No BS Mastery Podcast

For years, one thing surprised a lot of the business coaches around me: I never tried to scale my branding agency, at least not in the traditional sense. It wasn't because it wasn't successful. I had a completely different plan for what that business was supposed to do for me. Steve and I used to call Worst of All Design our cash register, and that cash register became the foundation of how I think about building wealth.So many of us get to the point where the business is working: good money, great clients, booked out months in advance, not working nights and weekends. And we still don't feel financially secure, because everything depends on us. The natural pull is to grow, which usually means more revenue and a team. But growth doesn't necessarily mean more stability, and hiring a team definitely doesn't.In this episode, I share a different way to think about financial security: using your business as a cash register.In this episode:Why more money in the bank didn't make me feel secure, and what finally didWhere I put my profit: back into my business and my own skills, and into things that don't need me, like stocks and real estateHow Worst of All Design funded building the business I have nowFive things you could do with an extra $50,000 in profit, from an emergency fund to buying your time backWhy it's a mistake to equate ambition exclusively with business growthWhy the cash register business isn't the one that takes you to a million dollars, and shouldn't beHow to build what you want to invest every month into your freedom numberI'm not an investment advisor, and this isn't investment advice. It's a way to think about it.Your business doesn't have to be your entire financial future. It can be the thing that funds it.Want to work out what your business needs to generate, including what you want to invest every month? Grab my free Price to Freedom Calculator™ at nobsmastery.com/price. Or play out all of these scenarios in the No BS HQ: nobsmastery.com/hq.Resources:Join the Scale Solo MasterclassGrab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comThe Price to Freedom Calculator™: nobsmastery.com/priceGrab a copy of my book Badass Your Brand: Badass Your BrandFind this episode: pod.link/1511055451

After more than 20 years in corporate roles and two consecutive tech layoffs, Wes Wheless found himself asking a question a lot of new independent consultants face: Without the company name and job title, who am I, what do I do, and where do I fit?Then someone in his network approached him with a problem that matched his experience. Suddenly, Wes wasn’t an employee whose expertise was getting lost among meetings, reviews, and corporate politics. He was the expert in the room.In this conversation, Wes shares the idea behind his new book, The Expert’s Privilege, and explains how to identify the expertise you’ve accumulated throughout your career, find the work that genuinely lights you up, and validate where that expertise is valuable in the market.We also talk about why consultants need to make their invisible expertise easier to understand. Wes explains how “intellectual headshots” and simple visual frameworks can help prospects immediately recognize their problem, understand your point of view, and trust that you can help.Wes is an independent consultant and author who helps experts find their lane, turn their knowledge into intellectual property, and visually communicate what makes their expertise valuable. He holds business degrees from the Wharton School and Kellogg School of Management and is also the founder of Seattle Solos, an in-person community for independent consultants and coaches.Wes’s perspective matters because leaving corporate is about more than replacing your salary. It is an opportunity to decide how you want to deploy your expertise, what kind of life you want your business to support, and what freedom actually looks like for you.Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.Tune into this episode to hear:How two tech layoffs pushed Wes to reconsider his 20-year corporate careerWhy your expertise may be inefficiently deployed inside a corporate roleHow to identify the work that lights you up before worrying about monetizing itWhy your warm network can help validate where the market sees your expertiseHow intellectual headshots make invisible expertise easier for prospects to understandWhy your buyer’s personal pain point is often more powerful than the company’s problemThe difference between replacing your corporate salary and designing a business around the life you wantLearn more about Wes Wheless:Website: weswheless.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wwhelessBook resources: wesbook.com/resourcesThe Expert’s Privilege: theexpertsprivilege.comMentioned:Wes’s book, The Expert’s PrivilegeThe Expert’s Privilege visual resourcesResources:Join the Scale Solo MasterclassGrab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comThe Price to Freedom Calculator™: nobsmastery.com/priceGrab a copy of my book Badass Your Brand: Badass Your BrandFind this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.

I was talking to one of my more advanced students recently. She's booked out months in advance, her systems are dialed in, her clients are super happy, she can take vacations without worrying about everything falling apart, and she doesn't work on Fridays. And yet she's convinced her next step is to start hiring people, and maybe go for a million dollars. Why? Somebody had asked her, “What would happen if you got hit by a bus tomorrow? Would your business still exist?” It's such a common (and triggering) question once a solo business is really working, so in this episode I bring those big next steps down to reality. Because it's one thing to say, “I wanna make a million dollars.” It's another thing to say, “What does it take to make a million-dollar business, and what does that functionally need to look like?”In this episode:The questions to answer before you chase a million: what you're selling, how many, at what price point, and who's going to sell itWhy 10 projects at $100,000 means no more than 96 hours on each (the 50/25/25 Rule)The million-dollar question: how much are you willing to invest to get there, and how much cushion do you need in case it doesn't go to plan?Why my digital products never ran without me, even when they made sales overnightWhat a business that runs without you looks like, and how big it has to beWhat a friend with a six-person agency told me about six to 10 employeesI'm not against growing a business, or against teams. I just want you to understand what you're signing up for, and make that choice intentionally.Want to play with the numbers? Grab my free Price to Freedom Calculator™ at nobsmastery.com/price. It'll give you an idea of what you'd need to charge to hit whatever big revenue number you want. Or map out what a million-dollar business would look like for you, and what you'd actually take home, in the No BS HQ: nobsmastery.com/hq. Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player. Resources:Join the Scale Solo MasterclassGrab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comThe Price to Freedom Calculator™: nobsmastery.com/priceGrab a copy of my book Badass Your Brand: Badass Your BrandFind this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.

Most experts begin writing a book by thinking about everything they want to say. But according to AJ Harper, that is exactly where authors can go wrong. A book isn’t about something. A book is for someone.In this conversation, AJ explains why the reader’s transformation should guide every decision you make, from which ideas belong in the book to how you organize and market it. We talk about identifying what your reader wants, understanding what they believe is standing in their way, and creating a promise you can actually deliver by the final page.AJ also shares why experts should test their ideas before putting them into a book. It is not enough for your process to have worked for you. You need to know whether it can create change for other people, where they get confused, and what they need to keep moving forward.We also get into how a book can support your business without turning into a giant advertisement. AJ explains how to choose one clear next step for readers and plant subtle seeds through useful stories and examples that serve the book first.AJ Harper is an author, editor, and publishing strategist who helps writers create books people dog-ear, underline, and rave about. She is the author of Write a Must-Read and the longtime writing partner of Mike Michalowicz, collaborating on books including Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan, and The Money Habit. Together, they co-host the podcast Don’t Write That Book.AJ’s approach is such an important reminder that writing a great book is not about proving how much you know. It is about choosing the right ideas, delivering a meaningful transformation, and creating something readers will finish, use, and tell other people about.Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.Tune into this episode to hear:Why a book should be written for someone, not simply about somethingHow to define the transformation your reader should experienceWhy every nonfiction book needs one clear, achievable promiseHow surveys and interviews reveal what your readers actually wantWhy your framework needs to work for other people before it belongs in a bookHow teaching and writing content can help you test and refine your ideasHow to use your book to support your business without making it feel promotionalLearn more about AJ Harper:Website: ajharper.comBook: Write a Must-ReadPodcast: Don’t Write That BookTop Three Authors Membership and Writing SprintsTop Three Book WorkshopResources:Join the Scale Solo MasterclassGrab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comThe Price to Freedom Calculator™: nobsmastery.com/priceGrab a copy of my book Badass Your Brand: Badass Your BrandFind this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.

Being great at what you do is no longer enough to make you stand out. In a world drowning in noise, competition, and AI-generated sameness, your prospects need a reason to notice you, remember you, trust you, and ultimately choose you.David Newman calls that market eminence. It combines visibility, resonance, and brand preference so that you become more than one of many qualified options. You become the obvious choice for the right clients.In this conversation, David explains why he believes the era of how-to content is over and what experts should create instead. We talk about sharing how you think, challenging outdated beliefs in your industry, and using your experience, battle scars, and point of view to create content that no one else can copy.We also go on a very worthwhile sales tangent about treating prospects like clients. David shares how to make sales conversations more human, diagnose problems without giving away the entire solution, and confidently ask someone if they would like to work together.David is a speaker, business strategist, host of The Selling Show, and the author of four books. His latest, Market Eminence, teaches experts, founders, and business leaders how to become the people their markets notice, respect, and prefer.David’s perspective matters because AI can recreate generic information, but it cannot recreate your lived experience or hard-earned point of view. The experts who are willing to think clearly, speak boldly, and stop trying to sound like everyone else will become increasingly valuable.Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.Tune into this episode to hear:The three elements David believes create market eminenceWhy experts should stop producing generic how-to contentThe three kinds of thought leadership content humans are uniquely qualified to createHow to uncover the contrarian opinions you already have but may be afraid to shareWhy treating prospects like clients can make sales conversations feel more naturalHow to diagnose someone’s problems without solving everything for freeWhy trying to sound smart and be universally liked makes your work easier to ignoreLearn more about David Newman:Get Market Eminence and the companion resources: marketeminence.comWebsite: Do It! MarketingListen to The Selling ShowExplore David’s books and free resourcesConnect with David on LinkedInResources:Join the Scale Solo MasterclassGrab the first chapter of my new book Scale Solo: scalesolobook.comThe Price to Freedom Calculator™: nobsmastery.com/priceGrab a copy of my book Badass Your Brand: Badass Your Brand