
• Drawing from multiple disciplines as a short detour to your dream [13:54] 
• A powerful tool to help you think through your gifts as well as your blind spots [17:49] 

Her consulting firm, Meritage Leadership, focuses on leader and team effectiveness by helping leaders develop the capacity and mindsets to lead in today’s disruptive environment. Meritage utilizes over a dozen exceptional coaches in its senior leadership programs.  

Learn more about Susan at www.meritageleadership.com. 

Brief Description of Gift 

A free download of the Enneagram  

URL for free gift 

http://meritageleadership.com/goingsolo

Matt Zinman is a difference-maker devoted to personally enrich the lives of at least 100 million people by 2025.  

We discuss: 

• How interns could be helpful when going through a major transition [1:32] 
• Putting earned confidence in action [6:27] 
• Hiring interns versus hiring virtual assistants [8:30] 
• Ways to use interns as a multiplier [9:30] 
• Overcoming business challenges with a no-quit attitude [12:56] 
• Why it’s important to have a Plan B [14:14] 
• The impact plan: changing the lives of at least 100 million people by 2025 [15:10] 
• A snapshot of your life [18:10] 

His new book, “Z-isms: Insights to Live By” is based on his experiences as an entrepreneur, athlete, single parent, caregiver and nonprofit founder. He is also the host of “Insights to Live By,” a podcast that invites guests to share their own pearls of wisdom. In addition, Matt is CEO of The Internship Institute, which he established in 2007 to “Make Experience Matter.”  

Learn more about Matt at https://mattzinman.com, www.internshipinstitute.org and www.isazinman.com. 

Brief Description of Gift 

Free Self-care Report Card 

URL for Free Gift 

https://mattzinman.com/z-isms/report-card/ 

James Burgess is the author of the international bestselling book CHAOS: How Business Leaders Can Master the Power of Focus and “No Problem” Is The Problem; How to Attract and Retain Raving Fans. He is a professional speaker and Founder of FOCUS31 an international management consulting company that are global experts in Business Planning for businesses from start-up to millions of dollars in revenue.  

We discuss: 

• When you’re too entrepreneurial for the company you work for [1:47] 
• The simplicity of a name that makes the difference [5:57] 
• A business plan is not about a 50-word page [7:56] 
• James, what’s next? [10:18] 
• How to go through the pains of starting your own business without losing your passion [12:24] 
• The FOCUS Accountability System Protocol [14:30] 
• It is usually about somebody’s personal dream [17:34] 
• LinkedIn as a virtual chamber of commerce [18:58] 

After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1983 with an Honors degree in Commerce and Economics, James joined the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. James enjoyed 22 successful years with CIBC with the last 10 years as a senior leader of small business responsible for a portfolio of three quarters of a billion dollars with 30 direct reports, receiving the Chairman’s Award on three separate occasions for performance excellence.   

James founded FOCUS31 in 2006. FOCUS31 enables business owners. FOCUS31 programs enable business owners to identify and focus on the right priorities, to think strategically and to improve the quality of their business decisions generating greater financial results through radical FOCUS on, and accountability for, the activities that will truly advance a business’ success.  

Learn more about James at https://www.focus31.com.  

Brief Description of Gift 

Free downloadable version of James Burgess book CHAOS: How Business Leaders Can Master the Power of Focus  

URL for free gift 

CHAOSThePowerOfFocus.com