Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Fractionals Unplugged with Jay Kingley

In this episode of Fractionals Unplugged, Jay Kingley speaks with Rebecca Kushner, a Fractional CFO specializing in helping health and wellness practitioners navigate their financial challenges. They discuss the common issues practitioners face, including pricing, client volume, and overhead costs. Rebecca emphasizes the importance of understanding financial metrics to make informed decisions and achieve sustainable growth. The conversation also touches on the impact of industry consolidation and the misconceptions practitioners have about growth. Rebecca shares actionable steps for practitioners to improve their financial clarity and outlines her journey to becoming a financial educator.

Email Rebecca or send her a DM on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com if you're a fractional executive or consultant and would like to be a guest on our show.

In this episode of Fractionals Unplugged, Jay Kingley and Oleksii Lunkov discuss the challenges faced by early to mid-stage companies in the e-commerce sector. Oleksii shares insights on the importance of understanding revenue growth, identifying root causes of e-commerce issues, and the necessity of balancing basic e-commerce practices with unique brand elements. He emphasizes the role of a strong team and leadership in overcoming struggles and achieving success in a competitive digital market.

Email Oleksii or send him a DM on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com if you're a fractional executive or consultant and would like to be a guest on our show.

In this episode of Fractionals Unplugged, Jay Kingley speaks with Tom Dillon, a Fractional CFO specializing in helping businesses navigate financial challenges. They discuss the concept of 'sweaty startups', the importance of understanding cash flow, and the role of finance in driving business growth. Tom emphasizes the need for transparency and leadership in addressing key business problems and shares insights on building a successful team for the future.

Email Tom or send him a DM on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com if you're a fractional executive or consultant and would like to be a guest on our show.

Jay Kingley interviews Ashish Nanavati, a data-driven fractional marketer. They discuss the importance of understanding ideal client profiles (ICPs), the urgent problems startups face, and the challenges in achieving desired outcomes. Ashish emphasizes the need to identify root causes of marketing struggles, break down silos within organizations, and implement growth loop structures. He also shares his personal journey, including a life-threatening surgery that led him to consulting work, and his focus on leveraging AI in marketing for future growth.

Email Aashish or send him a DM on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com if you're a fractional executive or consultant and would like to be a guest on our show.

Jess Schultz, a Fractional CRO/CMO, talks about the challenges faced by founders of B2B SaaS companies as they transition from founder-led sales to a more structured go-to-market strategy. Jess and Jay discuss the emotional toll on founders, common mistakes in scaling sales, and the importance of understanding the ideal client profile. Jessica shares her insights on identifying root causes of revenue issues and offers strategies for effective execution while emphasizing the need for alignment within teams.

Email Jess to continue the conversation.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Russell Lookadoo, a Fractional Chief HR Officer, talks about the challenges small business owners face in hiring and managing staff. Russell shares insights on the importance of emotional connection in leadership, the pain points of hiring, and the need for clear communication and strategic planning. He emphasizes the significance of understanding one's ideal client profile and the necessity of creating a supportive work environment that fosters growth and innovation.

Email Russell to continue the conversation.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Marley Wagner discusses the evolving landscape of customer engagement and marketing strategies in B2B companies. They discuss the importance of retaining existing customers, the challenges of communication between marketing and customer success teams, and the need for a cohesive digital engagement strategy. Marley shares insights on identifying pain points, the significance of product-market fit, and the steps companies can take to improve customer retention and engagement. The conversation highlights the urgency for businesses to adapt to changing customer expectations and the competitive landscape.

Email Marley to continue the conversation.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Omid Sadati discuss the importance of product market fit for early-stage companies. Key takeaways include:

• Product market fit is crucial for the success of early-stage companies.
• Founders need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and continuously learn and grow.
• Critical and strategic thinking are essential in navigating the complexities of achieving product market fit.
• Engaging with customers and validating assumptions is key to understanding their needs and preferences.
• Frameworks and models can be helpful, but they should be used in conjunction with critical thinking and a deep understanding of the business context. Entrepreneurship is about finding meaningful problems and solving them in a meaningful way.
• Understanding people and their motivations is crucial in building successful products and businesses.
• Product market fit is about aligning with the customer's vision and serving their needs.
• Collecting feedback and validating ideas is an important part of the product development process.
• Resilience and curiosity are key traits for personal and professional growth.

Connect with Omid on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com to set up a conversation to discuss your gap and if it is large enough what you can do to close it. Also email me if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

The lack of awareness of the label 'fractional' is not the main reason why fractional executives struggle to get clients. Fractional executives need to differentiate themselves and communicate their intellectual property to stand out in a market with an vast oversupply of fractionals. Success as a fractional executive depends on redefining the market and focusing on value rather than the label. Labels are useful in marketing but irrelevant in sales; clients hire based on the ability to make a positive impact on their business. The focus should be on communicating one's genius or intellectual property rather than obsessing over the label.

00:00 The Myth of Awareness

01:25 Defining Fractional Executives

03:22 The Price vs. Value Dilemma

04:52 The Catastrophe of Supply and Demand

07:45 Insight and Wisdom: Meeting Demand

10:16 The Importance of Communicating Genius

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@fractionalmaven.com to set up a conversation to discuss your gap and if it is large enough what you can do to close it. Also email me if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

When I want to be the best I can be, I look to how those rise to the top in Darwinian industries - sports, entertainment, the the C-suite. I've put together 7 lessons that fractional executives can learn from the NFL:

1. Repetition is key to improvement. Treat every interaction as a learning opportunity and reflect on what you've learned.

2. Practice before you play. Implement a rigorous process to find the right people to practice on before going after your ICPs.

3. Measure your performance and take responsibility for your results.

4. Focus on becoming an expert in your area of specialization.

5. Strategic game planning is crucial. Take the time to research and create unique engagement plans for each prospect.

6. Build a team of coaches and experts to help you succeed.

7. Develop resilience and mental toughness to overcome challenges and reach your full potential.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com to set up a conversation to discuss your gap and if it is large enough what you can do to close it. Also email me if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Carla Titus, a Fractional Chief Financial Officer of Wealth Worth Within, discusses the challenges faced by business owners in managing their finances and the solutions she provides. She helps business owners evaluate how their billable hours are impacting performance and profitability, and she assists in making data-driven decisions to improve financial outcomes. Carla's ideal clients are sophisticated business owners who struggle with the complexity of financial decision-making. By working with her, clients see increased profits, improved cash flow, and better compensation for themselves. Carla emphasizes the importance of proactive planning and scenario analysis to navigate uncertainty and achieve business goals.

In this episode, she makes these points: Fractional CFOs help business owners evaluate the impact of billable hours on performance and profitability; Proactive planning and scenario analysis are essential for navigating financial complexity and uncertainty; Financial management is crucial for business success and requires expertise and strategic decision-making.

Email Carla at info@wealthworthwithin.com

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Rich Daniels, a Fractional General Counsel, talks about the importance of legal risk mitigation for small and medium-sized businesses. Rich explains that his role is to help businesses save money, mitigate risk, and focus on their core business. Rich discusses common contract issues and the consequences of not understanding contracts.

Kay takeaways from the episode include: Fractional General Counsel provides personalized legal advice tailored to the specific needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Contracts are a critical aspect of business and should be thoroughly understood to avoid legal issues. Business owners often overlook legal risks, but being proactive and addressing legal issues can save money and protect the business.

Email Rich at rdaniels@intrepidlegalinc.com.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

How do you know when a prospect will buy or pass. Here's what you need to know:

* Qualifying prospects involves determining if they meet the fit and impact criteria.

* Understanding what prospects believe about their future is crucial in predicting their buying behavior.

* Prospects are more likely to buy if they believe their future will be worse than the present.

* Providing hope and offering solutions that align with prospects' goals and timeframe is essential.

* Convincing prospects that working with your company offers high ROI and is the best alternative is key.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com to set up a conversation to discuss your gap and if it is large enough what you can do to close it. Also email me if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Taylor Crane, founder of Fractionaljobs.io, discusses how Fractional Jobs is an open job board connecting companies with fractional talent. Fractional Jobs does not act as an agency and does not charge a percentage fee. Fractionals can join the network by entering their email address and do not need to create a profile or pay any money. Fractional Jobs sends job opportunities to fractionals based on their function area, and they can choose which ones they're interested in. The platform is designed to be a no-brainer for fractionals looking for work.

Email Taylor at tc@fractionaljobs.io.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Paul Arugs is a fractional chief customer officer, serving B2B and B2C services industries with Au$5m - Au$100m annual revenue with 20 - 200 employees. Paul helps mid sized companies embed data-driven customer strategy across their organizations. This fosters a more evidence based, customer centric culture that focuses on capability rather than campaigns to drive sustainable growth.

In this podcast, Paul drops many insights including how monthly and quarterly targets place companies on a short term, sales and lead gen based treadmill, making it difficult for even the leadership team to look more than 6 months ahead; and that lowering customer acquisition costs in and of itself is the wrong way to look at it.

Email Paul at paul@paulco.com.au.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Ben Wolf, founder and CEO of Wolfs Edge Integrators provides fractional Integrators and COOs to growing mid-market companies. Ben's focus is on building a roster of team-first Integrators to serve clients. Ben provides deep insight into the challenge the solo fractional COOs face in building their business and how Wolfs Edge Integrators solves the business development challenge. He also shares his move from an independent contractor model to one of partnership.

Email Ben at bwolf@wolfsedgeintegrators.com.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

... so why are you still doing them?

95% of fractional executives base their sales process on starting with a discovery call or conversation. How do you know if your prospect has one or more issues that you can help them with if you don’t ask? Whether you must do a discovery conversation depends on your level of genius or as the lawyers like to call it your intellectual property.

Fractionals with insight and wisdom don’t do discovery conversations because they don’t need to discover. Prospects engage with these fractionals to discover the truth as to why they are in pain or why an opportunity seems out of reach. In this discovery conversation, the prospect learns from the fractional the path forward allowing them to go from squalor and misery to prosperity and success.

If you have insight or wisdom, then stop doing discovery calls and start helping those in your target market discover what’s holding them back. Every time you do a discovery call, you are telling your prospect you’re average.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com to set up a conversation to discuss your gap and if it is large enough what you can do to close it. Also email me if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Ross Stockdale works with SMB B2B service companies as a fractional CMO to help them grow profitably in 12 months or less. His approach is to take owners out of the marketing seat and into the investor seat. Ross's formula for success is Leadership + Strategy = Growth. Ross believes that marketing a business is about communicating to clients and prospects where they are, not where you are. Adapting the messaging, target audience, offer, and service to the market works better than wishing the market would bend to your will.

Email Ross at j.ross.stockdale@gmail.com.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Ryan Walter is a Managing Director with ProCFO Partners - a marketplace for senior level fractional CFOs. ProCFO Partners believes the financial function is not just about managing and reducing cost but serving as a catalyst for growth. ProCFO Partners provides expert part-time/fractional CFO’s who ride co-pilot with you looking out the windshield ensuring you achieve your goals and strategies.

There is no upfront cost to join ProCFO Partners provided you meet their criteria which Ryan walks through in the video. Payment is made as a percentage of revenue during your affiliation with them.

Email Ryan ryan.walter@procfopartners.com

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Email Henning at henning.schwinum@vendux.org

Zach Selch of Global Sales Mentor brings over 35 years experience in international sales for manufacturing companies. His speciality is in creating 3rd party distribution networks as an extension of your internal sales team. Zach has onboarded over 1,000 channel partners in 135 different countries. Hear why Zach says it's critical that you support your distributors not manage them. Zach says your distributors aren't your customers they are your sales channel and you must manage them as such.

Email Zach at zach@globalsalesmentor.com.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Henning Schwinum is the founder and CEO of Vendux - a market place that connects fractional sales executives to clients. Vendux reduces the friction for a client bringing on a fractional sales executive using their proprietary PerfectMatch™ system to identify the ideal sales leader matched to their unique business requirements. Vendux has been in business for almost 5 years and has over 700 fractional and interim sales executives in its database.

Henning shares his own journey which motivated him to start Vendux to help fractional sales executives overcome their number 1 challenge which is to get clients. Henning emphasizes that Vendux is one channel to market and should never be your only channel to market. There is no cost to become part of the Vendux community.

Email Henning at henning.schwinum@vendux.org

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

...so why are you marketing yourself as average?

The tragedy is when a fractional executive who is in the top 20% of their peers in terms of the impact they can make on their clients goes to market as if they are average or worse. In this podcast, I take you through how to identify and communicate your genius that clients so desperately need and are happy to pay for.

The challenge you and everybody else has is that you spend all your time and have clarity about the genius that makes you great at what you do. This is in the trees and weeds of your service delivery. But the genius that your clients care about in your marketing and sales efforts is the intellectual property at the forest level embodying your insight and wisdom. But as you know, you can't see both your trees and weeds and your forest and you've got to be in your trees and weeds.

I'll give you that path forward on how you can resolve this seemingly intractable conundrum so you can build a business that gives you the income to fund your lifestyle, make a material impact on your clients, get paid, and do it all on your terms not someone else's.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com to set up a conversation to discuss your gap and if it is large enough what you can do to close it. Also email me if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Karina Mikhli is the founder, muse, and CEO of the largest Fractional Executive community - Fractionals United. She's grown the community from 0 to 6,500 in a bit more than a year. Fractionals United provides its members with a range of reasons to join from a supportive community, education, partnerships with other fractionals, and a range of benefits you might find in corporate but not as a solo business person.

Karina shares what she believes are the big challenges for fractional executives and her advice on how to overcome them. Did you know that membership is free? Learn why this is a community that should be on your list to join and participate.

The best way to connect with Karina is on LinkedIn. You can also visit the Fractionals United website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

John Arms is an inspirational voice in the Fractional Executive community who extolls the benefits of executives throwing off the yoke of the corporate world and making a professional impact on their terms.

John leads Voyageur University where he and his partner provide copious education and teaching on how to join and thrive in the fractional ecosystem. John drops his wisdom throughout the show. His mantra is "learn, learn, learn, learn. Fractional will be normal in 5 years. Your ability to thrive here depends on how aggressively you embrace learning about it. From us. From others. From people talking about leadership, innovation, and growth in relevant, interesting and meaningful ways."

Email John at john.arms@voyageuru.com and visit the Voyageur University website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

The First Step To Building A Great Business Is To Know Your Gap.

Every service provider is pitching and hard selling every Fractional Executive on how they can help you build a great business, get all the clients you want, and make a ton of money. Before you pay attention, you first need to reflect on the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Einstein famously observed that "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

If your gap is small then you want the same result every day, so embrace the status quo and you have no need to make big changes in your business. You can safely tune out all the pitches and hard sells you're getting 20 times a day. But if you do have a gap that is uncomfortably large, then you need to heed Einstein's advice and make some changes in how you are doing your business.

Connect with Jay

Email me at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com to set up a conversation to discuss your gap and if it is large enough what you can do to close it. Also email me if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Jamie Munoz is the Founder and CEO of Catalyst Integrators®. Catalyst Integrators helps badass full time Integrators easily make their career transition to fractional and support them with community, coaching and clients.

Jamie explains how the EOS ecosystem works and how her company supports fractional integrators in getting clients, forming community, training and education, and perhaps most importantly having fun doing what they love.

Email Jamie or visit her website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Nancy Fox runs the Fractionals Connections Community. The FCC is a professional and business development community - learning, collaboration, networking and business growth. Their mission is to help fractional execs build a thriving fractional executive business, with a continuous pipeline. Nancy shares her wisdom on why free is never free and what fractionals should focus on in order to build a successful business.

Email Nancy or visit their website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Will Simpson is a renaissance man. He's a Fractional COO, book author, and former professional poker player. Will compares himself to a wet blanket and stresses how the role of a COO is make the visionary's dream become a reality. He emphasizes the importance of people over product and how reaching across the aisle to those in different roles is a key success factor. Will shares how his experience as a poker player provided him with experience necessary to become a top COO.

Email Will or schedule a conversation at his website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Paul Jones runs the Fractional Elite Collective which allows fractionals to actively participate in the ongoing transformation of the work landscape through the fractional executive movement. Paul explains how this is a movement that signifies a profound shift in how we operate professionally.

The FEC is based on an unwavering commitment to the abundant mindset, bringing together fractional executives who embody this ethos and actively share pivotal thought leadership on the evolving role of fractional executives today. For those who want to dip a toe in the water, check out Paul's free community for fractional executives.

Email Paul at paul@bridgio.io or visit his website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Scot LeVan, a Fractional CIO and CEO of x86 Services observes that most small to mid-sized businesses don't have technology, policies and processes that will scale. Scot helps these companies mitigate their risk of a security breach and scale their technology to enable their company to communicate inside and outside the organization through people process and technology. Scot also talks about the necessity of making sure the cost of your IT as a percentage of your revenue shrinks as you grow.

Scot talks about the influence his grandfather had on him professionally and gets the Penn State call and response correct demonstrating his loyalty to the Nittany Lions.

Email Scot at info@x86services.com, give him a call at +1.215.326.9499 or visit his website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

I'm often asked what is the biggest mistake fractional executives make when trying to build their business. At the top of the list is focusing on themselves when communicating with prospects rather than the issues that your target market cares about (hint they aren't worried about your problems, they have enough of their own).

Learn why when you talk about yourself (and you do that a lot more than you realize), only you and your mommy will care and mommy isn't going to build your business for you!

Let’s have a conversation focused on how you can build your fractional business by changing how you engage with prospects who need your insight and wisdom.

Connect with Jay. Learn more about Maven.

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Email me if you'd like to be a guest on our Show.

Nate Jenson, Founder of Zero To CFO observes that most small businesses don't know what's harming their profitability. More importantly, they don't know what changes to make to fix that. They generally just try to 'work harder' to make improvements. Nate provides each of his clients, typically general contractors with 5 - 30 employees, with a financial dashboard and advice on how to run their business to drive profitability.

Nate reveals how 4 young kids can be a remarkable motivator to build your business and shares his advice for other fractional executives.

talks about the importance of a financial dashboard observes that a frequent complaint of quick service restaurant executives is their struggle with employees who don’t meet expectations and as a result experience ongoing customer dissatisfaction. When this happens, significant damage to reputation, revenues, and profits results.  

Email Nate at nate@zerotocfo.com or schedule a time to talk with him by visiting his website.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, invites you to enjoy the Fractionals Unplugged - The Inside Story podcast and vodcast.

Subscribe on the podcast platform of your choice by clicking here.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com if you're a fractional executive, fractional community leader, or fractional community marketplace proprietor and would like to be a guest on our show.

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, asks a fundamental question that every Fractional Executive must answer. What type of business do you want to be in? Are you selling your time for money or your brain for value? Most fractional executives focus on their experience rather than their intellectual property. This podcast explores how your intellectual capital will be one of the largest determinants of the success of your business. It will drive the income you earn, how hard you work, the robustness of your pipeline, and how much fun you have.

Let’s have a conversation on how you can build your fractional business by leveraging your intellectual property rather than your time.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Click here to download our resource guide on "How To Replace Your Corporate Income Without The Insane Corporate Hours".

It used to be when a senior executive left the corporate world but wasn't ready to retire, they'd hang out a shingle as an independent consultant. Today, it's much more likely that they would call themselves a fractional executive. In this podcast, Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, lays out the differences between a fractional executive and consultant and discuss which pathway suits a second act executive.

The big mistake that too many 2nd act executives make is positioning themselves as being able to do both the fractional role and consulting. Successful fractional leaders and consultants pick a lane and establish their expertise, insight, and wisdom. Clients don't want the jack of all trades; they want mastery of one. As Jay says, "what you should do is a subset of what you could do."

Let’s have a conversation on whether you should position yourself as a fractional executive or consultant and from there how best to build a business that will allow you to recreate your corporate income without the insane hours.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Click here to download our resource guide on "How To Replace Your Corporate Income Without The Insane Corporate Hours".

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, is trumpeting a clarion call to all fractional executives in the bottom 80% in terms of impact on clients, "Generative AI is commoditizing mediocrity". You’ve heard the classic aphorism of garbage in garbage out. Well these large language models that our generative AI applications run on represent the thinking of the masses in, average if not mediocre content out.

Generative AI should be your go-to source for understanding how most people look at any issue or what the conventional wisdom has to say about any topic. It can be a starting point for a point of view on how many others before you have solved a problem or talked about an issue. The output from a generative AI model can tell you what you need to differentiate from but not what to differentiate to.

The trap you will fall into if you use AI to generate your output is that your clients don’t need you to regurgitate the “wisdom of the masses” or the “insight of the mediocre”. 

If you think you’re in the top 16% of fractional executives, let’s have a conversation on how you can play the winning hand in a world obsessed with generative AI.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Click here to download our resource guide on "How To Replace Your Corporate Income Without The Insane Corporate Hours".

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, discuss that your business focus is driven by your marketing not service delivery. In today’s world, no one wants to hire the “jack of all trades and master of none". When you’re paying top dollar to bring in a fractional executive or consultant, you want someone who understands your specific issue and has the expertise, insight, and wisdom to deliver the outcomes you want. You want someone laser focused on what it is you need, not a broad generalist who isn’t going to crush it for you.

What you should do is a subset of what you could do. The more talented and capable you are, the bigger the difference between should and could. It doesn’t matter how great you are at what you do if you don’t have prospects lined up around the block begging to work with you.

Let’s have a conversation on how the focus of your fractional or consulting practice aligns with the marketplace..

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Click here to download our resource guide on "How To Replace Your Corporate Income Without The Insane Corporate Hours".

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, reminiscences of the best employee he ever had. This staff member had a high level of consistent performance, enviable work ethic, great attitude and fun to be around, good team player who inspired and elevated those around her, and was accountable, responsible, reliable. Her name is Heisenberg and she’s one of my cats. Her sister is Schrodinger and she’s no one’s idea of the perfect employee.

Heisenberg and I both share a philosophy that the reason we exist on this earth is to make a difference and you measure that by the legacy that you build and ultimately leave behind. Here’s how we define legacy: Legacy is the impact you make on the people you touch multiplied by the number of people you touch. The impact can be for good or evil. Some go deep and make a big impact on a small number of people while others go broad make a smaller impact on a larger number of people.

Listen to this episode to learn what makes Heisenberg a model employee and what Schrodinger does to just get by.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called How You Can Eliminate Your Income Uncertainty! 5 Things You Need To Do To Get In Front Of The C-Suite.

The workshop will show you how to end your marketing overkill and still get in front of the C-Suite.

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, has the surprising take that what you say when selling better be different than what you do during delivery … or you won’t get any clients and if you do you won’t retain them. During the buying process, empathize with your prospect on where they think they are and show them how to get to where they want to be. During delivery, enlighten your client on where they really are and inspire them to get to where they need to be.

So many consultants, fractional leaders, and coaches tell their prospects the "truth" about where their prospects are and where they need to get to. While that is what delivery is all about, using it during your sales (or buying) process will guarantee that you don't have many clients to deliver to.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called How You Can Eliminate Your Income Uncertainty! 5 Things You Need To Do To Get In Front Of The C-Suite.

The workshop will show you how to end your marketing overkill and still get in front of the C-Suite.

The secret to getting more clients isn't knowing how to close or being a super salesperson.

As a consultant, coach, or fractional leader, you have to own a process that leads your prospects to you and then allow the right ones buy. Key to this process is establishing empathy (80% of the battle) and being able to communicate your expertise, insight, and wisdom plus giving them a taste of what it would be like to work together.

Do this, and you'll have prospective clients lining up to work with you. Don't do it, and you'll be running into a brick wall time and time again hoping to dislodge a new client -- Ouch!

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called How You Can Eliminate Your Income Uncertainty! 5 Things You Need To Do To Get In Front Of The C-Suite.

The workshop will show you how to end your marketing overkill and still get in front of the C-Suite.

Jay Kingley of Maven says lead generation tactics will kill your consulting business. The implicit assumption behind lead gen is the more clients you need the more marketing you must do. But when you are the product and what you're selling is your expertise, insight, and wisdom, it takes time to convert a lead to a client and time is what you are short of.

Focus on prospect generation and run, and run fast, from anyone who’s peddling you the latest and greatest lead gen system no matter what they are charging. You just don’t have the time. Listen to hear what you need to focus on instead of lead gen. Reach out to me if this hits a nerve.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called How You Can Eliminate Your Income Uncertainty! 5 Things You Need To Do To Get In Front Of The C-Suite.

The workshop will show you how to end your marketing overkill and still get in front of the C-Suite.

Consultants and fractional leaders work so hard to add extraordinary value to their clients ... and then they blow it by having a conversation with their prospects that significantly undervalues their ability to make a difference.

Your prospects don’t have preconceived notions of your value prior to engaging with you. You set those expectations by choosing to talk about your experience, expertise, insight, or wisdom. 

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called How You Can Eliminate Your Income Uncertainty! 5 Things You Need To Do To Get In Front Of The C-Suite.

The workshop will show you how to end your marketing overkill and still get in front of the C-Suite.

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, says there is one huge mistake that so many consultants make when trying to turn prospects to clients and it's costing them so much money!

In this video Jay talks about how meeting your prospects where they are is the key to turning them into clients. Once they are clients, inspiring them to achieve their full potential is how you retain them as clients for a long, long time.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called How You Can Eliminate Your Income Uncertainty! 5 Things You Need To Do To Get In Front Of The C-Suite.

The workshop will show you how to end your marketing overkill and still get in front of the C-Suite.

Tea Kingley taught me a valuable lesson the other day on how essential it is to meet your prospects where they are and to embrace where they want to go. Once they become your client, you can do your best to lead them to where they need to be. But you won't get the opportunity if you don't start by meeting them where they are.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called How You Can Eliminate Your Income Uncertainty! 5 Things You Need To Do To Get In Front Of The C-Suite.

The workshop will show you how to end your marketing overkill and still get in front of the C-Suite.

Jay Kingley, CEO of Maven, talks about the mistake many consultants and advisors make by focusing on improving their skills and capabilities to better serve clients. But the gap you really need to focus on is the one between how your target market perceives you and the impact you know you can make for them.

You can understand how you are perceived by paying attention to what your prospects focus on during your sales conversation. Jay provides 4 scenarios, the implications of each, and how you can close the gap by building market recognition for your ability to be a game changer. Reach out to Jay to learn how you can level up how your target market sees you so you can help them transform their business while you get paid full value for the impact you can make.

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour consultation on how you can become remarkably referable.

David McClaskey, President and Founder of the McClaskey Excellence Institute observes that a frequent complaint of quick service restaurant executives is their struggle with employees who don’t meet expectations and as a result experience ongoing customer dissatisfaction. When this happens, significant damage to reputation, revenues, and profits results.  

David explains that you got here because your employees were trained to do the job, but not to the level necessary to provide the products and services without inconsistent results that customers notice.  The most successful companies focus on how to effectively train their employees.  David provides the 4 steps you need to do to deliver consistent performance while reducing overhead costs and increasing your profit margins.  Companies that follow his advice see up to four times the repeat business compared to their competitors at significantly higher profitability.

Show highlights

01:04   The problem isn’t the employees, it’s how they’re trained.

02:41   Pal’s Sudden Service gets it right.

03:39   4 steps to deliver consistent performance at lower overhead and higher margins.

06:19   Learn about David.  Email David at info@McclaskeyExcellence.com.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour consultation on how you can become remarkably referable. Click here to schedule.

If you’re a consultant who is average at delivering value for your clients, Artificial Intelligence applications will commoditize you and make you irrelevant. But if you’re in the top 20% who think critically and have insight into the issues that are important and urgent for your clients, the adoption of AI chatbots and the like will boost demand for your services and provide opportunities for you to get higher fees.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour consultation on how you can become remarkably referable.

Wendy Marx with Thriving At 50+ is consistently amazed when she see profiles on LinkedIn that simply say Vice President or Business Coach. They’re as differentiated as cardboard with no reason to linger.  Small business owners typically hang out their shingle before they’re branded and differentiated. This gives you no reason to connect with them. They’re not offering something distinctive or engaging so they fail to attract new customers.  

Wendy counsels that a small business can’t be successful unless they are differentiated and branded. A small business needs to explain how their product will solve the client’s problem.  Wendy provides solid advice that every small business should take to properly differentiate and brand themselves.

Show highlights

01:03   What small business owners get wrong about branding and differentiation.

02:02   Small businesses depend too much on referrals and word of mouth.

03:27   You have to be all about the customer and explain how your product will solve their problems.

07:03   Learn about Wendy.  Email Wendy at wendy@thrivingat50plus.com. 

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called Do Less Marketing And Get More Clients. The workshop will show you how to become remarkably referable to eliminate the uncertainty of where your future revenues will come from.

Will Dukes with SalesPartners observes that law schools teach attorneys how to help clients solve legal problems but not how to get the clients in the first place.  Will’s seen attorneys become insanely frustrated as the PERFECT clients for whom you would be the PERFECT attorney for, just walk out of their office because they were just looking for free legal advice.  Why isn’t it enough to be a great lawyer?

Will points out that less than 5% of independent attorneys have grown to and beyond 7-figure firms.  They understand what most attorneys don't, which is that clients don’t pick the “best” attorneys. They pick the attorneys that are best for them.  You need to go from “an attorney” to their advocate. All the rational explanations around your track record, skill, and expertise still matter. They’re just secondary.  Will provides 3 key steps any attorney needs to take to stop feeling like you’re constantly “auditioning,” and start closing more of the kinds of cases you want to be working on.

Show highlights

01:04   Why great attorneys struggle to get great clients.

02:02   It’s not enough to be a great attorney.

02:33   Clients don’t pick the best attorney, they pick the attorney that best understands them.

03:45   Three action steps to stop auditioning and start closing.

07:30   Learn about Will.  Email Will at willd@spfla.com or reach out to him on LinkedIn to continue the conversation. 

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called Do Less Marketing And Get More Clients. The workshop will show you how to become remarkably referable to eliminate the uncertainty of where your future revenues will come from.

Zac Stucki of Homeric Consulting shares that many 7-figure marketing agencies enjoy surging sales but suffer from sagging profitability. Growth and scaling aren’t the same thing. 

Growth is about increasing the size of your business. Scaling is about increasing your profitability as you grow.  Zac explains the problem as most 7-figure agencies have a project-focused worldview. They think about each client as independent of one another, and they focus on how to meet the demands of that client project. It becomes all about how many bodies you need to keep up with growth.

The most successful agencies run their business on a process level, rather than see every client as a project. Zac points out that they look for actions or steps that happen in most of their projects and use that to build processes that map over 75-90% of all the work they do which makes them fundamentally scaleable.  Zac provides 3 essential steps you need to take to move from growing to scaling. 

Show highlights

01:04   Profitability often falls as your sales increase.

01:35   Growth is not the same as scalability.

02:22   You need to be process not project focused to scale..

03:53   3 steps to move from a project to process focus.

05:43   Learn about Zac.  Email Zac at zac@homericconsulting.com or schedule your conversation with him at https://calendly.com/homeric_consulting/60min.

Connect with Jay

Email Jay at jay.kingley@referabilitymaven.com

Sign up for a free one hour workshop called Do Less Marketing And Get More Clients. The workshop will show you how to become remarkably referable to eliminate the uncertainty of where your future revenues will come from.