💡 The Lightbulb

Wes Wheless | Niche Discovery + IP Capture for Solo Consultants

A daily email about monetizing your corporate expertise. Give me ~1 minute a day, and I'll help you turn what you know into your most differentiated and lucrative asset.

💡 You've got expertise...

💡 -Wes P.S. Happy Fourth to those in the US. See you Monday. 🎆 🌭 😎

2 days ago • 1 min read

two organic eggs

💡 Not so fast, big guy

A fractional CFO wrote in yesterday trying to sense-check what seemed like an unreasonable demand during the contracting process with a new client. The sticking point was professional liability insurance (sometimes referred to as E&O - errors & omissions coverage). An E&O policy is generally a good thing to have — just like an LLC protects a client lawsuit from coming after your personal assets, an E&O policy can protect a client lawsuit from wiping out your business’s assets (read: your cash...

3 days ago • 1 min read

💡 Work you want vs. work you can get

While describing my NicheFinder process to Will Bachmann (new podcast appearance I mentioned yesterday), I talked about my general process of looking: Backward Where and how have you created exceptional value in your career to-date? Inward What comes easiest to you, lights you up, and makes time disappear? Outward Who in the market can most benefit from you operating where you excel? Will then challenged me, suggesting the best route might be to start with who in your network is hiring...

4 days ago • 2 min read

💡 LISTEN: Talking niche and headshots on 'Unleashed'

I got back in front of the mic last week, this time on the Unleashed podcast, hosted by Will Bachman, founder of the Umbrex and Veritux indie consulting communities. I’ve become a big fan of Unleashed, largely because of Will’s warm-yet-direct interview style, sharpened over 600+ episodes. As a guest though, I have to admit it was kinda intimidating! No pre-meeting. No planned outline. No “tell us a bit about yourself” warm-up. No intro music even. He just hits ‘record’ and you dive in deep....

5 days ago • 1 min read

💡 A Japanese comms coach nails it

Did you check out Jeff O’Dea’s profile? A total stranger when I scrolled through LinkedIn last night, then… In less than a minute, I was able to: Learn something about cross-cultural communication Ascertain Jeff’s niche: bridging the Japanese<>English cultural divide in business communications Understand Jeff’s ICP (ideal client profile): large companies with Japanese/English exposure And then, I stayed for probably five more minutes clicking through his content, walking away with a pretty...

8 days ago • 1 min read

💡 A crystal-clear positioning, spotted in the wild

Trying something new... Here’s a fun example from the wild. It’s a solo consultant named Jeff O’Dea. I don’t know him. Have never heard of him before today. One of his posts just popped into my LinkedIn feed. Challenge: Spend 30 seconds on his LinkedIn profile, and see if you can’t tell me: His niche (the problem he solves + who he solves it for) How he’s using ‘intellectual headshots’ to telegraph his expertise (You don’t actually need to write in - I think it will be obvious. But I’ll break...

9 days ago • 1 min read

💡 Client Q&A: Should I protect my work?

During an IP Builder kickoff this morning, a new client astutely asked about IP ownership of the Headshots we’ll create together. Answer: all final work-product created during the Sprint is 100% the client’s. But it also prompted a question that I’ve answered in webinars, but not here: 🤔 How should I be thinking about legally protecting the Headshots, and any other frameworks I create? First, the major disclaimer that I am not an IP attorney. If you’re interested in hearing from or talking to...

10 days ago • 1 min read

a street sign on wall street in new york city

💡 That quarter-end feeling...

After leaving Big Consulting way back when, I followed a BCG Principal to Carnival Corp, the big cruise conglomerate. He was taking the helm of an corporate strategic projects team and needed analyst support. (Excel and PowerPoint were my primary languages back then.) All-in-all it was interesting work supporting cross-brand strategy, and a fascinating entry point into the travel industry. But every three months or so… Actually, exactly every three months… I’d have about a week of my time...

11 days ago • 1 min read

gray concrete statue near green trees during daytime

💡 Who's hiring fractionals?

I talk to a lot of new and aspiring solo consultants who are curious about the ‘fractional executive’ space. The allure is compelling, particularly when compared to full-time roles. Fractional engagements offer: Part-time senior-level work Defined objectives/scope (aka, no ‘filler’ work) Ability to stack multiple client engagements A vehicle to dabble into nascent or new-to-you industries These reasons (and more) have brought thousands of corporate experts into the supply side of the...

12 days ago • 1 min read

💡 What's the worst that can happen?

I don’t spend a lot of time with children. I’m a 40-year-old gay man with no paternal aspirations. I live in a dense urban neighborhood with very few young families. Most of my friends with children have immigrated out to the suburbs. I just don’t see kids often. Fast-forward to my family reunion last weekend. Adults still outnumbered kids, but you wouldn’t have known it by the level of noise and energy emanating from our rented condos in an otherwise quiet mountain town in southern New...

15 days ago • 1 min read

A daily email about monetizing your corporate expertise. Give me ~1 minute a day, and I'll help you turn what you know into your most differentiated and lucrative asset.