Hello! And happy Labor Day to those in the US & Canada.

I’m writing from London this morning — a multipurpose trip of visiting old friends, a book dinner tomorrow night, and my first vacation since New Year’s.

(Interestingly, I’m finding that a self-designed work life gives me enough personal freedom in a normal week that perhaps a full-blown weeks-long getaway isn’t as necessary for me as it once was.)

But alas, I’m here, “off the clock” in my friend’s quiet flat, and finding the urge to finally sort out something that’s been weighing on me.

And it involves you.

It’s been a whirlwind two months since the launch of my book The Expert’s Privilege — launch party, talks, podcasts, book tour kickoff, new services, new clients…

And pressing near the front of my mind amidst all of it has been:

How do I get back to 💡 The Lightbulb?

If you’ve been here a while, you know this is where I process scattered thoughts into codified insights.

For your benefit, as well as my own.

For its first year, this was a true daily email, 7x/week - an ambitious personal challenge that built me a strong library of original IP along with a wonderful audience, deeply curious about monetizing their expertise as independent consultants.

(That’s you!)

In 2025, I pulled back to weekdaily (Mon-Fri), which gave me a bit of a breather. Client work really started picking up, helping solo consultants with their “intellectual headshots”, but I still managed to find the hour per day it takes me to get over the bar that I believe earns your open.

Client work was inspiring the Lightbulb content, which led to more client work — the enviable loop that keeps on giving.

Then came 2026, and “The Book” slurped up pretty much all my attention. I did my best to chime in here as often as I could, but a few dynamics were at play:

• I let up on client work intentionally in Q1/Q2 to get the book out the door, quieting my dominant source of new insights to distill and share
• Book-writing was spending all my “writer’s battery” — after a morning writing session and mid-day calls, I didn’t have much left in the tank to offer
• I had plenty to share about the book-writing process itself, but was wary of turning this into a daily play-by-play on publishing, convincing myself that that’s not what you came for

So, I organically adopted a “I’ll drop a Lightbulb when I have something” approach.

And I think that’s the right move, for me, and for you, for now.

I mean, I love the thrill and connection that comes with publishing daily. It’s been a game changer for my work and my business.

But I’m also not a fan of pressing ‘Send’ on fluff just for the sake of staying present in your inbox. Your time and attention is valuable, as is mine.

There’s also a new wrinkle.

The book is bringing more people here (hello, new friends!), and since The Expert’s Privilege is geared mainly toward those still in corporate who are curious about the solo path, distinct sub-audiences are emerging within this list.

As someone who harps on the importance of specialization, you can imagine I’m grappling with that choice between serving an increasingly diverse audience or narrowing down to go deep.

The jury’s still out on this one.

But here’s what I’ll do going forward:

The umbrella theme of The Lightbulb will remain unchanged:

• monetizing your expertise as a solo consultant (new, tenured, or solo-curious)

The cadence will be decidedly ‘daily-ish’

• Expect 2-3x/week on average, as I have something worthy of your inbox

The angle of the insights will reflect my client mix:

• If I’m working more with solo-curious folks, as is the case right now, you’ll naturally see more about shedding the corporate mindset, triangulating your expertise, validating a consulting offer, etc.
• If/when my client mix swings back to more tenured consultants, you’ll see more about IP creation, authority building, sales cycles, etc..
• The hope is that, regardless of where you are on your solo journey, you find value in both

And last, I’ll share unabashedly on book marketing and promotion

• I’ve held back a lot on this front so far, thinking I didn’t want take you for a ride that seemed self-promoting and/or not immediately applicable to your context, but the truth is: I’m learning so much in real-time about the power of building authority through original IP that it would be odd not to share that with you here.
• Besides, you’ve all been part of the journey to get the book out, and I’d love to share the rewards.

So, with all that committed, I’m going to ask something a bit daring.

Over the next month, take inventory of how you respond to what I’m sending you.

And if you’re noticing a string of ‘meh’ or ‘not really helpful anymore’, please unsubscribe.

That’s always been your option, of course, and I’d love for you to stay, but no hard feelings if we’ve reached your stop on this bus.

And if you'd like to stay and you have any comments/suggestions, or just want to say a friendly hello, hit reply and have at it.

That’s always been your option as well, and I always look forward to replying to every email.

Thanks, truly, for being here. I didn't forget you for a second.

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend, and see you back here soon.

💡

-Wes