Wellness Next Step

Health And Wellness Coach

Wellnessnextstep.com

I am passionate about making a difference in people’s health, wellness and weight management.

Today, people are looking for a quality health and wellness approach. Today families are shifting to nutraceuticals instead of medication. The concern is there is a growing percentage of the nutritional products today that have a lot of dyes, artificial colors, hydrogenated fats, talc, PCBs, and aspartame, but also harbor alarming ingredients like MSG, and even mercury backed with junk science behind them.

For the last 3 years, I was working with health professionals implementing customize science-based wellness and weight management into their practice. I have a passion for working with doctors but I saw the need for a simplified yet comprehensive wellness approach for the average person.

At Wellness Next Step we will make the most of the current technology and scientific advances in nutrition. Our goal is to simplify the way you look at our nutrition supplements by giving you access to products with the fastest and most efficient delivery system of all nutraceutical supplements. You will also have access to free wellness consulting and product seminars.

Market America

What is a Consultant? As a nutraMetrix consultant we provide Health Professionals the ultimate solution, allowing them to offer science-based wellness programs for improving their patient's health while generating much-needed cash revenue for the practices at the same time.

Business Consultant

Nordstrom

Maintain a fashionable professional image and consistently seeking new fashion and product knowledge to become the expert for the customer. I successfully hired, trained and managed a large team; coached employees how to sell effectively.

Management

📣 Are you a high-achieving professional woman over 40, excelling in your career but feeling like your health is paying the price? You're not alone. The constant pressure to perform, the endless to-do lists, and the feeling of being pulled in a million directions can lead to burnout, exhaustion, and a sense of being disconnected from your own well-being.

I'm Vilmos Bond, a Certified Health and Wellness Coach (CHWC), and I specialize in helping ambitious women like you reclaim their health, energy, and vitality without sacrificing their professional goals. My mission is to empower you to move from surviving to thriving, both in and out of the boardroom.

My approach is different. I don't believe in restrictive diets or one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, I partner with you to create a personalized, holistic wellness strategy that integrates seamlessly into your demanding lifestyle. We focus on:

Sustainable Energy: Moving beyond caffeine and sugar rushes to build lasting energy reserves that power you through your most demanding days.

Stress Resilience: Developing powerful mindset shifts and practical tools to navigate high-pressure situations with calm and focus.

Hormonal Balance: Understanding and supporting your body's unique needs as a woman over 40 to optimize your metabolism, mood, and overall well-being.

Actionable Habits: Creating small, sustainable daily habits that compound over time to create profound, lasting transformation.

With a certification from Precision Nutrition, the world's #1 rated nutrition certification program, I bring a deep understanding of both the science of nutrition and the art of behavior-change coaching. My goal is not just to tell you what to do, but to empower you with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to become the CEO of your own health.

Ready to take the next step? Let's connect. I offer a complimentary discovery call to discuss your unique challenges and goals, and to explore how a holistic approach to wellness can be your ultimate career advantage.

Specialties:

• Holistic Health Coaching for Professional Women

• Executive Wellness & Performance

• Burnout Prevention & Recovery

• Stress Management & Resilience

• Hormonal Balance for Women 40+

• Sustainable Habit Formation

• Work-Life Integration Strategies

Vilmos Bond, CMHWC

Dale Gibbons

Business Breakthrough Advisors

We help experienced business advisors, consultants, and coaches systemize their business, scale income, and step back without sacrificing results.

CEO and Owner

The AI Powered Business Advisor

I write about how to build and scale a modern business consulting and coaching practice, showing you how to leverage both traditional and AI-powered strategies to acquire high-paying clients, command premium rates, and build recurring revenue streams that let you live a life of time freedom and prosperity.

Writer & Publisher

Continuous Improvement Center

We help you get things done better, faster, and cheaper by improving every process in every part of your business. We've successfully implemented Continuous Improvement programs at small companies and billion dollar behemoths.

Level 12: Software That Works

Level 12 was a client of my company, The Continuous Improvement Center. I served Level 12 as CEO, helped them realize a 100% increase in revenue, win new clients in new industries, and lay the foundation for a successful business development program.

Homeworks Properties

This real estate company renovated houses in Kentucky and Indiana way before all the cool kids were doing it, and helped many families get into their first home.

President

Farm Credit Services of Mid-America

Led the implementation of a Continuous Improvement (CI) culture. Facilitated strategic planning. Assembled and led a new department for the company focused on executing its most strategic projects. The team consists of several experts in continuous improvement, lean, six sigma and project management. Helped map the sales process and build a customer journey map to improve sales and the customer experience.

Vice President, Chief Operations Officer

Ebit Information Systems  (Now InfusionIT)

This is a company I purchased and turned around in 2005. Ebit Information Systems (Now InfusionIT) provides IT staffing and consulting services. It is now one of the top 5 IT services firms in the Greater Louisville area and has achieved the coveted Inc. Magazine list of fastest growing companies four years in a row.

Owner & CEO

EDS, an HP Company

Responsbile for marketing and selling information technology services to large corporations.

Sales Executive

Manpower

Took a new branch from start to $4M in revenue as the manager of the Louisville, KY area territory.

Director of Professional Services

GE Aviation

Helped support the Air Force and several commercial airlines in Asia, North America and South America to improve efficiency and lower their operating costs.

Field Service Representative

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.

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.

Most consultants are treating AI like a magic button.

These prompts create results you can bill for.

AI becomes powerful when you use it to amplify your thinking and refine the core areas of your business.

I’ve been exploring how to do that inside my own consulting practice and sharing what works with my clients.

Here are some of the most effective prompts I’ve developed across each area of the business:

Strategy
"Evaluate the strategic implications of this market shift and propose three viable response options"
"Assess the attractiveness of entering [market] using a capabilities vs. opportunity fit analysis."

Marketing
"Analyze this customer data and produce insight-driven recommendations for demand generation."
"Map the customer journey and identify friction points that reduce conversion or retention."

Operations
"Design a future-state workflow that reduces cycle time and improves quality."
"Quantify the financial benefits of addressing process inefficiencies."

Finance & Analytics
"Develop a high-level financial model structure to evaluate this business opportunity."
"Perform a variance analysis and explain operational drivers behind the numbers."

People & Organization
"Create a change management plan with stakeholders, risks, and communication needs."
"Propose a succession planning approach for mission-critical roles."

I've put together 50 prompts across all five categories in the cheat sheet below.

Each one is designed to give you a structured starting point, not a finished product.

Try out a few, and save the rest for when you need a reference point.

If you're looking at how to grow your business to 7-figures,
I built a quiz that'll give you a personalized roadmap.

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

📨 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.

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

Are you willing to be seen as "too much" if it means saving someone's business?

Prospects don’t hire consultants for credentials.
They hire the person who understands their pain and cares enough to help them through it.

The problem is, many consultants focus so hard on looking polished that their real passion never shows.
They hold back to seem “professional” and end up sounding like everyone else.

Meanwhile, the consultant with less experience but more energy wins clients by making them feel understood.

That’s the difference. Clients choose the person who shows they care, not the one who’s afraid to stand out.

So instead of trying to look polished, focus on being authentic.
Here are a few actions you can do this week:

1. Find the fire.
What’s an injustice in your industry that makes your blood boil? How is it affecting the small business owners who deserve better?

2. Tell your story.
Share the real reason why you do this work. Tell the story of what you’ve been through and who you’re trying to help.

3. Light the match.
Send 10 DMs today. You don’t need a polished pitch. Tell them, “Hey, I saw your website and I think you might be leaving money on the table. Would it help to hop on a call and talk it through?”

Nobody in the world is better at being you than you.

When you stop playing it safe, you give people permission to trust you with their real problems.

That's when cold outreach becomes a public service.

If you’re struggling to pinpoint what’s holding back the next stage of your business growth, I’ve built something that could help.

My Consultant Archetype quiz gives you a detailed report on your current growth phase, your biggest blind spot, and how to fix things fast.

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

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Expertise gets you in the room.
Change management keeps you there.

One of the biggest mistakes consultants make is thinking strategy is enough.

It’s not.

Unexecuted ideas don’t drive outcomes.
Without change management, strategy stalls before it starts.

Clients don’t just need a plan. They need help getting people to follow it.

That’s where change frameworks come in.

The right one cuts through resistance, brings clarity fast, and guides people through the messy middle.

Here are 6 that work:

Kotter’s 8-Step Change Framework
From building urgency to embedding new habits, this step-by-step roadmap helps lead large-scale transformation with momentum and clarity.

Lewin’s 3-Phase Model
Unfreeze, change, refreeze. A simple way to help people let go of old ways and lock in new behaviors.

Prosci Change Triangle (PCT)
Combines leadership, project management, and change strategy to align every part of the business around a shared goal.

ADKAR Model
Focuses on individual adoption—awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. A great tool for spotting what’s holding change back.

McKinsey Influence Model
Change sticks when behavior shifts. This model emphasizes leadership example, shared meaning, skill-building, and reinforcement.

BCG’s Change Delta Model
A big-picture framework that aligns leadership, governance, execution, and employee engagement to drive long-term results.

Strong consultants don’t just deliver plans.

They help teams take action—and make it stick.

Which of these frameworks do you lean on when leading change?

If you're trying to pinpoint how to grow your consulting business, I built a quiz that'll help.

It gives you a personal report of your consultant archetype, biggest blind spot, and a roadmap of your next steps.

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

📨 If you're ready to book a call send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Every consultant has the same fear.

The successful ones face it anyway.

In all my years of coaching consultants, there are two concerns I keep hearing:

Running out of money and not getting enough clients.

And as the world continues to change with AI and new tech, they've only grown.

This is what I tell them: Fear is suffering in advance about things that haven't happened yet.

No one's immune to it. Some people are just able to manage it a little better than others.

We do a lot of work sifting through the head trash and I've found that there are three major drivers of fear.

The first is limiting beliefs.
The stories you tell yourself that shrink your potential.

The second is blind spots.
There are things you don’t even realize about yourself, and they can trip you up.

The third is skill gaps.
The distance between where you are now and where you want to be feels daunting to overcome.

Out of all three, number one can be the hardest to overcome. 

No amount of skill or experience can help you if you keep saying to yourself, "I can't do it."
It carries a subconscious undercurrent that transfers to every conversation.

But I've seen clients who've been able to say to themselves, "Okay, I'm still nervous but I can do this."
And they soar within a month.

No one can fully eliminate fear. We just learn to navigate it with our skills, some guidance, and a lot of mental strength.

That's the attitude that can turn any small consulting practice into a 7-figure business.

If you've been trying to grow your business to the next stage,
I've built a quiz that gives you a personalized report of your archetype and next steps.

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

📨 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.

Credit to Felix Bertram for this image.

Several consulting fields are gaining momentum as we head into 2026.
And if you already work in these areas, it is a good time to build a consulting practice around the part you’re uniquely good at.

I always recommend finding your genius zone.

It’s the intersection of:

• Work only you can do.
• Work that energizes you.
• Work that creates value for others.

When you understand your genius zone within your field, shaping a strong offer becomes much easier.

And these 2026 opportunities give you a clear place to begin.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
↳ Helping clients choose, implement, and improve AI tools to boost efficiency.

Cybersecurity and Risk Management
↳ Protecting businesses by securing systems, finding vulnerabilities, and creating risk mitigation plans.

Data Science and Analytics
↳ Turning large amounts of data into useful insights and forecasts.

Digital Transformation and IT Strategy 
↳ Helping companies improve their tech infrastructure to stay competitive.

Sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)
↳ Guiding companies to build and apply sustainable strategies across the business.

Supply Chain and Operations Management 
↳ Solving global challenges across supply chains and trade shifts.

Human Resources (HR) and Change Management 
↳ Supporting hiring, change planning, and employee expectations across workplaces.

If you’re already in one of these fields, the next step isn’t choosing a category.

It’s getting clear on the work inside that category where you do your best thinking and create the most value.

If you're already consulting independently, and need help with the next stage of your growth, I built a free quiz to help.

It'll show you your consulting archetype and give you personalized next steps.
You can take it for free here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Most people overthink networking.

They show up hoping to impress the right person, say the right thing, and walk away with a new opportunity.

That’s not how it works.

If you want to build real relationships, stop trying to “network” and start acting like someone who belongs in the room.

I’ve always preferred to act like the co-host.

Even if it’s not my event, I walk in like I belong there. I find the bathrooms, check out the food, and look for ways to help people feel at home.

Because when people feel at ease around you, they start opening up—and that’s when real connection happens.

Here’s how to network well in any room:

Tell Your Story
Share a short and honest story that explains why you do what you do.

Pay Attention to Body Language
Stand with confidence, stay relaxed, and make eye contact to help others feel at ease.

Act Like a Co-Host
Focus on helping others feel welcome and connected as if you were hosting the event yourself.

Ask Real Questions
Move beyond small talk by asking thoughtful questions that invite real conversation.

Stop Trying to Impress
Focus on being present and curious instead of trying to prove your value.

Lead With Generosity
Set a simple goal to connect at least one person to someone else before you leave.

You don’t need to perform.
You just need to be helpful and yourself.

That’s what builds trust.
And trust is what leads to clients, referrals, and strong relationships.

If you're trying to pinpoint how to grow your consulting business, I built a quiz that'll help.

It gives you a personal report of your consultant archetype, biggest blind spot, and a roadmap of your next steps.

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

📨 If you're ready to book a call send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Most consultants want to become the go-to expert.

But few take the time to build the skills that actually make them hard to replace.

At some point, almost every consultant hits a wall.
Things might be working, but not enough to break through.

If you want consistent, high-ticket clients, there are 9 skills that make the difference.

Take a look and see which one might be holding you back.

1. Communicate Clearly
↳ Talking more doesn’t mean saying more. Make sure your message is clear and that people actually understand what you mean.

2. Assess Before You Act
↳ Slow down and really look at what needs fixing. The answer is often right in front of you.

3. Build Practical Strategy
↳ You don’t need something flashy. A good strategy is clear, practical, and tied to real results.

4. Understand The Clients World
↳ Do the work to learn about the person, the business, and the problems they face. That’s where real solutions come from.

5. Lead by Example
↳ Be prepared, follow through, and do what you said you would do.

6. Earn Trust Through Results
↳ Earn trust quickly with a small win, then keep it by doing consistent, valuable work.

7. Stay Flexible with Purpose
↳ Stay flexible when things change, but never lose your standards or sense of direction.

8. Negotiate Fairly
↳ Good negotiation isn’t about winning. It’s about finding a fair deal everyone can respect.

9. Create Meaningful Change
↳ It’s not about sounding smart. It’s about doing work that leaves the business better than you found it.

Mastering these skills is what changes your business from 6-figures to 7-figures.

If you're trying to break the ceiling in your consulting business, I created a resource to help.

My free Consultant Growth Archetype quiz gives you a detailed report on your growth phase and what to do next to make a breakthrough.

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

Which skill do you think is most important?

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM and let's chat.
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The freedom to control your calendar is one of the best parts of consulting.

But that freedom needs structure.

A lot of people become independent consultants to gain control of their calendar.

Personally, I'm grateful for the chance to take a day off to see family without going through the bureaucracy first.

But there's also the responsibility of taking care of your own calendar.

You don't have the guardrails of a manager nudging you to finish a task.
And if you're not careful, a "quick" admin task can eat up your whole day.

When everything feels urgent, having a few time management frameworks helps.

Here's what I recommend:

Eat the Frog
↳ Do the task that carries the biggest risk for the client first.
↳ Block 60-90 minutes and get a solid version of that task done. 

Pickle Jar Theory
↳ Your calendar is like a jar. Focus on your main deliverables first, then the smaller tasks.
↳ Block deep-work time for your biggest tasks, and fill in the gaps with smaller ones.

Eisenhower Matrix
↳ Sort your tasks based on urgency and importance.
↳ If it's urgent and important, do it now. If it's neither, drop it.

Task Batching
↳ Group similar tasks into blocks to avoid wasting time.
↳ Stack meetings and calls together. Block out time for deep analysis.

1-3-5 Method
↳ Focus on delivering one big outcome, three medium tasks, and five small tasks.
↳ Choose them at the start of each day so you know what you're focusing on.

Two-Minute Rule
↳ If a task takes about two minutes, do it immediately.
↳ Use it for small actions like approvals, short replies, or making small fixes.

Pomodoro Technique
↳ Work in short focus sprints to maintain momentum on longer tasks.
↳ Do 25 minutes of work. Take a five-minute break. After four rounds, take a longer break.

In the visual below, I've put in where best to use each strategy so you can work effectively.

Everyone will have a framework or two that'll work best for them.
Give one a try this week and see how it might help.

If time management isn't your problem, but you still feel stuck growing your business,
you might be in the wrong growth phase.

My quiz helps you uncover what's holding you back, and gives you a roadmap of your next steps.

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

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Presenting is one of those skills that catches a lot of consultants off guard.

They know their material and have years of real experience behind them. But the moment they step into a room, the dynamics change.

I see the same issues show up again and again:
The equipment isn’t set up the way it should be.
The lighting makes it hard to see the slides.
The room layout works against the message.
And once the presentation starts, filler words, dense slides, or unclear transitions make it difficult for clients to stay with them.

None of this means they aren’t capable.
It simply means the presentation wasn’t set up for success.

Over the years, I’ve developed a set of principles I teach my consultants to help them avoid these pitfalls.

Here are eight of them:

Own Your Equipment and Environment
Don't rely on anyone else for equipment or supplies. Arrive early to test and confirm everything is working.

Tell a Client-Relevant Story
Use a short story that mirrors your audience's challenges. Problem, solution, impact.

Ditch Dense Slides
Have one concept per slide. Minimal text. If people are reading, they're not listening.

Make Numbers Meaningful
Translate data into something real. Don't say "12% attrition." Say "1 in 8 team members is leaving each year."

Use the Rule of Three
Structure your message around three key points. Our brains love patterns.

Rehearse Like a pro
Great presenters look spontaneous, but every word and beat is rehearsed. Practice your timing, pauses, and transitions.

Strengthen Delivery and Clarity
Be intentional with your language and avoid filler words that weaken your credibility.

Create a “Wait for It…” Moment
Save one insight, reveal, or recommendation for near the end. Pause before delivering it. Make it unforgettable.

Strong presenters don't wing it. They prepare, simplify, and deliver intentionally.

If your presenting skills are already strong, and you're figuring out your next step to grow, I built a quiz to help.

It gives you a personal report of your consulting archetype and a roadmap of what to do next.

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

What would you add to this list?

📨 If you're ready to book a call send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Top consulting firms don’t win projects because their slides look better.

They win because their message is easier to follow.

There is a structure behind it.

One that’s been proven in thousands of boardroom decisions.
And one that every independent consultant can learn to use.

It looks like this:

Front Page
Introduces the work, sets the tone, and makes it clear who it’s for.

Executive Summary
Tells the story in one slide so the decision-maker doesn’t need to dig for the point.

Body of Slides
Walks through the analysis one insight at a time, with only the information needed to back it up.

Recommendations
Lays out what needs to happen next in simple, actionable terms.

Appendix
Holds the detail for anyone who needs to see the work behind the work.

Each section has a purpose.
Each slide has a point.
Each title tells you what matters.

You don’t need a team of analysts or a big logo behind you to create high-trust presentations.

But the structure has to do the work.

Clear thinking, laid out the right way, earns attention.
It shows clients you’re serious, prepared, and ready to lead.

That’s how you compete.

Not by trying to match the big firms slide for slide, but by making it easier to say yes to your ideas.

If you want to break through your ceiling, I built the Consulting Archetype Quiz to help.

It'll show you your current growth phase and give you a personalized roadmap.

You can take the quiz here: https://lnkd.in/gve8CjUu

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM and let's chat.
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 How To Structure A Consulting Presentation

If you're competing on price, you've already lost.

Here's how to fix it before 2026.

This is the season where consultants finish strong and set the tone for the year ahead.

And funny enough, a conversation with my nephew got me thinking about what it really means to start the new year right.

He’s been staying at my place, getting used to farm life.
One morning, he cracked an egg into the skillet and asked:

"Uncle Dale, why is the yolk so orange?"

I told him those eggs came from our friends who raise free-range chickens, not factory-farmed ones.

We had a whole conversation about the difference before he hit me with the big question:

"So why doesn't everyone just do free-range?"

The answer to that is the same reason most consultants are broke.

Everyone's trying to scale, productize, and compete on price.
That's factory-farmed thinking.

But the best consultants are free-range.
They've positioned themselves as a category of one.

If you're ready to do the same for 2026,
here are the steps to follow:

1. Identify Your Uncopyable Elements
Write down what makes you fundamentally different: Your lived experience, the patterns you see, and the lessons you've learned. 

2. Raise Your Prices Dramatically
Premium positioning requires premium pricing. Stop charging like a commodity. $10k-30k monthly retainers position you as an irreplaceable strategic partner.

3. Get Ruthlessly Selective
Fire your commodity clients. Keep and attract the ones who value wisdom over price.

4. Shift to Partnership Model
Stop selling projects. Start building strategic partnerships with your clients.

5. Use AI to Amplify Speed, Not Replace Value
AI compresses research from weeks to days, but that's not what clients pay for. They pay you to see opportunities they don't see yet.

2026 is coming fast, and the path you choose now will shape your pipeline for next year.

You can either keep competing as a commodity consultant,
or become a category of one and attract premium clients.

If you're serious about attracting premium clients in 2026 i'm hosting a free webinar on Thursday 👇

Secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/g-jEGn6S

Which one will you be choosing?

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Hard conversations are inevitable when working with clients.

The best consultants navigate them with care.

A lot of consultants freeze when a client pushes back on pricing or a recommendation.

Our instinct is to defend ourselves, but that only breaks trust even faster.

Once that trust is gone, you can wave that client goodbye.

So I stay in the doctor frame and lead with benevolent servant leadership.

It means I stay curious, diagnose what’s really going on, and lead from service rather than self-interest.

And when you approach clients that way, you can navigate all kinds of conflicts with clarity and confidence.

This is how I teach it to my clients:

Step 1: Connect
Reset the relationship before diving into the disagreement. 

Step 2: Discover
Ask questions to uncover what's really driving the pushback.

Step 3: Diagnose
Reflect back the real issue to the client to make sure you're on the same page.

Step 4: Prescribe
Offer a tailor-made solution that matches the diagnosis.

Step 5: Offer
Present the recommended path in a simple, decision-ready way.

Step 6: Commit
Mutually agree on next steps together and follow through.

I've included a full picture of what this looks like in practice in the carousel.

Leading this way helps you maintain trust and take further action after the tough moments.

And if you're building your consulting business and need direction,
I've built a quiz to give you a personalized roadmap: 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.
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How To Handle Pushback Like A Trusted Advisor

It's hard to keep going when nothing seems to move.

That's when daily 1% improvements make a difference. 

When you're starting out as a consultant, there are times when it feels like you're bumping your head against a glass ceiling.
And sometimes it doesn’t feel like glass at all. It feels like solid concrete. 

I've been there. And I've got the calloused forehead to prove it.
But there's a way to break through whatever obstacle you're facing. 

Let me tell you about Dave Brailsford.

He took the British cycling team, who'd never won the Tour de France, and turned them into world champions.

He didn't have some grand strategy. He focused on 1% improvements.

His team chose the best pillows and brought them to every hotel stop.
They identified the most effective massage gel.
And he instructed cyclists on the best hand-washing techniques to prevent infections. 

He called it the aggregation of marginal gains.

I call it the compounding of marginal gains.

The compound effect of those improvements turned the British cycling team into a force to be reckoned with.

In consulting, it's the same story.

You don't need to burn everything down and rebuild. 
You need to focus on what you can improve by 1% each day.

There are four clear steps to this:

Plan
Use what you know to map out your approach. Decide what steps you'll take and what a successful outcome should look like.

Do
Put your plan into motion on a small scale. This stage is about trial and learning, not launching something big, so keep it simple and controlled.

Check
Pause to review what happened. Did things turn out the way you expected? What worked, what didn’t, and what caught you off guard?

Adjust
If the test went well, build on it and start rolling it out more widely. If not, use what you learned to fine-tune your approach. Then run the cycle again with those improvements in mind.

Your time, multiplied by effort, creates big results. 

If you're looking for the next step of your plan,
I built a quiz that'll give you a personalized roadmap.

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

📨 If you're ready to book a call, send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Every consultant knows the chaos of a "simple" project.

Even if we don't like to admit it.

When you've done this work for long enough, you learn that a project rarely follows the easy path people imagine.

Even with the right research and plan, our work is influenced by everything happening inside the client's world.

Priorities shift, people change roles, and new information can derail a perfectly thought-out plan. 

That's the norm.

What separates seasoned consultants from struggling ones is the ability to stay steady when the path bends.

If a project feels chaotic at first, double down on the fundamentals:

1. Get oriented before you get tactical
↳ Re-establish the problems and the desired outcome. Most projects go sideways because everybody has a different opinion of the problem. Narrow down to a certain angle to focus on.

2. Diagnose before you prescribe
↳ Don't rush to solutions. Keep asking questions to understand the constraints you have, and to get to the root of the problem.

3. Protect the process, not the pace.
↳ Don't let outside changes push you into reactive work. Focus on your proven method.

When you're newer to consulting, these twists will catch you off guard. Sometimes you'll find a curveball even when you've been in the game for a long time.

That's why building your own systems and methods to handle them is so important. Having a solid foundation will help make the unexpected easier to navigate. 

If you're trying to understand where you are in your consulting journey,
and what your next stage of growth should be, I built a quiz that can help.

It gives you a personal report of your consulting archetype, your biggest blind spot, and the roadmap for your next steps.

You can take it for free here: 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.
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The most successful consultants aren’t extraordinary.

They do ordinary things with relentless consistency while everyone else is busy getting distracted.

They’re not bouncing around.
They just keep doing the fundamentals again and again with discipline.

They know results take time.
Sometimes weeks.
But when you’re in a place of scarcity, those weeks feel like forever.

That’s where most people stop.
Not because they’re not capable.
But because they haven’t built the resilience to push through that gap.

Especially if they’ve come from a job where the paycheck just shows up.
They’ve never had to think about cash flow.
They’ve never had to manage the mental pressure of building something on their own.

But that’s what this work demands.
The ability to stay focused, keep moving, and let the results catch up.

And through it all, remember:

Nobody can do what you do the way you do it.
That’s what makes you valuable. Don’t forget it.

If you're trying to pinpoint how to grow your consulting business, I built a quiz that'll help.

It gives you a personal report of your consultant archetype, biggest blind spot, and a roadmap of your next steps.

You can take the quiz for free here: 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.

If your messaging sounds boring to you...

It's just starting to stick for your clients.

Back in the early 90s, I worked at General Electric.

This was during the rollout of a new continuous improvement program under Jack Welch.
Every leader went through training and repeated the same principles again and again.

That's when I first learned the importance of having one main message.

Now, decades later, I've had to make peace with the fact that I just have to repeat myself over and over.

I've heard myself say things so often that sometimes I think my clients will find me boring.
But I've learned that repeating myself is how that message sticks.

Clients will always have the same kinds of questions, 
which is why your answers need to be repetitive.

Here are just a few that I get asked every week:

→ Why isn't my content getting clients?
→ What should I focus on this week?
→ Is it too late for me to stand out?
→ I feel invisible. What am I doing wrong?
→ Should I niche down more?
→ Am I charging too little?
→ How do I handle client pushback?

I've put my answers to each of these in the graphic below.

If you've ever felt like you've answered a client question 100 times before, you're not doing anything wrong.

Sometimes it just takes a while for things to sink in.

On a recent client call, someone asked me a question I'd already answered ten times before.
But it was the eleventh time when it finally stuck with them. 

That's the nature of what we do as consultants. 

We have to make peace with the fact that we're going to repeat ourselves a lot.
Because that's what good leaders do.

If your message is already clear, and you're not sure what's the next phase of your growth is,
I built a free quiz to help. 

It'll show you where you're stuck, and give you a personalized roadmap of what to do.
You can take it for free here: 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.
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Not everything you've planted needs to stay in the soil.

Growing your business starts with a few cuts.

In 2011, we had a timber harvest and had to cut down a 75-year-old tulip poplar tree. 

It hurt to see such a magnificent tree fall, but I knew that without harvesting, the forest can become stuck and inefficient.

Pruning the area lets the forest to have new growth soon after, often more vigorously than the original trees.

Dozens of new shoots sprouted from the stump that year because of that cut. 

And I say this because cutting and pruning is exactly what every business needs before 2026.

If you want to start off on the right foot,
there are 9 questions you ought to ask yourself: 

Who energizes you and drains you on your team?
Cut out poor performers who won't change. Let go of people who are on a different path. Keep your high performers close.

Which clients question your value or drain your energy?
The 80/20 principle applies here. A difficult $5K client consuming 20 hours of energy a week is worth less than a $3K client who trusts you and refers others.

What services are you offering out of obligation vs. genuine love and reward for the work?
Every time you say "yes" to work that drains you is a "no" to more profitable and rewarding work for your ideal client.

What activities fill your calendar but empty your bank account?
Trim out the networking events, meetings, and coffee chats that don't serve your business. Keep that filter for the year ahead.

What did you believe five years ago that's no longer true?
Trading time for money isn't going to grow your business to the level you want. Think of your work as a form of transformation for your clients.

What expenses are bleeding your wallet without clear return?
Comb through your bank statements for subscriptions that need cancelling or events that generate no business. 

Is your tech stack simplifying work or adding friction to it?
An expense might be justified financially, but if managing the tool steals 2 hours weekly, that's $800-1600 in monthly revenue lost.

What food and drink are you putting in your body?
Filter out the fast food and the sugary snacks. Start the year off strong to serve your clients at your best health.

Who around you lifts you up or pulls you down?
Your energy is finite and needs to be protected. Look at your circle and hold closely to those who you can truly lean on.

Some of these answers are going to feel uncomfortable now, but in the long-run they'll be a part of your business' success this coming year. 

If you've been feeling stuck lately, it might be time to make a few cuts. Here's how to get started:
https://lnkd.in/gyqTzbXh

What areas do you think are most important to prune?

📨 If you're ready to book a call send me a DM with the word "ready."
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Most consultants overlook this step.

But it's where the easiest referrals happen.

Before you think about cold outreach or complicated funnels, you need to look at your warm market.

Now, how I explain this idea to my clients is that you start with people who have refrigerator rights.

These are the people who could walk into your home, grab a beer from the refrigerator,
and sit down on the couch. And all you'd say to them is, "Hey, how's it going?"

They're the people who know you, trust you, and (most importantly) will answer when you reach out.

Most consultants skip right past them.

They go straight to the cold market, which is the hardest route.
They get beat up, discouraged and giving up starts to feel like the only solution.

You don't have to go out fighting tooth and nail by yourself.

Here's what I recommend to my clients:

1. Make a full list of everyone you know
Pull names from your phone, email, LinkedIn, and past colleagues. If they'd recognize your name, they're on the list.

2. Sort them into four buckets

• Close to you + has a business + can hire you
• Close to you + can refer you
• Know you (but it’s been a while) + has a business + can hire you
• Know you (outer circle) + can refer you

3. Start working that first bucket
They're going to be the ones who say "yes" the fastest. Reach out to them.

4. Work through the list intentionally
Reconnect with people you haven't talked to in a while. Let them know who you can help and how.

When you get your first client, give them a win as fast as possible. Ideally, within the first 30-90 days.

That sets you up for turning a client into a raving fan. 

When they're happy with your work, they're willing to give you testimonials and referrals.
Keeping this system consistent is how you avoid the feast or famine cycle.

If you're building a consulting practice, or are struggling to grow to the next level,
I built a quiz that'll help.

It shows you your consulting archetype, your biggest blind spot,
and what to focus on next.

Take it for free here: 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.

You can say all the right things in all the wrong places.

That's where most consultants fail in lead gen.

Years ago, marketing legend Gary Halbert asked his students a simple question:
"If you could have any advantage when opening a restaurant, what would it be?"

Better food? A great location? A killer ad campaign?

Halbert's answer: A starving crowd.

Food, location, and marketing won't matter if there's no hungry audience to buy.

The same's true in consulting. 

A clear strategy and message won't matter if it's shown to the wrong people.

Choosing the best way to get your message across comes down to three things:

1. Your ideal clients actively engage with that media.
Find where your clients are already spending their time.

2. It allows for a direct response.
Look for platforms where people can comment on posts, send you a DM, or take a direct action.

3. It aligns with your strengths.
The media you choose to engage with should feel natural to you. It'll either be writing, speaking, or networking (or a mix).

To refine things more, here are the best media channels for consultants to generate quality leads.

LinkedIn & Email
These are the best routes for direct outreach, nurturing leads, and establishing authority. Personalize outreach messages and post useful content your ICP can take away. Use email to stay top-of-mind.

Webinars & Workshops 
These are opportunities to position yourself as an expert. Teach others what you do, have a clear call-to-action, and follow up with any attendees who might need more nurturing.

Podcasts & Guest Features
Use these as opportunities for long-term trust-building. Be a guest on industry podcasts to borrow credibility. Share your personal stories so your audience can connect with you.

Paid Ads 
Great for when you've got a clear offer and message. Test things on a small scale first and remember that ads only amplify success. They don't create it.

Cold Calls & Direct Mail
These are old-school and need persistence, but they can still be effective for certain markets. Send personalized direct mail to stand out from digital. Follow up any cold calls with useful emails.

In the carousel below, I've put in the most common mistakes consultants and coaches make with each media outreach. Take a look so you know what to avoid.

You don't have to be juggling every single platform out there. You'll land quality leads by being in the right place, at the right time, with the right message.

If you need more support in knowing how to reach your target clients, this Thursday i'm hosting a free webinar to help.

Secure your spot 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/g-jEGn6S

Which method do you prefer for generating leads: writing, speaking, or networking? 

📨 If you're ready to book a call send me a DM with the word "ready."
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How To Choose The Best Marketing Channels

You don't reach $30K months by getting more clients.
You reach them by building better systems.

Most consultants hit a plateau in their business, and it usually shows up right around the $15K/month mark.

And when I’m working with consultants who want to break through it, I tell them the same thing every time:

You don’t get past it by hustling harder.
You get past it by fixing the five things that are holding you back.

❌ Employee Mindset
❌ They Haven't Identified Their Expensive Problem
❌ They Sell Time Instead of Transformation
❌ They Rely Only on One-Off Projects
❌ They Try To Figure It Out Alone

Real growth requires alignment across mindset, positioning, offers, pricing, and systems.
Neglect any one of these, and you’ll keep trading hours for dollars.

Here are the five steps that move you from $15K to $30K+ months:

Map Your $100K+ Problem
Identify the expensive issue small business owners lose sleep over.

Build Your Signature System
Document your approach in phases with clear steps and outcomes.

Design Three Stacked Revenue Streams
Create offers that feed into each other so you can guide clients from one stage to the next.

Price for Transformation, Not Time
Sell outcomes, not hours. Document the ROI and show the math.

Build Systems That Scale Without You
Automate follow-ups. Create templates. Every $30K+ consultant I know has systems doing the heavy lifting.

If you want to prepare for the new year, here are three actions to take now:

Write one sentence that spells out your $100K+ problem and ideal client.

Outline the 3–4 phases of your framework on a single slide or doc.

Map out the three milestones you’ll cover in your first discovery call to lead prospects toward a “yes.”

If you’re unsure what your next step should be, i've put a short clip together to help:
https://lnkd.in/gyqTzbXh

Have you had to break past this ceiling? What helped you break through?

📨 DM me the word “ready” if you’re interested in booking a call.
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Vilmos Bond, CMHWC

Dale Gibbons

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The Battle

Vilmos Bond, CMHWC

Dale Gibbons

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Dale Gibbons's LinkedIn Performance

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