Black Belt Startup with Feras

Getting ghosted is scary. Especially when it's a prospect you thought was interested.

Most consultants either give up too quickly or keep sending some version of "just checking in" until the prospect stops paying attention altogether.

This Wednesday, we'll work through a better follow-up strategy.

We'll cover when to follow up, what to send, how to add value between conversations, when another communication channel makes sense, and when it's time to move an opportunity into long-term nurture.

I'll also show you a simple system for keeping track of conversations so good opportunities don't disappear because you forgot to follow up.

How you price your first consulting engagements can make them easier, or harder, to land.

Early on, your pricing strategy can make the difference between a prospect hesitating and saying yes.

That may mean starting with a smaller scope, a pilot, phased work, or an introductory price tied to something valuable in return, such as a case study, testimonial, or referral.

This Tuesday, I’ll walk through how to price those first few engagements so you win more clients and reduce friction without giving away the value of your work.

We’ll also cover when a discount makes sense, what to ask for in return, and how to use those early projects to build proof and support higher pricing later.

Thinking about starting a business after 50?

Research cited by AARP found that founders over 50 were nearly twice as successful as founders under 30. But starting later also means you may have more to protect: savings, family responsibilities, and the financial security you've spent decades building.

This Tuesday, we'll talk about both sides of the equation: the advantages you already have, the risks you need to manage, and how to turn your experience into a viable business.

We'll also cover financial runway, learning new skills, sales, franchising, and the first steps to validate your idea before making the leap.

Your first client may already be in your phone.

If you've spent 10 or 15 years in your profession, you've probably built relationships with former colleagues, managers, clients, vendors, and industry contacts who already know what you're capable of.

Yet when professionals start a business, many feel uncomfortable reaching out to those same people.

We'll work through how to turn your existing network into a practical starting point for finding your first clients, without treating every conversation like a sales pitch.

We'll cover who to contact first, how to position what you're building, what to say when you reach out, and how to follow up professionally.

I'll also show you a simple way to organize your contacts and outreach so good opportunities don't disappear into your inbox.

How ready are you to start your business if your job disappears tomorrow?

Too many professionals wait until the layoff, resignation, or breaking point to start figuring out their business. That can cost valuable months.

This Tuesday, we'll work through what you can start building while you're still employed: your initial offer, conversations with the market, your professional network, a simple outreach process, and the basic systems you'll need.

We'll also talk about preparing your personal situation before you make the leap: your financial runway, household expenses, benefits, and getting your spouse or life partner on board. When I made the leap, having that support made a big difference.

We'll also identify what can wait until real clients give you better answers.

What’s one skill you know you need to get better at, but keep avoiding?

Sales? Networking? Public speaking? Negotiation? AI? Financial management?

Last Tuesday, we talked about the beliefs that can hold aspiring entrepreneurs back and how to tell the difference between a real limitation and a skill you simply haven’t developed yet.

This Tuesday, September 29, we’re going to work on what comes next.

I’ll walk you through five practical habits you can use to turn discomfort into deliberate practice, and we’ll apply them to real situations from the audience.

Have you ever wondered whether you're simply not cut out for entrepreneurship?

Maybe you're good at your profession, but sales makes you uncomfortable. You don't consider yourself a networker. Or taking the leap feels riskier for you than it seems to feel for other entrepreneurs.

We'll work through the beliefs that keep experienced professionals stuck, how avoidance can reinforce them, and how to distinguish between a real limitation and a skill you simply haven't developed yet.

And next Tuesday, we'll build on this by working through how to respond differently when business gets difficult.

What would you do if your paycheck disappeared tomorrow?

More than 20 years ago, mine did. I was laid off from a Silicon Valley startup with a young family, a dry job market, and eventually our savings and 401(k) started disappearing.

Entrepreneurship wasn’t the dream. It became the path forward.

Seven businesses later, including an 8-figure consulting firm, I’ve learned some lessons I wish I understood back then, from building financial runway and learning to sell to developing the confidence to create opportunities from nothing.

I’ll break down 7 lessons from 20+ years as an entrepreneur, share some of the mistakes behind them, and discuss how you can apply them if you’re starting or growing a business.

Fake deadlines. Pressure tactics. Artificial discounts. “Let me check with my manager.”

These tactics may show up in negotiations, but they’re not how I believe consultants should sell. 

I’ve had a lot of opportunities to learn this, including making plenty of mistakes myself.

In the final session of my three-part series on professional, win-win negotiation, we’ll cover the sales negotiation gimmicks consultants should avoid, how to recognize when a client is actually negotiating, and how to respond professionally without automatically giving something away.

We’ll also work through real client scenarios and apply my Golden Rule of Negotiation.

What do you do when a client asks:

"Can you knock 10% off?"

We’ll apply the Golden Rule to price, scope, timelines, and payment terms.

“Can you lower the price?”

If these questions make you uncomfortable because you don’t want to become pushy or “salesy,” you’re not alone.

A consulting negotiation can move in several directions, and price is only one of them.

In the second of my three-part series on professional, win-win negotiation, I’ll walk through 7 practical ways to negotiate without feeling like a salesperson, covering price, scope, timelines, payment terms, capacity, and client promises.

We’ll work through real consulting scenarios, including an expensive mistake I made with a global brand, and I’ll show you how to respond when a client pushes back without automatically giving something away.