when you focus more on ideas and philosophy rather than offers and guarantees, this is what happens:

i sent my offer document to a guy who showed interest in working with me yesterday

everything looked great, he just had 1 question:

"Do you have examples of companies you've worked with that are not working with other coaches/consultants to help them grow? I know this is an annoying question, it's just that I have been burned before by people who were "selling the shovel."

fair question, i've heard the shovel story before

so this morning, i replied

when i hit "send", i just sat there for a minute

because writing it out made me realize 2 things that i was really proud of

the first thing, i didn't try to convince him that i was the right fit for him

i just told him "I only teach what I do and I don't put people or myself in boxes"

secondly, i realized how different my clients are

i work with founders doing $300k-$400k/month with their agencies who wants a new lean vehicle for their personal consulting

i've consulted a software company about implementing the menu card to optimize their pricing structure

i work with the usual coaches and consultants who want to scale following my philosophy

i've worked with people who've exited their first company and now wants to start their brand and consulting business from zero

none of them fits into the same box or roadmap

BUT, the underlying philosophy stays the same throughout all cases

because i only teach what i do myself

everything i create and put out on the big internet is anchored in what i do, instead of what a certain group of people should do

this reversed approach attracts many different kinds of business owners who find certain parts of the digital coffee shop universe interesting

i don't put them or myself in a box

it keeps my work fun

and creates an amazing dynamic, because nobody follows a script... instead they follow an idea and a principle that plays out differently depending on the individual business

here's what hit me when i wrote that answer:

these people have achieved way more than i have

they're running bigger operations, managing teams, hitting revenue numbers i haven't touched

and they still want to work with me

because my ideas, philosophy and ways of doing things are innovative enough to be worth learning

• the idea of a Menu Card applies to everyone who wants to deliver their service or knowledge in multiple different ways
• the idea of Show Don't Tell applies to everyone who wants to demonstrate their expertise rather than posting about "Top 5 ways to X"
• the idea of Opening Hours applies to everyone who doesn't want to be in a constant state of availability and client acquisition

i'm not the biggest

i'm not the most successful by revenue

but i'm the only person in this world who runs a Digital Coffee Shop

and that's the thing i'm the most proud of in my business

so Fred, can you really help that guy?

i will leave you to answer this

best, Fred

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