Developing a Niche Consulting Practice

In October 2021, we generated 250 sales leads in 2 hours without coding, AI, or sales expertise, and we have never looked back. Here's exactly how we’ve used webinars to generate $3M+ in pipeline since launching our company. A week after launching Chezie's ERG platform in August 2021, we hosted a simple webinar that changed everything. The idea came when we noticed most ERG content online was outdated (think black-and-white websites from 2014; it was dark out there). We saw an opportunity. Here’s our process: 1. Find your topic     Look for LinkedIn conversations in your niche. Use tools like Perplexity to research what people are actively searching for.     2. Get the right host     We reached out to my friend Morgan Matthews (she/her), who was working as a DEI Manager at Peloton at the time. Your host should either have a strong following, work at a notable company, or ideally both.      The more notable your speaker, the easier it is to drive signups.      3. Structure your event     We titled ours "From Intent to Impact: How to Get the Most Out of Your ERGs." Morgan gave a 45-minute presentation and left 15 mins for Q&A.      Keep it simple – a fireside chat format lets your host prepare answers in advance.     4. Capture leads strategically     Have attendees share key info during registration (company size, current solutions, etc.). This helps you qualify leads before the event.     5. Execute and follow up       Some tips for a smooth event:       • Host on Zoom (everyone’s familiar with it by now)   • Pay attention to which participants are most engaged   • Share recordings after via email to warm the inbox   • Focus follow-up on qualified leads      Fast-forward to today: We've hosted 60+ events and turned webinars into our #1 go-to-market channel, even as we've expanded to other strategies. If you have questions about the process, qualifying leads, or anything else around webinars as a GTM motion, comment below; I’m happy to help! 👇🏾

If your website isn’t driving engagement, attracting clients, or positioning you as a trusted authority, chances are it’s missing one thing: valuable content. A static website is just an online brochure - it sits there, waiting to be found. But when you add useful, well-researched content, it transforms into a powerful business development tool. Here’s how to do it right: 1. Build a Strategy That Works: Great content doesn’t happen by accident. Your plan should align with your audience’s needs, your expertise, and your resources (time, people, and budget). A content calendar keeps you consistent, so you’re always top of mind. 2. Prioritize Research-Driven Content: Opinion pieces can be interesting, but data-backed insights and original research build credibility. If you want your content to get shared, bookmarked, and cited, focus on providing real value such as new information, deep expertise, and actionable takeaways. 3. Use Multiple Formats to Reach More People: Not everyone consumes content the same way. Some people prefer in-depth articles, while others engage with videos, podcasts, or infographics. Repurpose your best ideas across different formats to maximize reach and impact. 4. Curate, But Add Your Expertise: Sharing industry news, expert interviews, and event takeaways is a smart way to add value—but don’t just repost. Layer in your own insights to make it meaningful for your audience. Thoughtful curation strengthens your brand as a go-to resource. 5. Never Publish Without Editing: Typos and unclear messaging can hurt your credibility. Take the extra step to review your work (or have someone else do it) before publishing. Professionalism matters. 6. Publish With Purpose: A great piece of content means nothing if no one sees it. Optimize your posts with search-friendly URLs, embed videos strategically, and make sure everything is easy to find. Then, share it where your audience is - on LinkedIn, in email newsletters, and beyond. Content builds trust, and trust leads to business. If your website isn’t actively helping you attract opportunities, it’s time to rethink your content approach. Done right, it can position you as the go-to expert in your industry. Let me know what you think of these tips in the comments below! #contentmarketing #personalbranding #legalmarketing #bestadvice

The ‘perfect’ client doesn’t exist... but that’s not the problem. What if defining your ideal client isn’t a one-time exercise? What if it’s supposed to evolve with you? Let me show you how to embrace the messiness and refine as you grow. When you’re building your business, one of the first things you’re told is to define your ideal client. But here’s the part no one talks about: That “ideal” client will change... and that’s exactly how it should be. The clients you think you want at the start might not be the ones who light you up or fuel your best work. And that’s okay. Here’s why: Defining your ideal client is not a one-and-done exercise. It’s iterative. It’s messy. And it evolves as you do. The Challenge: You might start with a clear picture of who you think your perfect client is. Like one client I spoke with recently who set out to a specific demographic curious about AI but lacking the time to sift through the noise. And they succeeded. But here’s what they didn’t expect: A different group showed up too... clients just outside their targeted age range, people deeply curious, willing to ask questions, experiment, and dive in. Over time, this group became more valuable... and more aligned with what this business owner loves to do. It was a powerful realization: the “ideal client” from the start wasn’t the one who added the most value... or got the most from the work. That’s the messy beauty of business. Your client profile is a living, breathing thing. Actionable Advice: If your ideal client isn’t bringing you energy, alignment, or joy, here’s what to do: 1️⃣ Reflect on Experience: Look at the clients you’ve worked with. Who did you love working with? Who felt like a drain? What do those clients have in common? 2️⃣ Focus on Values, Not Just Demographics: Ask yourself: What qualities matter most to you? Is it curiosity, commitment, creativity, or something else? Refine your criteria to focus on how your clients show up, not just who they are on paper. 3️⃣ Iterate with Clarity: Your ideal client will change over time. Stay curious. Revisit and revise your profile regularly. Don’t be afraid to shift gears as you grow. Here’s the thing: The “perfect” client isn’t discovered... they are developed. Your track record proves that you can deliver results. So why not get more intentional about working with the people who truly fuel your passion? Your business. Your rules. Your ideal client, defined by you. What’s one quality you look for in your ideal client? Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear!

A common misconception about freelance is that it’s primarily a stopgap for professionals to leverage between full-time roles or a side hustle you spend time on outside of work. But now more than ever full-time self-employment is also a viable option as a long-term career path. Yes, this is the hill I plan to continue to yell from. :) In fact, 64% of the estimated 6.7 million freelancers working in the U.S. today are full-timers focused solely on self-employment and not employed elsewhere. Many decide to stick with full-time freelancing for the long haul given the unique benefits of this employment arrangement and its alignment to their professional preferences. That said, there’s no prescribed path to follow compared to how familiar we are with career options as employees. I've been self-employed for twelve years now and along the way I’ve discovered what it takes to maintain the momentum, grow my business, adapt to changing circumstances, and minimize the downsides like burnout, loneliness, and bad clients. Here are key lessons from my career on what it takes to freelance for the long run, as well as advice from other self-employed professionals who have built lasting practices on their terms. **Define your niche** To find the sweet spot between the unique expertise you offer and the in-demand industry skills companies are looking for, define your niche as a freelancer. Whether you’re focused on a highly specialized offering, serving a particular type of client or industry, or offering a complementary mix of services, choose a niche that reflects your strengths, is easy to quickly understand, and that’s providing sought-after support. For example, I partner with tech companies, media brands, and nonprofits to consult, teach, and train on developing social media and content marketing strategies that drive results. This breakdown of my niche succinctly highlights the types of clients I support and the specific services I offer to help them address a distinct marketing-related challenge. Customers are looking for contractors with specialized skill sets to assist them in completing important tasks, so they’re more likely to discover you with a niche focus to your offerings. Plus, concentrating on a few areas of expertise can help you further hone your craft and better articulate your specialty with confidence, helping you foster trust with potential clients. More on this from my article found on my website called: "How to Sustain a Long-Term Career as a Freelancer, Beyond a Side Hustle"

𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 Is your cybersecurity startup struggling to gain traction in a crowded market? Many first-time CEOs in this space cast a wide net, hoping to appeal to everyone, but often end up resonating with no one. Imagine if you could pinpoint your ideal customer, tailor your services, and become the go-to security provider for a lucrative niche? 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆: Cybersecurity CEO Achieves 180% Revenue Growth by Focusing on Car Dealerships  𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: A first-time cybersecurity CEO with a strong background in penetration testing struggled to secure clients. Their generalized approach lacked focus, making it difficult to stand out in a competitive market. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: To achieve rapid growth, the CEO needed to identify a profitable niche and develop a targeted strategy to attract and secure ideal clients. 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Through results-driven coaching, we: • Identified car dealerships as a lucrative niche with unique cybersecurity needs, particularly in protecting customer data and loan processing systems.  • Developed a specialized cybersecurity offering tailored to the specific vulnerabilities and compliance requirements of car dealerships.  • Created targeted marketing campaigns highlighting the potential consequences of cyberattacks on loan processing and customer trust.  • Coached the CEO on effective communication, emphasizing the value proposition and building trust with dealership owners.  𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁:  • Achieved 180% revenue growth within 6 months by focusing on the car dealership niche.   • Secured 8 major dealership clients, establishing the company as a trusted security provider in the automotive sector.   • Developed a strong reputation for expertise in protecting sensitive financial data and ensuring compliance. 𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 1.  Have you identified a specific niche where your cybersecurity expertise can make a real impact? 2.  Are you effectively communicating the value of your services to your target audience? 3.  Do you have a deep understanding of the unique cybersecurity challenges and compliance requirements of your niche? 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:  • Niche down to dominate: Focusing on a specific industry allows you to develop specialized expertise and stand out from the competition. • Speak their language: Tailor your messaging to resonate with the specific needs and concerns of your target audience. 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁!   If you're a first-time startup or midsize company cybersecurity CEO ready to unlock exponential growth by targeting a lucrative niche, DM me to discuss your challenges and how coaching can help. #Cybersecurity #Startup #TechCEO #Leadershipcoaching #CEOCoaching #ExecutiveCoaching #FirsttimeCEO

Speaking gigs used to be my #1 lead gen tool. Now, I focus on “marketing adjacent” activities before I step on stage. At Fire&Spark, we're always focused on lead generation. Like every other agency and consultant, we need to generate client leads to keep the lights on. Early in my agency career, I relied heavily on direct lead-gen tactics, like conference speaking, partnerships, and client referrals. But I've learned that successful lead generation begins long before stepping on stage or asking for a referral. Four powerful "marketing adjacent" activities to start earlier: 1) Refining Your Positioning - Clarify your agency's unique value proposition early. This is so hard, but it's essential. We’ve experimented with different positioning over the years. Currently, we are narrowly focused on organic search and looking to pivot into an industry focus around Digital Health. 2) Industry Research and Surveys - Regularly gather industry insights. This is sooo much easier when you have a clear, narrow positioning. At Fire & Spark, we are working on our first research study on investment opportunities in the Digital Health space. 3) Leading Innovation Initiatives - Innovate in public. As a marketing agency working hard to incorporate new tech into our services, we do a ton of experimentation. When we publicly share our findings and innovations we position our agency as a thought leader, attracting new partners and clients. 4) Repurposing Internal Conversations - Document and share insights from internal discussions and brainstorming sessions. We generate a ton of insights on a daily basis in our internal conversations. And all of these conversations are recorded. We have a process to screen transcripts for confidential information and extract “teaching points” that can be used for content. In fact, the idea for this post came from a transcript. The bottom line: Lead generation doesn't start when you step on stage or ask a client for a referral. It begins much earlier with “marketing adjacent” activities, like strategic positioning, insightful research, public innovation, and authentic internal conversations. What “marketing adjacent” activities are working for you?

Webinars still work. In Q4 2024, Champify's webinar program drove 71% higher ACVs and touched 28% of our opportunities. Here’s our 4-step webinar playbook (and the full results): My core marketing philosophy is to continuously deliver value to our potential customers. We can’t always control timing, so our goal is to be top of mind when they are in market. We do this by delivering as much educational content as possible to help our audience be better at their job. With the rise of AI generated slop and on-demand content, there are few better ways to deliver value to your customers as cost effectively as live webinars. Here’s our simple 4-step Live Webinar Playbook: 1. The topic is important, but the guest is 10x more important We focused on using our network, customers, and customer’s networks to attract guests we know our audience will want to learn from. We think deeply about what’s in it for them and how to make them the star. 2. Use multiple methods to drive attendance We drove attendance through Linkedin outreach, closed lost nurture campaigns, targeted marketing emails, and customer invites sent via our sales team and leadership. We also used the invite as a hook to build value at accounts we wanted to break into - offering a Q&A with a renowned leader that most people want to learn from. 3. Focusing on quality content during and AFTER the session Do not go broad. Find one hot topic and go deep as possible. What draws a crowd is how respected or “impressive” is your guest. If your audience wants to learn from her, they will show up. If they don’t care about her background, they won’t. Add a Q&A section as people will directly show up just to get burning questions answered. Use the gold from the webinar to creative tactical guides, teardowns, and summaries, to share with all those who signed up (regardless of attending or not) 4. Nail the follow up: We meticulously look at the list post-event and put people into two key buckets: - Marketing Owned: Follow up included tactical guides and a highlight reel - Sales owned: Tailored outbound to key titles with 1-2 specific plays/asks based on the content/audience combination. THE RESULTS: - Of our last 228 new business opportunities - 71 of them had at least 1 registrant (28%) - Win rate of opps with a registrant from opp created is ~25% higher than without (%, not points) - ACV 71% higher Too many teams are taking the easy way out… Blasting AI-generated and overly generic content We see the same thing happening in outbound. But at the end of the day….it’s about delivering value to build trust. And being top of mind for your prospect universe when the problem you solve arises. Webinar are still the way to do that in 2025.

My recent work for a new client inspires today’s Tuesday Tip. This client is totally brilliant and usually business-savvy. Yet, she constantly encounters problems with her clients about the scope of the services she is supposed to perform for them. When I looked at a few of her contracts, I saw the problem immediately: she defined the scope of her services too broadly, which confused her clients and did not manage expectations. Let’s take a look at the language she was using: 🚫 Too Broad: "Service Provider agrees to perform consulting services as needed for the Client." 👉 Why This Is Problematic: This clause is vague and leaves the door wide open for misunderstandings. What kind of consulting services? How often? What deliverables are expected? Broad language like this creates significant risk for scope creep, unmet expectations, and even disputes. Instead, I drafted some different language for her to use: ✅ Specific and Clear: "Service Provider agrees to provide up to 10 hours in the next 2 months, starting on the date of this Agreement, of business strategy consulting, including: (1) developing a written quarterly business plan for next quarter; (2) a Zoom call advising on the current quarter's written marketing strategy provided by Client; and (3) reviewing next quarter financial projections with feedback provided in writing." 👉 Why This Works: This clause clearly outlines: Scope: What services will (and won’t) be performed. Limitations: Time is capped at 10 hours for two months. Expectations: Deliverables and required client actions (e.g., written, via Zoom) are defined. By being specific, both parties know exactly what’s included, which minimizes confusion, protects you from being overburdened, and reduces the risk of disputes. 💡 Pro Tip: The clearer your contracts, the more professional and trustworthy you appear—and the better protected you’ll be. Take the time to get it right, or work with someone who knows how to do it for you. *For educational purposes. Does not constitute legal advice.

Starting your AI consulting firm? We’ve been at this for over a year and I’ve got a few lessons I wish someone shared when we started. The stuff we had to learn the hard way. 1. Do the Work. Literally. It doesn’t matter if you were the best digital transformation consultant on Earth — which, let’s be honest, is the weirdest flex on LinkedIn at this moment. Sure, the fundamentals help: ✔️ Knowing how to run a tech assessment ✔️ Being able to assess data readiness (which shockingly didn’t just appear with GenAI) But AI transformation is a different game. You can’t advise on AI if you don’t actually know how AI is built. In our early projects, I fully immersed myself. That’s how we: - Deeply understood the customer POV - Built a scalable methodology (and refined it by doing, not theorizing) - Designed an engagement model that delivers fast time-to-value while building the bigger ship (tech roadmap) (I’ve linked the post on our engagement structure in the comments.) Paul Graham said it best: “Do things that don’t scale.” (Yes — at first.) And I couldn’t recommend it more. 2. Get Specific. Figure Out Your Niche. Fast. When we launched, the space was way less crowded. Saying “AI transformation for mid-market companies in non-complex, real-world industries” worked… for a while. Until it didn’t. We didn’t lose deals, but we realized we couldn’t scale without tighter focus — and we couldn’t be truly excellent for our clients without doubling down. We experimented a lot, and eventually landed on our sweet spot: ➡️ Strategic consulting teams providing a service as their core product. Think: ✔️ Professional services organizations (delivery-oriented) ✔️ Insights-driven teams (research-heavy) These companies don’t just use strategy — they sell it. And they’re the ones we can help most. Takeaway: You are not Accenture. You cannot boil the ocean. Pick a lane. Build credibility. Expand from there. I used to think, “But services aren’t products!” Yeah — turns out the best service businesses think like product companies. 3. LinkedIn is Your Best Friend. Start Yesterday. Not saying this to make the algorithm love me (although, hey 👋) But seriously, LinkedIn has driven everything: - Partners - Employees - Customers (but really) - And more lead gen spam than I can count. (I’m salty.) It doesn’t matter if your primary GTM is direct outreach, events, partnerships, referrals — LinkedIn can’t be an afterthought. And if you’re still sitting on your first post? JUST DO IT. I waited way too long, and I’m kicking myself now. Don’t make my mistake. __ There are so many other lessons I could add — like: - Build a high-quality lead magnet (total game-changer) - Pick the right partners (strategically — not just who’s available) - Ruthless focus & prioritization (or you will drown) But I wanted to keep this to the ones that made the biggest impact for us. What would you add to this list? Would love to hear from others building in this space.