Scott Gould

Even though I'm posting this to get a 35% off coupon, I cant avoid saying it's freaking cool: lo.cafe/notchnook

@dvassallo @kevincwhelan Surely this works almost solely because you have the following you have?

@kevincwhelan I'm tempted to raise prices, but it's working fine and I don't know where the resistance level is yet. And once you go higher it's tough to lower prices if they don't work out. Happy to talk more with you about it (for free) if you're interested in more details.

How I made $200,000 with Unlimited Consultations Earlier this year, I tried something a little different: I started offering one-on-one consulting to members of the Small Bets community. But I put a twist on it. Instead of charging for my time by the hour, or per session, or per month, I charged a one-time fee for unlimited and indefinite access to my time. And on top of that, I also committed to a 100% refund policy (no questions asked) for an entire year. Sounds a bit crazy, right? Here’s why I thought it was a good idea. Let’s start with the results. This year, 85 people signed up, paying $2,500 each. Of those, 40 chose a payment plan of $625/month over four months, and 45 paid upfront. Only 5 people asked for refunds: 3 never booked a call, and 2 decided it wasn’t the right fit after one or two sessions. This leaves me with 80 active collaborations, with whom it's been going amazingly well. It might sound bizarre because this is not a very scaleable business but this arrangement is probably my ideal type of work. I find it exhilarating and very fulfilling when I can help someone directly with things I have lots of experience with. Before launching this, I posted a tweet that captured the idea brewing in my head. I just needed to figure out how to make it work. And now I think I’ve cracked the code. So far, I’ve done 210 consulting sessions this year, with an average income of $952/hour ((80 people * $2,500 each) / 210 one-hour sessions). Of course, as more sessions are booked, that rate will go down, but I’m guessing it’ll settle around $500/hour over time. But how come it won't go down to almost $0/hour if anyone can book sessions with me indefinitely without limits? Here’s why: My inspiration came from universal healthcare. For almost everyone outside the great United States, you can see a doctor as often as you need — free of charge! Yet people don’t just go for fun. Why? Because it takes time on both sides. Spending 30 minutes with a doctor means you’re also committing 30 minutes of your time. The same logic applies here. No one wants to waste their own time chatting with me about the weather, so people only book sessions when it’s truly worth it. To make this work, I’ve kept things strictly synchronous. For example, I won’t take feedback requests via email, because an email only takes a few seconds to send and my feedback could take hours. I love giving feedback, but it has to be on a Zoom call. If you’re thinking of trying this consulting model yourself, make sure you stick to this rule. Now, why did I take the risk of offering something so unconventional instead of charging per hour or give access for a limited time? Simple: I hate those models when I’m the buyer. It’s stressful being “on the clock,” or feeling like time’s running out, especially when life gets in the way. I wanted to create an option that doesn’t come with those pressures. Whether you’re ready tomorrow, next month, next year, or even five years from now — I’ll be here when you’re ready. If you’re thinking about offering consulting services, I encourage you to consider this model. It’s not a perfect fit for everything, but it’s been working great for me. I’ve even convinced a few friends in different fields to give it a try, and they’re seeing great results too. If you’re curious about how I make this work or have questions, ask me anything below. I’m happy to share everything I’ve learned. Also, I’m opening 20 new spots for the new year. If you’d like to have me in your corner heading into 2025 (and beyond), this could be for you. Anytime you need help, just book a Zoom call, and I’ll do my best to assist. No limits, no restrictions. Consider it like having me on speed dial for any problem I can help with. Secure your spot here: dvassallo.gumroad.com/l/consultations

Is anyone i know still hanging out here?

@natmiletic That ain’t old. That was a relief for people who had spent years under the previous cable confusion

Yeah you might be old, but are you this old?

Dear internet - my son and I need your help! I am looking for a YouTube video which is now gone It was a narration of the Transformers cartoon movie from 1985, with the original music behind One person made it, doing all the different voices My son is desperate to find it

@StevenStaples38 Your wife is out there

@JuSummerhayes Future

Do you have a favourite font?

@jowyang That's very good. Presumably thats a mindset that also is Californian to some degree, which has developed over 60 years?

Question I get from leaders in other cities: “Why can’t we replicate Silicon Valley in our region? We have the money, education, office space, and government support” The main difference is that Silicon Valley enables founders to try multiple times, Pivot, and Punt until they Progress to product-market fit. Other cultures Shame, Shun, and Snub founders who fail.

@FranzSauerstein @robwalling THanks Franz. Happy to chat, Rob, if you ever want to

@robwalling If you want to double down on this, Rob, then talk to @scottgould . He changed how I think about engagement and building relationships in the most profound way.

1/ We took a risk last year and completely transformed our @MicroConf events. Starting in April 2022, we shifted the focus from talks to forging connections between founders. 🔥🔥

@jowyang Geez that actually kinda scare me

This is a real photo: From a Million Miles Away, NASA Camera Shows Moon Crossing Face of Earth. Haters will always hate. NASA says this is not photoshopped or GenAI, click the description on photo to see URL. I'll be the first to say it, the moon looks more 2D than 3D like a cookie. Do you see the San Francisco Bay Area?

@rorysutherland I’ve always thought that such lines were obvious?

Very clever last line.

@SpeakerFlow @jowyang @dnewman Thank you, I’ll check out. Very kind of you

@scottgould @jowyang @dnewman has some thoughts on this subject 👇 speakerflow.com/3-reasons-why-…

I've been a professional speaker for over a decade, these rates seem accurate for today's market. For most conferences the speakers are the product and a capstone for the entire experience. From @SpeakerFlow speakerflow.com/how-much-shoul…

@ronniehiggins @jayclouse Which are those immaculate ones, Ronnie?

@jayclouse There are a few that I consider absolutely perfect and could build an entire film school curriculum around it. The Prestige is up there but it doesn’t hold a candle to the films I consider immaculate in every aspect.

The Prestige is a perfect movie.

Travelling to Latvia this week and I might have fun playing around with Twitter for the journey! Let’s see! Currently running though my checklist of things to ensure I have packed and done… While listening to Hans Zimmer

@SpeakerFlow @jowyang I would imagine that the people who you see have profile Then again, maybe also I undersell myself on a routine basis

@scottgould @jowyang There are definitely regional differences, but it’s such a wide spectrum that I don’t think this really holds up. We see speakers getting booked in Europe and Asia for these rates every day, but wouldn’t be surprised if the *averages* skewed lower in many parts of the world.

@jowyang It's possible, just a case of training well – at least, that's my perception. I did a lot of unilateral work in preparation, so that each leg's posterior chain was strong

@scottgould I'm kinda concerned about a DL at that weight, for safety reasons.

When I turned middle-aged, I was very overweight, pre-diabetic, and physically unfit. I fixed all that with crossfit, diet, sleep, & zero alcohol. I’m middle-aged, business dad keeping it together, benching 225lb (100kg).

@jowyang You're not far off with your bench

@scottgould 1000lb club is crazy impressive. Wishing you health and wellness and peace.

@tojulius WOW.

Breaking: AMEX Global Business Travel buys CWT for $570M