The Business of Authority

By Jonathan Stark and Rochelle Moulton

How to make a living while you’re making a difference.

A weekly show for independent professionals who want to go from six-figures to seven while increasing their impact on the world.... more

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FAQs about The Business of Authority:

How many episodes does The Business of Authority have?

The podcast currently has 335 episodes available.

The Business of Authority episodes:

November 19, 2018How to Market Yourself Without Feeling Like a Sleaze
How to find a marketing style that you feel good about.
Talking Points
A lot of people have a false impression of marketing and sales and dislike marketing and sales because of that.
Marketing is a way of making a change in the culture
It’s easier to notice bad marketing models because good marketing doesn’t feel like marketing
Marketing should help people as much as possible for free
Pushy hard-sell tactics can turn people off
If you believe you have valuable information that people should know about, you should share it
People won’t magically find you. You have to let them know you’re there
Know your audience, connect with them, and have empathy with them
Find a way to deliver value with your marketing
If you’re in a service business, you already help people. Incorporate that into your marketing
Say no to get to yes
Quotable Quotes
“Marketers are people who make change happen – in particular changes in the culture, which are very hard to make.” –JS
“In my mind, marketing is everything from how you position yourself in the market, to your overall messages, to how you reach out to a swath of your public.” –RM
“Our clients have a lot of choices, and it can be hard to find you amongst everybody else that’s in your niche.” –RM
“The more empathy you have for your audience, the more natural you’re going to be at it.” –JS
Related Links
Seth Godin
The Secret of Selling Anything
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
36min
November 12, 2018Chris Do - Disrupting Design Education
Meet Chris Do, founder and CEO of Blind and The Futur.
Talking Points
Chris’s background
The vision for The Futur
Chris’s plan for funding his projects
Growing from $17K to $1.6M in annual revenue in 4 years
The benefits of using YouTube
Whether content can stand on its own without design
Motivation and intent
When to work with other people and when to go solo
What things can and can’t be outsourced
Which big ideas Chris presents to his audience
When to change your rates
Quotable Quotes
“I think it’s important that we have more creative people, especially to solve some of the most perplexing problems facing humankind.” –CD
“The worst that you fear never materializes, and if you have the courage to create content, it will be OK as long as you don’t go out of your way to hurt people. I think that’s the key.” –CD
“Here’s the way I approach it: I’d rather not do it than do a mediocre job.” –JS
“The business tools – they’re pretty straightforward. The miracle is when you’re going to use those tools.” –CD
Related Links
Chris Do
Blind
The Futur
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
47min
November 05, 2018The Difference Between Freelancers and Business Owners
What is the key difference between freelancers and business owners?
Talking Points
Freelancers are business owners, they just don’t always know it
Freelancers end up spending their time working in their business instead of on their business
The difference is a difference in mindset. To be a business owner, you will need to think like a business owner
Freelancers who want to grow have to start thinking about business like a business – including marketing, finances, vision, and strategy
If clients can’t tell the difference between you and a cheaper freelancer, they will go with the person who is cheaper
To build a successful business, it’s important to understand what really adds value to your business
You need to have a strong story in order to reach clients
You have to be able to say no when asked to do something that’s outside of your expertise or the scope of your business
Your authority needs to be part of your branding and marketing
Putting the time into building the business
The three personality types that every business needs
The entrepreneur personality is the one that can’t be hired out
Working for a small agency before going solo can help you understand more of how the business end works
People who want to start an authority business need consulting skills
When you own a business, you set aside time to work on your business no matter how busy you are with client work
The time commitment involved in building a business
Quotable Quotes
“As soon as you hang your shingle out there, you started a business, whether you know it or not or like it or not.” –JS
“I think of a woodworker, for example, who makes beautiful furniture, but if you don’t have a way to sell it, if you don’t have a way to market it, if you don’t have a way to leverage the time that you put into it, if you don’t have a way to price it properly, then you don’t have a business. You have a craft.” –RM
“If you’re not making some enemies, you’re not making any allies.” –JS
“Freelancers, in particular, need to be reminded that it took a lot of courage to do that (leave their job). But the way to not have to go back and become an employee is to create a business around what you’re doing.” –RM
Related Links
The Freelancer’s Roadmap
Built to Sell
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
45min
October 29, 2018Systems For Building Your Authority Business - Part 2
More systems that can help you build an authority business.
Talking Points
Content is an important aspect of marketing
A detailed checklist can be a helpful system
Speaking can be a marketing activity
It’s helpful to have a system that allows you to schedule promotions of your content
Creating a playbook can be helpful for busy people who need guidance in promoting content
Admin tasks are necessary, but can often be delegated to experts
Determine which tasks are integral and necessary to your mission. You may be able to eliminate those that aren’t
Keeping yourself healthy is necessary in order to keep performing at your best
Exercise that you enjoy is good for both physical and mental health
Set boundaries for yourself
Creative pursuits can help you relax after a tough day
Quotable Quotes
“With an authority business, your content is critical.” –RM
“Your strategy should follow the medium too. You have to be respectful of the medium that you’re on.” –RM
“I’m not anti-ads, but if it feels like torture, do something else. There are other things to do.” –JS
“There are very very few things in my calendar that are immovable objects.” –JS
Related Links
Meet Edgar
ConvertKit
When by Daniel Pink
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
26min
October 22, 2018Systems For Building Your Authority Business - Part 1
What systems do you need to build an authority business?
Talking Points
An overview of the systems that authority businesses need
Writing regularly is essential for building an authority business
Rituals or routines can help establish a writing routine
Schedule writing for a time when you’re at your best and you can be most creative
Reading regularly can help spark ideas
Be observant for examples of your subject
Get input from others who do more in-depth research on your subject
Schedule client work
Have a plan for how to communicate with clients
Sales is a one-to-one touchpoint with your clients
Clear steps in the sales process help both you and your clients
The speed element to sales
Quotable Quotes
“For me, writing is absolutely the most important thing I do for my business.” –JS
“That’s the takeaway, find that right time – and that right system – so you can be at your best.” –RM
“I’m always looking for great real-world examples that will snap people out of the way they think about how they –air-quotes price – their work in an hourly billing way.” –JS
“We create the systems that we need to get our businesses and our lives in order. –RM
Related Links
Wordpress
Drip
Gmail
How to Measure Anything
Calendly
Twist
Slack
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
33min
October 15, 2018James Clear - Atomic Habits
Author James Clear on getting remarkable results from making tiny changes to your habits.
Guest Bio
James Clear is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. More than 400k people subscribe to James' newsletter on habits and performance. His work has been used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB, as well as leaders of Fortune 500 companies. His new book "Atomic Habits, Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results" is available now.
Quotable Quotes
"Big goals make you feel bad about yourself."—JC
"When you focus on the practice instead of the performance, you can enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time."—JC
"I've found that goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress."—JC
"What you do now is a mirror image of the type of person you believe that you are (either consciously or subconsciously)."—JC
"You can't rely on being motivated. You have to become the type of person you want to be, and that starts with proving your new identity to yourself."—JC
"Amateurs are the victims of their habits."—JC
Related Links
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
James on CBS This Morning
JamesClear.com
This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What Happened
Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead.
Identity-Based Habits: How to Actually Stick to Your Goals This Year
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
33min
October 08, 2018Why Specialists Rule
Why should you specialize?
Talking Points
Nobody wants a unisex haircut
People are often looking for a unique style, not a one-size-fits-all approach
It may be best not to put your portfolio on your website
Generalizing locks you into lower prices and more competition
Specializing minimizes your competition
Specializing leads to higher prices
Even if you only appeal to a small subset of the market, you can charge a lot if you offer something that subset can’t get anywhere else
You may gravitate toward a specialty over time depending on what is most profitable or what you enjoy doing the most
Specializing can allow you to close on a higher percentage of sales because your clients are specifically seeking out your unique service
Having a specialty means sometimes saying no to work that doesn’t fit within that specialty
Quotable Quotes
“When you don’t market to someone in particular, you’re marketing to everyone, and when you’re marketing to everyone you’re not marketing to anyone.” –JS
“If I knew that I could get high-quality vision and feedback, I would spend a lot more.” –RM
“You don’t really want options. You just want exactly what you want.” –JS
“The fact that you have your own special sauce is fabulous. You’ve got to own that. You don’t want to look like anybody else, much less everybody else.” –RM
Related Links
Dribbble
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
38min
October 01, 2018Top 10 Tools For Building Your Authority Business
Top 10 Tools for Building an Authority Business
Which tools do you need to build an authority business?
Talking Points
Most authority businesses benefit from email marketing
Email automation platforms have multiple useful features
A contact system can help you keep track of leads, contacts, and clients
Making physical notes with pen and paper is an alternative for people who don’t like digital to-do lists
Communication tools for both client communications and team communications
Payment platforms
Accounting and bookkeeping
Accepting credit cards is important for building trust
Calendar management
The sanity bucket
Importance of setting boundaries
Managing your email inbox
Starting and ending calls on time
Remember to move during the day
Quotable Quotes
“People do not mind getting good emails. They mind bad emails.” –JS
“You really have to match this to how you work.” –RM
“We’re professionals, we serve clients, we have this big idea we’re trying to spread and connect with people, we have to stay sane in the process.” –RM
“Getting out of my email inbox solves a million problems.” --JS
Related Links
MailChimp
Drip
ConvertKit
Salesforce
Google Keep
Evernote
Remember the Milk
Streak
Pipedrive
Zoom
Skype
Twist
Slack
Crowdcast
Braintree
Stripe
FreshBooks
PayPal
SendOwl
MoonClerk
Calendly
ScheduleOnce
Sanebox
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
49min
September 24, 2018How To Kick-Off A Successful Launch
There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes of a successful launch. What do you need to do to make sure launch day goes smoothly?
Talking Points
A launch is an integrated process that can be considered part of the product development
Figure out how to structure the product
Learn how to talk about the product in a way that will attract the interest of people who need it
Keep potential clients and buyers updated and get their feedback
Have a test group
Focus on the mission, the goal, and the impact that you want to have
Having a mailing list is an enormous asset
Focusing on a central point helps you pick up momentum
There’s an emotional investment in a launch. It’s about more than just the production of a product
Quotable Quotes
“Part of my mission here is to spread this concept of ditching hourly billing for something better.” –JS
“That’s the problem with social media – it’s that at any time, Twitter or Facebook could ban you.” –RM
“The more that you can focus, in a very real way, on your mission and your audience, the more likely it is that you’re going to have this kind of success with a launch.” –RM
“If I tried to change what I was doing tomorrow, it would be impossible. I couldn’t.” –JS
Related Links
The Pricing Seminar
The Marketing Seminar by Seth Godin
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
41min
September 17, 2018Asking For Testimonials
Are you asking for testimonials as often as you should be? Learn how to make it easier.
Talking Points
Asking for feedback should be part of your process
Ask clients what their biggest concern was before hiring you
Testimonial feedback can help you learn how to serve clients better
Even if you don’t use it as a testimonial, feedback can be used to update your website, service offerings, or FAQs
When you ask for feedback frequently, you’ll start to notice patterns, and gain a better idea of what your clients value
Ask clients what surprised them about working with you
Ask clients what they would have wanted to be different about their experience
The last question to ask clients is “would you recommend me? Why?”
If you edit client testimonials, make sure to leave the client’s voice intact
Asking for testimonials can be an antidote to imposter syndrome
Clients are more likely to provide testimonials if you can ask questions that guide them through the process easily
When you get compliments from clients in the normal course of your work, you can ask to use those phrases as testimonials
Quotable Quotes
“Even if you don’t ultimately publish the feedback that you get, it’s really important to get it.” –JS
“The more you know, the better you’re going to be able to serve your next clients.” –RM
“I hesitate to say always – I want to say always, though. It always surprises you.” –JS
“The more you reflect what people really value about you, the more of those people you’re going to attract into your orbit.” –RM
Related Links
Building the Perfect Testimonial
The Right Way to Ask for Testimonials
Making Time for Creativity – The Four Essentials
LINKS
Rochelle | Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Jonathan | Daily List | Website | Ditcherville | LinkedIn | Twitter
...more
22min

FAQs about The Business of Authority:

How many episodes does The Business of Authority have?

The podcast currently has 335 episodes available.