May 9, 2024
Independent Insights: Lessons from 15 years of entrepreneurship and a new Sprint
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<tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;border-radius:5px;color:#000;width:615px;margin:0 auto" width="615"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><span style=""><em>👋 Welcome to Independent Insights, </em><em>where we gather member wisdom and expert insights from Pollen to take your consulting business to the next level. </em></span><em>This will give you a glimpse of what's happening inside Pollen.</em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"> 🔗 <em>Any events or resources linked are open to everyone.</em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><em>➡️ <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcGxpY2F0aW9ucy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2Zsb3cvYXBwbGljYXRpb25zL3ZhcmlhbnQvbWFpbj91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249NSUyRjklMkYyNCtSb3VuZHVwKyUyOE5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9NSUyRjklMkYyNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhub24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTgyMTAzMjR9/7e3c7c33eb26a0d2ac3bd0dbef454fca1feb2cc205e4906bca8023587acf02e5" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Apply to join Pollen</a> for access to Pollen and full membership benefits.</em></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;color:#343446;width:615px;margin:0 auto" width="615"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="heading_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><h2 style="margin:0;color:#000;direction:ltr;font-family:'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:120%;text-align:left;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;mso-line-height-alt:21.599999999999998px"><strong>🆕 New Sprint: Business Model Design and Implementation</strong></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;color:#343446;width:615px;margin:0 auto" width="615"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="html_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:center"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">Led by <strong><a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5saW5rZWRpbi5jb20vaW4vdGFyYWdlbnRpbGUvP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj01JTJGOSUyRjI0K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4Tm9uLW1lbWJlcnMlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD01JTJGOSUyRjI0K1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOG5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxODIxMDMyNH0/392ab40feeb11d04bc0148d1cdd4697282b8eb44e9d20aa7bd7fa6aa6c4bb09b" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank"><strong>Tara McMullin</strong></a></strong>, we'll evaluate common business models, design your value proposition and make a plan to bring it to life. By the end,<strong> </strong>you’ll have a completed strategy ready to execute and deliver sustainable growth.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">This Sprint will help you:</span></p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Shift from complicated to <strong>clear business models</strong></span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">lead with a <strong>revenue-potential mindset</strong></span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Clarify your value prop into <strong>a unique selling point</strong></span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Replace aimlessness with<strong> an articulated plan</strong></span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Turn 'no strategy' into a <strong>defined strategy</strong></span></li></ul><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">This Sprint will run over 4 sessions from June 3rd - June 12th. </span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL3NwcmludC9idXNpbmVzcy1tb2RlbC1kZXNpZ24tYW5kLWltcGxlbWVudGF0aW9uP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj01JTJGOSUyRjI0K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4Tm9uLW1lbWJlcnMlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD01JTJGOSUyRjI0K1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOG5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxODIxMDMyNH0/f60db3ceb25ccf7cad78d5e63e1e6bf003f5a1a2e7eb9e579f680a36f7466e36" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Register and learn more here</a>.</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Other notable events:</strong></span></p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">May 13th - May 22nd: <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL3NwcmludC9lbnRyZXByZW5ldXJpYWwtbWluZHNldD91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249NSUyRjklMkYyNCtSb3VuZHVwKyUyOE5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9NSUyRjklMkYyNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhub24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTgyMTAzMjR9/10f82052466fa60b7a646878aaa8c081af07c1bca5ce402614ea4227e1f9e8be" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Sprint: Entrepreneurial Mindset</a> kickoff with <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FuZ2VsYXBhcmtlci5jb20vP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj01JTJGOSUyRjI0K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4Tm9uLW1lbWJlcnMlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD01JTJGOSUyRjI0K1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOG5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxODIxMDMyNH0/ac7c69d08e6820bcd0c24f29640a9978f5525b43bbed7b899057d15be4024814" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Angela Parker</a></span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">May 14th: Uncover Your Ideal Clients and What Makes Them Buy with <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3JpY2hlbGxlZGV2b2UuY29tLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249NSUyRjklMkYyNCtSb3VuZHVwKyUyOE5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9NSUyRjklMkYyNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhub24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTgyMTAzMjR9/97f2feba81ce9010cf884d0b84a8d01af9791fa94828f0109e1f2da890cba9e1" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Richelle DeVoe</a></span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">May 15th: Group Coaching - Branding with Expert-in-Residence <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5qYW1pZXJjb3guY29tLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249NSUyRjklMkYyNCtSb3VuZHVwKyUyOE5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9NSUyRjklMkYyNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhub24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTgyMTAzMjR9/0a42ca1fa2d9c062f80d6e5bfb6a040b0384bc4eecbefe3d0a22f36cbeed1480" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Jamie Cox</a></span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="heading_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad">
<h2 style="margin:0;color:#000;direction:ltr;font-family:'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:120%;text-align:left;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;mso-line-height-alt:21.599999999999998px"><strong>💡 Expert spotlight: Austin Church shares 3 lessons from 15 years of entrepreneurship</strong></h2></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;color:#343446;width:615px;margin:0 auto" width="615"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">Since 2009, Pollen Expert-in-Residence <strong><a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5mcmVlbGFuY2VjYWtlLmNvbS8_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTUlMkY5JTJGMjQrUm91bmR1cCslMjhOb24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTUlMkY5JTJGMjQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4bm9uLW1lbWJlcnMlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzE4MjEwMzI0fQ/cc047de21383086567051dc62804122e5de1e22b2ad9b9eb6e806de44d53ee87" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank"><strong>Austin Church</strong></a></strong> has built and sold a portfolio of over 30 mobile apps, co-founded a tech startup and a branding studio, started a consultancy, and published a pricing and money mindset guide for freelancers and consultants. He’s been a huge advocate for the world of self-employment.</span>
</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Austin is one of Pollen’s Experts-in-Residence, seasoned professionals who help members of our community navigate the ins and outs of independent careers.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">Here are a few of Austin’s most enduring lessons from 15 years of being a business of one:</span></p><ol style="font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Personal growth begets business growth</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;background-color:#ffdf8f;">Every independent is unique, so every business should be too</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Everything is connected in a business of one</span></li></ol><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2FydGljbGVzL21lZXQtcG9sbGVuLWV4cGVydC1pbi1yZXNpZGVuY2UtYXVzdGluLWNodXJjaC8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1MaW5rZWRJblx1MDAyNnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zcG90bGlnaHRcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249NSUyRjklMkYyNCtSb3VuZHVwKyUyOE5vbi1tZW1iZXJzJTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9NSUyRjklMkYyNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhub24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTgyMTAzMjR9/eeb88c0dbbd4f9ec82ae40637fbaf576f34317396dd301d1639db87359ead7c3" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;"><strong>Dive deeper into the lessons of Austin’s journey here. </strong></a></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad">
<div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="heading_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><h2 style="margin:0;color:#000;direction:ltr;font-family:'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:120%;text-align:left;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;mso-line-height-alt:21.599999999999998px"><strong>✔️ Community roundup: Before you outsource marketing, do this first</strong></h2></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Christine</strong> would like to spend more time on sales and marketing, but has been kept busy with client work. She asked the community if they’ve outsourced parts of their marketing funnel.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Members shared what’s worked for them:</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Lex: </strong><em>You’ll get way better results if you validate your marketing/sales engine and then give it to someone to expand and build on.</em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Max:</strong> <em>There’s an element of authenticity that is really important in early stages that just can’t be replicated by other people. But with a good plan it’s possible. Still, <span style="background-color:#ffdf8f;">I’d only start outsourcing my marketing once it’s actively making me “lose” money to do it myself because it’s keeping me from taking on new clients.</span></em><em><br></em><em><br>
</em><em>The one caveat is for stuff like complex marketing automation/product launch planning/paid ads where there are skills that are really hard to learn casually and probably aren’t worth it. </em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Jamie: </strong><em>Perhaps if you’re busy you can find a way to automate some pieces of your marketing/sales funnel if you’re feeling crunched for time.</em><em><br></em><em><br></em><em>For example, I have some automations set up for my contact forms, etc to get conversations moving without having a back-and-forth in email.</em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Get more insight into what aspects of marketing to handle yourself vs. outsource </strong><strong>in the discussion</strong><strong>.</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;border-radius:0;color:#000;width:615px;margin:0 auto" width="615"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;padding-top:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="heading_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><h2 style="margin:0;color:#000;direction:ltr;font-family:'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:120%;text-align:left;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;mso-line-height-alt:21.599999999999998px">
<strong>💰 Expert insight: Get paid upfront for hourly work</strong></h2></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">When you bill hourly, you usually track hours then bill the client at the end of the month or engagement period. </span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Andrew </strong>asked if it’s possible to structure hourly work more like project work, where you get a portion of the payment upfront.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Our Experts-in-Residence shared their thoughts:</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Austin: </strong><em>When I was billing hourly, I had the best overall experience with 1) selling a Time Block as an initial minimum engagement (10 hours, 20 hours, etc), and 2) sending an itemized report every two weeks. As they approach the end of the last Time Block, they can decide to ante up for another—or not.</em><em><br></em><em><br>
</em><em>I didn’t find it worth the upfront investment to start a relationship with a new client for 1.25 hours of work (or whatever), so the Time Block gave me a way to move forward while also guaranteeing the juice was worth the squeeze.</em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Jen:</strong> <em>Another option is to have a “refilling deposit” at the front end of each month that you work against with your hours. </em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><em><span style="background-color:#ffdf8f;">You can also consider a retainer structure where the client is guaranteed a set number of hours a month and they pay that in advance instead of in arrears.</span> Support work lends itself well to that structure. </em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Get more tips on billing hourly work upfront </strong><strong>in the discussion</strong><strong>.</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="heading_block block-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><h2 style="margin:0;color:#000;direction:ltr;font-family:'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:120%;text-align:left;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;mso-line-height-alt:21.599999999999998px"><strong>📄 Featured Asset: </strong><strong>Delegation Model for Staffing and Tasks</strong></h2></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-6" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">A few weeks ago we hosted Scaling Your Independent Business with <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5saW5rZWRpbi5jb20vaW4vYXZpLXNpZWdlbC8_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTUlMkY5JTJGMjQrUm91bmR1cCslMjhOb24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTUlMkY5JTJGMjQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4bm9uLW1lbWJlcnMlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzE4MjEwMzI0fQ/e47a7b15dec2ec664dd7778fef9af19cf789cf81c21db9d3e8b1d55292df9be1" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Avi Siegel</a>, where we explored the staffing and delegation models needed to help you scale as a solopreneur. Those who joined learned how to shift out of an execution-only focus and identify the right time to bring on support to improve margins. </span>
</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Learning how to scale your business can be daunting when all you can focus on is the client work in front of you. </span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Avi put together an Asset for the Pollen community featuring Dan Sullivan’s Unique Ability exercise.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Access the </strong><strong>Delegation Model for Staffing and Tasks here. </strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-7" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-6" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;border-radius:0;color:#000;width:615px;margin:0 auto" width="615"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;padding-top:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="heading_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="text-align:center;width:100%"><h1 style="margin:0;color:#000;direction:ltr;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:23px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:120%;text-align:center;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;mso-line-height-alt:27.599999999999998px"><strong>Apply for membership for full access</strong></h1></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">Pollen's members get <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL21lbWJlcnNoaXA_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTUlMkY5JTJGMjQrUm91bmR1cCslMjhOb24tbWVtYmVycyUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTUlMkY5JTJGMjQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4bm9uLW1lbWJlcnMlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzE4MjEwMzI0fQ/ebb7a3c17208e65e62a4d323311753f119f9b35e54e5bf4587cc43221ed03d9a" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">full membership benefits</a>.</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>A membership gets you:</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Access to Pollen’s community of fellow independents</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">One-on-one advice from Experts in Residence</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">Compensation benchmarks</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Monthly expert-led sprints</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Accountability groups</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">Shared wisdom from small expertise groups</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Dozens of community contributed Assets</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Discounts to over 100 tools</span></p><p style="margin:0;text-align:center;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
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