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Ditching Hourly

Jonathan Stark

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

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  • 26 episodes
  • Avg 53 min
  • English

Episodes 26

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  • #386
    February 3 · 34 min

    Ben Kettle - Risk-Based Pricing Options

    Rural planning advisor Ben Kettle joined me on Ditching Hourly to share his transition from hourly billing “nonsense” to risk-based project pricing. Links Ben's website » https://areteruralplanning.co.uk/ Chapters (00:00) - Ben Kettle (00:20) - Meet the Guest: Ben Kettle (00:36) - Ben's Background and Career Journey (02:57) - Challenges with Hourly Billing (09:01) - Transition to Fixed Fee and Value-Based Pricing (13:23) - Implementing the New Pricing Model (25:48) - Client Reactions and Success Stories (34:08) - Conclusion and Future Plans ---- Sales Conversations That Don’t Feel Sleazy — live Oct 20 at noon ET Learn how to structure sales conversations so the buyer tells you what the outcome is worth without feeling sleazy or trying to manipulate them. The live 90-minute Zoom workshop is $450 and includes the recording, transcript, summary notes, and a practical worksheet. Learn more and register » https://jonathanstark.com/sgs

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  • #385
    January 20 · 57 min

    Zach Stevens - Year 3 of Growing a Subscription Business

    Co-founder of Conversion Factory, Zach Stevens, rejoined me on Ditching Hourly to give us an update on how he's growing his subscription SaaS marketing agency in year 3. Links We Mentioned Conversion Factory Website Zach's partner Corey, on X The Superstruct Manifesto by David Guttman The "If You're Such An Expert" Ditcherville Comic Chapters (00:00) - Introduction and Welcome (00:10) - Zach's Business Journey (01:19) - Conversion Factory's Growth (02:26) - Subscription Model Insights (04:04) - Hiring and Team Expansion (08:32) - Training and Onboarding (20:48) - Client Management Strategies (30:00) - Client Frustrations and Communication Strategies (31:04) - The Inefficiency of Phone Calls (33:19) - Setting Client Expectations (37:05) - AI in Copywriting and Design (45:53) - Subscription Model Benefits (54:49) - Final Thoughts and Future Plans ---- Before you go! The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course. Hope to see you there!

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  • #384
    January 13 · 41 min

    Charles Miller - What Is “Good” Taste And Why Would Anyone Want It?

    Charles Miller of Platoon joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss “good” taste, how you get it, why you might want it, and what to do when your clients don’t have it. Links Charles’ personal site » https://www.charlesmiller.com/ Charles’ portfolio site » https://www.platoon.studio/ Chapters (00:00) - Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:11) - Defining Taste (00:19) - Charles Miller's Background (00:59) - The Concept of Informed Opinion (02:20) - Developing Taste Over Time (05:50) - Taste in Different Domains (08:44) - Taste and Business Decisions (16:42) - Client Relationships and Taste (21:30) - Understanding Client Needs (24:00) - The Role of Taste in Design (25:28) - The Importance of Practice (27:09) - Releasing Your Work to the World (27:52) - The Role of Taste Makers (30:11) - Balancing Client Expectations and Creative Vision (34:36) - The Genius of Simplifying Complex Ideas (40:07) - Final Thoughts and Wrap Up ---- Before you go! The next time someone asks you for your hourly rate, I want you to stop what you're doing and head on over to valuepricingbootcamp.com to sign up for my free value pricing email course. Hope to see you there!

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  • #383
    Dec 9, 2025 · 54 min

    Alex M H Smith - Understanding Value

    Author of No BS Strategy, Alex M H Smith, rejoined me on Ditching Hourly to help define a very important word that few business people understand correctly. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction and Welcome (00:11) - Guest Introduction: Alex Smith (01:30) - Understanding Business Strategy (02:02) - The Misunderstood Concept of Value (04:15) - Creating Value in Business (07:55) - Innovating Beyond Traditional Value (13:01) - Practical Examples and Market Research (18:14) - Unique Value Proposition (29:23) - Understanding Differentiation in Business (29:56) - The Importance of Unique Positioning (30:36) - Consulting Strategies and Unique Differences (31:32) - Examples of Effective Differentiation (33:23) - The Role of Specialization in Strategy (38:30) - Embracing Weaknesses for Strategic Advantage (40:53) - Balancing Specialization and Market Reach (41:51) - The Pitfalls of Over-Niching (48:28) - Rooting in Recognizable Categories (53:20) - Conclusion and Resources Guest Links Alex's free resources » https://basicarts.org/welcome/ Alex's book » https://basicarts.org/book/ Alex's mailing list » https://basicarts.org/articles/ Alex's LinkedIn » https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-m-h-smith/

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  • #382
    Nov 25, 2025 · 52 min

    Dr. J.J. Peterson - Finding the Balance Between Badass and Softie

    Professor-in-residence at StoryBrand and host of the new podcast Badass Softie, Dr. J.J. Peterson, joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss how to strike a balance between authority and empathy. And be sure to stick around to the end to hear J.J.'s take on AI's impact on professional services and how to avoid creating ‘louder garbage’ :-) Chapters (00:00) - Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:17) - JJ Peterson's Current Ventures (01:11) - The Concept of 'Badass Softie' (03:26) - StoryBrand Framework Explained (06:20) - Empathy and Authority in Leadership (08:42) - Balancing Empathy and Authority in Coaching (12:38) - Personal Experiences and Coaching Styles (16:05) - Communicating Empathy and Authority Effectively (24:44) - Engaging Your Audience with Empathy and Authority (28:06) - Controlling the Narrative in Marketing (29:07) - Embracing Your Authentic Self as a Guide (31:41) - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome (40:52) - The Importance of Niching Down (47:35) - Leveraging AI in Professional Services (51:39) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts Links J.J.'s website » https://www.drjjpeterson.com/ J.J.'s podcast » https://www.badasssoftie.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.

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  • #381
    Nov 18, 2025 · 53 min

    Shachar Meir - How To Go Solo After 20 Years In Corporate (And What To Expect)

    Solo data advisor Shachar Meir (ex-Meta, ex-PayPal) joined me on Ditching hourly to share the details of his transition from being a manager in massive corporate environments to becoming a successful solo consultant. Chapters (00:00) - Introduction and Guest Welcome (01:05) - Shachar's Professional Background (03:47) - Transition to Solo Entrepreneurship (13:51) - First Steps as a Solopreneur (15:59) - Landing the First Project (20:25) - Facing the Challenges of Solopreneurship (25:11) - Navigating the Steep Learning Curve (26:17) - The Importance of Networking and Mentorship (29:52) - Leveraging LinkedIn for Business Growth (33:25) - The Art of Content Creation (43:18) - Financial Stability and Client Acquisition (51:47) - Final Thoughts and Advice Shachar's Links LinkedIn Profile » https://www.linkedin.com/in/shacharmeir/ YouTube Channel » https://www.youtube.com/@shacharmeir

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Showing 21–26 of 26 episodes