Paul Higgins Podcast

Ever freeze up when a perfect prospect asks, "What makes you different from the other consultants we're considering?" You know you deliver incredible results, but when it comes to explaining your approach, you sound just like everyone else. I struggled with this exact problem until I discovered the game-changer: mapping your scattered expertise into a clear proprietary methodology. In this episode, I share exactly how one client went from competing on price to commanding premium rates by packaging his hidden IP into a systematic approach that differentiated him completely.

Resources and Links

• Paulhigginsmentoring.com
• Book a call here
• Previous episode: 637 - The Full-Cycle Advantage: Refusing to Be Just Another Zoho Consultant with George Easton
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resources

BONUS: Email me at [email protected] to get the IP Mapping and Methodology Multiplier Playbook. (subject: IP mapping)

Why you should listen

1. George Easton shares his journey from executive recruiter to building North America's largest Zoho partner by headcount (60 team members), offering invaluable lessons for scaling service-based businesses.
2. Learn his "full-cycle business management consultancy" model that serves manufacturing, legal, healthcare, and home services - and why being the "chocolate wheel" beats being a specialist.
3. Discover how to transition from subcontractor-heavy operations to employee-focused teams, and why George wishes he'd made this switch earlier for better consistency and work quality.

You're trapped between two impossible choices: stay laser-focused on one niche and miss opportunities, or spread yourself thin trying to serve everyone. You watch competitors win deals because they can handle the client's entire tech ecosystem while you're stuck explaining why they need multiple vendors. In this episode, I talk with George Easton from Ion8, who solved this dilemma by creating a "full-cycle business management consultancy" model. We discuss how he built North America's largest Zoho partner team, his middleware-first approach to connecting systems, and why he pivoted from subcontractors to employees for better client outcomes. Join us to learn how to build a scalable consultancy that serves clients across their entire technology ecosystem without becoming a jack-of-all-trades.

About George Easton

George Easton is the CEO and Founder of ion8.net, North America's largest Zoho partner with nearly 60 staff operating virtually across seven countries. He's transformed what began as a marketing firm into a global "full-cycle business management consultancy" that serves as a comprehensive external operations partner for SMEs with 500 or fewer employees. George identified a critical market gap: businesses prefer one accountable partner over multiple specialized vendors.

His entrepreneurial journey spans over two decades, from achieving top performer status at IBM Canada (exceeding quota by 100%+) to pioneering sports analytics at SportRFID with patented technology deployed across North American and European ski resorts. George is the product visionary behind ion8's proprietary middleware portfolio, including AI-powered call management and CRM integration tools. With credentials from Stanford University's Venture Lab, he's built his reputation on a proven methodology: implement scalable systems first, then apply targeted growth strategies to transform vendor relationships into strategic partnerships.

Resources and Links

• ion8.net
• George’s LinkedIn profile
• N8n
• Manus
• Previous episode: 636 - The Systematic Approach to Building Bigger AI Consulting Deals with Taireez Niswander
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resources

Why you should listen

1. Taireez reveals how AI consultants can identify specific automation opportunities worth significant annual savings for any client role, transforming vague "AI implementation" conversations into concrete ROI discussions.
2. Learn the systematic approach to expand your share of client value beyond single platform implementations, positioning yourself as a strategic advisor rather than a technical order-taker.
3. Discover a practical tool that helps consultants confidently sell AI automation by providing hard evidence of savings and implementation roadmaps for any job description.

As a SaaS or AI consultant, I know you've been in client meetings where you see massive automation opportunities but struggle to articulate the specific value and ROI. In this episode, I talk with Taireez Niswander, Chief AI Officer and creator of the Automation Goldmine platform, who has solved this exact problem. We dive into how you can identify automation opportunities worth tens of thousands in annual savings for any role, transform your positioning from technical implementer to strategic advisor, and systematically expand your client relationships beyond one-off platform implementations. Join us to discover the tool that's helping consultants prove AI value before the sale.

About Taireez Niswander

Taireez Niswander is the creator of Automation Goldmine and PerfectFit apps. She is a Chief AI Officer and one of the first 100 people globally to earn the International Chief AI Officer Certification. With over four years of hands-on AI experience and two decades of operations expertise, she has demonstrated remarkable business impact—including scaling business operations by 233% and serving as Vice Chair of CHIFOO's Board of Directors.After being laid off in February 2024, she became a Chief AI Officer by September—proving the power of practical AI implementation.

Her work focuses on helping businesses identify and automate high-impact operational processes. Through her Automation Goldmine framework, she’s developed a systematic approach to spotting automation opportunities that deliver measurable ROI. Her solutions help consultants and business leaders transform manual workflows into automated systems without the typical tech complexity.

Resources and Links

• Automationgoldmine.com
• Taireez’s LinkedIn profile
• 589 – AI 1st business with John Munsell
• Songer.co 
• Previous episode: 635 - Why Your Sales Problem Isn't Actually a Sales Problem
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resources

BONUS:

Walk into any meeting, paste a job description and salary, and immediately demonstrate $50K+ in hidden value per role. Start with low-hanging fruit to build trust, then scale to bigger automations for longer, more profitable client relationships. It's like having an automation expert in your pocket!  

EXCLUSIVE: 

This Month: $497/month locked forever (Unlimited spots for podcast listeners)

Next Month: $597/month locked forever (Limited to 50 spots)

After That: $997/month (no rate lock)

Use the code PAUL100 for the Founders' 50 Plan - $497/month USD free until October 31st. This is available only to Paul Higgins Podcast listeners.

Don't miss out - price increases when the month ends!

LOCK IN $497/MONTH HERE

You're working 60+ hours a week, racking up business debt from marketing that isn't working, and you haven't even put yourself on payroll. Every time you try to scale, you hit the same ceiling—more clients means more personal delivery time, which means less time for marketing, which means your pipeline dries up. In this episode, I walk you through a real case study of Jay, a Zoho consultant who thought he had a sales problem but was actually trapped in what I call a "capacity spiral." I'll show you the exact diagnostic process that revealed his true bottleneck and how we restructured his business to increase revenue while working with clients he actually enjoys. You'll learn why you can't hustle your way past structural constraints and discover the three-step framework that transforms overwhelmed consultants into profitable business owners.

Resources and Links

• Paulhigginsmentoring.com
• Previous episode: 634 - Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Leaders Instead with Rachel Plowman
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resources

Why you should listen

1. Rachel Plowman shares her authentic 9-month journey transitioning from project manager to COO at radianHub, offering real-world insights for anyone considering or navigating a leadership promotion in their consulting business.
2. Learn practical strategies for managing P&L responsibility, project profitability analysis, and time tracking systems that actually work without crushing team morale.
3. Discover how to successfully delegate while maintaining quality standards, plus proven approaches for client relationship transitions during organizational changes.

You might be wondering how to develop leadership within your team or whether your current team members can handle bigger responsibilities. In this episode, I talk with Rachel Plowman, COO of radianHub, who shares her transition from project manager to COO over 9 months. We dive into the real challenges of taking on P&L responsibility, managing project profitability, and building systems that support growth. Rachel provides concrete examples of how they improved margins, implemented effective time tracking, and navigated client relationship transitions during her promotion.

About Rachel Plowman

Rachel has been in information technology for much of her career, with 5 SFDC certifications. After beginning her career in financial services, she quickly transitioned into product ownership and project management with an emphasis on business analysis and software consulting. She has been in the Salesforce ecosystem as a consultative project manager and business analyst, while raising her family and enjoying life beyond software development.

Resources and Links

• Radianhub.com
• Rachel's LinkedIn profile
• 531 – Gearing Up for a Sale with Russell Badgett
• Right Click Prompt
• Previous episode: 633 - From 10% to 50% LinkedIn Acceptance Rates with Oleg Sobolev
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resources

Why you should listen

1. Oleg Sobolev reveals his proven warmup formula that increased LinkedIn connection acceptance rates from 10% to 50% in a controlled test of 1000 prospects, with 15-20% of warmed prospects reaching out first via DM.
2. Learn how to build a systematic approach to social selling that scales for your team without relying on generic "just be genuine" advice—turning it from art into science.
3. Discover the strategic differences between commenting on mega-influencers versus niche creators and why targeting smaller accounts with 20-50 comments delivers exponentially better pipeline results.

Are you tired of sending perfectly crafted LinkedIn messages that get completely ignored? As a consultant, you're likely experiencing the same frustration—low acceptance rates while decision makers are overwhelmed by generic outreach attempts. In this episode, I talk with Oleg Sobolev from Extrovert about a different approach entirely. Instead of working harder on your messaging, we explore how strategic social engagement before any outreach can transform your results. Oleg walks through his systematic method for building genuine visibility and trust, turning social media from a time sink into a predictable revenue engine for consultants who want to stop chasing prospects and start attracting them.

About Oleg Sobolev

Oleg Sobolev is a former strategy consultant turned SaaS founder, best known for rethinking how B2B sales teams build relationships. After years advising companies on growth, he saw firsthand how traditional outreach—cold emails, mass DMs—was burning trust instead of building it. That insight led him to create Extrovert, a platform that helps reps drive pipeline by showing up consistently and authentically on LinkedIn. Oleg’s mission is simple: make relationship-driven selling easier to do—and harder to ignore.

Resources and Links

• Goextrovert.com
• Oleg's LinkedIn profile
• Get Extrovert at 50% off the first month!
• Previous episode: 632 - From Podcast Listener to Client: The Journey That Changed Everything
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resource

Have you been consuming business content for months, picking up tips here and there, but still feeling like there's something crucial you're missing to break through to the next level? In this episode, I share the story of Jay, who went from being a podcast listener just like you to becoming a client, and what made all the difference in that pivotal conversation. I walk through the exact moment when someone transitions from curious listener to ready-to-transform client, using my Framework to diagnose where the biggest opportunities are hiding in your consulting business.

Resources and Links

• Watch the FREE Training
• Take the assessment
• 629 - Why I Still Have a Coach - Lessons from the Inside
• Previous episode: 631 - From Scattered Docs to AI-Powered Knowledge with Aaron Edwards
• Check out more episodes of The Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resources

Why you should listen

1. Aaron Edwards reveals how to create custom AI agents for customer support that achieve 60-70% resolution rates out of the box, dramatically reducing support team workload and costs.
2. Learn how DocsBot provides a flexible, cost-effective alternative to expensive enterprise solutions like Salesforce's AgentForce.
3. Discover innovative lead generation strategies using intent-based SEO and free AI tools that can capture high-quality leads in today's challenging SEO landscape.

Are you tired of watching your support team drown in tickets while your knowledge gets scattered across different systems and people's heads? I keep hearing the same frustration - enterprise AI solutions promise everything but cost more than most SMBs can justify. In this episode, I talk with Aaron Edwards, founder of DocsBot, who shares exactly how to create powerful custom AI agents for both customer support and internal knowledge access at a fraction of the cost. We dive into real-world use cases, discuss why flexibility matters more than fancy features, and explore marketing strategies that actually work in today's crowded AI landscape. This conversation will show you how to make AI work for your business without the enterprise price tag.

About Aaron Edwards

Aaron Edwards is Building & growing DocsBot and Imajinn.ai to $1m ARR. He is also the Co-founder Infinite Uploads (acquired). Previously CTO of WPMU DEV. Sharing his soloprenuer journey building and marketing an AI SaaS.

Resources and Links

• Docsbot.ai
• Uglyrobot.dev
• Aaron's LinkedIn profile
• Aaron on X: @UglyRobotDev
• Get DocsBot FREE for 1 month here
• Replicate
• N8n
• Lovable
• Previous episode: 630 - The Death of Hourly Consulting: From Time-Selling to Value-Selling in the AI Age with Isar Meitis
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resource

Why you should listen

1. Isar Meitis reveals why small businesses are actually falling behind enterprises in AI adoption—despite predictions they'd run circles around big companies.
2. Learn the critical difference between tactical AI (saving 2 hours on marketing) and strategic AI (transforming your entire business model) and why leadership buy-in determines everything.
3. Discover how the MCP protocol is creating "USB-like" connections between AI and your existing tech stack, eliminating the need for massive development teams and opening game-changing possibilities for consultants.

As consultants struggle to stay ahead of the AI revolution while clients realize that 37-hour project now takes 37 minutes, many are feeling the pressure of hourly billing becoming obsolete. In this episode, I talk with Isar Meitis from multiplai.ai, who provides a reality check on what's actually happening in the AI consulting space. We discuss why small businesses are falling behind despite their supposed agility, the shift from cost-saving to revenue-generating AI strategy, and how new protocols are making enterprise-level AI integration accessible to any consultant. This conversation cuts through the hype to show you exactly where the consulting industry is headed and how to position yourself to thrive, not just survive.

About Isar Meitis

Isar Meitis is a 4 time CEO with a passion for teaching and mentoring, who drinks and eats AI tech. Isar has always been a mentor by heart, from his early days as an F16 pilot and a flight instructor at the Air Force Academy, all the way to his current days where he mentors CEOs, and other business leaders.

As an experienced CEO, investor, and board member, Isar has a holistic approach to business. He helps businesses implement AI  using a strategic approach. Isar aims to empower businesses and individuals to maximize their potential through AI-infused strategies, systems, and processes, and produce a positive business impact.

Isar has built and implemented technology, systems, processes, and teams in a wide variety of organizations, from small tech startups all the way to multi-billion dollar corporations.

The unique combination of Isar's business leadership experience, his fun and outgoing personality, and his passion for tech and mentoring makes him a highly sought-after speaker, instructor, and consultant.

Isar is a successful podcaster for over 4 years (Leveraging AI, Business Growth Accelerator), he loves traveling with his family and playing soccer and pickleball.

Resources and Links

• Multiplai.ai
• Isar's LinkedIn profile
• Reach out to Isar via email at [email protected] 
• Subscribe to Leveraging AI Podcast
• Join the next cohort of AI Business Transformation Course
• The AI Daily Brief (Formerly The AI Breakdown)
• Marketing AI Institute’s The Artificial Intelligence Show
• ChatGPT
• Claude.ai
• Make
• Zapier
• n8n
• VO3
• Previous episode: 629 - Why I Still Have a Coach - Lessons from the Inside
• Check out more episodes of the Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Free Training for AI & Tech Consultants Ready to Stop Trading Time for Money
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resource

As a consultant who's been mentoring others for years, I caught myself in the same trap I help my clients escape—overcomplicated everything. Despite helping hundreds of consultants build profitable businesses, I found myself spending more time on tactics than strategy, chasing clients instead of having them come to me. In this episode, I share why I still work with a coach after 28 years in business, the 9 transformative principles I'm implementing, and how you can apply these immediately to simplify and scale your consultancy. Sometimes we need that outside perspective to see what we can't see ourselves.

Resources and Links

• Watch the FREE Training: The 3P System for Profitable Consulting
• How to build your AI coach
• Previous episode: 628 - From SI to CX Advisor Building a Profitable Salesforce Practice Without Competing on Price with Cyril Louis
• Check out more episodes of The Paul Higgins Podcast
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoring
• Join our newsletter
• Suggested resources