Sara Simmonds

CEO Impact Innovator | Helping Purpose Driven Entrepreneurs Scale to $1 Million, $50 Million and Beyond | Follow Me For Systems On Sustainable Growth 🌎

Impact Innovator OS: 

The #1 In-House Growth System For Mission-Driven Founders, Conscious Coaches, and Innovators To Build Sustainable Scale As A Category Of One Business.

I help innovators simplify their business to a category of one so they can build sustainable scale to 7 figures, 8 figures and beyond.

I spent over a decade on the table as a buyer controlling $100M+ budgets for billion-dollar retailers. 

In 2006 I saw something that changed everything.

The Problem:

Each year, $49 trillion is spent on products & services globally. But buyers only choose the top 1% of businesses. The ones who lead as a Category Of One. The rest struggle. Their innovation never scales. It ends up as waste.

Why?

Corporations dominate because they know something most innovators don't: the proven system to lead as a Category Of One business.

My Mission:

I quit the corporate world to figure out how innovators who want to make an impact can actually scale.

My first company, Sharkah Chakra - The World's First Feel Good Sustainable Jeans Brand. I used my buyer intelligence to create a sellout launch. 

But we spent $150K trying to simplify our complex innovation. We outsourced our growth system to agencies. Our funding ran out.

The insight hit me: 

Entrepreneurs aren't taught to think like buyers. We think like sellers. We outsource to experts instead of building our own systems like corporations do.

My Second Company Changed Everything:

With Bespoke Your World, I built an in-house system to scale as a Category Of One. 0 to $300K in 12 months with the world's top 0.1% clients. Organically. No ads.

Then innovators started asking for the game plan.

So I Built Impact Innovator OS:

One integrated system using my Billion Dollar Buyer Intelligence Framework. 

Purpose. Positioning. Offer. Sales. Marketing. Organic scaling methods. Everything in house. Everything you own. Forever.

Founding Member Results:

→ Carol: $200K launches, scaling to $50M
→ Jo: $2M to $4M growth in 12 months
→ Amy: 0 to $300K launch in 90 days
→ Marie & Jason: 30% profit increase
→ Paula: Successful Exit Less than 12 Months

This Is Bigger Than Business:

This is a movement for every innovator working tirelessly to build a better world. For those who refuse to let their legacy innovation become part of the waste problem. For those ready to transform how we consume, how we scale, and how we lead.

Founding Member Access (Limited Spots):

DM 'SYSTEM' for founding member details
DM 'MASTERCLASS' for registration link
DM 'NEWS' for newsletter

Business Mentor

For a long time, I thought success was something you arrive at.

A destination.
A big moment.
A finish line.

I was wrong.

Success is built in the quiet moments no one applauds.

Last week, while hiking, I noticed something simple, but powerful.

I didn’t reach the top by feeling confident.
I didn’t reach it by having a perfect plan.

I reached it by choosing to move when stopping would’ve been easier.

Not fast.
Not perfectly.
Just forward.

That’s when it clicked:

Resilience isn’t loud.
It isn’t heroic.
It’s ordinary.

It’s the decision to keep going when you’re tired.
To keep building when you’re unsure.
To keep showing up when results are invisible.

My business didn’t grow because I had clarity every day.

It grew because I honored small progress:

One conversation.
One action.
One honest attempt.

Over and over again.

You don’t need to see the whole road.

You don’t need to know how it all works yet.

You only need to respect the step that’s in front of you.

Do that long enough…

And one day you look back and realize:

You’re much further than you ever imagined.

Keep walking.

Founder, Impact Innovator OS | The #1 Buyer Psychology Growth System for Mission Driven Founders, Conscious Coaches + Innovators to Scale Sustainably $1M-$50M+ as Category-of-One

Ten years ago, I made myself a promise.

One day, I would walk the trails of El Chaltén in Patagonia, not as an escape, but as a reminder of why I chose this path.

That hike wasn’t just about the mountains.
It was about following the footsteps of innovators who refused to compromise on what mattered.

The person who carried me through the hardest years was Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, the billion-dollar brand that was never meant to be one.

Yvon wasn’t a businessman chasing money.
He was a broke climber who simply wanted better gear.

So he taught himself blacksmithing.
Made tools for his friends.
Sold them out of his car for $1.50 each.

He didn’t set out to build a unicorn.
He just refused to abandon his values.

When being a purpose-led founder nearly broke me
when every part of me wanted to give up

I remembered his words:

“Impossible is the lamest of excuses.”

And I realised something important.

Quitting doesn’t make life easier.
It only delays the dream.

Because dreams don’t disappear.
They wait.
And they return louder.

What stopped me from walking away was understanding this:

Everything is figure-out-able including sustainable growth.

Just as Yvon built for climbers, I’ve spent the last ten years building for purpose-led founders.

When there wasn’t a roadmap, I created one.
And that work became Impact Innovator OS.

So here’s the question I keep coming back to:

What would change if you realised your purpose isn’t the obstacle, it’s the path?

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Talks about #impact, #entrepreneurship, #productinnovation, #businessinnovation, and #businessmentorship

Founder, Impact Innovator OS | The #1 Buyer Intelligence Growth System for Mission Driven Founders, Conscious Coaches + Innovators to Scale Sustainably $1M-$50M+ as Category-of-One

The secret to 6 and 7 figure sales increase (no matter the industry or objections):

The world feels quite uncertain at times.

But building sustainable growth CAN feel certain.

I was just speaking to a founder yesterday. 

She was stressed about sales. 
People who were paying less wanting more.

I hear you. 

It's HARD.

You're not powerless against the market. 

Trust me, you're not. 

Social selling is the answer to your problems. 

So here's is my solution to help you sell 24/7:

Be where your dream clients are.

Both online AND offline. 

Here are the 9-steps for the social selling formula:

1. OBSESS over your ICP: who/where they are
2. Focus only on this EXACT ICP online/offline 
3. Build EVENTS to educate your ICP
4. Plan your 2026 monthly events schedule 
5. Collaborate to connect to new audiences
6. Build your dream strategic partnership list 
7. Launch your events 
8. Analyse what works and what doesn't 
9. Repeats refine and scale 

Your social selling game plan should be incredibly simple, yet work incredibly well.

You and your team should understand it. 

Simplicity sells.
Simplicity scales.

Together we will transform our world.

P.S. We have a few slots left to sign up for our March 3rd Masterclass to get the growth secrets for FREE: https://lnkd.in/e6S62RhM

See you soon!

When Standing for Something Gets Expensive And You Choose It Anyway

Most brands talk about purpose.

Very few are willing to risk anything for it.

Ben & Jerry’s just showed what real purpose looks like.

Founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield recently launched a campaign to reclaim control of their company from parent company Unilever, saying the corporation has restricted Ben & Jerry’s ability to speak and act on its social mission.

They’re not protecting a product.

They’re protecting a point of view.

As the founders put it:
Ben & Jerry’s became successful because people know it stands for something bigger than ice cream.

And here’s the part most people miss:

Purpose didn’t hurt their growth.
It fueled it.

Ben & Jerry’s has outperformed other Unilever ice cream brands in multiple recent years.
Their activism has driven massive engagement, loyalty, and list growth.
Thousands of people actively choose them because of what they stand for.

Even when Unilever allegedly removed their CEO over his commitment to the brand’s social mission, the founders didn’t retreat.

They pushed harder.

That’s the line between marketing-purpose and lived-purpose.

Real purpose isn’t a tagline.
It’s not a campaign.
It’s not something you keep only when it’s convenient.

Real purpose costs you leverage.
Control.
Comfort.
Sometimes money.

And you choose it anyway.

Two founders in their 70s could be enjoying a quiet, ultra-wealthy life.

Instead, they’re challenging a multi-billion-dollar corporation to defend the soul of what they built.

Not for headlines.
Not for profit.
For integrity.

Here’s the takeaway:

You don’t scale by diluting your values.
You don’t win by becoming safer.
You don’t build iconic brands by trying to please everyone.

You build them by standing so clearly for something that the right people feel it in their bones.

When purpose costs you something and you still choose it -
people know you’re real.

And real brands don’t create customers.

They create believers.

Most companies retreat the moment values become inconvenient.

Category-of-one founders double down.

Because they understand:

Purpose only becomes powerful once it has a price.

Your move:

What are you willing to defend when it would be easier not to?

DM HELL YA if you want to join Impact Innovator and build businesses that change the world.

Warm wishes,
Sara

Exciting news: I just heard one of our members signed a multi billion dollar partnership... 

(90 days ago, they were treading water)

We used my Billion Dollar Buyers Guide to achieve this goal (after years of trial and error).

And it all started by growing a business with a purpose with a fouder who has a heart. 

To be honest, it's easy. 

Someone shared this in my masterclass:

"Sara, with so many competitors today, business is hard, but your systems make it easy to stand out and scale."

Being overlooked is a real problem today for founders, and it no one's fault. 

Buyers will love you, but they need to understand these 7 things:

1. Your Unique Business Hook
2. How your Offer changed your world first
3. How your Offer changes others' worlds second.
4. Why you are a must have now and forever
5. How to sell you in one sentence 
6. Who your followers are
7. Why are you the number one in what you do

This list is a game changer for 2026, to stand out, get seen, sell in, and sell out.

Give buyers instant clarity on your unique power and purpose.

Let your brilliance shine.

If you'd like to know more billion dollar buyer secrets, sign up for my newsletter here:

https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

Together we will transform our world.

10K Clients. $300K Launches. $300K+ Funding. Billion-Dollar Partners.
Member wins from just the last 7 days.

I didn’t set out to become a business growth mentor.

I became one because I spent years trying to scale… and watching other purpose-led founders struggle with the exact same problem.

Here’s what I discovered:

Scaling isn’t hard because you’re not working hard enough.
It’s hard because innovation is complex—and buyers crave simplicity.

Buyers want to instantly understand:

Who you’re for
What you solve
Why you’re different
Why they should trust you

You can’t outsource that clarity.

Because it’s connected to everything:
Your positioning.
Your offer.
Your pricing.
Your marketing.
Your sales process.
Your brand story.
Your thought leadership.
Your community.
Your impact.

Buyers don’t look at these as separate pieces.
They see your business as one system.

And they decide in seconds if it makes sense.

I spent 20 years inside buyer behavior and buying decisions learning how that system actually works.

After my own painful experience buying fragmented “expert help,” I built a buyer-centric framework that creates certainty around how to scale:

✔ One holistic system
✔ One custom roadmap
✔ Five steps to sustainable growth

What I see every week:

Founders go from invisible → category leader
From inconsistent sales → $300K launches
From no funding → hundreds of thousands raised in 90 days

Not because of hacks.
Not because of funnels.

But because their entire business finally makes sense to buyers.

This framework is for conscious founders, coaches, and consultants who are ready to scale with integrity.

(I personally invite only the top 1% into the program.)

If this resonates and you want to understand how the framework works, join me live:

👇 Free Masterclass – Next Tuesday
The 5 Steps to Build Sustainable Growth

https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

It’s time to unleash your unique brilliance.

Systems = Your License to Step Back

Most founders think systems are about tighter control.

More rules.
More approvals.
More oversight.

But real systems do the opposite.

They give you the confidence to step away.

Great systems are not built so you can monitor everything.

They’re built so things run even when you’re not watching.

Recently, I took time off without checking Slack.
No daily standups.
No constant pings.

The business kept moving.
Clients were supported.
Work went out on time.

Not because I was hovering.

Because the team had clear outcomes, clear frameworks, and real ownership.

Here’s the difference most founders miss:

Control-based systems say
“Follow this exact process and ask me before acting.”

Ownership-based systems say
“Here’s the result we need. You decide how to make it happen.”

Control-based systems create dependency.
Ownership-based systems create leaders.

Control-based systems make you the bottleneck.
Ownership-based systems make you optional in day-to-day operations.

And being optional in daily operations is not a risk.

It’s the real definition of scale.

So the better question isn’t:
“How do I track everything?”

It’s:
“How do I build systems that don’t require me to track everything?”

When your systems work, you don’t feel anxious stepping away.

You feel calm.

That’s not losing control.

That’s finally earning freedom.

Companies that tackle "impossible" problems are achieving 400% higher returns.

This is the trend 99% are overlooking.

Businesses chasing quick wins are failing rapidly.

However, the 1% of entrepreneurs addressing seemingly insurmountable challenges to improve our world?

Purpose-driven companies recorded 400% greater returns on the stock market compared to the S&P 500. 

Brands that enhance quality of life outperform the market by 120%.

The problems that cautious investors deem "unprofitable" are, in fact, generating the most value.

Here's the evidence:

Companies that align purpose with business report 25% higher revenue and 22% higher pre-tax profit. 

Purpose-aligned companies: 31% profit increase. Others: 3%.

Why does solving the "impossible" yield more than addressing the obvious?
Because impossible problems face no competition.

While everyone competes over marginal improvements, purpose-led companies forge new categories.

They are not competing; they are pioneering.

Companies solving easy problems = Commodities
Companies solving difficult problems = Monopolies
Companies solving impossible problems = Movements

Purpose enterprises grew by 1,681% while the S&P 500 averaged 118%.

Every boardroom dismisses these opportunities. Every spreadsheet indicates "no return on investment."

And that is precisely why it works.

The market rewards the courage to tackle what others avoid.

5 Reasons Purpose Is Winning

Starbucks learned a painful truth the hard way:
Purpose doesn’t save a business. Clarity does.

When Starbucks’ CEO recently reflected on their strategy, he admitted something rare:

They lost focus by chasing a version of “purpose” that diluted what made them great.

Not because purpose is wrong.
But because it became vague.

When your mission gets fuzzy, execution follows.

You can’t build community if you can’t deliver great coffee.
You can’t change the world if you’re failing your core customer.

Strong brands don’t start with “What impact can we claim?”
They start with “What do we do better than anyone else?”

Then they build impact from there.

That’s the difference:

🚫 Purpose as decoration
✅ Purpose as infrastructure

Real purpose isn’t a paragraph on your website.

It’s the filter behind every decision:

Who you hire

What you build

Who you say no to

How you operate

Patagonia doesn’t treat sustainability as a marketing angle.

It treats the business as a vehicle for the mission.

Product excellence isn’t separate from purpose.
It is the purpose.

If your operations contradict your message, your audience will feel it.

Stop attaching purpose after the fact.

Design your business so purpose is unavoidable.

Build from it.
Operate through it.
Let everything else be downstream.

If you want weekly insights on building brands that matter and win,
subscribe to my newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/dsVQABvv

Most founders think they need a louder brand, a prettier website, or a more “unique” offer.

That’s why they stay overlooked…
While weaker competitors get chosen.

After years inside billion-dollar buyer rooms, I saw how real decisions are actually made.

Here’s the truth:

Buyers don’t pick the “best” offer.
They pick the offer that aligns with five specific decision criteria that almost no one talks about.

On February 17th at 12:00 PM EST, I’m hosting a private masterclass.

We’re breaking down all five.

No surface tactics.
No marketing gimmicks.

Just the real buyer levers that make you the obvious choice.

You’ll learn:

• Why “being different” often hurts your positioning and what top buyers look for instead.
• How purpose-led founders sell out $200K launches in 24 hours without ads or agencies.
• The two hidden drivers that turn scattered growth into owned, sustainable momentum.

This is the same playbook I used to approve over $100M in buying decisions.

Founders have used it to scale from $1M to $50M+
- without bloated agencies,
- without fragile systems,
- and without burnout.

Only 25 seats are available.
Not public.

Save your seat + unlock the private pre-video series:
https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Most founders think they need a louder brand, a prettier website, or a “more unique” offer.

That’s why they stay invisible...
While weaker competitors get chosen.

I spent years inside billion-dollar buyer rooms watching how real decisions are made.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Buyers don’t choose the “best” offer.

They choose the offer that aligns with 5 specific buyer decision criteria almost no one understands.

On March 3rd at 12:00 PM EST,
I’m running a private masterclass.

We’re revealing all 5.

Not surface-level tactics.
Not marketing tricks.

The real buyer levers that make someone see you as the only obvious choice and confidently say yes.

Here’s a taste:

1. Why “being different” actually backfires, and what top buyers use instead to decide who wins the deal.

2. How certain purpose-led founders sell out $200K launches in 24 hours with zero ads or agencies.

3. The 2 hidden mechanisms that turn random growth into sustainable momentum you actually own.

This is the same playbook I used to approve and greenlight over $100M in buying decisions.

Founders have used these frameworks to scale from $1M to $50M+:

→ Without hiring bloated agencies,
→ Without stacking systems they don’t control,
→ And without burning out.

Seats are limited to 25 business owners.
This masterclass will not be public.

Register now to unlock the private pre-video series before we go live.

Save your seat: https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Founder Impact Innovator OS | #1 Buyer Psychology Growth System for MIssion Driven Founders | Scale to $1-$10MN as Category Of One

Most founders believe they need a bigger brand, a better-looking website, or a more differentiated offer.

That belief is exactly why they get ignored while less capable competitors keep getting chosen.

Here’s what most people miss:

Buyers don’t pick the best solution.
They pick the solution that aligns with a small set of decision criteria they care about.

On Feb 17 at 12 PM EST, I’m hosting a private masterclass where I break down those five buyer decision drivers.

No fluff.
No gimmicks.
Just the real levers that position you as the obvious choice.

Limited to 25 seats. Not public.

Save your seat and unlock the private pre-video series:
👉 https://lnkd.in/dqNVxTFy

Going live in 4 hours!

Most founders (like yourself) think they need to be louder, more complex, or more "unique."

Not true.

This is why most founders are being overlooked.

Competitors with MUCH worse offers are finding much more success because of this.

Think of it like this:

Your buyers do not choose the best offer.

They choose what fits 5 specific decision criteria that almost no one talks about.

And I'll be breaking down these decisions live on February 17th @ 12 PM EST.

We are hosting a private masterclass for the community at no cost.

You can use this as leverage to become the obvious choice in your industry.

There are 25 seats.

⏳ 4 hours to go

Save yours + unlock the private pre-video series here:
https://lnkd.in/e6S62RhM

Dale Gibbons

Escape the rat race by turning your experience and skills into a 7-figure consulting income.

You’ve spent years building expertise.

Now it’s time to finally own your calendar.

I’m Dale Gibbons, and I help seasoned professionals turn their experience into high-ticket consulting businesses. 

I work with corporate escapees, exited founders and military veterans who know they’re capable of more than another 5 years in the corporate grind. 

You don’t have to be:

- At the mercy of an employer’s decisions
- Drowning in conflicting advice and tactics
- Chasing referrals that aren’t worth your expertise

You already have 90% of what it takes. My role is helping you reach that last 10%. 

Anyone who has a genius zone can build a consulting business that funds freedom and legacy.

Over the past 18 years, I’ve coached hundreds of consultants and coaches to: 

✅ Build premium consulting offers based on transformation, not time

✅ Fill workshops that generate qualified leads on autopilot

✅ Convert without pressure using my Benevolent Servant Leader™ sales framework

✅ Systematize delivery and scale through proprietary frameworks and group programs

The result: Businesses that create freedom.

I’ve built a solid, repeatable system that attracts qualified leads, clearly shows your value, and converts trust into premium, long-term engagements.  

Here’s what clients say:

- “Dale helped me replace my corporate income in 90 days.”
- “This system gave me my confidence, and pipeline, back.”
- “I finally feel like I’m running a business, not just doing client work.”

If you’re considering consulting as your next chapter and are:

❌ Unsure how to get consistent, high-value clients
❌ Struggling to explain to leads your premium pricing
❌ Drowning in tools but not seeing traction

I’d be glad to show you a better way. 

DM me if you’d like to hear more.

Or, if you’d prefer to see the system in action first, watch this quick video: 
https://bit.ly/businessbreakthroughadvisors_Video

Let’s build the consulting business that funds your freedom and gives you your life back.

CEO and Owner

We help business advisors (and those who want to be) use AI to create a reliable 6-figure+ income and leave the rat race forever.

It doesn't matter how long you've been working.

If you're not learning, you're stagnant.

In corporate, you get continuous training handed to you (if you're lucky.)

Outside of that, no one's responsible for your learning except you.

And still, plenty of folks keep waiting until "later" to get started.

→ After a busy quarter.
→ After you feel more confident.
→ After things calm down at home.

But if you wait too long, that can work against you.

I've seen a lot of cases where someone tries to build a consulting business right after leaving a corporate role.

Learning while juggling that instability is possible,
but getting in early makes the curve a whole lot easier.

You don't need to wait to get started learning anything.

It's actually better for you to learn in the margins of your 9-5.

Spend 30 minutes on weekends, early mornings, and evenings.

It doesn't feel like much day-to-day, but over a year, that's over 200 hours of learning.

Over time, you make mistakes, learn, and build up your confidence until you're ready to fly.

You can get a head start on that right now. 

On March 5th, I'm hosting a live training session that covers:

→ The 3 critical mistakes that trap consultants in feast-and-famine mode.
→ The 3 forces that have created the biggest consulting opportunity in modern history.
→ How to build a premium consulting practice without licensing someone else's system.
→ How to stop competing on price and become a Category of One

If that sounds right for you, click below:
https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

♻️ Repost this to remind your network there's always time to learn.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Your analysis is only as good as your methods.

Upgrade your thinking. Upgrade the outcome.

The big consulting firms all have their own playbooks they rely on.

And the benefit of building your own practice is that you build a playbook that works for you.

By combining your expertise with a few frameworks, you dig deeper into your area of knowledge,
and cover areas you might have previously missed.

Here are a few ways to get started:

MECE Principle
↳ Organize information with zero overlaps or gaps. 
↳ Best for breaking down complex problems without redundancy or omission.

SWOT Analysis
↳ Evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 
↳ Best for quick internal and external strategic assessments.

Porter's Five Forces
↳ Assess competitive intensity across your industry.
↳ Best for understanding market attractiveness and competitive pressure.

PEST Analysis
↳ Scan political, economic, social, and technological factors.
↳ Best for spotting external forces that could impact your strategy.

3Cs Framework
↳ Examine company capabilities, customer needs, and competitive positioning.
↳ Best for clarifying where you create the most value.

Root Cause Analysis
↳ Identify the underlying source of a problem, not just the symptoms.
↳ Best for diagnosing operational breakdowns and recurring issues.

Profitability Framework
↳ Break down revenue drivers and cost structure systematically.
↳ Best for finding margin pressure and financial performance gaps.

Market Entry Framework
↳ Evaluate whether and how to enter a new market.
↳ Best for making confident, well-structured expansion decisions.

I've put in more information about how each method works in the image below.

Try out the ones that resonate with you most.
Save this post so you have the rest of these for later.

If you've hit a ceiling in your revenue, I've put together a short video to help.

It goes over the simple positioning shift that turns inconsistent projects into premium monthly retainers.
https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help other consultants analyze data more clearly.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

You make networking harder than it should be.

Stop trying to perform instead of connect.

Plenty of folks walk into a networking event and hope that this happens:

They "magically" meet the right person.
Deliver the perfect pitch for their services.
Walk away with a shiny new opportunity.

That's not how it works.

Sure, when networking it's important to be clear about what you offer.

But what's more valuable is taking the time to build real, deep connections with others.

If you try to be impressive, you burn the bridge before getting a chance to cross.

Over the years, I've picked up a few tips that are useful:

1. Tell your story
↳ Share something about yourself that explains why and how you help people.

2. Ask real questions
↳ Show that you're curious about who you're talking to.

3. Stop trying to impress
↳ You don't have to perform for people. Being friendly and supportive builds better relationships.

4. Pay attention to body language
↳ Stand up straight, relax your shoulders, and make eye contact when interacting.

5. Act like a co-host
↳ Walk in thinking about how you can help others feel welcome and connected.

6. Lead with generosity
↳ Set a simple goal to connect at least one person to someone else before you leave.

Point five is my go-to whenever I'm at an event. 

I walk in, find the bathrooms, check out the food, and help others feel at home.

People open up that way and it's easier to have a meaningful conversation.

That's what you have to remember.
When you're networking, you're there to listen to other people's stories and build trust.

It's the basis of any great business relationship.

What's one networking tip you rely on? I'd love to hear.

And if you're focused on building a strong consulting business, 
I'm hosting a live webinar session on March 5th for experienced professionals.

I'll be covering:

→ The 3 critical mistakes that trap consultants in feast-and-famine mode.
→ The 3 forces that have created the biggest consulting opportunity in modern history.
→ How to build a premium consulting practice without licensing someone else's system.
→ How to stop competing on price and become a Category of One

If that sounds right for you, click below:
https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

♻️ Repost this to help your network feel more comfortable when networking.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

IQ won't make you successful on its own.

3 other skills are just as important.

A lot of folks wonder what it takes to go out on your own and build a consulting practice.

Yes, you need the know-how.
Yes, you need the results that prove you can help others.
And if you've got decades of experience, you already have both those things.

What takes you further is being able to navigate client work,
sales, and setbacks without losing your footing.

Being strong in a few key quotients helps with this:

EQ - Emotional Intelligence
↳ Everything else becomes difficult without this.
↳ Trust determines whether your expertise is accepted or ignored.

SQ - Spiritual Intelligence
↳ Ground your business in a mission and strong purpose.
↳ People sense your intentions if you're trying to make a quick buck.

AQ - Adversity Intelligence
↳ You've got to keep a cool head to work through adversity.
↳ Clients follow calm leadership, not emotional swings.

IQ - Intellectual Intelligence
↳ You don't need Mensa levels of genius to be a successful consultant.
↳ Clarity creates value faster than being complex.

All four of these components are important, but if I had to direct you toward one in particular,
focus on your EQ first.

Tony Robbins said that business is 20% math and 80% psychology.

That puts 80% of your business squarely in EQ. 

Since your whole model comes down to helping real people with their business,
pairing your knowledge with empathy and understanding is going to take you far.

If you're thinking of building your consulting practice,
I made a short video on the three forces that make now the right time to start.

You can watch it here: https://lnkd.in/gq8WMWNt

♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Your pitch gets you the sales call.
Listening is what wins the client.

There’s a big difference between listening to reply and listening to understand. I hear this all the time when consultants talk about their sales calls.

They’re so focused on what they’ll say next that they don’t fully take in what the prospect is saying.

Most of the time, that comes from anxiety.

When you’re unsure how a conversation might go, you start planning ahead.

The problem is, if you’re stuck in the future, you can’t respond to what’s actually being said.

So even after all the work of marketing, getting leads, and booking calls,
you can still lose the sale because you missed the prospect’s real problem and why it matters.

What helps is having a clear structure.

Not a rigid script.
Just a simple sequence of questions you can pull from when the moment calls for it.

Here are a few to get you started:

“What’s happening in the business that made this call worth your time?”
Low­ers nerves and puts the focus on the client.

“What have you already tried to fix this?”
Helps surface what’s really going on.

“If this doesn’t change, what happens next?”
Brings out why the problem matters.

“Is this something you’re actively trying to fix, or still thinking through?”
Gauges readiness without pushing.

Having a structure gives you enough confidence to slow down and actually listen.

You ask better follow-ups, get to the real issue, and build a stronger connection.

If you’re struggling with this, or anything else in growing your consulting practice, I built a quick quiz to help.

It shows what phase you’re in, what’s holding you back, and what to focus on next.

You can take it here for free: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Sometimes a "perfect" client is another full-time role in disguise.

Especially if they ask about your hourly rate.

A lot of consultants start out by charging for their services by the hour.

It's a good baseline for establishing your credibility and value.

But if you're serious about building a business that actually supports you,
there's a point when you have to shift to a monthly retainer.

Naturally, this causes a bit of pushback.

When you're really good at what you do, 
your clients are going to want to hire you to work for them full-time.

And you can gently push back on that without damaging the relationship: 

"What's your hourly rate?"
↳ "I typically don't price by the hour. I price around your desired outcome and the support I give you to get there."

"How much time will this take?"
↳ "Let's talk about what a win looks like in the next 90 days. Then we can scope the right level of help."

"Can you just jump in for a few hours?"
↳ "I can, but if you want real momentum, a retainer keeps your business moving instead of stalling."

"We want to keep it flexible."
↳ "Totally fair. Your priorities can change. The commitment is that I'm in your corner consistently."

"We're not sure what we need."
↳ "That's actually when a retainer helps most. We'll clarify the path while we execute instead of constantly switching direction."

"We don't want to overcommit."
↳ "Then let's do a 90-day retainer and reassess. That's enough time to build traction and see if this is the right fit."

"We only need you occasionally."
↳ "Great. I have a lighter retainer offering so we can still work together at key points."

The clients who appreciate your work will understand this structure. 
They want continuous momentum, not stop-start progress.

And if it's not the right fit, you'll part ways cleanly instead of stretching an hourly arrangement past its limits.

What's important is that your pricing reflects how you actually create value, not just how time gets tracked.

If you've been pricing monthly but your revenue is capped,
I've put together a short video to help.

I walk you through how to build bigger monthly retainers,
and the positioning shift that makes a predictable pipeline.

You can watch it here:
https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help other consultants pivot from hourly to monthly pricing.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

You've become an expert in your industry.

And you're still downplaying your value.

After decades of working in your field, you've earned knowledge that others would call a superpower.

It's exactly the kind of knowledge that businesses are searching for.
And in consulting, it's what makes you a category of one.

This is your genius zone.

Work that feels natural to you.
Problems that people ask your opinion on.
Situations where you can see the answer before anyone else.

When you combine your experience and focus it on one key issue, you deliver work that actually changes outcomes.

If you haven't given this much thought yet, it's worth sitting down and taking a good hard look at your career.

Here's a simple way to organize your thoughts:

🔴 Zone of Incompetence
• This includes work that others can easily do better than you.
• Holding on to these tasks wastes time and energy.

🟠 Zone of Competence
• This includes work you can do, but don't excel at.
• Plenty of other folks can do this work just as well as you.

🟢 Zone of Excellence
• These are skills you've mastered and can use at a high level.
• But the work itself doesn't energize you.

🔵 Zone of Genius
• This work taps into your natural strengths and unique judgment.
• The work feels effortless and creates a big impact for others.

When you understand your genius zone and position yourself around it,
you start to realize exactly how you can help businesses solve their problems.

Most experienced professionals already have their genius zone.

They just haven't structured a business around it yet.

If you already know what problems you want to solve and are unsure of your next step, you're in luck.

On March 5th, I'm hosting a free live training session for experienced professionals who want to build a consulting practice the right way.

I'll be covering:

→ The 3 critical mistakes that trap consultants in feast-and-famine mode.
→ The 3 forces that have created the biggest consulting opportunity in modern history.
→ How to build a premium consulting practice without licensing someone else's system.
→ How to stop competing on price and become a Category of One.

If that sounds right for you, click below:
https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

♻️ Repost this to help your network figure out their genius zone.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

You have the skills and results to justify premium prices.

Yet you're still underpaying yourself.

I've had conversations with talented folks who've spent decades building their skills in corporate environments. 

They've led teams, managed budgets, and solved problems nobody else could.

And then they launch a consulting business... and immediately discount themselves.

They're still operating with a corporate mindset:

Do great work.
Get paid by the hour.
Prove your worth through your output.

They're still stuck in that cage of underpricing.
Only this time, they've built it themselves.

Usually, one of these patterns is at play:

1. You let the market position you
↳ If you don't choose your price intentionally, others will determine your value.
→ Decide how big you want to play and price accordingly.

2. You're selling experience instead of impact
↳ No one cares about your credentials if you can't solve their problems.
→ Tie your experience to measurable business outcomes.

3. You're solving small problems
↳ Small problems create small fees no matter how skilled you are.
→ Attach your work to problems that affect revenue, cost, or risk.

4. Your pricing attracts the wrong clients
↳ Your fees determine how seriously your work is taken. 
→ Price for clients who want big outcomes, not bargain hunters.

5. You're not anchoring your fee to money
↳ Giving prospects a fee with no financial reference always feels expensive.
→ Frame your fee against financial impact, not the hours it needs.

6. You haven't established your authority
↳ Naming your client's constraint quickly builds credibility.
→ Lead with the problem instead of jumping into what you can do.

7. You think pushback means "too expensive"
↳ Price resistance usually means the problem isn't well defined.
→ Clarify the cost of inaction before discussing fees.

Business owners are coming to you to solve their problems.

When you position yourself around the transformation you offer, your pricing feels like a valuable investment.

If you want to go deeper into this, I put together a short video.

It goes over the simple positioning shift that turns inconsistent projects into premium monthly retainers.

You can watch it here: https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

♻️ Repost this to help another consultant stop underpricing themselves.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

AI isn't going to replace your business.

Consultants who leverage it will. 

There's still a lot of noise about AI.

Some think it'll eliminate independent consultants.
Others think it's a magic solution to every problem.

Neither is true.

I've been interested in technology as far back as the dot-com boom (and a bit further).

After using AI in my own workload, I can honestly say it's sped up some key processes.

But it's only as good as what I guide it to do.
My expertise, value and judgment is what clients truly pay for.

If you're still hesitant about getting started, here are a few way to ease into things:

Drafting
↳ Get past "blank page syndrome" without replacing your thinking. 
→ Example: "Draft a first version of a [document type] for [audience] about [topic]. Keep it concise, structured, and practical."

Structuring
↳ Turn your notes and ideas into clear outputs.
→ Example: "Organize these notes into a clear structure with logical sections and bullet points: [paste text]."

Summarizing
↳ Condense large amounts of data into key insights.
→ Example: "Summarize this into 5 key insights with short headings and practical implications: [paste text]."

Refining
↳ Improve the clarity and flow in your language. 
→ Example: "Rewrite this to improve clarity and structure. Remove vague language and tighten the reasoning: [paste text]."

Ideation
↳ Create alternative approaches before applying your judgment.
→ Example: "Generate 10 strategic options for [problem]. Group them into themes and keep them practical."

Pressure-Testing
↳ Stress-test your thinking before it reaches a client.
→ Example: "Act as a critical partner. What are the weaknesses, risks, or assumptions in this argument? Where could this fail?"

Leverage
↳ Shorten the distance between idea and output.
→ Example: "I want to reduce time spent on [task]. Suggest a streamlined process while maintaining quality."

You can't ignore AI entirely, but that doesn't mean you should hand your entire business to it either.

Experiment with it in your workday. Play around with what does and doesn't work.

Overall, it'll free up more time to build strong relationships with your clients, 
and focus on the unique insights only your human expertise can give.

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

There's an emotional cycle to quitting your corporate role.

Most folks waste years trapped in the 3rd stage.

I've watched hundreds of consultants go through these stages.

And I've lived it myself (twice over).

There's an emotional rollercoaster to leaving corporate that most people don't expect.

You're not just leaving a role.
You're defining a new identity and sense of security, all while building a new business.

And the path to get to this point isn't easy:

Stage 1: Denial
"This bonus will make it worth staying one more year..."

→ You tell yourself to just push through it.
→ The golden handcuffs don't feel that tight yet.
→ You ignore the quiet voice that wants more.

Stage 2: Anger
"They promoted someone with half my experience."

→ The internal politics are crystal clear now.
→ Every meeting feels harder to sit through.
→ It gets harder to focus on work.

Stage 3: Bargaining
"Maybe if I just get that next title..."

→ You look for a safer version of change.
→ Look over job descriptions and different companies.
→ But you're avoiding the real change you want.

Stage 4: Depression
"Is this really all there is?"

→ The illusion of security starts to crack.
→ You see the gap between value and compensation.
→ You're forced to face reality.

Stage 5: Acceptance
"My expertise is worth 10x what they're paying me."

→ You stop asking for permission.
→ You stop waiting for perfect timing.
→ You decide to bet on yourself.

Stage 4 is a make-or-break moment for a lot of people.

For some folks it can last a few weeks. Others take months to move past it.

But it's the most crucial point because it's where you start pulling the blindfold from your eyes.

Great professionals with years of experience look themselves in the eye and say,
"There's something out there better for me."

That desire to help people and put their skills to good work is what drives a lot of them into becoming consultants.

Sometimes, that first step starts with a helping hand,
and the courage to take the leap.

If you've been in the 4th stage for a while, or you feel it approaching,
I'm offering a chance to kick-start the next phase in your journey.

On March 5th, I'm hosting a live training session for experienced professionals who want to put their knowledge and experience to good use.

During this hour, I'll be covering:

→ The 3 forces that have created the biggest consulting opportunity in modern history.
→ How to build a premium consulting practice without licensing someone else's system.
→ The 3 critical mistakes that trap consultants in feast-and-famine mode.
→ How to stop competing on price and become a Category of One.

Plus, a live Q&A at the end where I can respond to your personal concerns directly.

If you're serious about taking the next step, sign up here:
https://lnkd.in/gS8iq3vb

♻️ Repost this to let your network these stages are part of the journey.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

"Analyze this problem and give me a solution."

Prompts like these are why people think AI doesn't work.

AI can be a great tool to help you analyze key problems in your client's business.

But if the information you're giving it is surface-level, the answers aren't going to create great value.

Remember, you're the one with the expertise.
You have to guide AI to work with your knowledge, not regurgitate it.

After you've given AI all the context it needs, ask:

Problem framing and diagnosis
→ "What are the top five hypotheses explaining this situation? Rank them by likelihood and impact."
→ "What missing information would most change the recommended decision?"

Pattern recognition and signal detection
→ "What represents normal variation versus a true anomaly?"
→ "What early signals would have indicated this issue sooner?"

Casual thinking and driver analysis
→ "What is the single biggest constraint limiting performance right now?"
→ "What would happen if one step, approval, or handoff were removed?"

Modeling and simplification
→ "Explain this situation from first principles, removing unnecessary complexity."
→ "How would we explain this to a smart non-expert in plain language?"

Insight creation and implications
→ "Why does this matter now, and what happens if no action is taken?"
→ "What would make this insight feel obvious once explained?"

I've put together a whole list of prompts spanning these categories in the image below.

If you're analyzing a client problem right now, try a few of these to see if you're missing any angles.
And save this sheet to give you a refresher for next time.

If you've reached a tough spot in growing your business, 
there might be an area you're currently overlooking.

On March 5th, I'm hosting a webinar tackling this problem and more.

In a live training session, I'll be covering:

→ The 3 critical mistakes that trap consultants in feast-and-famine mode.
→ The 3 forces that have created the biggest consulting opportunity in modern history.
→ How to build a premium consulting practice without licensing someone else's system.
→ How to stop competing on price and become a Category of One

If that sounds right for you, click below:
https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

♻️ Repost this to help your network use AI effectively.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

You can't treat AI like a magic wand.

Bad prompts give bad outputs.

Too many consultants open ChatGPT and type, "How do I explain this to a client?"

But without context, nuance, or clear direction, that prompt won't get you far.

AI is only helpful when you know what you're solving for.

It can help you speed up the work, but it's your human expertise that drives the outcome.

Here are a few prompts that'll be effective in your work:

To clarify and summarize information:
→ "Condense this into a clear recommendation with supporting rationale and defined next steps."
→ "Improve clarity and structure while maintaining a professional, neutral tone."

To craft a narrative & messaging structure:
→ "Develop a clear narrative: current state → challenge → insight → recommendation → impact."
→ "Suggest a simple, professional analogy to explain the concept to senior stakeholders."

Addressing objections, risk & stakeholder sensitivity:
→ "Identify likely concerns a CFO or risk leader may raise and propose balanced responses."
→ "Rewrite this feedback to be constructive, balanced, and client-safe."

Speaking to an audience:
→ "Reframe technical content in terms of business impact, risk, and decisions required."
→ "Create a client-facing FAQ addressing common questions and areas of uncertainty."

Refining tone, confidence & professionalism:
→ "Refine the language to be more confident and directive while remaining professional and balanced."
→ "Rewrite the message to emphasise collaboration and shared ownership with the client."

For meetings, alignment & follow-through:
→ "Design a meeting agenda that supports alignment and decision-making within 45 minutes."
→ "Draft a follow-up email summarizing outcomes, decisions, owners, and next steps."

I've put together a whole list of prompts across all 6 categories in the image below.

Try a few to refine your communication this week.
Save the rest for later.

If growing revenue is your goal this year, 
I put together a short video on the positioning shift that turns one-off projects into premium monthly retainers

You can watch it right here: https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

I remember the day my bookkeeper told me:
"We're not going to make payroll in two weeks"
The lesson I got is one I'll never forget.

That weekend, I locked myself in my office and went through the numbers with a fine-toothed comb. 

I needed to know where the money had gone, what we owed, what had come in, and what I missed.

After two days, I figured out exactly what was going on.

The very same bookkeeper who gave me that warning was the one who was responsible for the trouble.

She'd been embezzling tens of thousands of dollars through payroll and the corporate credit card.

The next day, she was let go.

Now, I'd been running my business for a while.

I had decades of corporate experience beforehand and had grown this company to about $5M a year.

Still, that close call forced me to mature in ways I didn't expect.

It reminded me to keep my eye on the ball.
It forced me to build controls in my system.
And it showed me that success can make you complacent if you're not careful.

Because of that incident, I created a tracking system I still rely on and share with other business owners to this day.

Hopefully, you'll never go through what I did to learn an important lesson:

You're going to hit moments you didn't plan for.
And you'll be forced to make decisions you never expected to make.

If you don't have enough mental resilience, it could crush you.
But if you have the grit to keep going, those key decisions can make you and your business stronger.

If you want to use the same cash flow system I built, send me a DM and I'll be happy to share it.

♻️ Repost this to remind your network that hard choices can lead to better outcomes.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Image credits to Gareth Lloyd.

Building trust with a client starts with one simple rule:

Put their interests ahead of your own.

Benevolent servant leadership is my go-to approach to consulting.

When a client brings you a problem, they're looking at you for steady guidance, honesty, and a clear way forward.

Your technical skills get you partway, but you have to back those up with your actions.

Here are eight ways I try to put that into practice:

1. Listen before you lead
↳ Don't throw out possibilities without listening to the real problem.
↳ Work on establishing trust first by letting prospects speak.

2. Understand before you advise
↳ Use your experience to clarify what's actually going on.
↳ Ask what they've already tried and what didn't work.

3. Teach what you know
↳ Don't aim to sound impressive. Aim to be useful.
↳ When a situation is complex, explain it plainly.

4. Don't delay hard conversations
↳ Say what's necessary, even if it's uncomfortable.
↳ Clients will always appreciate your honesty.

5. Empower instead of rescue
↳ You're there to tell people the problems they can't see.
↳ Point those out, offer a solution, and let them work from there.

6. Lead by example
↳ Be the most prepared person at every touchpoint.
↳ Do what you said you'd do, even if it requires some extra work.

7. Protect your standards
↳ You were hired for your judgment. 
↳ Trust in your process and the results you deliver.

8. Measure success by growth
↳ Help clients become better than before you started working together.
↳ Revenue is one metric, but growth shows long-term success.

These skills take time to build up, but they're all rooted in an important purpose:

Making the client a priority.

When you shift your mindset toward "how can I help this person?" your actions follow and your reputation grows stronger.

I've been sharing more advice on how consultants can improve their businesses in my newsletter each Tuesday.
Join hundreds of folks transforming their practices: https://lnkd.in/gXksARtZ

♻️ Repost to help out your network
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business

How Great Consultants Practice Servant Leadership

Too much heat ruins the pie.

Consulting is no different.

Thanks to Gareth Lloyd for this visual.

When I'm working with my clients and they're trying to get their positioning right, there are two main challenges.

1. Some people spend forever trying to get it perfect.
2. Others are in such a hurry that they try to skip that important step.

Going into consulting, especially straight from corporate, can be a cold place.

If you try to book calls before clarifying what problem you solve,
you take on work that doesn't use your skills to the best of your ability.

I understand the urgency.

Some great folks dive into consulting during a challenging financial period,
whether it's a job loss or they've had enough and quit.

What often happens though, is that they're building, applying to other roles,
and doing all they can while worrying about savings and income.

If your mind is in 10 places at once, you're working from a place of panic.

No good work gets done in that mindset.

It's just like baking a pie.

You might be able to bake a perfect pie with your eyes closed.
You know it takes time, patience, and preparation.

But if you've suddenly been asked to make one for a bake sale that afternoon, you might panic.
You might try to take shortcuts and throw it in the oven at 700°F.

And all you have is a burnt pie.

Building a healthy consulting practice works the same way.
You have to build on the fundamentals, and you need space to do that properly.

If you're thinking about this path, it's better to start working on it while you have the mental and financial bandwidth.

Set aside 10 hours a week (an extra hour each day and a few more during weekends)
and start building the consulting practice you want.

Dust off your LinkedIn profile
↳ You can do this even while you're in your corporate job.
↳ Tailor it to you and the problem you want to solve for others.

Build your resilience
↳ Give yourself time to work through the head trash and doubts.
↳ Learn how business development actually feels.

Get clear on your positioning
↳ What do you specifically help with?
↳ Why should a business owner trust you with that problem?

The consultants who succeed long-term are often the ones who build steadily with purpose.

If you're trying to figure out what growth stage of your practice you're in right now, I built a short quiz to help.

You'll receive a personalized report of your strengths, constraints, and next steps.
You can take it here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Some people enter consulting ready to fight.

But they're choosing the wrong battles.

I see this a lot when newer consultants are trying to gain traction. 

They're willing to work hard, but instead of fixing the real problem, they chase shiny solutions.

One thing to remember: To the best marketer goes the trophy.

Marketing and sales are like going into a fighting tournament every day.
You pick your niche and duke it out with all the other folks competing for the same clients.

So when I'm working with my clients, I tell them to double down on the fundamentals:

Make your audience aware of you.
↓
Engage with them consistently.
↓
Get them to subscribe for more.
↓
Convert them into a paying client. 

Every consultant has to get a consistent system running first before they can chase the shiny things.
But they often get distracted.

One week they're looking at email funnels.
The next it's Facebook ads.
Then they're wondering if they should start a podcast.

As harsh as it can be, I have to stop them in their tracks.

Some folks struggle to record a 5-minute video.
Investing in podcast equipment is the last thing they need to do.

Sales and marketing are disciplines you have to train for.

Imagine walking into a mixed martial arts ring without any fight prep.
That's what it's like trying to build a consulting business on hacks and half-baked tactics.

If you're stepping into the octagon while still learning to stand...

You're going to get beat up.

Before you add anything new, you need to know what's actually working and what isn't.
That's how you start fixing an inconsistent pipeline.

Helping consultants understand their constraints is just one part of the work I do.

If you're building a consulting practice and are unsure of what your bottleneck is,
DM me the word "READY" and book a call with me.

♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

You weren't hired to be agreeable.

You were hired to tell the truth.

Early on, the idea of pointing out key problems to clients can feel like you're overstepping.

And to that I'll ask you, 
If your friend saw you had salad in your teeth, would you want them to tell you?

I sure hope the answer is yes.

That same thinking applies to how you talk with your clients.

If you see an uncomfortable problem, you can either air things out early on, or let the problem grow until it explodes.

Great consultants don't let the latter situation happen.

They move past hesitations and focus on actually helping the client:

1. When the scope can't produce the outcome
↳ The hesitation: "I don't want to sound like I'm upselling."
↳ But staying quiet means that your client takes on more risk without realizing it.

2. When the client is fixing a symptom, not the cause
↳ The hesitation: "I don't want to second-guess their diagnosis."
↳ Solving the wrong problems in the right way still means a huge problem is in the business.

3. When assumptions are doing the heavy lifting
↳ The hesitation: "I don't want to complicate things."
↳ But working based on assumptions leads to finger-pointing in the future.

4. When internal dynamics will undermine execution
↳ The hesitation: "I don't want to get pulled into politics."
↳ Execution risk is still a risk. Best laid plans won't work if no one follows through.

5. When data isn't strong enough to support the decision
↳ The hesitation: "I don't want to slow momentum."
↳ If the data is unclear, you can’t predict whether you’ll get the desired outcome.

Speeding ahead on uncertainty 

6. When past investment is driving future decisions
↳ The hesitation: "I don't want to invalidate what they've already done."
↳ You can respect what's happened in the past and prevent past mistakes from happening again.

7. When expectations exceed authority or scope
↳ The hesitation: "I don't want to sound defensive."
↳ Unclear accountability guarantees frustration on both sides.

Naming these issues early prevents you and your client from wasting time and money. 

It's these tough conversations that make clients see you as a trusted advisor in their business.

The more you deliver that value, the closer you are to landing premium monthly retainers.

I've put together a short video that goes into this more in depth.
https://lnkd.in/e8eXXRjq

♻️ Repost this to help your network navigate tough client conversations.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

I stayed in corporate 3 years longer than I should have.

Don't fall into the same traps that I did.

I convinced myself that I'd already invested 15 years. I couldn't give all that up.

So I kept climbing the ladder, playing into the company politics,
doing everything I "should do."

But those 15 years were already gone whether I stayed or left.

I didn't realize until much later in life how much of my previous choice was driven by head trash.

It's the quiet, mental noise that sounds reasonable on the surface,
but keeps you stuck in situations that no longer fit.

A lot of great consultants I've spoken with dealt with similar problems. 

Here are some of the most common things they tell themselves before taking the leap out of corporate:

1️⃣ Sunk Cost Fallacy
↳ "I’ve already put too many years into this to leave now."
Time already spent is already ancient history. What matters now is what the next decade looks like.

2️⃣ Endowment Effect
↳ "I worked too hard for this role to walk away."
Holding on to something because it was hard to get will cost you more in the long run.

3️⃣ Consistency Bias
↳ "This is what I do. Changing would feel like starting over."
You're not erasing your history because of a new direction. You're applying your expertise differently.

4️⃣ Loss Aversion
↳ "What if I leave and it’s a mistake?"
Staying can be a mistake too. The real comparison isn't "save vs risk", but the long-term cost of both options.

5️⃣ Status Quo Bias
↳ "It’s not great, but it’s stable."
Stable has a way of turning into stagnant. Many folks don't realize they're stuck until years down the line.

6️⃣ Identity + Belonging
↳ "If I leave, I lose my people and my place."
Staying in a place for familiarity's sake comes at a price. 

7️⃣ Golden Handcuffs
↳ "I can’t give up this paycheck."
If you start resenting the trade, the income becomes a leash, not a benefit.

What finally helped me break free was a simple question:

"If I were starting today, with no history and no baggage, would I choose this path?"

My answer was clear. 

Six months later, I walked away.

For the first year, I struggled but paid the bills. 
Now, I have a 7-figure practice with complete freedom.

Overcoming the head trash takes time, but it's worth asking yourself:

What exactly are you holding on to, and is it really benefitting you?

That answer will drive your next move.

If you want help getting started,
I've created a short video to help get the ball rolling.

It explains how three converging forces are creating the biggest consulting opportunity in modern history, specifically for professionals with over 20 years of experience. 

You can watch it here: https://lnkd.in/gq8WMWNt

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

Years ago, my wife and I sat at the kitchen table.
A stack of bills and fees between us.
And I told her I wanted to quit my job.

As you can imagine, she wasn't fully on board with that idea.
My corporate job was steady and our best chance of paying all those bills.

She needed safety.

I needed freedom.

Those two things felt like they were pulling us in opposite directions.

But if I could go back to that moment, I'd say, "You both want the same thing."

For a lot of folks wanting to go into consulting, they play that game of tug-of-war in their heads.

On one side, the safety of what they know.
On the other, the freedom of what they could be.

The fear of the unknown holds more people back than you can imagine.

Just this month, I've spoken to four clients who have the same fear. 

They want to spread their wings but wonder...

"What will my family think?"
"What if I mess up in front of everyone?"
"Maybe I should wait for a little longer."

But that corporate safety was never real to begin with.

When one entity controls 100% of your income, you're not safe.
You're dependent.

All it takes is one HR decision for everything to come crashing down.

One thing that can't be taken away from you though is your grit.

When I told Tabbi I wanted a change, I couldn't promise her how it would turn out.
There was no guaranteed success or promise of riches.

All I could promise her was that I'd put everything I could into this.

And after some time, my becoming a consultant gave us the freedom and safety we were both searching for.

Sure, it wasn't easy.
There were months when I wasn't sure how we'd cover the mortgage.

But those were problems I could work on and solve with time.

If you're thinking of taking the same leap, here are three things to remember:

1. The trade-off is real, but temporary
→ You can't skip the uncomfortable part, but you won't have to live in it forever.

2. The people you love need to see your commitment
→ You can't guarantee outcomes, but you can promise you'll make choices with good information.

3. The other side is better than your current reality 
→ You'll get freedom and security that no boss or reorganization can take from you.

20 years later, Tabbi and I still sit at the same kitchen table.

Our kids are grown, we can visit them any time we'd like, and neither of us would change a thing.

Betting on yourself will always be worth it in the end.

If you're thinking about building that freedom and safety, 
I put together a short video explaining why now is the right time to start.

You can watch it here: https://lnkd.in/gq8WMWNt

♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

You can't change your positioning based on what's viral.

You're an expert in your field for a reason.

One of the main things I help consultants with is their positioning.

The majority of consultants have their overall message down. It's just a matter of refining the smaller details.

When you know exactly what makes you a category of one, you can use that to write about your marketing, message, and other aspects of your business.

But you have to be careful about straying off the path.

We're all on social media nowadays. It's a great way to speak to peers and find ideal prospects.

But it's also where a lot of consultants can drift.

I've seen firsthand how people can get distracted by what works well here on LinkedIn (and other social media spaces).

Something goes viral and suddenly everyone else is posting about it too.

Let me be clear, if a topic online is within your area of expertise, go ahead and add your two cents.

But if that viral topic is completely left-field, leave it alone.

Sure, it might get you clicks and eyes on your business, but it's a slippery slope.

Soon enough, you could stop being known for your area of expertise...
and start being associated with something you only understand at the surface level.

That's a dangerous trade.

Your positioning isn't about what gets attention this week.

It depends on what you can stand behind when a client is sitting across the table asking hard questions.

Consultants who build strong, 7-figure+ businesses don't chase every trend that goes viral.

They double down on what they know, make their message consistent, and let their positioning inform what problems they're willing to engage with.

That's not to say you can't learn about new topics. You should always be curious.

But be sure to think critically about how it adds to your existing expertise.

That's what clients are going to be paying you for.

If you're wondering how your expertise can be used to build a 7-figure consulting practice, i've put together a short video to walk you through it: https://lnkd.in/gq8WMWNt 


📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
♻️ Repost this to help out your network.
➕ Follow Dale Gibbons to turn your genius into a 7-figure consulting business.

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sara Simmonds's LinkedIn Performance

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