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Kevin C. Whelan

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January 31, 2022

Thinking in “units”

Imagine you only had ten units of client time per month.

Every 1:1 client you worked with was one unit, every group coaching cohort was another, your memberships were another, and maybe even the products you sell were another.

Once they were sold out, you could not take on any more work.

How would your business look in terms of focus and profitability?

Would you feel more or less organized? More financially secure or less? Limited or empowered?

I view my advisory business this way and it has many benefits:

  1. No single client leaving could dramatically impact my revenue, and that gives me peace of mind.
  2. I structure my offers to be delivered evenly and consistently each month to reduce difficult spikes in effort.
  3. My cognitive load is limited to a fixed number of engagements, which allows me to remember details, do good work, and not feel overwhelmed.
  4. I ensure every new client fits the profile of the type of person I want to help, allowing me to learn and re-invest my knowledge back into a similar group of people.
  5. I ensure every new unit I sell is as or more profitable than the average AND/OR is more aligned with the type of work I want to do.
  6. The fixed (albeit slightly flexible) nature of it builds in constraints, which makes me more creative about how I design, deliver, and price my offers.

When you think of your business as having limited units of available inventory, it forces you to get clear on how the parts work together.

It allows you to design a business you want and an experience clients love.

When you think of it as “I’ll sell as much as I can until I can’t sell anymore”, your business will tend to lack focus and may end up running you.

That’s what works for me as a solo advisor.

What works for you?

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