February 1, 2024
Unconventional niching + more Independent Insights
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="nl-container" 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 row-1" 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;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="0" cellspacing="0" class="image_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:10px;padding-right:20px;padding-top:20px;width:100%"><div align="left" class="alignment" style="line-height:10px"><div style="max-width:123px"><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0yJTJGMStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOFdhaXRsaXN0JTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9MiUyRjErV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM3ODg4fQ/a66ab859e906d501d9a10a7121e81b26ca2ea0bc24911e588f88f7b48e4e7d42" style="outline:none" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img alt="Image" src="https://userimg-bee.customeriomail.com/images/client-env-125681/Calque%202.png" style="display:block;height:auto;border:0;width:100%" title="Image" width="123"></a></div></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;mso-line-height-alt:21px"><span style="font-size:14px;"><em>👋 Welcome to Independent Insights, </em><em>where we gather member wisdom and expert insights to take your consulting business to the next level. All happening inside Pollen.</em></span></p><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:18px"> </p><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:21px"><span style="font-size:14px;">➡️ <em><a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcGxpY2F0aW9ucy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2Zsb3cvYXBwbGljYXRpb25zL3ZhcmlhbnQvbWFpbj91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/8ed235866150858443971f83a2a93e6aa4f850b36fe721199e2f9581e6905a58" 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><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="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:14px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>🙌 Now available for all: Step-by-step Pollen playbooks</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-5" 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;">Our foundational playbooks are now available to the public, for free.</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;">We don't want to see any more independents scraping the bottom of the barrel of Google for business advice. We know you're working hard, and we want to help.</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;">Everyone can now access <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL3BsYXlib29rcz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/db0ca3c4817f57f3d91b228d4ad71fcb10b871cc809fcb297fa4c37f4d521c27" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">dozens of our exclusive playbooks</a> all designed to help build the foundations of an independent business, including:</span></p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">Create a Winning Project Proposal</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Develop Healthy Work-life Balance (made with our friends at <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ncm9vdmUub29vLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/3b92ab69c121852e9f113094443313af5102c70b1894bff49e619238fffea520" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Groove</a>)</span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">Make an Elevator Pitch (alongside <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL21hdHRoZXctZmVudG9uLmNvbS8_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTIlMkYxK1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yJTJGMStXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0Mzc4ODh9/67665d4f64c4e925d0b6f5d9c6eb960984dbe6ea6f92f5ea0739acecc65d415e" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Matthew Fenton)</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Financial Planning for Full Time Consultants</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Set Up a Business Bank Account</span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">Hiring a VA (with the one and only <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5lcmluYm9vdGguY29tLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/a70fc11e95863414144b1a68689f1f06f7336b8e89670df57c942e3b6949315b" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Erin Booth</a>)</span></li></ul><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">and dozens more...</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"><strong>
<a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL3BsYXlib29rcz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/db0ca3c4817f57f3d91b228d4ad71fcb10b871cc809fcb297fa4c37f4d521c27" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Access all playbooks</a>.</strong></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="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:14px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>
📈 Grow your business: Get more clients with scalable sales and marketing</strong></span></p></div></div></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;">RSVP now to our new <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL3NwcmludC1ncm93dGgtc3RyYXRlZ3k_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTIlMkYxK1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yJTJGMStXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0Mzc4ODh9/305dde9b8cfbf20ede20e7e2013a4a6e1b4bea8b4e67854ec6847346b022792b" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Sprint: Growth Strategy with Lex Roman</a>.</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;">The sprint runs from February 26th - March 6th and includes 4 live sessions, accountability, feedback, and templates to give you structure:</span></p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;">February 26th: Review growth model options</span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">February 28th: Pick the right channels for your stage and business</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">March 4th: Build a growth engine that works for you, including referrals</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">March 6th: Create a repeatable, sustainable system</span></li></ul><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;">This sprint is perfect for independents looking to build a sustainable growth model and get more clients.</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/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL3NwcmludC1ncm93dGgtc3RyYXRlZ3k_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTIlMkYxK1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yJTJGMStXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0Mzc4ODh9/305dde9b8cfbf20ede20e7e2013a4a6e1b4bea8b4e67854ec6847346b022792b" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>
Secure your spot now.</strong></span></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>More just-announced events:</strong></span></p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">February 8th: Pricing Office Hour with <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5mcmVlbGFuY2VjYWtlLmNvbS8_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTIlMkYxK1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yJTJGMStXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0Mzc4ODh9/536e4cdfc239b414916c6d446c198477cbae1acb68c96bcfbec2707f5203018d" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Austin Church</a></span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">February 15th: Prospecting: Where Leads Come From & How They Get Closed with <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3R3aXR0ZXIuY29tL1RoYXRDaHJpc3RpbmFHP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0yJTJGMStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOFdhaXRsaXN0JTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9MiUyRjErV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM3ODg4fQ/070f11ec78371ce3270b34defae449072270cb54c26462022a6d62af288b29d4" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Christina Garnett</a></span></li><li>
<span style="font-size:16px;">February 20th: Creative Compost: Let’s Explore Our Unfinished Projects with <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3JvYmlueWFuZy5jb20vP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0yJTJGMStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOFdhaXRsaXN0JTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9MiUyRjErV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM3ODg4fQ/9417c4444e6c252339305408e2477a837ddfa5eab468b5381a138d76a07edf20" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Robin Yang</a></span></li></ul></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="text_block block-5" 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:14px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>🤔 Member discussion: Niching, yes or no?</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-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;"><strong>
Max</strong> brought up the evergreen question: To niche, or not to niche?</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>There’s a lot of talk out there about the importance of finding your niche, and there is a growing counter sentiment that it’s actually not that important.</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>Isar</strong> shares his unconventional approach to niching as an organizational psychologist: </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>
I think I’ve also ended up finding the traditional industry verticals not very useful, but there are definitely a few characteristics which predict how help clients will find my work / how likely they are to buy more. Two examples of other ways to slice potential companies that I’ve found to be more helpful:</em><em><br></em><em><br></em><em>
1. <span style="background-color:#ffdf8f;">Rate of headcount growth is a better predictor of “org stuff breaking” than what stage the company identifies as or their latest funding round size.</span> You can normally look that up on LinkedIn (although it’s quite noisy data).</em><em><br></em><em><br></em><em>
2. Having a large group of highly technical people working alongside a smaller group of non-technical people drives a lot of the messy-ness which is interesting for me. That ends up being a cluster of industries, biotech/medtech, niche engineering companies or AI firms.</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>
Others share how they’ve niched (or not!) in the discussion.</strong></span></p></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="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:14px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>🗣 Expert insight: Let people know who your ideal client is</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-5" 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;">Pollen Branding Expert in Residence <strong>
<a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5qYW1pZXJjb3guY29tLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/bac4e31ac489cc91faff044f75d24e4438e68323b5979440676b70379a586d35" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank"><strong>Jamie Cox</strong></a></strong> shares a quick way to boost referrals and stay top of mind:</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>
One of my favorite ways to build brand awareness is by letting people know who my ideal client is. <span style="background-color:#ffdf8f;">It seems a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how many great referrals you get when people have a better idea of who would be a good match.</span></em><em><br></em><em><br></em><em>It may feel weird to share who your dream clients are at first, but you never know who knows who and who can make an introduction.</em><em><br></em><em><br></em><strong>
In the spirit of community, </strong><strong>drop your ideal client in the post</strong><strong>, </strong><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcC5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2NvbW11bml0eS9jL3NhbGVzLW1hcmtldGluZy93aG8tY2FuLXdlLWludHJvZHVjZS15b3UtdG8_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTIlMkYxK1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yJTJGMStXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0Mzc4ODh9/0a8510945d1b3e69bc4565d9b047975c2f11a4a4da35e16257245f810c52e305" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;"></a><strong>and how you help them, so we can try to help make an intro.</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-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="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="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:14px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>🏃♀️ Grab this fool-proof discovery process</strong></span></p></div></div></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;">The first step to a great client relationship? It starts with the discovery process.</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;">Pollen Member and Fractional Product Manager <strong>Ashley Jefferson</strong><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5saW5rZWRpbi5jb20vaW4vQUNvQUFBZnV1T3dCeHB3czRDNzFUVVBFenJ6SXFGdG4wSk9LcGgwP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0yJTJGMStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOFdhaXRsaXN0JTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9MiUyRjErV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM3ODg4fQ/05c7f44776bce06b3eb545c414ccda87d89ae7e0ac98eb7656889ae906b4aecd" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;"></a> shares her 3 steps for success in discovery:</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;">1. Learn about the client (both the business and the person)</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>I want to see their foresight. What do they feel their business needs are? What’s next in their business? What’s blocking them from getting there?</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;"><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2FydGljbGVzL2FzaGxleS1qZWZmZXJzb24taW50ZWdyYXRpbmctd2l0aC1jbGllbnRzLWFzLWEtZnJhY3Rpb25hbC1wcm9kdWN0LW1hbmFnZXI_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTIlMkYxK1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yJTJGMStXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0Mzc4ODh9/3591514c848bc4f033b0a4e88ff2ed0630b2c6d90cd647a2ce5297df4a36e81d" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;"><strong>Get the other two steps and the full breakdown of Ashley’s discovery process.</strong></a></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="text_block block-5" 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:30px"><span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>Apply for membership for full access</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;">Pollen's members get <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL21lbWJlcnNoaXA_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTIlMkYxK1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0yJTJGMStXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0Mzc4ODh9/57eb5ba1749ade5c514d32a1039e6044be511b70f5027dd21d06836a1f545766" 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;font-size:16px;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: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;">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;">Pollen 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></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="button_block block-6" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment">
<a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcGxpY2F0aW9ucy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2Zsb3cvYXBwbGljYXRpb25zL3ZhcmlhbnQvbWFpbj91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/8ed235866150858443971f83a2a93e6aa4f850b36fe721199e2f9581e6905a58" style="text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000;border-radius:9px;width:auto;border-top:0px solid transparent;font-weight:400;border-right:0px solid transparent;border-bottom:0px solid transparent;border-left:0px solid transparent;padding-top:5px;padding-bottom:5px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center;mso-border-alt:none;word-break:keep-all;" target="_blank"><span style="padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;font-size:14px;display:inline-block;letter-spacing:1px;"><span style="word-break: break-word; line-height: 28px;">Apply</span></span></a>
</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;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;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;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="0" 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" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:10px;padding-right:20px;padding-top:10px"><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:14px;mso-line-height-alt:24px">
<span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="">Have a great day!</span></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:14px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="">The Pollen Team</span></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-6" 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;padding-top:20px;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="social_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" class="social-table" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;display:inline-block" width="84px"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:0 5px 0 5px"><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3R3aXR0ZXIuY29tL3BvbGxlbl9jYXJlZXJzP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0yJTJGMStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOFdhaXRsaXN0JTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9MiUyRjErV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM3ODg4fQ/6f63fb5aa4a0c45429973f4550969b43b5c52e3206f5aadaf45cb15a7e950f8e" target="_blank"><img alt="Twitter" height="32" src="https://app-rsrc.getbee.io/public/resources/social-networks-icon-sets/circle-gray/twitter@2x.png" style="display:block;height:auto;border:0" title="Twitter" width="32"></a></td><td style="padding:0 5px 0 5px"><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5saW5rZWRpbi5jb20vY29tcGFueS9wb2xsZW5jYXJlZXJzLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MiUyRjErUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTIlMkYxK1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzNzg4OH0/7e87f10c33de3ee8a92ec31a5ed0decbc5b9ecef36cc86a11d19d8e72f3ac380" target="_blank"><img alt="LinkedIn" height="32" src="https://app-rsrc.getbee.io/public/resources/social-networks-icon-sets/circle-gray/linkedin@2x.png" style="display:block;height:auto;border:0" title="LinkedIn" width="32"></a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="15" 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:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:14.399999999999999px;color:#a1a2b2;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;font-size:12px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:14.399999999999999px">© Pollen Pathways Inc.<br>228 Park Ave S, PMB 99819 NY, NY</p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="20" 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:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:14.399999999999999px;color:#a1a2b2;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;font-size:12px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:14.399999999999999px"><span style="font-size:10px;">The email was sent to . To no longer receive these emails, <a href="{% unsubscribe_url %}" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">unsubscribe</a> here.</span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>