Ditching Hourly

Hosted by Jonathan Stark

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401

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Aug 2026

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For solo professionals who want to make more and work less without hiring.

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August 21, 2026Episode 4011 hr 10 min

Jason Cohen - Hidden Multipliers

Double-unicorn founder (WP Engine and A Smart Bear), Jason Cohen, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about the ideas behind his new book, Hidden Multipliers. We talked about using AI as a facilitator rather than an answer machine, choosing ideal customers, differentiating a consulting business, how AI is changing SaaS and software work, and why writing can help you think in public. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:56 - AI Skills as Facilitators 04:16 - Choosing Your Best Customers 09:42 - Building Strategy Around Yourself 13:40 - Defining a Market 22:29 - Problems, Alternatives, and Categories 27:00 - Differentiating Consulting Services 33:58 - The Fear of Closing Doors 38:02 - Who Hidden Multipliers Is For 41:14 - AI and the Future of SaaS 49:33 - Why Expertise Still Matters 53:24 - Distribution and Fast Followers 59:13 - Worldview as Differentiation 61:03 - Writing to Think 68:28 - Where to Find Jason Jason’s Links The Book » https://shop.hiddenmultipliers.com/ The Skills » https://skills.asmartbear.com/ Jason’s Blog » https://longform.asmartbear.com/ Jason’s Podcast » https://smartbearlive.transistor.fm/ Jason’s LinkedIn » https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncohen/ ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

August 11, 2026Episode 40044 min

Bill Sherman - Scaling Thought Leadership

Thought leadership expert Bill Sherman joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss how experts can scale their ideas to create impactful thought leadership. Bill shares insights from his extensive experience in helping individuals and organizations codify and amplify their ideas. In this episode, we delve into the nuances of thought leadership, from defining it to exploring business models and the importance of a focused target audience. Bill also discusses the impact equation and how to effectively communicate ideas to create lasting influence. 00:00 - Introduction to Bill Sherman 00:19 - Journey into Thought Leadership 01:51 - Defining Thought Leadership 05:41 - Emerging Thought Leaders 08:44 - The Thought Leadership Handbook 13:09 - Business Models of Thought Leadership 16:49 - Target Audience Importance 21:49 - Licensing and Certification 25:09 - Alternatives to Writing a Book 33:39 - Impact Equation 43:47 - Final Thoughts Guest bio Bill Sherman is the COO of Thought Leadership Leverage and lead author of The Thought Leadership Handbook. For more than twenty years he's helped executives, authors, and experts take their ideas to scale — and he co-hosts the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast, now past 700 episodes. Website » https://aha-moments.com/ Book » https://thoughtleadershiphandbook.com/ LinkedIn » https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-sherman-aha-moments/ Podcast » https://thoughtleadershipleverage.com/thought-leadership-podcasts/ ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

August 7, 2026Episode 39952 min

Shannon Mattern - Strategic Pricing for Service Providers

Pricing strategist Shannon Mattern joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss how to present pricing options in a project proposal based on the mindset of the buyer: investment-minded, expense-minded, and hustle-minded. In this episode, we dive into Shannon's Package Matrix method, a framework she developed to offer clients different levels of service and pricing options. We explore how to implement this strategy, manage client expectations, and ensure timely payments. 00:00 Introduction 00:25 Shannon's Background 01:24 Overcoming Pricing Challenges 02:24 Package Matrix Method 06:23 Implementing Package Matrix 10:58 Sales Process and Payment Terms 17:21 Handling Client Delays 20:58 Sales Cycle and Proposal Strategy 28:03 Presenting Proposals 39:51 Follow-up and Decision Deadlines 47:19 Final Thoughts and Resources Shannon Mattern is a pricing strategist and the creator of the Package Matrix™ Method. She's also the host of the Profitable Web Designer and Anchor High podcasts, and founder of Web Designer Academy, where she helps women web designers move from undercharging to premium pricing. You can connect with Shannon at https://shannonmattern.com or on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/shannonmattern ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

July 29, 2026Episode 39856 min

Wes Wheless - The Expert's Privilege

”Expertise whisperer” Wes Wheless joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about turning corporate expertise into a solo consulting business. We talked about his new book, The Expert's Privilege , how corporate professionals can recognize transferable expertise, why visual IP helps consultants explain their work, and what to do before making the leap from employee to independent consultant. Chapters 01:35 - From Corporate to Consulting 03:48 - Pivoting Toward Solo Consultants 06:16 - Daily Email, Authority, and Visual IP 11:46 - The Expert's Privilege 18:36 - Why Corporate Experts Undervalue Their Skills 23:23 - Excavating Your Expertise 27:18 - Finding Your Zone of Genius 32:44 - From Self-Examination to Market Validation 35:30 - What to Do Before You Leave Corporate 40:22 - A Book Is FOR Someone 44:23 - Writing the Book With Support 52:06 - Launch Strategy and Early Results About Wes Wes Wheless is an "expertise whisperer," founder of Develop My IP, and creator of The Lightbulb, a daily email for corporates-turned-consultants. After two consecutive tech layoffs, Wes traded a 20-year corporate career spanning consulting, enterprise, and startups for a solo practice helping experts turn their knowledge into IP, frameworks, and "intellectual headshots." Wes holds business degrees from The Wharton School and Kellogg School of Management and lives in Seattle, Washington. The Expert's Privilege is his first book. Links Resources & Services: weswheless.com The Expert's Privilege : wesbook.com Buy on Amazon: buywesbook.com The Lightbulb email: lightbulbemail.com Fen Druadin, Book Midwife: fendruadin.com ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

July 24, 2026Episode 39755 min

Brian Herriot - Time Freedom

Author, financial advisor, and former management consultant Brian Herriot joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about pursuing time freedom before financial freedom. Brian and I talk about his new book Time Freedom , the difference between time freedom and financial freedom, how flexible work can bridge the gap, and what he learned from using early readers, workshops, and hybrid publishing to turn his ideas into a book. Chapters (00:00) - Brian's Time Freedom Story (02:58) - Why Brian Wrote the Book (05:30) - Choosing Hybrid Publishing (09:53) - Building the Business Behind the Book (12:16) - Time Freedom vs Financial Freedom (16:46) - Making Nine Months Cover Twelve (19:47) - Remote Work and Flexible Work (23:18) - Who Can Actually Do This? (27:17) - Early Readers and Draft Feedback (31:51) - Tools for Testing a Book (33:32) - Testing Ideas Before Writing (36:00) - Writing the First Draft (40:26) - The Time Freedom Framework (46:52) - Writing a Better Ending (50:44) - Counterintuitive Money Advice Resources We Mentioned Time Freedom preorder page Time Freedom Calculator Time Freedom Podcast Brian Herriot on LinkedIn Write a Must-Read by AJ Harper AJ Harper Page Two Simplified Mike Michalowicz Mike Michalowicz on The Business of Authority Write Useful Books / Rob Fitzpatrick Help This Book Heroic Public Speaking Charlie Hoehn on The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish Guest Bio Brian Herriot is the founder of Time Freedom and the author of Time Freedom: Rethink Your Work and Money to Create a Life You Love Now. He is an author, speaker, registered investment advisor, financial advisor, business consultant, and co-host of The Time Freedom Podcast. His professional background includes management consulting roles at Accenture and Point B, as well as a director position at UCSF Health. Learn more at https://timefreedom.life/ . ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

July 9, 2026Episode 3961 hr 2 min

Jed Byrne - Self-Publishing Your First Book

Business development director and Raleigh commercial real estate enthusiast Jed Byrne joined me on Ditching Hourly to walk through the entire process of self-publishing his first book, Start Small Selling, from idea validation to Kickstarter funding to final production. We cover testing your book idea with real money, writing a first draft in 35 days, running a Kickstarter campaign to fund professional editing, finding and working with developmental editors, designing a book cover on a budget, and publishing through KDP and Lulu. Chapters (00:00) - Who Is Jed Byrne? (03:19) - The Hyper-Local Newsletter (07:59) - Why Write a Book? (11:41) - Testing the Idea (14:05) - The Writing Process (21:56) - The Kickstarter (31:04) - Building the Editing Team (36:23) - The Timeline (45:49) - Working with a Developmental Editor (52:40) - Designing the Cover (57:26) - Publishing with KDP and Lulu (01:00:00) - Start Small, Start Now Guest Bio Jed Byrne is a business development director at Barnhill Building Group, a North Carolina-based general contracting firm. Outside his day job, he runs Oak City CRE, a platform focused on Raleigh commercial real estate that includes a weekly Substack newsletter, a podcast, consulting, and his first book, Start Small Selling. You can reach Jed at books@oakcitycre.com. Resources Mentioned In This Episode People Jed Byrne Jed Byrne on LinkedIn Jonathan Stark Tim Ferriss Seth Godin Noah Kagan Rob Fitzpatrick Tucker Max Pat Flynn Chandler Bolt Tim Grahl Rochelle Moulton Corey Quinn Mike Michalowicz Derek Sivers Daniel Pink Jed / Raleigh / AEC Oak City CRE The Top Five by Oak City CRE Dirt NC podcast Barnhill Building Group Start Small Selling Kickstarter Start Small Selling on Amazon Urban Land Institute ULI Triangle Jed’s book email from the episode - books@oakcitycre.com Books / Book-Building Resources Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick Write Useful Books by Rob Fitzpatrick Help This Book The Workshop Survival Guide The Scribe Method SelfPublishing.com / Self-Publishing School Reedsy Editorial Freelancers Association Chicago Manual of Style ISBNs / Bowker Atticus Publishing / Production / Selling Platforms Kickstarter Amazon KDP Lulu Blurb Shopify Upwork Fiverr Otterpine Microsoft Word Canva Inkscape USPS Media Mail Podcast / Episode References Mike Michalowicz on The Business of Authority ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

July 4, 2026Episode 3951 hr 14 min

David Guttman - Delegating Outcomes to AI with OpenClaw

Principal at Superstruct and author David Guttman joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about using OpenClaw and AI agents to delegate outcomes instead of micromanaging code. We talked about AI employees, chat-based agents, why OpenClaw feels different from coding tools, how David qualifies repeatable tasks for delegation, secure setup choices like Tailscale, and what collapsing software costs could mean for developers who still sell their time. (00:00) - Introduction to David Guttman (00:41) - From Superstruct Teams to AI Employees (05:19) - Testing Devin Against a Human Engineer (09:39) - What OpenClaw Adds to AI Agents (11:40) - Vibe Coding from Anywhere (15:52) - Pretending You Do Not Know How to Code (21:13) - Software Quality, Risk, and Real Requirements (23:56) - How OpenClaw Has Changed (31:52) - Qualifying Tasks for an AI Employee (37:07) - The Secure OpenClaw Setup Process (40:38) - Local Machines vs Cloud Servers (45:52) - Tailscale and Remote Access Security (48:08) - Teaching Clients to Train Their Agent (53:02) - Ask the Agent Before Asking the Expert (01:00:44) - Life-Changing Client Use Cases (01:03:34) - Disposable Software and the Future of Developers (01:09:44) - Productivity, Pricing, and Value (01:13:31) - Where to Find David David Guttman is the Principal at Superstruct , where he helps solopreneurs and founders set up AI employees. He is the author of The Superstruct Manifesto , as well as Fullstack Node.js and Fullstack React, and has held engineering leadership roles at Outlier.org and Interlincx after earlier work with Disney and AT&T Interactive. Learn more at davidguttman.com and david.app . ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

June 19, 2026Episode 39444 min

Nikki Cross - The Private Podcast Book Club

Learning and development facilitator Nikki Cross joined me on Ditching Hourly to share how she turned business books into a private podcast book club that helps members apply what they read. Nikki explains the mechanics of her Inner Work Business Book Club, how she uses a private podcast to turn book ideas into implementation, and why structure matters when business books are trying to change behavior instead of merely transferring information. Learn more about Nikki Cross and her work at The Inner Work . ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

June 6, 2026Episode 39343 min

Shawn Yeager - AI and the Billable Hour

Founder of Upshift, Shawn Yeager, joined me on Ditching Hourly to talk about how AI is killing the billable hour and what professional services firms can do about it. Jonathan and Shawn dig into judgment versus execution, what firms should commercialize after AI, why cost-cutting is only the first move, and how agent workflows change what small and midsize firms can do. 00:00 - Introduction 01:54 - AI and the billable hour 03:56 - The judgment sandwich 05:19 - Strategy, execution, and hidden value 09:06 - Client conversations about AI pressure 13:26 - Validating AI output 15:29 - Judgment, marketing, and cost of being wrong 17:07 - AI transformation and commercialization 20:08 - The hard parts big firms still need humans for 22:20 - Cost recovery versus new offerings 25:35 - Agents as extra employees 26:40 - Interns versus chiefs of staff 28:44 - Scaffolding agent workflows 30:12 - From chatbots to delegated workflows 37:00 - AI adoption inside firms 42:01 - Closing remarks Shawn Yeager runs Upshift, a firm focused on helping professional services firms understand what they sell after AI. His career has focused on emerging technology and getting it to market, including work on Microsoft's first browser team, the SaaS/cloud wave, mobile, Bitcoin, and AI. His background is in computer science, and his work has included sales, marketing, partnerships, consulting, Accenture, early-stage startups, and his own ventures. Learn more at upshiftco.com . ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.

May 26, 2026Episode 39250 min

Alain Chautard - Scaling Angular Certification

Angular expert Alain Chautard rejoined me on Ditching Hourly to share how he scaled his certification business through partnerships and automation. Jonathan and Alain talk about turning niche expertise into a certification business, reducing support demands, using expert partners across time zones and languages, negotiating a licensing-style partnership, and what happens when a soloist plugs their business into a larger organization. 00:00 - Introduction and Welcome Back 03:24 - Creating the Angular Certification Program 07:00 - Automating Customer Support 10:04 - Scaling with Global Partnerships 12:08 - Handling Certification Interviews 15:04 - Partnerships and Business Growth 20:05 - Negotiating a Business Partnership 24:38 - Email Marketing Journey 36:51 - Exploring New Content Formats 38:51 - Mastermind Groups for Soloists Alain Chautard is a Google Developer Expert in Angular who does consulting, training, and conference/content work around the Angular framework. He created an Angular certification program after clients asked for proof of completion beyond a simple training certificate. His work now includes helping teams make architecture decisions, get up to speed with Angular, and scale the certification business through partnerships. Learn more at alainchautard.com . ---- Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in? You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem. You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business. On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down. That's what we'll tackle in this workshop. It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you. Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait. Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgs Enroll in Positioning For Soloists now » Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.