The Solopreneur business model

by RyanRhoten | May 30, 2022 | Newsletter

Creating Clarity Newsletter #015

Most businesses of one do not have a business model. As a result, they offer too many services, which eats their time and leads to burnout, and in the case of an agency, they create the need to add overhead to support your services.

There are two ways to avoid this; first, start saying NO to client requests beyond your service offering – you should do this anyway. Second, structure your offering so your business serves you and your client.

Here are the three offers you should consider for your business to maximize your time, become known in your area of expertise, and create a business you can scale over the long run.

1 The Prelim Offer

The Prelim Offer is a lower-cost introductory offer you make to people who are not quite ready for your Primary Offer. This offer can take on various forms, such as an email course, an online course, a book, or something small and reasonably priced. However, for most, The Prelim Offer should NOT be your main offer.

Pros:

The Prelim Offer brings people into your ecosystem and introduces them to your way of thinking, coaching, etc. A Prelim Offer solves a “starter” problem for your audience. Once solved, your customer is better prepared for your Primary Offer.

Cons:

For this to work, you will need an audience. Unfortunately, most people try to create this offer too soon. If you try to start here without an audience, selling will be difficult, and what you do sell will cost you more time, effort, and money than selling your Primary Offer.

2 Your Primary Offer

Your Primary Offer is THE offer you should focus on selling and what you can become known for in your industry. It’s a higher-ticket offer you sell between $3 -$5K. You can sell it for less, but only if you have an audience to make up the pricing difference in volume.

Your messaging, marketing, and promotional activities should revolve around this offer. Do this one right, and you will never need to worry about marketing content again. If you are a business of one, this is where you start.

Pros:

When done right, the Primary Offer is structured as a linear, step-by-step process. This method will standardize your internal processes and streamline external deliverables because it does not change from client to client. Most will need to deliver the Primary Offer 1:1. As you build your audience, you can consider delivering this offer as a Done With You product.

Cons:

The Primary Offer is challenging to create on your own; you’re just too close to what you do. It will take a few iterations before you nail it down.

3 Post Offer (Recurring)

Your Post Offer is an upsell and is a natural extension of the Primary Offer. If your Primary Offer is structured and delivered correctly, clients will ask you, what do we do next? The answer is your Post Offer.

The Post Offer typically requires a monthly investment to join. The Post Offer can be delivered as a step-by-step process or as a modular – choose your adventure – process. Both delivery models will include high-touch, 1:1 interactions but can consist of DIY and DWY components.

Pros:

The Post Offer is your monthly recurring revenue offer. This offer allows you to build deep connections with your clients by helping them solve multiple problems they experience in their business.

Cons:

The Post Offer requires you to anticipate client needs and have solutions ready for them. In addition, the knowledge you’ll need for the Post Offer is greater since you’ll help clients solve various problems.

SIDE NOTE: Starting with a Post Offer is how an agency is born. You never say no to client requests and end up offering lots of things. The Post Offer becomes an array of things you need to manage. This model will burn you out and does not scale well without adding overhead.

Implementation Order

While I’ve listed these offers in numerical order, if you are in the beginning stages of your business or have little to no audience, the implementation order should be 2, 3, then 1.

Starting with 2, your Primary Offer “forces” you to specialize in something, making it easier for you to become known in your area of expertise. In addition, starting here allows you to become intimately familiar with your client’s problems, which will hone your marketing and messaging and provide you with the needed information to launch a successful Post Offer.

As for offer one, the Prelim Offer, it should always be the last thing you consider. First, you need an audience to make it work, which takes time. Once you have an audience, creating your Prelim Offer can be as easy as converting your Primary Offer, or parts of it, into something more digestible.

Too many people try to start with offer one and fail; I know because I’m one of them.

That’s it for this week’s edition of Creating Clarity.

Until next week,

Cheers,

Ryan

Ps. Creating a Primary Offer is what we help our clients do. If you’d like to discuss how we can help you put together your Primary Offer, schedule a call and let’s talk.

Features: The Stuff

We love our features, however, let’s be clear, when we talk about features, we’re referring to what your product or service is or does. The chair, for instance, is this color, has these dimensions, or distributes weight evenly.

Bad messaging leads with features.

But, hey, I get it. You’re proud of your service and what you’ve built because they showcase what you offer—but here’s the catch: your audience will not care as much as you do.

Think of features as the raw ingredients in a cocktail; yes, they are essential, but not enough to make someone order it without knowing what’s in it for them.

For example, if you run a leadership coaching program, a feature might be the 45 videos in the program or the program lasting six months.

While important, these features describe what your program is and NOT how it helps (that’s next).

Action Steps for the stuff:

Create an Ingredients list.
Identify all of the features of your service.
Note the features that distinguish you from the competition.

BTW, I’m not saying you shouldn’t use features in your marketing; you shouldn’t lead with them.

Benefits: The Spoils

So, you’ve got your features identified in an ingredients list. Next, you need to turn them into something meaningful. That’s where benefits come in.

A benefit provides tells your customers what they will be able to do, feel, or have because they hired you. Benefits explain why the feature matters and how the value proposition is achieved. Benefits are the transformation your customer experiences by using your product or service.

Benefits help your customers visualize how their life improves, so connecting the dots between what you offer and how it impacts them is essential.

The chair, for example, has a seat that is so comfy, you can sit there for hours without getting a sore bum.

For your coaching program, a benefit could be 1:1 coaching or website copy revisions (both of which I do as part of The Brand Messaging System™️.

Action Steps to Translate Features into Benefits:

For each feature, ask: “So what? How does this make my customer’s life easier or better?”
Frame benefits in terms of customer outcomes—what do they gain?
Be specific about the improvements they’ll experience.

For messaging, benefits sit in between your features and value proposition, connecting your features to your value proposition.

Value Proposition: The Solution

Your value proposition is the distilled essence of why someone should choose your brand over the competition. Your value proposition must be tied directly to your customer’s goals.

It’s the promise you make to your audience that captures both the features and benefits, typically wrapped into one compelling statement. The chair might enable you to meet the right person or call an Uber to get home.

Your value proposition communicates why your customer should care—and pay.

Think of it like the signature cocktail at the bar: it’s not just the ingredients or how it’s made; it’s the feeling and experience your customer wants when they place their order.

Your program’s value proposition might sound like this: “Our personalized leadership coaching helps solopreneurs scale their businesses with 1:1 coaching and website revisions that resonate with your ideal audience.”

Action Steps to a Strong Value Proposition:

Link your features to the benefits they enable.
Match the benefits to the outcome your customer will achieve.
Write your value proposition by telling prospects how their lives will be better.

The Last Call: Key Takeaways for Sharpening Your Brand Message

Turn your frown upside down and do the same to this list. Start with your Value proposition. Highlight your service’s benefits, then link features to the benefits to show how your value prop is achieved.

Craft a value proposition: Identify the transformation your clients achieve and how it links to their goals.

Identify your benefits: Show your customers the benefits of using your service.

Jot down your features: Note the raw facts about what your product or service is or does.

When you nail this down, your messaging will become the perfect drink that they can’t wait to sit at your bar and order over and over.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help.

1 Brand Messaging OS: Join over 100 founders and solopreneurs and create your own brand messaging operating system (BMOS) and bring clarity, focus, and alignment to your audience, message, and offer.

Imagine not worrying about what to say when asked, “What do you do?” Or not worrying about needing to get another job because your leads have dried up. If that sounds like something you need, the BMOS may be for you. Schedule a call, and let’s chat.

The Solopreneur business model

1 The Prelim Offer

Pros:

Cons:

2 Your Primary Offer

Pros:

Cons:

3 Post Offer (Recurring)

Pros:

Cons:

Implementation Order

Features: The Stuff

Benefits: The Spoils

Value Proposition: The Solution

The Last Call: Key Takeaways for Sharpening Your Brand Message

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