Resources from our call:

Monchek Management for Catch-Up Bookkeeping: Now is the time to get your books together. MM does this for $150 per every month you need caught up, and if you mention the pod (“BUSINESS OF CREATIVE”) they’ll give you one month free. Their website is here.

Use Claude to Help you Find Speaking Opportunities: That article is right here, and if you need help nailing your speaking topic(s), don’t miss Sonia’s Positioning for Speaking Opportunities Workshop on November 18th.

(Take 50% off with code BIZOFCREATIVE - limited quantity (5) on these!)

And if you can steal your dad’s WSJ password, the article we referenced on the new rules for the workplace is here.

Add our next one to your calendar so you don’t miss us! See you in two weeks!

There comes a time when you get sick of being at the whims of the algorithm gods (especially if you’re on LinkedIn) and decide you want to take matters into your own hands.

Some people pay for leads.

Some people hire a fractional head of sales.

Some turn to cold emails.

And some turn to speaking opportunities.

Having done all of these, I personally like speaking.

I think it gets me in front of the right audiences, and I always get a new client booking or two from them. It also forces me to think about what I really believe, what I really want to help others achieve, and how I can do that in a quick 30-60 minutes.

You may hate the idea of speaking with the fire of a thousand suns. That’s OK. See ya next week.

For those of you who are interested in speaking, let’s go!

First Thing’s First: For This To Work, You Have to Have Something to Talk About.

I’m not covering that part here, but if you need help, I’m hosting a workshop that’ll helps you create your keynote topic, based on your positioning, in an hour. This is 100% free for paid subscribers (you will get a code in your inbox!) and $99 for everyone else.

Click here to register.

Welcome back to another week. Just a reminder- you have to be a free or paid subscriber for my first idea.

Second two ideas are for paid subscribers only - they often include a template or something extra.

Let’s go!

This idea is for free and paid subscribers only. Subscribe to get it!

Subscribe now

Listen up. I know you might not be a Bravo fan. You might roll your eyes at housewives, and some of you may not even know who Andy Cohen is.

But this is about to be the meatiest, most business-y recap of a pop culture phenomenon you’ve ever read.

We all have something in common with these women. We are hoping to earn some money from our visibility.

They’re on TV and starting businesses to capitalize on that visibility. You’ve started a business and are hoping to get some visibility on your socials and emails.

The path is different. The goal is the same.

And, much like I did in business school, we are going to examine some of these Housewife Business [Comma] Women as case studies so that we can learn from them. I promise you will learn. And I promise there will be some fun along the way for those who love the show (and even those who don’t!)

Lets go!

Welcome back to another week. Just a reminder- you have to be a free or paid subscriber for my first idea.

Second two ideas are for paid subscribers only.

Let’s go!

This idea is for free and paid subscribers only. Subscribe to get it!

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The big takeaway: brands continuing to go directly to creators means it’s time to get more business savvy. Creatives used to be locked out of the “business” conversations, but if brands go direct to you, those conversations are your job now.

Don’t worry, we give you some tips.

I used to write commercials when I was little. They all started the same way:
”Ever wonder why your hair is just so… ugh?!” or “Ever wonder why your car is just so… ugh?!”

Ever wonder?

Those words “ever wonder” must have been a huge trope back in the 90s.

And now we’ve got new tropes in the form of hooks.

“The one thing you need to know to…”

“I made $XXXXXX by doing this on simple thing….”

“The thing nobody tells you about…”

These hooks are being used because they work on social algorithms. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with using a cheat code the algorithm likes. In fact, you should do that.

But I think the hard part about these hooks is a lot of us run businesses that aren’t about growth hacking, instant gratification, or outsized, Guinness-Book-worthy results.

If you’re like me, you’re building a business around your expertise. You aren’t in it to get to 1MM followers, or even $1MM in revenue. You’re looking to have a six-figure revenue with healthy margins that supports your life and allows you to actually live it.

Does that fit in a hook?

I think this is where we all get stuck. We’re taking our marketing cues from people who are reporting sensational, outsized results (which the the algorithm likes), often through selling on the platform they’re promoting on (which the algorithm also really likes.)

You just wanna be like, “I do a great job. I am smart. Hire me. You won’t regret it.”

(The algorithm will not like this unless you appear to be completely inept at social media and over the age of 80).

Where does that leave marketing consultants, bookkeepers, and lawyers?

Talk about your point of view.

I have found that the most natural way to talk about your work in a way that the algorithm still likes is to talk about your point of view.

Sharing a point of view is helpful for selling because:

• It’s informed by your positioning

Dear God, if you have not figured out your positioning yet DO NOT PASS GO and start there first. Otherwise everything you do will be a colossal waste of time.

I get you started here.

• It helps your readers get to know you and how you think about your work

• It builds trust in your expertise

• It educates people

When it comes to my own pitching, I have several POVs that I share often.

They include things like:

• No solopreneur can escape The Cringe feeling because sales and marketing are not optional - they should feel less alone.

• Putting yourself out there is completely wasted if your positioning is not strong

• I don’t like AI for content creation (:

Notice how each of these things are doing something for my sales:

• You can’t escape The Cringe feeling as a solopreneur because sales and marketing are not optional

  • ➡ Subscribe to my Substack to get better at sales and and marketing

• Putting yourself out there is completely wasted if your positioning is not strong

  • ➡ Let me help you with your positioning in 90 minutes with my Position or Die Session

• I don’t like AI for content creation (:

  • ➡ When you get free content ideas for me each week, you can bet your bottom dollar that I came up with them and not a robot

I find this type of content a lot more natural to write and share because it feels less like ,“XX steps to becoming a millionaire” and more like, “Here’s something you should know and why I think it’s important.”

How to develop your own point of view:

Start with your positioning.

Remember that I define “positioning” as the answer to these questions:

1. Who are you for?

2. What problems do you resolve for them?

3. What’s your edge?

(And if you haven’t done my exercise on this yet, GO HERE).

And now, let’s build some opinions. These prompts are only for subscribers (FREE OR PAID), so subscribe already. It’s free.

And now, write about it.

After this time spent writing, you should really have like 1-2 points of view (at least!) that you can write about.

Got them? Now:

Write a basic post about this, just straight up.

Now write me a post telling a story about a time where that POV was particularly true in your work.

Now write a post about your approach to your work and why you do it that way because of your POV.

Write a post about the of your POV that makes you mad when you see something happen that goes against it.

Write a post about what you absolutely love see happen for your clients because of your POV.

Tell me a story about when that happened IRL.

See where we’re going? That’s like six posts, all talking about your work. And somehow, not a hook in site.

Reminders for how you can work with me:

🎯 POSITION OR DIE 1:1: If you have trouble with your positioning and you want to make sure your 30 day sprint starts on solid foundation, get 90 minutes. with me and we’ll get this sorted. out. Keep in mind that Founding Subscribers to this Substack get a Position or Die Session that as part of their year-long subscription for a $50 discount. BOOK HERE.

👩‍💼 BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: I give you all my resources and templates and once-a-month Office Hours for anyone who wants to come. Plus you get three ideas weekly for content that I think of- not AI- based on what I know works for clients.

Subscribe now

There’s often nothing more terrifying to a new solopreneur than posting about their business. Saying, “Here it is! It’s just me doing it! Do you like it? Would you hire me?” over and over again, in public, is draining for most of us.

And what feels even more draining is after a long time, or a perceived long time, of doing this, you don’t have clients. No one bought from you. No one signed up for a free consult.

This has happened to me, and it’s brutal. It feels like a resounding rejection of whatever it is you’re trying to sell. And worse for solopreneurs, it feels like it’s a rejection of you.

The good news is, it’s often not that personal. Unless you are a nightmare of a human. (My assumption is that if you are reading this, you are not.)

So, we’ve got some troubleshooting to do. Why isn’t this working?

And before we get into this, I want you to know: every question I ask you comes from a place of really and truly knowing how shitty this feels. And from knowing that it can get better.

Ok, so to recap: you’ve climbed - or you’ve been climbing -Cringe Mountain, and no clients. Let’s see what’s up.

First: Are you actually climbing?

This sounds insulting to many people. OF COURSE I am? I put my business out on LinkedIn and I’ve been talking to my friends about it. This is already the worst?

I ask this question because, more often than not, when I hear entrepreneurs talk about not getting enough traction, the reality is they haven’t done much yet. They posted once, told people close to them, and that’s it.

Unfortunately, that’s not climbing. That’s putting a foot on the trail. (Sorry.)

Good news: you did start.

The Fix: Keep going.

Second: Are you communicating what you do? REALLY?

If you’re out there being visible, my next question is: are you talking about what you are doing? Specifically, is it clear:

• WHO you help

• The TENSION or PROBLEM you help solve

• Your EDGE (aka why people should hire you).

A lot of us post stuff about our families, pop culture, industry takes, or maybe just ONE of those questions - all of that is fine if it’s paired with a steady drumbeat of content about your work.

If people can say, “Oh, I’ve seen you on LinkedIn!” but they can’t say what you’re doing now, that’s your first indication. This is something that happens to me over and over again.

The Fix: Stop making posts about culture, your family, and your niche interests as the majority of your content. Start talking about what you do. And if you need help with your positioning, hire me.

NEXT WEEK’S POST is going to be about how to talk about your business without feeling like you’re talking about your business. Make sure you are subscribed to get it!

Subscribe now

Third: Is it clear how people can work with you?

You may be out there, talking and posting about your work consistently and clearly. Great.

Now it has to be easy to see how people can work with you.

Very basic: a Linktree (or similar) with a BOOK ME button.

Better: a very basic website that explains what you do and lets people schedule time wiht you, too.

Do not be intimidated by making a website. You would not believe how easy it is to pick a template and write some text out. It won’t be perfect, and it won’t be what you use forever. Doesn’t matter.

Make sure it has your name, a way to book you for an intro call, and the types of problems you work on.

If you are a paid member, I created an outline of what should be on your very first website, section by section, with examples. It’s in our resource folder!

The Fix: Make a very simple website where people can book you for services. Do not obsess about the brand and what it looks like.

Fourth: How long have you been climbing?

You see three posts about you and you’re sick of yourself, but the average person looking at their feed hasn’t even taken you in.

It takes anywhere between 7-28 touch points (some say even 60 for my B2B folks) for people to buy from you.

That means that your one post about starting a business, followed by maybe an email and another week of posts is not doing anything - yet.

As a rule of thumb, if you focus on one platform, you should start seeing early indicators of results in like 2-3 months after organic posting. More at around the 6 month mark, and then even more after that.

That all assumes you’re consistent, and you monitor your performance to see what’s working and what’s not.

The Fix: If you’re too early to tell, keep going. Consistently, and following everything I said above.

If you’ve been at this for about 6 months and no results, and it’s NOT a problem with anything above (you’re positioning is solid, you’re talking about your business consistently and not your love for cats) then let’s go to the last one.

Fifth: Are you dependent on the algorithm only?

Algorithms are fickle. You will benefit from organic posting, but you need help from other places. Those places include:

• Networking events

• 1:1 Networking Calls/Meet-Ups

• Mastermind Groups

• Informal Virtual Networking Groups

• Paid Ads (I don’t think you have to do this. But if you do not want to do anything else…)

You have to live outside of the feed and talk to people about what you do. Catching up with people is actually a delight and really, really nice. You don’t even really have to talk about your business until the very end.

If you do not know how to work this stuff in, I do that for you in my 30 Day, Kick-In-The-Pants Plan to Get More Visible. It lets you choose your non-social goal (networking, getting a speaking engagement, etc.) and then helps you stay on track to do it.

Go get it:

I think that’s enough for now. See you out on the trail.

Reminders for how you can work with me:

🎯 POSITION OR DIE 1:1: If you have trouble with your positioning and you want to make sure your 30 day sprint starts on solid foundation, get 90 minutes. with me and we’ll get this sorted. out. Keep in mind that Founding Subscribers to this Substack get a Position or Die Session that as part of their year-long subscription for a $50 discount. BOOK HERE.

👩‍💼 BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: I give you all my resources and templates and once-a-month Office Hours for anyone who wants to come. Plus you get three ideas weekly for content that I think of- not AI- based on what I know works for clients.

1. Show people you get the sh*tty feeling

The fastest way to earn trust with your potential clients is showing them you understand their problem because you’ve been through it yourself.

No need to be overly performative here, but just be honest about a time that you’ve felt exactly what they’re feeling.

I did this last week and talked about a time someone hurt my feelings after I put myself out there to show I get what it feels like to do something potentially “cringe.”

My post impressions on this one are 4K+ and reached 3K people after ping-ponging between 200-1K on posts over the last couple of weeks.

Go right inside your people’s tension: what do they feel like? When have you felt that, too? What happened?

And remember, if you don’t know what tension it is that you resolve, it’s time to revisit your positioning. Do that below.

This post is what Laurel was referring to when it comes to making your own creative

If you want to try and get further than us on The Artist’s Way, the book is HERE.

Getting Money:

Determining project vs. hourly rates HERE

Calculating your hourly rate HERE

Calculating your project rate HERE

Getting a Third Thing:

The podcast Laurel references:

That’s it for now! Add us to your calendar so you don’t miss us in two weeks!

I know someone who is exceptional at what she does, and provided her service for a friend.

Her friend asked, “How much do you charge?” And she was so uncomfortable and squeamish about the question that she just said, “Oh it’s fine!” and charged nothing.

No-thing.

Now, we may be judging my friend, but there is not an inch of my house without glass because I, too, have left money on the table during these conversations.

They’re intimidating. It’s hard to name a figure, out loud, to a person’s face. I have often thought about why it’s so hard for us to name a figure vs. say, a retailer naming a price for a pair of jeans.

Probably because the retailer is likely removed from the jeans. She didn’t make them or price them - she’s just reporting the news.

When we name our price, though, we are the product. It feels scary and it feels vulnerable to say, “I am worth $X,” to someone’s face.

But, like everything that makes you feel squeamish and sweaty here, it’s something we gotta do. We want the money, so we have to charge. And if we have to charge, we have to name a price.

This article is less about determining specifically what you should charge- I’ve talked about that before and I’ll link those articles below, if that’s what you’re looking for.

The purpose of this article is preparing yourself to get the most value out of any pricing conversation. It is based on two things:

1. What I learned in my MBA negotiations class (2%)

2. What I’ve learned from answering this, “What do you charge?” question hundreds of times (98%)

Let’s begin.

One thing you should know before you enter any pricing conversation

You have to know something called your reservation price. (This is part of the 2% I learned in business school! The other 1% will come later)

Your reservation price is the lowest price you will accept to take on a client. The answer is not $0.

I have a ballpark in mind for my potential clients on an hourly rate and a project rate. It does not mean I won’t take a client who pays less, and sometimes I do.

But in my mind, I have a number that I need to clear to make the work worth it for me.

Have an idea of what that number is on an hourly basis, and what that number is on a project basis.

If you need help thinking about project vs. hourly, and naming your rates, I talk about that below.

These even have calculators to help you!

OK, so at this point, I want you to have your reservation price in your head. AKA the lowest possible rate you will do the job.

You got it? If so, let’s move on.

OK actually, there’s one more thing you should know before you enter any pricing conversation.

You need to know who you’re talking to, and how much they expect to pay.

I chose my words carefully there: expect to pay.

No one expects you do this for free. They have a certain expectation for how much it will cost.

You won’t get a sale if you’re too high above that number (they can’t afford you), but you also may not get hired if you’re too far below that number.

If that sounds weird, think about this:

If you’re below what they expect to pay, are you any good? Should they be going with someone more expert?

When I was just starting out, I had the opportunity to pitch a big client. The biggest one we’d ever done. I knew what I would typically charge for a project like this, and I knew, frankly, that I’d be happy with that number.

And then, I upped the price by like $10,000.

Not because I wanted more money or I was being greedy. It was because I knew my price was going to be much lower than what my client expected to pay, and I didn’t want to have negative perceptions around me, my team, or its ability to do the work to their standard.

So, have an idea of who you’re talking to. Know what they expect to pay.

Now, let’s get to the question. They ask, “What do you charge?”

This question is actually a gift, because it allows you to anchor everyone’s expectations. This is the second part of that 2% I learned in business school:

Whoever names a price first takes the anchoring power.

If I say it costs $100, we’re all anchored to $100 as a starting point for discussion.

If the client says they want to pay $50, we’re anchored to $50 as a starting point for the discussion.

See what I mean? You want to be the one to name the price, assuming you understand your reservation price and what your potential client expects to pay.

So now when someone asks you this question, you should feel excited and happy to answer it - assuming you are prepared.

When you should NOT answer the “How much do you charge?” question outright:

You should not take advantage of the anchor opportunity if you do not understand your market.

If you do not know what the client expects to pay, or what similar providers are charging for a similar service, you should push the question back to them about their budget.

This happened to me once. I was pricing a project in an industry I knew nothing about, so I had no sense for a budget.

When the client DID tell me their budget, it was actually 1.5X what I expected them to say. I was glad I didn’t anchor them. I did not leave money on the table, and I did not give a price to them that would have signaled I was an amateur.

What if they cringe and say, “Oh, that’s expensive!”

Well, well, well. Good for you.

Be careful not to misinterpret this comment. This does NOT necessarily mean you are overcharging. (I often charge $250/hour for my work. This is a lot to some people. It’s a bargain to others.)

It does mean that you are more than what the client expected to pay. Your next step: figure out what that number is.

Is it below your reservation price? Refer them on.

If it’s within your range, work out a scope that you feel comfortable with. You may take things off of your original scope to make work within their budget, or adjust your expected costs to fit their needs.

Reminder that a lot of these conversations are made easier when you have the tools to think about your numbers on the fly. I have made a project calculator for my paid subscribers that helps them do just that!

Whewwwie. We did it.

At the moment, I am full for the year. But there are still a couple of ways you can work with me:

🎯 POSITION OR DIE 1:1: Positioning helps pricing. We set your foundation in 90 minutes. Keep in mind that Founding Subscribers to this Substack get a Position or Die Session that as part of their year-long subscription for a $50 discount. BOOK HERE. I keep spots available on Fridays.

👩‍💼 BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: I give you all my resources and templates and once-a-month Office Hours for anyone who wants to come. Plus you get three ideas weekly for content that I think of- not AI- based on what I know works for clients.

Subscribe now

Let’s get to writing. Those Bills, Bills, Bills don’t pay themselves.

1. It’s cringe until…

Make this one about a tension/obstacle your audience has, and then the outcome they can get after working with you.

You can post this just as text, but I think LinkedIn is liking a photo.

Mine:

If you are, say, a copywriting agency:

“It’s ‘too expensive’ until your content actually starts hitting.”

If you are a B2B Marketing Advisor:

“Storytelling’s a ‘nice to have’ until people start sitting through your demos.”

If you’ve been here for a minute, we’ve talked about how to determine if you should charge hourly or project (here!) and what your actual hourly rate should be (here!).

And now, it’s time to talk about what to charge for a project.

To make this a little more concrete, I am going to give you an example of how I price brand projects with my agency, One Wild Goose. I’ll help you ask yourself the questions I ask to arrive at a price.

I have created a calculator for paid subscribers that will do this for you - it’s something I wish I had prior to every client call. Even if you’re not paid, you’ll get a lotttt from this article. But if you’re thinking about it, now’s a good time :)

Subscribe now

We Start with Preparation Questions

1. What are the components of this project?

When someone asks my agency to make them a brand, that typically breaks out into a few separate pieces:

• The strategy (positioning them, setting the direction for design and copy)

• The design (logo, font, iconography, colors, etc.)

• The copy guide (rules of the road, example copy)

And sometimes, there’s more work than that. But let’s start there.

Similar to me, you should be able to break out your project into components. It helps you price, scope, and most importantly, it helps the client understand what you’re doing.

2. How much time and effort does a project like this take me?

This is less about getting to the final price, and more about not losing money or working for free.

If you don’t know the answer to this, I highly suggest timing yourself doing the work using a timer like Harvest, and maybe charge hourly until you get your feet underneath you.

My time and effort breakdown on a project like this ranges, but in general:

• Straightforward Project (They just want some positioning and support on small things): 8-10 hours ($2,000-$2,500 at $250/hour)

• Some Complexity (A full brand and copy guide) : 15-25 hours ($3,750-$6,250)

• Very Comprehensive (Full brand, copy guide, and website): 30-40 hours($7,500-$10,000)

For the sake of this exercise, let’s say that we’re doing a project with some complexity. The client wants positioning, a logo, and copy work.

That puts my time at $3,750-$6,250.

3. What are my costs (if any) to delivering this project?

In this case, my project has some other costs- I have to pay a designer, and I have to pay a copywriter.

You may not be paying people, but there may be other costs associated with the delivery. Do you need to rent studio space? Pay a focus group? Whatever it is, try to capture that here.

For the assumptions of this project, let’s say I assume I pay my design person $7,500, and my copywriter $4K.

That brings my reservation price (aka the lowest possible price I will take) to $16,250. If I charge anything below that, and I’m losing money and/or working for free.

Note: I don’t factor in things like Slack/Canva into my costs. To me, that’s captured in a markup, and it’s the cost of doing business. That’s not to say you should not factor them in somewhere, but to me it’s too cumbersome to do this every single time - and my clients do not expect to pay for things like this!

4. What’s it worth to my client? What do they expect to pay?

Your client expects to pay something for the work. You don’t necessarily want to come in so high they can’t afford it, unless their total budget is below your reservation price- then you’re going to lose money.

But you also don’t want to come in super below what they expect to pay, either. This is actually good for no one.

You don’t feel good, because you left money on the table.

They don’t feel good because maybe you’re not as good as you say you are.

In this case, for my example client, let’s say I have done brand projects for clients of their size/stage, and I’ve charged anywhere from $20-30K.

If you’ve got a range, I take about 85% of that range as a starting point. Favorable to you, and gives you room to negotiate.

If you don’t know their expectations- and I’ll say more about this next week - be careful being the one throwing out the first number in a conversation. Try to see if you can find out when you talk to them.

5. All of these things work together

Now remember, I said my reservation price for this project was $16,250. I have done projects similar to this for much less, because:

• The work was much smaller in scale

• The client expected to pay less

• My designers/copywriters earned less money (for less work)

All of these decisions are up to you (and the people you hire to help you) to make as you see fit. The decisions you make are interconnected.

That’s why I made this calculator so that you can play around with numbers before you get into a negotiating situation.

Here’s how it spits out what we just talked about:

You can play with this yourself if you’re a paid subscriber at the link below. It will also give you a PDF to have on your screen in the background on your next potential client call.

I can't stress enough how much I wish I had something like this five years ago. I hope it’s helpful to you, too!

See ya next week.

Just a reminder of all the ways you can work with me:

🎯 POSITION OR DIE 1:1: If you have trouble with your positioning and you want to make sure your 30 day sprint starts on solid foundation, get 90 minutes. with me and we’ll get this sorted. out. Keep in mind that Founding Subscribers to this Substack get a Position or Die Session that as part of their year-long subscription for a $50 discount. BOOK HERE.

👩‍💼 BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: I give you all my resources and templates and once-a-month Office Hours for anyone who wants to come. Plus you get three ideas weekly for content that I think of- not AI- based on what I know works for clients.

1. Correct the record

What’s something your client believes, but isn’t really true?

Or asked another way: what’s something your client keeps doing because they think it’s working, but it’s really not?

For me, it’s that my clients might post about hot-button issues (AI, politics) and get a lot of traffic and impressions, only to get no clients because their work has nothing to do with either of those things.

Start with: “One thing that needs correcting,” and go from there. This was one of my better-performing angles last week.

We centered this episode on ’s recent post from :

Link in Bio

32 social media hot takes

Hello! A quick note that I’ll be taking the long weekend off. Newsletters will resume again on September 10th. The full archive of Link in Bio posts can be found here…

Read more

2 months ago · 129 likes · 24 comments · Rachel Karten

Other things we mentioned:

Sonia’s 30 day plan to get more visibility on LinkedIn or Substack:

Funny people on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcpower/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-sitkoff-94b75158/

See you in two weeks!

Get more from 📈 Sonia Hildner in the Substack app

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I think I have made $80,000 in the 12 months from LinkedIn.

I’m not saying that like, “OMG look how rich I am!” because as you well know as business [comma] women, this is just the top-line I’m reporting. There are taxes, operating costs, et cetera.

I’m saying it to show you that be visible on a platform, consistently, over many years, pays off.

Put aside feeling like it’s cringe or embarrassing - this is real money that I attribute to being visible online.

I have countless stories, even from the last month, that support what I’m saying from other solos/entrepreneurs:

• One Angel Investor told me she gave a CPG founder a substantial part of his seed investment after finding him on LinkedIn and watching him build in public

• Another solo consultant told me she’d been trying to get in touch with a client for a year, and then that same client hired her for a project because “she kept popping up on her LinkedIn.”

• And finally, a small business owner told me that he gets more business from “lurkers” who follow his content without interacting with it once

Visibility works to get you clients because it’s not just that people won’t buy from someone they don’t know.

They won’t buy from someone they don’t remember exists.

There are a few myths to dispel when it comes to online visibility:

Myth: Consistency is all it takes

Truth: Strategic consistency is all it takes. If you’re posting consistently about your family, your POV on AI, and politics when your work has nothing to do with any of these things, you might see some impressions and likes, but you’re not going to get clients. You have to be consistent in talking about your work and your industry.

Myth: Successful entrepreneurs don’t have to promote their business like this, so posting makes it seems like your desperate

Truth: Successful entrepreneurs DO talk about their business publicly. Gary Vee is posting at least 60 pieces of content per day. Talking about your business and posting about it shows that you GAF and that you’re committed. In other words, it shows you are the type of person someone wants to hire.

Myth: You’ll see results right away

Truth: You won’t see results for months. Most people quit before they even give them the chance to see results, because anecdotally it takes at least six months for your first little burst, and then 18-24 for your work to really compound.

Are you with me so far? Even reluctantly? OK, let’s get it.

Your Personal Kick-In-The-Pants Plan to Get More Visible in 30 Days

Step 1: Choose How You’ll be Visible

There are many ways to help people remember you exist. This includes posting on LinkedIn and/or Substack, but it also can include:

1. Online engagement: Commenting on other people’s posts with something thoughtful, supporting someone else’s work by sharing/reposting what they do

2. People Stuff: Meeting up with people 1:1 to catch up, speaking at large/small events, showing up to networking events

3. Posting online: For this plan, your options are LinkedIn or Substack

You need a combination of these to maximize your surface area. Pick one from each bucket.

Step 2: Make Sure You’re Strategy Is There

Remember that part about strategic consistency? That’s where this comes in.

You must be able to know your positioning - or at least a working version of it. My refresher article on positioning is here, and for paid subscribers, I’m linking my positioning worksheet for you below.

Depending on your platform, you want to make sure the little things are setup to be tailwinds, too:

LinkedIn: Make sure your headline and your “About Me” section reflect whatever it is you want to talk about. Bonus points if your header image reflects your positioning, too. It also is a good idea to have your LinkedIn “blurb” at the ready so you can paste it at the bottom of your posts. Paid peeps- I wrote you an outline for a LinkedIn Blurb here.

Substack: Make sure your Publication Description, Headline, and Welcome Email all reflect your positioning and give your audience an understanding of why they’d follow you. Amy Suto has great resources on this!

Step 3: Go and Do it (And Here’s Your Template to Help You!)

HERE IS THE BEST PART OF THE WHOLE ARTICLE. I buried the lede, as they say.

I have created a plan for you to be more visible on either LinkedIn or Substack over the next month:

• You pick your platform (Substack or LinkedIn)

• You pick how you want to be visible IRL (networking, events, 1:1s)

• You determine your content engagement windows

• You will get content prompts based on what has performed best for me and/or my clients. NO AI-CREATED PROMPTS.

And the entire plan can be uploaded to your calendar so that you can stay consistent.

I’m making this available to any subscriber, free or paid, below. I’m doing this until I’m sure the bugs are out and then - it’s for paid only. 😈

Sonia note: A few of you iCal folks told me you couldn’t upload your calendar there- I’ve updated it, and it should work! Thanks for telling me.

Whewww my goodness. We did it.

Just a reminder of all the ways you can work with me:

🎯 POSITION OR DIE 1:1: If you have trouble with your positioning and you want to make sure your 30 day sprint starts on solid foundation, get 90 minutes. with me and we’ll get this sorted. out. Keep in mind that Founding Subscribers to this Substack get a Position or Die Session that as part of their year-long subscription for a $50 discount. BOOK HERE.

👩‍💼 BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER: I give you all my resources and templates and once-a-month Office Hours for anyone who wants to come. Plus you get three ideas weekly for content that I think of- not AI- based on what I know works for clients.

Subscribe now

It’s a short week, but we’re still going to get after it. Your content ideas are below.

1. Your former resume and how much it prepared you for now

I tried this one on Substack already, and results were medium, but I think it’s gonna do well on LinkedIn.

List out some oddly specific jobs you’ve done. How much did they help you out to be good at your current job?

Here’s mine:

They’re fun to make, and they give your audience a sense of your former lives, while reminding them of what you do.

Hello there. You are reading this because you have likely spent years, maybe decades, in Corporate America, and you are wondering if it’s time to leave.

You’ve had enough of politics, return-to-office policies, and working with people you have to pretend to like. You think it would be great to work from a venue of your choosing, with people you like, making as much money as you can.

In other words, you’ve heard the siren song of entrepreneurship, and you’re wondering if it’s time to jump ship.

What the sirens sing about is mostly true. There will be days you can work from wherever you want, with people you like, and you can make money.

However. While your years of expertise are valuable on the market, you’re entering an entirely different world, with different customs and expectations. Before you make the jump, it is important to familiarize yourself with this world.

This guide aims to make your first year easier.

It is not designed to help you avoid falling flat on your face, experiencing failure, or pure existential/psychological panic. You are nearly guaranteed to do all three before your journey is over - but all will make good fodder for trauma bonding, cocktail party stories, and/or Substack posts.

1. You are now in sales

You need clients, and you’re the (only) one for the job. This probably the single biggest barrier to entry for solopreneurship - people realize that they have to get out there and sell. They have to put themselves out there and talk about their business in-person and online. Terrifying.

But not for you. You can do this.

You will need to get extremely specific on your positioning and practice communicating it over and over, in as many different ways/formats/stories as possible. The more you practice, the better you get at it. The better you get at it, the easier it becomes to get clients.

Pick one platform where you think your clients are and be visible there 2-3X a week, start building an email list, and tell at least one person about your work a week.

Maybe you’ve already started with one high-paying client (maybe your old company!) and you don’t feel the need to go out there and sell. Do it anyway. Talking about your business in public gives you a visibility and an optionality you will appreciate: especially if your main client goes in another direction.

2. You are now in operations

You now need to figure out how to scope, write contracts, invoice, file taxes, and manage client work.

This is often the first function that people outsource, and with good reason. At the very least, make sure you have a separate business bank account. Get a bookkeeper (yes, you need one, no they aren’t the same as an accountant). Start here if you don’t know any - this is who I use.

3. Jargon does not help you anymore

When you were in Corporate America, you said things like:

“We unleash our capabilities while sitting at the intersection of culture, community, and authentic discourse.”

People nodded then, but no one knows WTF you are talking about besides that small group of people who speaks your language.

You’re going to be out in the world, pitching your business and your work to real people who are time-strapped and may not speak corporate jargon. Clarity is your friend. Make it obvious what it is you do, how you help, and what you want.

It matters more than anything that you are clear. Not that you sound smart.

4. You do not have enemies

If you’re a shit talker, cut it out now. If for no other reason than these people may have connections to future clients. (Also, it’s mean, but whatever.)

Be kind, be generous, and if someone pisses you off, tell your friends over drinks. Don’t talk about it publicly (unless you’re anonymizing facts heavily, and even then, be careful. I once did this and accidentally anonymized the facts to fit a DIFFERENT person, and I got in trouble.)

Assume everyone knows someone who might hire you. Don’t give them a reason to refer your work to a competitor.

And by the way, speaking of your competitors - they’re not your enemies either. Be friendly with them. They have similar challenges, may refer business to you when they have overflow, and may share resources and contacts with you. When I was a brand agency owner, I had other agency owner friends. We swapped tips on invoicing software, shared graphic design recs, and referred each other business.

5. No one cares

People do not care about your burgeoning business as much as you do.

This is a blessing because you should feel less burdened by self-consciousness when you are out there talking and posting about your business.

This is a curse because no one cares enough to help you get clients out in the wild - if they mention they’re looking for a new Botox lady, an accountant, or a life coach, they may or may not think to bring you up.

There are ways around the curse (referral programs, specificity in what you do), but in the meantime, take comfort in the fact that people aren’t thinking about you.

6. Get a buddy (or several)

This is a lonely, lonely road. Your friends who haven’t tried this before will support you, of course, but they don’t really know what it’s like.

Find groups - either in the world or virtually - that consist of entrepreneurs and solopreneurs.

THIS IS NOT LAME. Seasoned, accomplished entrepreneurs already do this. In fact, some PAY to be in certain groups that do this.

Also, the power of your network is a real thing. Help other people in your network, be generous, and let it support you, too.

7. Help first, pitch later

You will get absolutely nowhere if you are just going around talking about yourself.

Be helpful to other people. Support their content and their businesses. Don’t give away work for free, but give some advice for free.

Invest in real relationships and friendships. The chance to talk about your work and your business WILL happen. You don’t have to force it into every single conversation.

8. Not all selling looks like pitching

You might post about your work, what’s happening in your industry, comment on people’s posts with your own thoughts, or even like someone’s status update. All of this counts as soft-selling and putting yourself out there.

You don’t need to be talking about your business and your offer every damn second. Shoot for a percentage of your content (maybe 40%) that looks like this. The rest of it should feel “soft” and just keeping you top of mind.

9. You’re gonna make a mistake that costs you money. It’s OK.

It will likely have to do with undercharging for a service, poorly estimating your costs, or something tax related. The last one is inevitable (unless you are an accountant) because the tax system is not meant to be understood by anyone. Even the people within it.

These mistakes will cost you money, it will suck, but you need to just call this “entrepreneurial tuition.” Learn from it, and try not to do it again. Mistakes that cost money happen to literally every entrepreneur. You are not stupid, and it doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for this life. (This is also why you need #6. People will be like, “I’ve been there!” and help you through it)

10. Be a kind boss to yourself

Nobody’s gonna celebrate you but you. No one’s gonna give you a day off but you. Don’t just brush past your accomplishments without acknowledgement or work without breaks.

11. You got this. You also don’t got it.

Both can be true in a day, and this is normal.

Either way, go do it. There’s value in executing when you feel like “I got this! (confidence building) and there’s value in executing when you feel like “I don’t got this” (resilience building).

I think that’s enough for now :)

Welcome back for another week!

Quick note: I’m going to keep giving one free idea a week to everyone, and the other two are going to be behind a paywall for paid subscribers.

1. Show me a win (literally)

If you’ve been with me for a bit, you know I recommend saving little screenshots of happy/funny/heartwarming interactions you have with your clients. Mostly because I think it helps when you have a bad day. But, they also make for great content!

I’m going to post this exchange with one of my clients to share that we’re working on something exciting in the entertainment world that was beyond our wildest dreams. And it made me giggle.

Look through your texts and screenshots. What’s a good one you can share? Explain a little of the context behind it and why it matters to you.

Mine is live here.

Here’s the links to the articles and resources we covered in the show:

Get Smarter:

The Strength of Weak Ties

Get Richer:

This template is the kind of thing that is only available to paid subscribers on Business [Comma] Woman, but we’re giving you a little sneak experience. Use this for your agreements!

Note: We are not lawyers, and this is not legal advice.

Referral Agreement Template

See ya next time!