Ditching Hourly

Author, financial advisor, and former management consultant Brian Herriot joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about pursuing time freedom before financial freedom.

Brian and I talk about his new book Time Freedom, the difference between time freedom and financial freedom, how flexible work can bridge the gap, and what he learned from using early readers, workshops, and hybrid publishing to turn his ideas into a book.

Chapters

• (00:00) - Brian's Time Freedom Story

Resources We Mentioned

• Time Freedom preorder page
• Time Freedom Calculator
• Time Freedom Podcast
• Brian Herriot on LinkedIn
• Write a Must-Read by AJ Harper
• AJ Harper
• Page Two Simplified
• Mike Michalowicz
• Mike Michalowicz on The Business of Authority
• Write Useful Books / Rob Fitzpatrick
• Help This Book
• Heroic Public Speaking
• Charlie Hoehn on The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

Guest Bio

Brian Herriot is the founder of Time Freedom and the author of Time Freedom: Rethink Your Work and Money to Create a Life You Love Now. He is an author, speaker, registered investment advisor, financial advisor, business consultant, and co-host of The Time Freedom Podcast. His professional background includes management consulting roles at Accenture and Point B, as well as a director position at UCSF Health. Learn more at https://timefreedom.life/.

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Business development director and Raleigh commercial real estate enthusiast Jed Byrne joined me on Ditching Hourly to walk through the entire process of self-publishing his first book, Start Small Selling, from idea validation to Kickstarter funding to final production.

We cover testing your book idea with real money, writing a first draft in 35 days, running a Kickstarter campaign to fund professional editing, finding and working with developmental editors, designing a book cover on a budget, and publishing through KDP and Lulu.

Chapters

• (00:00) - Who Is Jed Byrne?

Guest Bio

Jed Byrne is a business development director at Barnhill Building Group, a North Carolina-based general contracting firm. Outside his day job, he runs Oak City CRE, a platform focused on Raleigh commercial real estate that includes a weekly Substack newsletter, a podcast, consulting, and his first book, Start Small Selling. You can reach Jed at [email protected].

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

People

• Jed Byrne
• Jed Byrne on LinkedIn
• Jonathan Stark
• Tim Ferriss
• Seth Godin
• Noah Kagan
• Rob Fitzpatrick
• Tucker Max
• Pat Flynn
• Chandler Bolt
• Tim Grahl
• Rochelle Moulton
• Corey Quinn
• Mike Michalowicz
• Derek Sivers
• Daniel Pink

Jed / Raleigh / AEC

• Oak City CRE
• The Top Five by Oak City CRE
• Dirt NC podcast
• Barnhill Building Group
• Start Small Selling Kickstarter
• Start Small Selling on Amazon
• Urban Land Institute
• ULI Triangle
• Jed’s book email from the episode - [email protected]

Books / Book-Building Resources

• Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan
• The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
• Write Useful Books by Rob Fitzpatrick
• Help This Book
• The Workshop Survival Guide
• The Scribe Method
• SelfPublishing.com / Self-Publishing School
• Reedsy
• Editorial Freelancers Association
• Chicago Manual of Style
• ISBNs / Bowker
• Atticus

Publishing / Production / Selling Platforms

• Kickstarter
• Amazon KDP
• Lulu
• Blurb
• Shopify
• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Otterpine
• Microsoft Word
• Canva
• Inkscape
• USPS Media Mail

Podcast / Episode References

• Mike Michalowicz on The Business of Authority

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Principal at Superstruct and author David Guttman joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about using OpenClaw and AI agents to delegate outcomes instead of micromanaging code.

We talked about AI employees, chat-based agents, why OpenClaw feels different from coding tools, how David qualifies repeatable tasks for delegation, secure setup choices like Tailscale, and what collapsing software costs could mean for developers who still sell their time.

• (00:00) - Introduction to David Guttman

David Guttman is the Principal at Superstruct, where he helps solopreneurs and founders set up AI employees. He is the author of The Superstruct Manifesto, as well as Fullstack Node.js and Fullstack React, and has held engineering leadership roles at Outlier.org and Interlincx after earlier work with Disney and AT&T Interactive. Learn more at davidguttman.com and david.app.

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Learning and development facilitator Nikki Cross joined me on Ditching Hourly to share how she turned business books into a private podcast book club that helps members apply what they read.

Nikki explains the mechanics of her Inner Work Business Book Club, how she uses a private podcast to turn book ideas into implementation, and why structure matters when business books are trying to change behavior instead of merely transferring information.

Learn more about Nikki Cross and her work at The Inner Work.

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Founder of Upshift, Shawn Yeager, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how AI is killing the billable hour and what professional services firms can do about it. 

Jonathan and Shawn dig into judgment versus execution, what firms should commercialize after AI, why cost-cutting is only the first move, and how agent workflows change what small and midsize firms can do.

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 01:54 - AI and the billable hour
• 03:56 - The judgment sandwich
• 05:19 - Strategy, execution, and hidden value
• 09:06 - Client conversations about AI pressure
• 13:26 - Validating AI output
• 15:29 - Judgment, marketing, and cost of being wrong
• 17:07 - AI transformation and commercialization
• 20:08 - The hard parts big firms still need humans for
• 22:20 - Cost recovery versus new offerings
• 25:35 - Agents as extra employees
• 26:40 - Interns versus chiefs of staff
• 28:44 - Scaffolding agent workflows
• 30:12 - From chatbots to delegated workflows
• 37:00 - AI adoption inside firms
• 42:01 - Closing remarks

Shawn Yeager runs Upshift, a firm focused on helping professional services firms understand what they sell after AI. His career has focused on emerging technology and getting it to market, including work on Microsoft's first browser team, the SaaS/cloud wave, mobile, Bitcoin, and AI. His background is in computer science, and his work has included sales, marketing, partnerships, consulting, Accenture, early-stage startups, and his own ventures. Learn more at upshiftco.com.

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Angular expert Alain Chautard rejoined me on Ditching Hourly to share how he scaled his certification business through partnerships and automation.

Jonathan and Alain talk about turning niche expertise into a certification business, reducing support demands, using expert partners across time zones and languages, negotiating a licensing-style partnership, and what happens when a soloist plugs their business into a larger organization.

• 00:00 - Introduction and Welcome Back
• 03:24 - Creating the Angular Certification Program
• 07:00 - Automating Customer Support
• 10:04 - Scaling with Global Partnerships
• 12:08 - Handling Certification Interviews
• 15:04 - Partnerships and Business Growth
• 20:05 - Negotiating a Business Partnership
• 24:38 - Email Marketing Journey
• 36:51 - Exploring New Content Formats
• 38:51 - Mastermind Groups for Soloists

Alain Chautard is a Google Developer Expert in Angular who does consulting, training, and conference/content work around the Angular framework. He created an Angular certification program after clients asked for proof of completion beyond a simple training certificate. His work now includes helping teams make architecture decisions, get up to speed with Angular, and scale the certification business through partnerships. Learn more at alainchautard.com.

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Data science consultant and podcast host Genevieve Hayes joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about podcasting as a boost for an expertise-based business.

Chapters

• 00:00 - Genevieve Hayes and Value-Driven Data Science
• 02:27 - Committing to Start a Podcast
• 05:35 - Simple Production Is Good Enough
• 07:02 - First Guests and Inbound Momentum
• 11:46 - The 100-Episode Surprises
• 15:07 - Relationships Beat Direct Lead Gen
• 18:12 - Pitching Guests and Building Luck Surface Area
• 29:30 - Buyers, Peers, and Referral Paths
• 34:58 - Almost Quitting, Seasons, and Persistence
• 39:00 - Preparation, Editing, and Production Workflow
• 42:18 - Editing as Learning and Content Fuel
• 49:20 - What You Actually Need to Start
• 58:20 - Guest Referrals, Swaps, and Live Formats
• 68:40 - Podcasting vs. Writing for Trust
• 78:30 - Landing Dream Guests and Wrap-Up

Guest Bio

Genevieve Hayes is an actuary and statistician-turned-data scientist who helps organizations improve decision-making by quantifying uncertainty, often when data is sparse. She became a soloist in early 2022 and provides data science consulting services. She also mentors data professionals who want to transform their technical skills into strategic expertise and move from tactical execution to strategic advisory roles. Genevieve hosts Value-Driven Data Science, a podcast for practicing data professionals making that technical-to-strategic shift. Learn more at Value-Driven Data Science. 

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

In this episode of Ditching Hourly, host Jonathan Stark welcomes Carl Franklin, co-host of the .NET Rocks podcast, to discuss the intricacies and benefits of value pricing. Listeners will gain insights into how value pricing can transform their business approach, moving away from the traditional hourly billing model.

The conversation covers key topics such as the differences between fixed pricing and hourly billing, the importance of the "why" conversation with clients, and strategies for handling project changes. Carl shares his experiences with proposal options, client negotiations, and overcoming resistance to value pricing.

• (00:00) Introduction
• (00:15) Carl Franklin's Background
• (02:09) Early Podcasting Days
• (04:39) The Starbucks Card Story
• (05:44) Introduction to Value Pricing
• (07:06) Fixed Pricing vs. Hourly
• (08:01) The Why Conversation
• (08:45) First Experiences with Value Pricing
• (20:39) Proposal Options and Client Choices
• (23:09) Handling Project Changes
• (25:02) Partnering and Value Pricing
• (27:00) Payment Terms and Client Negotiations
• (40:59) Expertise and Pricing Strategy
• (41:52) Overcoming Resistance to Value Pricing
• (44:02) Collaborative Projects and Revenue Sharing
• (45:44) Carl's Current Projects and Podcasts
• (48:54) Closing Remarks

Carl Franklin is a seasoned podcaster and developer, best known as the co-host of the .NET Rocks podcast, which has been a staple in the developer community since 2002. Learn more about Carl and his work at .NET Rocks.

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Pranav Kale returns for another reverse interview — this time grilling Jonathan about his personal productivity and time management system.

Jonathan walks through the system he's refined over two decades and used with his private coaching students: from consolidating all your to-dos in one place, to creating SOPs for recurring tasks, to the "event loop" that drives his day. The core idea: when you have the right things on your list and the right things in your calendar, you can just do whatever you feel like — and your business still moves forward.

Topics covered include why your calendar is not a to-do list, how procrastination is actually a useful signal, the "love-hate list" for designing your ideal workday, why batching doesn't work for everyone, and the Segovia principle — why one focused hour beats five mediocre ones.

This one's especially relevant for soloists who've tried rigid productivity systems and found they don't stick.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:00 The Three Buckets Every Soloist Needs
• 06:16 Get All Your To-Dos in One Place
• 09:14 SOPs and Checklists: Stop Winging It
• 18:23 The Feast-Famine Trigger
• 20:16 Why Your Calendar Is Not a To-Do List
• 25:40 The Event Loop
• 30:20 Procrastination Is a Signal
• 37:37 When You Hate Part of a Task, Cut It
• 42:06 The Love-Hate List
• 49:15 Batching vs. Gardening Your Business
• 56:22 How the System Came Together
• 59:00 The Segovia Principle
• 67:05 Adapting This to Your Personality
• 70:41 Pranav's Takeaways

Pranav Kale helps soloists find their one big idea through his Big Idea Sprint. Learn more at pranavkale.com.

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!

Best-selling author, speaker, and management adviser Joe Pine joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss his new book, The Transformation Economy, why it applies especially well to consultants, coaches, and advisors, and gives some tips on how to price transformations.

Joe's Bio

B. Joseph Pine II is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and management adviser to Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial startups alike, and he is the cofounder of Strategic Horizons LLP. He is the coauthor of the bestselling book The Experience Economy with James H. Gilmore, as well as Infinite Possibility with Kim C. Korn. His other books include Authenticity and Mass Customization. Pine consults with numerous companies around the world. He is a lecturer in the Strategic Technology Leadership program at Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business and a senior fellow with the European Centre for the Experience Economy, which he cofounded.

Related Links

• Joe's website » strategichorizons.com
• Joe's previous appearance on Ditching Hourly » podcast.ditchinghourly.com/episodes/joe-pine-on-pricing-experiences
• Joe's previous appearance on TBOA » thebusinessofauthority.com/episodes/the-experience-economy-with-guest-joe-pine

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Before you go!

The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course.

Hope to see you there!