The Soloist Authority Breakout Move: Focus On Strategy

Plenty of soloists in the expertise space hit $100K to $200K (or so) by concentrating on execution—tasks like content writing, design or development work.

And then they get stuck.

Because by primarily doing extra pair of hands work (even if they’ve moved from charging by the hour to project fees), they eventually hit a revenue ceiling.

Don’t let that be you.

If your aim is to crack $200K consistently as a soloist, you’ll usually get there faster if you focus on the strategic end of the spectrum (for more on moving from execution to strategy, check out our podcast episode on that here).

And that means getting exquisitely clear on the niche you’re serving and the client transformation you’re midwifing.

For example, which of the following sound like they’re selling strategy?

PeopleSoft expert

Structural engineering consultant

Brand strategist

Well, that was kind of a trick question. You probably guessed the last one.

And yet any of the three could position themselves on the strategy end of consulting.

A deep PeopleSoft expert who has seen multiple implementations go sideways could position themselves as exactly the one clients want to call in before making a big software decision (with bet-the-business-style fees to match).

The structural engineering consultant might not be about fixing what’s broken, but about how to make the right decisions before the build (strategy).

Some “brand strategists” are really more about creating visual collateral than strategic positioning—and yet it’s an opportunity to focus on strategy and let the bulk of the execution go to others.

The key is to know exactly what you’re selling and how it changes the lives of your people.

Then you can align your pricing with the transformational outcomes you produce with your very best clients (as you keep building authority with that audience to create a sustainable pipeline).

Moving from execution to strategy is the breakout move as a soloist that can put you not only over $200K, but easily take you to $500K—and ultimately more.

All without hiring a single employee.

You’re welcome. 😎

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