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How did you make friends during your first year at college?

Or start to build a reputation at your first corporate job?

Or corral a new social circle when moving to a new city or country?

My guess is you didn’t have a plan, you just subconsciously A/B tested a lot of things, and eventually it sort of just fell into place.

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As solo consultants, we find ourselves wandering that foggy path again - whether just starting out or pivoting to a new audience or ICP.

But this time, there’s money at stake.

A ticking timer of cash reserves and other pressures.

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So, by necessity, we have to find more intentional ways to make ourselves known in the market...

To build authority with potential buyers who are otherwise strangers...

To demonstrate that while we may be new to the space, we’re worth listening to, getting to know, and ultimately working with.

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I went back to see my friends at The White Rabbit last week (this time was just 1:1 with Matt K).

While last time was about my decision in early 2024 to make a sharp pivot, this episode focused on what comes next: how do you build trust with a new audience?

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To be fair, I didn’t really see the full picture while I was building, but looking back, a few critical pieces helped me establish authority with a small, intentional and tightly-curated audience, relatively quickly:

• Catalog - start immediately building a public repository of insights specifically relevant to your new audience
• Channel - show up where your new audience hangs out, not where you hang out
• Calibration - conjugate your past experience into analogies and stories your audience can easily insert themselves into
• Connection - create easy opportunities for 1:1 interaction, turning ‘1:many’ content into 1:1 relationships

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I described my personal experience and thought process behind each of these in my conversation with Matt.

And as an Easter Egg, I kicked off by sharing the title of my upcoming book (!!), in which this framework plays a pivotal role:

The step from thinking you’d be a great consultant to actually becoming a trusted and sought-after consultant.

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Enjoy.

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💡

-Wes

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P.S. I just opened two final slots for complimentary consults tomorrow (Dec. 18) - my last openings until I come back from the holidays Jan. 8th.

If you've been curious about a Headshots sprint, or just want a sounding board to plant some thought seeds about your positioning before going into the holiday break, go ahead and grab one.

Reminder that you can claim 2025 pricing on a January sprint if we get you booked this week.

(That's $500 off + claim it as a deduction on this year's taxes.)