Jonathan Stark

If you make a living selling your expertise Daily writing is like magic It sounds like a lot of hard work But the alternative is much harder

Price based on what it's worth to them, NOT what it costs you to deliver. This is the way.

So many of us are professionally invisible. Being really good at what you do is table stakes. You need to go from expert to authority. How? By publishing. A lot.

People who don't have money problems still have some pretty big problems. The really scary kind you can't solve by writing a check.

Enter the sales interview without a solution in mind. Listen for the business outcome they want. Then decide what solutions make sense, and at what price.

1. Get very clear about what you want 2. Build a system to get it 3. Work the system Do not skip Step 1.

Want to make more money? Create more value. Not sure how? Build more trust. Not sure how? Stand for something.

Would you get your hair cut at a salon that specialized in men, women, children, dogs, cats, sheep, and other barnyard animals? Pick something and actually get great at it.

If you can do less and deliver more, there's no reason to lower your price. Profits aren't evil.

Pursuing a path is easy. Pursuing a goal is right. If you live long enough, you will learn that doing what is right is better than doing what is easy.

"So many of us are professionally invisible." Being good at what you do is table stakes. The question is whether anyone knows it. Expert → authority. Invisible → undeniable.

@heyalexchoi @AIatMeta @Nature same

@AIatMeta @Nature Reminds me of the myo I bought in… 2014?

We’re thrilled to see our advanced ML models and EMG hardware — that transform neural signals controlling muscles at the wrist into commands that seamlessly drive computer interactions — appearing in the latest edition of @Nature. Read the story: nature.com/articles/s4158… Find more details on this work and the models on @github: github.com/facebookresear…

Our dear friends Christine and Spencer Lane were lost in the DC plane crash last week. Please consider donating or sharing this post to help support the family. gofund.me/5ee251fd

@CalEvans This seems interesting: aspirepress.org

I've been seeing a lot of posts about #WPDrama and the tactics being used against community members. The general consensus is that the mad king owns the community and can do as he pleases. Nothing could be further from the truth. I spent a lot of time as a community organizer in the #PHP community. Some of it was paid, a lot of it wasn't. The first company I worked for that paid me to work in the community called me a "Community Manager". I quickly learned that it was the wrong title. See, even though at the time they were the 800lb Gorilla in the room, they did not own, nor could they manage the community. At best, they could influence the community. @WordPress is in this position but right now, the community doesn't know it. They do not own the WordPress™️ community. At best, they own the TOOLS that the community is built around. - Slack - Camps - Repos, etc. WPO owns them and has shown that it is perfectly willing to beat down any community members who do not follow their guidelines regarding those tools. However, this is NOT the same as owning the community. The community is in charge of this relationship and can make changes. - The Repos There are currently at least 3 projects I've seen to replace the WPO stranglehold on the repos. Get involved in one of those. Use them, and contribute to them if you can. If you can't, that's fine. This is Open Source and you are welcome. - Comms Yes, WPO provided your Slack for free. TANSTAFL! There is a price attached to using it and now some are paying that price. Organize around another tool. Start a Discord channel for Pressers of Words. Start a mailing list. Heck, start a weekly X Spaces. OR, and I'm just spitballing here, stop building your community on rented land. Set up your own irc server. Your server can't easily be taken away from you. - User Groups Abandon the current structure of user groups immediately and reorganize under a new name. I've been running computer user groups since my C=64 days back in Mobile, AL. It CAN be done without sponsors and a benevolent (malevolent?) organization to take care of everything. If it's your passion, you'll find a way. - Conferences See User Groups but think bigger and once a year instead of once a month. The bottom line is that the WP community ALLOWED itself to be chained to WPO and it can very easily break those chains. If WP is your passion, get out there and find a way to get together with others and share what you've learned. Who knows, one of your local agencies may decide to join in and supply the beer for a meeting. If they do, thank them and welcome them in. Don't look to replace WPO with Press of Words dot org. Organize locally and have loose affiliations with other local groups around the globe. Help each other, but do not try to govern each other. Get back to the spirit of Open Source "I made this for me, if it helps you, you are welcome to it." Everything else you layer on top of that is just cruft.

Reflecting on my earlier tweet about Solopreneur Developers' challenges, I want to highlight two experts who have significantly contributed to this field: Pascal Laliberté @pascallaliberte A Canadian Solopreneur Developer and expert whose work on client psychology and self-understanding is crucial for effective client communication. Jonathan Stark @jonathanstark A Solopreneur Developer known for his book 'Hourly Billing Is Nuts'. His work and writing have transformed how many value their skills and price their services. For Solopreneur Developers serious about enhancing their business, understanding client needs, and valuing their skills, these experts offer invaluable knowledge. I can vouch for this from my own experience. I've added the community aspect to address the isolation many Solopreneur Developers face. They need support, empathy, and trust - which is why I'm actively working on building such a community.

@shelmuth85 @MikeSyl36625988 Implementing Value Pricing by @RonaldBaker Value-Based Fees by @BentleyGTCSpeed Hourly Billing Is Nuts by @JonathanStark

Coming up October 29th, an AMA you definitely don't want to miss 👀 @saronyitbarek will be joined by THE @jonathanstark in a jam-packed session on how to make more money without working more hours. If you’re thinking about adding consulting or content to your income streams, there's no one better to learn from than Jonathan. We'd love to see you there! This event is virtual, free, and open to the public🧡 More details + registration found here: lu.ma/13them9s

Just spent 10 hours researching the pros and cons of switching from weekly to daily emails. (Mostly @jonathanstark podast "Doing Daily" is to thank for these insights.) Here’s what I found—and why it might be worth your while: