A New Approach to the Newsletter: The Solopreneur’s Shortcut

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My content needs to change, here’s why.

I had a moment of clarity during a recent panel discussion with LinkedIn’s Creator Accelerator Program members. The moderator asked me who I create content for. The easy – and lazy – response would have been “entrepreneurs” since I’m a staff writer at Entrepreneur magazine. Instead, this is what I said.

“I create content for the person I was seven years ago. A solopreneur who was trying to figure out the best way to grow their business without wasting more time and money.” Back then I had a newborn daughter and I was constantly worried about her future. Mostly because her future was tied to the success of my business and I had no clue what I was doing.

I was willing to put in the work, I just needed to see results much faster and feel confident that I was on the right track.

That’s the type of person I want to help with my content but this newsletter hasn’t delivered enough tangible takeaways to provide the clarity and confidence I was looking for.

That ends today. Going forward I’m changing the structure of my newsletter.

Every week you’ll receive:

1 Thought
1 Tactic
1 Time-saver

To make money, save time and avoid burnout.

For some of this may not be what you’re looking for. You may have joined the list back when I was teaching Digital Marketing at General Assembly and are solely looking for marketing tips. If you’d prefer to unsubscribe, I get it and appreciate the support you provided.

But if you’re looking to grow your business without any gimmicks or expensive tools I’m glad you’re sticking around. I’m looking forward to helping you grow your personal brand, network and revenue through the upcoming issues.

Let’s get started.

Today at a Glance:

Thought: Why you must be unreasonable
Time-saver: Booking better sales calls
Tactic: Building your personal brand through teaching

Read time: 4.5 minutes

Thought: Why you must be unreasonable

Too often entrepreneurs don’t have the support needed from friends and family. They may say you’re a dreamer, or your goals are unrealistic. Ignore them. They could be unintentionally (or intentionally) projecting their self-limiting beliefs on you.

This quote by George Bernard Shaw perfectly sums up why you should keep pressing forward.
“Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people.”

What’s something unreasonable you can plan or do this week to grow your business?

Time-saver: Booking better sales call

Discovery calls with prospects are a great way to learn more about your audience and potentially land a new client. They can also be a huge waste of time if you’re talking to people who aren’t a good fit for one reason or another. Or, you can accidentally lose a client by asking basic questions as opposed to having a meaningful conversation.

The best way to avoid this is by having prospects fill out an intake form prior to the call. This will help you better prepare for high-value conversations and cancel appointments for people you’d rather not talk to.

A few questions to consider asking:

As it applies to your business, what’s the biggest hurdle you’re currently facing on a day to day basis?
What is your desired outcome from a partnership with me?
How soon are you willing to invest in resources to solve this problem?
How did you hear about me?
Based on what you know about me, why are you interested in working with me?

The first two questions are very important. If they don’t know what their challenges are, or the outcomes they’re seeking, they may not have enough clarity to move forward no matter how great your offer is.

The last question will allow you to initially gauge how likely they are to convert. A prospect who already knows, likes and trusts you is far more likely to become a client. Conversely, someone who knows very little about you may just be kicking tires or trying to get free tips.

In any case, if you don’t like the responses received you should consider canceling the meeting. You’ll save time and be able to better prepare for calls that will potentially provide more value to your business.

You can see an example intake form from my VIP Day service here.

Tactic: Building your personal brand and network by teaching

Speaking at colleges or universities is a great way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. You can also earn some testimonials and grow your network at the same time.

Here’s how ⤵️

Create a relevant speaking topic for your industry

This is probably the most important part since your goal is to offer valuable information in exchange for the chance to speak at their organization. Presenting a fresh or unique perspective on your industry will make it clear there’s a void in their curriculum that you can fill. For example “Five Startup Trends to Look Out for in 2023” or “The Five Most Common Startup Mistakes and How to Avoid Them”.

Find educational institutions that offer courses aligned with your speaking topic.

Sticking with the theme of startups as an example, you’d then look for schools that offer programs for startups. I Googled “startup college course” and found the Startup Garage at Stanford University. If possible, you want to teach at the graduate level or beyond. These students will be much more likely to hire you in the near future and will be a more valuable addition to your network.

Reach out to a course instructor and ask if they’d be interested in you speaking to their students.

You’ll most likely get a quicker response if you reach out to a specific instructor as opposed to a program director. I suggest doing so on LinkedIn and via email. Keep it short and simple.

“Hi Omar, I see you’re an instructor at the Startup Garage and I’m wondering if you ever bring in guest speakers. I have a presentation, “Five Startup Trends to Look Out for in 2023”, that would be a great fit for your students. This isn’t something I charge for, my goal is to help startups and grow my network. Is this something you’d be interested in chatting about?”

Document the experience through photos and testimonials

During your presentation ask attendees to take pictures and email you with their favorite takeaways. Afterwards, share the photos and testimonials on social media and/or your website.

You should also ask the instructor for a testimonial. If possible, have them provide this as a LinkedIn Recommendation. You can still add it to your website but having it on your LinkedIn profile will further boost your credibility on the platform and could lead to more speaking opportunities.

Ask for referrals

For an added bonus, directly ask the instructor and attendees if they know of any other organizations that may be interested in your presentation.

This can lead to more speaking opportunities which you can eventually get paid for. And if you’re teaching adult learners you may land some clients as well. This means you’ll be able to generate revenue and speak to potential clients at the same time.

I hope you found this valuable (let me know!) and if you did please consider sharing it with a friend.

I’ll see you again next week!

Whenever you’re ready, there are 4 ways I can help you:

1. Learn how to start a professional service business using the skills you already have (Available now)

2. Get quick answers to your most pressing questions (booked out one week)

3. Work with me 1:1 to build your revenue and personal brand (booked out three weeks)

4. Build your professional service business with me in a cohort-based live accelerator (click to view upcoming dates)