Testimonials

Kind words from readers, listeners, students, and colleagues.

Thanks everyone!

Care to add yours to the list? Awesome! Drop me a line here: jstark@jonathanstark.com

It’s genius, Jonathan!!! Thanks a mil for sharing that!

— Daniel Ivanov

That’s brilliant. It sets you up as engaged but not all about problems. This might be the best newsletter I get. :)

MG.

— Michael Grover

Thanks to coaching with Jonathan, I was able to get clarity and confidence around how to price our services, and where we’ve been leaving money on the table. Pricing is one of those small changes that can have a outsize downstream impact in your business. It’s just too important to leave to not get right. I highly recommend working with Jonathan, especially if you’re looking to move upmarket, charge for value, and move to a more premium positioning. With small adjustments to how you sell and price your offer thanks to Jonathan, you will see ROI in the thousands (or tens of thousands) on your very next sale.

— Sam Shepler

OK. Mind officially blown.

You’ve left me speechless with how much you’re helping me.

Phew (deep breath)

I’ll start assimilating all of this and work on the mindset shift.

You’re the “Freelancer’s Adam Levine”.

Thank you, Jonathan.

— Brent Giesler

This resonates. I track my working hours, whether on client projects or my own. Not to charge the client for those hours. For fun.

What an odd definition of fun.

Thanks for providing a great source of inspiration and for having a very high nugget:noise ratio (golden is implied).

Best,

Lukas

— Lukas Gjetting

Hey, Jonathan! I just wanted to say thanks so much for your emails. I’ve been subscribed for like maybe a week, and probably half of them I can’t bear to archive because they’re so salient and relevant to me that I just want to keep them top of mind in my inbox. Super happy I subscribed!

— Lindsay Meisel

JONATHAN, THANK YOUUUU!

Seriously, could NOT have done all the stuff I’ve done this year without the super smart clarity you gave me when we first started working together.

Your insight was GOLD, and absolutely what I needed to move my business forward.

I’m still scared silly about all the AI stuff, but knowing how it fits into my business launched me into this whole thing in a bigger way and has empowered me to take up more space in this emerging tech. It’s a big deal.

So huge thanks! And internet hugs.

Diane

— Diane Whiddon

Hi Jonathan,

I’ve had “Learn Your Lines” for about 2 1/2 years now, and that book is pure gold. I am constantly referring back to it, especially before sales meetings.

Just knowing how to respond to certain situations (even if they don’t come up - which they rarely do) makes me feel 100X more confident.

Regards,

Genevieve.

— Genevieve Hayes

The Altitude of Involvement webcast was sooo eye opening! I realized that I have what it takes to be a consultant because when I do implementation work I always get “opinion” questions from my clients.

And the crazy thing is that that’s how it’s been for years, so I couldve BEEN a consultant years ago lol. I also realized that I was trying to charge consulting fees for implementation work. I was convinced that clients didn’t value my consultation without implementation work added in.

This worksheet and webinar is GOLD! Thanks Jonathan!!

— Isha Bell

Jonathan, I landed a $25k monthly contract on account of the advice in your book. Thank you a thousand times over!!

— Sam Selikoff

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jonathan in a mastermind group over the last three months and his advice has consistently helped me to grow my consulting business into a top rated boutique agency.

— Kurt Elster

Hi Jonathan, Thanks for your retainer example. I recently emailed you about it and did land an agreement. It’s not a purely retainer based format like you mentioned in a previous email, but more of a “I do x work for you per month, you pay me Y.” Baby steps, but I’m totally loving not working hourly and so does the customer. Even in the two short weeks it’s already proving to be an improvement over any kind of hourly work.

— Barry van Someren, founder & owner of CoffeeSprout ICT Services

Jonathan is probably the best person to follow online if you’re trying to grow your expert business. He is very knowledgable, experienced and his advice is always great. I’ve used Jonathan’s advice on marketing and niching down and I’ve already seen great progress even though it’s only been like 3 months. I’ve built my personal website where I talk about my ideal client persona, their pains, and goals and how I can help them solve them. It has been an amazing tool that has enabled me to position myself higher than other developers, gain more respect from clients and win some projects just because of my positioning and website. So if you’re a developer, designer or a consultant you should definitely listen to Jonathan’s advice, implement it and you will see results soon :)

— Andriy Haydash

i love this email and am working through each fogginess for each business I have. An enormously clear, concise and helpful email - thanks again. if i had a printer id stick it on my wall

— Grant Sparkes-Carroll

I attended the Pricing Seminar and I can attest to the benefits of using Jonathan’s proposal template. His suggestions for proposals makes this course worth it even if you use nothing else from the course.

— Eric Greene

Amazing talk today, Jonathan! In one fell swoop you have solved a few of my biggest frustrations (niggly scope creep, competing on price, etc.)

— Meredith Eisenberg

WIN! just got back a signed proposal for a retainer client using Jonathan’s exact template and won the deal! Client went through my ISO roadmap first and was happy to move forward with the planned proposal. The extra awesome thing is she wants to move up to option 2 of the proposal in 3 months!

— Isha Bell

Jonathan, This is a really profound post, at least for me right now. I’ve been wrestling with this concept but without knowing it. The way you’ve phrased it brings so much clarity. Thank you! Frederick

— Frederick Buskey

If you are a freelancer, or if you want to quit your job and become one, then I highly recommend that you consume every piece of content created by Jonathan Stark. There’s a ton of great, free stuff on his website as well as a daily email newsletter, and his podcast, The Business of Authority, together with Rochelle Moulton.

— Neville Mehra

Jonathan,

I know you have lots of testimonials for 5DPC, but if you ever need anything more I would be happy to do an in-depth one.

I saw you told people not to worry if they are on vacation during the workshop. I think you could be more direct in telling people they will have access to everything forever. I did not start my podcast until months (years?) after the course, but you had given us everything and I just rewatched the videos and “boom” - podcast!

37 episodes in, over 4,000 total downloads, and every episode gets more listens. I’ve niched into a specific group and it is driving the rest of my business. Launching my paid community in a couple weeks on the back of my podcast. Holding my breath!

Your approach makes it soooo simple. The podcast is growing by the day, but nine months in, I am not doing anything different from the very basic stuff you taught us - no expensive equipment, no complicated software, no seo/optimizing strategies, just a solid podcast that makes it easier for me to help more people.

Cheers!

— Frederick Buskey

Hey Jonathan,

I listened to one of your podcasts recently (I’ve listened to most of them at this point), and I heard your guest talking about using your proposal template.

Well, brother, this proposal kicks ass. Conversions are up, and with the format, I’ve streamlined terms. When I get a client with a problem, I politely direct them back to the proposal they signed, and the problem melts away.

If you have a place for reviews, I’d be happy to drop one.

Best,

John

— John Olsen

GOD I LOVE THIS.

What a fabulous email.

— Tom Kerwin

Hi Jonathan,

I refer basically every independent consultant I meet to you and your resources. Those who take my advice and adopt your advice always thank me for it. Here’s a text I got today from a newly-launched independent marketing consultant who's been trying for a few months to land projects with no success, to whom I referred a potential project:

“Just want you to know - I used the 3 Whys on [prospective client] just now, which was scary at first (why don’t you just do this internally since you have a marketing person?) but this was one of my best meetings 😊 We’re talking again in 2 days.”

Perhaps you get sick of hearing it, but thought I’d pass it along.

Sarah

— Sarah Chostner

@jonathanstark Just used your proposal template for the 1st time. Landed our larget client ever. So thankful for your talk at #dyfconf

— Julie Cabezas

I wish I could turn back the clock and I would have hired Jonathan when I first started my business - it would have saved me years of struggling. I always thought I could do everything on my own - but I hit a wall and realized I needed help to get to next level of my own game.

— Geneve Hoffman

Jonathan, The Introduction Game exercise has been SO INCREDIBLY VALUABLE! And has secured your newsletter as the best one I’ve ever read! Thank you!

— Katie Milton

Hourly Billing Is Nuts is a f***ing cool book. Genuinely, it’s one of the few that made me stop and rethink my approach in real time. Loved it.

— Tony Adams

Jonathan,

The Five Day Podcasting challenge course helped me to launch a podcast I’d been thinking about doing for months in five days. I started the course on May 11th, and by June 8th, had the first episode produced and released. That’s 3 weeks from the first day of the course to the first episode being available to the public.

That’s incredible and a testament to your approach in teaching both the mechanics of how to get started and removing the roadblocks to producing a podcast.

I’m hoping there will be an intermediate course that can focus further on good sound mechanics, production, show formats, and specialized advice for people who already have podcasts to help them better serve their audience.

Thanks again for running the 5DPC.

— George Stocker

Jonathan,

This is solid gold! I have been struggling with how to deal with this myself. Thank you so much for sharing this.

— Tommy Carouso

Hi Jonathan,

I took TPS and your 5-day Podcast Challenge in 2020 and started my podcast just 2 years ago now and I’ve already been experiencing this.

I’ve had more than one person meet me in real life or get on a call and say “I can’t believe I’m talking with a celebrity!” It is wild how the asymmetric intimacy thing works.

As someone who works from home behind a computer most of the time, I have never thought of myself as a celebrity and I was so taken aback the first time someone said that to me.

Podcasting and blogging regularly have really made it so no one even asks to see my resume or portfolio. I get leads that come in who already completely trust me and think I’m an expert by the time we actually get on a call.

Thanks for the suggestion and accountability to start a podcast in the first place!

— Alison Hoenes

I just want to thank you for all the knowledge bombs you’re dropping on a daily basis. I’ve truly learned a ton ever since I signed up for your newsletter.

— Robert Smart

Jonathan,

The Freelancer’s Road Map is the first book I have read cover to cover without falling asleep... just realised! Thank you for that, well worth the money and is now a ’bible’ I am bouncing back to for ideas when work is quiet, thanks for that too.

— Jenny Howes

Hi Jonathan, Just wanted to let you know I really appreciate your insight and newsletters-Your perspectives and examples are great! You really have a talent to digest difficult situations and produce crystal clear outcomes. I’m a Rhode Island based graphic designer and recently discovered you from your appearance with The Futur w/ Chris Do. Thanks for what you do for the design community! -Max VanDexter

— Max Van Dexter

Hi Jonathan,

Jim Thomure from St Louis here... just a quick note to you... I’m really enjoying your books "Hourly Billing is Nuts" and the supplemental texts.

Looking to put these ideas into action with my upcoming projects, the way you lay out your ideas make it super simple to follow and implement. I can tell right away you’ll be someone I need to pay attention to in order to help grow my software development practice.

— Jim Thomure

Jonathan, I just read your article on asking for 100% payment up-front. It’s not too often you come across something life-changing. Muchas.

— Aaron Wrixon

Holy shjt, nuggets like this are why I love your daily mails.

— Jeff Jenkinson

I would never be where I am now–in this short amount of time–without Jonathan’s assistance. So, the return on investment from that perspective is priceless.

— Katherine P

I used Jonathan’s retainer template to land a support and mentoring contract. The client got peace of mind and the assistance they needed, and I got an effective hourly rate of close to $1,000!

— Ben Clinkinbeard

Jonathan,

Just noticed something I felt I had to share with you, and it gives me an excuse to thank you for your extremely valuable emails.

I am absolutely obsessed with maintaining Inbox Zero; my email inbox is reserved for messages that require immediate action or content I need to re-read and commit to memory. I’ve attached a screenshot which basically shows that every email you’ve sent over the last week has been stuck in my inbox because I keep re-reading them.

Can’t describe how much I appreciate your content. Thanks!

— Eric Grubaugh

Would I recommend Private Coaching with Jonathan? Hell yeah. He stopped me from making dozens of missteps along the way. Hiring him means protection from the downside and a straighter line to the upside potential of what I’m trying to accomplish. He fundamentally changed the direction of my future for the better.

— Kevin Whelan

Jonathan gave me a blueprint of exactly how to lay out a proposal, step by step, follow the numbers. Having this blueprint means now when I create a proposal I just have to follow the plan, check the boxes and I’m done. (Ok it takes a little more effort but that’s how easy Jonathan has made it now).

— Casey Stevens, KissAutomation

Thank you, Jonathan!

Your emails are so valuable, I just realized that I’ve been marking every single one of them with a star. I’ve never done that to anyone else’s newsletter.

All the best!

— Chris Howard

Hey Jonathan!

It had been my goal for years to start a podcast but it seemed so daunting and always got pushed off as an “important but not urgent” item. Plus, there was so much information online about how to start a podcast that I didn’t know where to start. Your program spelled it out in easy to follow steps. I literally copy + pasted your invite script and booked the very first guest I invited! I have my first podcast interview next week! Thanks for the podcast challenge, I would never have actually pulled the trigger on my podcast without it.

— Chris O’Brien

Hi Jonathan

I found Pigeonhole Yourself super useful and a delightful short read. I really like the first theoretical part, in which you very clearly lay out the advantages of being a specialist. Because I always had a tendency towards becoming a specialist (even though some of my teachers used to tell me that becoming a generalist was the wiser decision to make 🤔), this part really resonated with me.

On the other hand, making things concrete—which is what you're doing in the second part of the book—is always helpful when learning about a subject. What I like about your approach in the book is that you didn't choose to put in one simple, typical textbook example (which is mostly not very practical in the real world), but instead you provide 21 (!) real-world examples, and break down each and every one of them in great detail.

So, to answer your question, yes, the book is extremely useful for me. Your content triggers a lot of thinking about my professional future, so thank you for that.

Cheers,

Tim

— Tim Vannuffelen

Jonathan is worse than my old rugby coach. Comfort zone? What comfort zone?!

— Kevin Whelan

Jonathan,

I read all your posts in one sitting, and the proposal. Pure genius.

Thanks for the insights.

— Timothy Solomon

Jonathan,

These tips are just facepalm moments when I think "why didn’t I think of these!

Thanks for all of the value you provide! Especially around value pricing! I’ll never bill by the hour again!

— Steve Palacios

Freelancer’s Roadmap provided clear, actionable steps that made my transition from Software Developer to Solution Architect feel achievable. It’s straightforward, easy to follow, and focuses on exactly what you need to know to get started in a new role.

— Vukašin Petrović

Before Jonathan's 5DPC I kind of knew I should podcast. True to its name, 5DPC challenged me. It challenged me to get clear on the Why, What, and How of my podcast. I have a clear roadmap for how to go about kicking off my Podcast and the questions I need to answer to do it the right way. Now it's all up to me. The mix of videos and straightforward slack community worked well for me. The only thing I would suggest is perhaps to deliver the 5-days podcast challenge using a Podcast :-)

— Yuval Yeret

Stop reading this quote and hire Jonathan. If you’re still not sure, call me and I’ll read this quote to you again.

— Sean Boyce

Jonathan,

Can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate your Value Pricing Bootcamp course, the productized service course and your business of authority podcast—they’re literally changing whole mindsets and setting me on the course for better business and growth! You’re doing more for my business through free content than my $120k art school degree. Thank you!

— Uriah Fracassi

Hey Jonathan,

Wanted you to know that your proposal template has been so helpful! I shared it in my newsletter today.

I was already doing well in my business, but since switching to your template:

Thanks! Erin

— Erin Balsa

Hi Jonathan,

I love, love, love your e-mails. It’s like a daily shot of B12 for my business. Keep ’em coming.

— Peter Doern

Jonathan’s book increased my revenue by 1000%! I’m actually winning projects at 10x the hourly rate I used to make. In the past quarter, I banked six months salary. Honestly, the feeling of knowing you have 6mo in the bank is freedom beyond anything I have ever experienced.

— Marcus Blankenship

Hey Jonathan,

After reading your emails every day + listening to TBOA every week I wasn’t expecting to have my mind blown again to this degree. Although I’m ALWAYS picking up something new.

"Strategies exist because everyone has limited resources. Therefore, you need to focus your energy. Your strategy is the articulation of that focus. Mixing strategies will lead to failure. A vague strategy will lead to failure. Having no strategy will lead to failure."

I jumped up from my computer in joy :)

Thanks for everything!

— Bas Verdonk

Hi Jonathan! I am going to print this email out, laminate it... and read it every morning before I start work :)

— Anna Sabramowicz

Hi J,

The Pricing Seminar was a great journey for me. A good fit for where I am in my business. It gave me a lot of actionable ideas. Yesterday I published my lead magnet with a 5 day crash course. I have felt so good about the value it will give my community and clients. There are so many nuances in this course that anyone who gets it can see the entire map of their business and run it like a value driven machine. I can’t wait to share the successful transformation I am going to create in my business.

— Vikram Shetty

Brilliant email J. Loved it. I don’t generally respond to emails but you are the exception. The value you provide is excellent. Thanks

— Samir Patnaik

You made more impact in my design career than anyone in the last four-years. I’ve had mentors and had joined private groups before but your videos, emails, and podcast with Chris Do made me question everything at a new level. It almost seems like everyone is trying to weasel their way around clarity and direct genuine answers. Thanks Jonathan! Seriously...

— Paulius Podziunas

Jonathan is a wonderful mentor. He goes out of his way to help you and will ask and and say the things that – though you might not always want to hear them – are crucial to being successful.

— Don Levan

Hi Jonathan,

The info in Value Pricing Bootcamp is so good!

I spoke to a potential client on the phone yesterday, that by using these methods, I was able to already establish their budget for the project could be around $100k, way more than I would’ve thought to quote initially. This was just the very first conversation and I still need to qualify them and the project in other ways, but hey, that was a great start!

So thank you again - looking forward to finishing the course and the next steps.

— Rocio Villalobos

Man you don’t stop - these emails are so stinking good. Keep it up and thank you!!

— Sam Selikoff

Jonathan should have a warning label on his head. His advice will shake your world.

— David Trejo

Jonathan

Your book Learn Your Lines has indeed been a revelation.

I’d already been a Ditcherville follower for a number of years, so I had a feel of what to expect.

Thanks again for sharing!

Frank

— Frank Green

Hey Jonathan!

You know, after all these years I still stay subscribed to your list, and low and behold I get a nugget that still applies. One of my goals is to expand my business into a different area, and while I know how to do sell and close business, lead generation is where I’m drawing a blank. Just your simple question "Who do you want to work with?" sort of helped break it down.

Selling voice over service to large enterprises and production companies is a bit different than software, namely one of the most effective way is cold call/email campains. Is it spray and pray? Yes, but it everyone in the industry tells me it work.

Nonetheless, hope all is well in Stark-land. Semi-relevant to you, my daughter (13) took up Karate, and while she hasn’t been in any tournaments, I am looking forward to ridiculously tall trophies.

Derek

— Derek Dysart

Hi Jonathan,

I find the information you provide to be freaking amazing.

A little bit about me is that I am a developer for a little over 10 years, which I have focused on web development for the last 5-6 years. I am starting up my own consultant business now and I am in the process of defining what I want to do and what audience I would like to help.

The topics I need the most help with are client acquisition, pricing, and proposals. I look forward to reading your emails in the near future. They have been very helpful thus far and a great resource for me as I get started building my business.

I wanted to send this email to say thank you for sharing your expertise and to keep being awesome!!

Thanks!

— Karl Etherly

Jonathan,

A real problem with your emails is that, oftentimes, I read it in the morning during my Inbox Zero sprint, but all I want to do after is sit, stare at the window and reflect on it! Seriously!

I have an inbox folder with your name, all dedicated to store all your emails. I go back to read it when I have free time, as if it’s a book!

Happy Thanksgiving, and.... thank you!!

— Kobi Swissa

Hey Jonathan! Your newsletter is one of the best, if not the best, that I’ve seen. I think you’ll be able to easily compile these lessons into a mini-ebook and sell it. Keep up the good work!

— Greg Navis

This is probably one of best analogies I’ve ever read.

— Michel Fortin

This newsletter is the reason I’m on your list, Jonathan.

Thank you for your words, you are razor sharp and it is a feast for the eyes.

— René Hjetting

Hi Jonathan,

I hope you are well. I just wanted to give you an update on the podcast that I created as a result of taking your 5-day Podcast Challenge course.

Last Friday, I launched the first episode of Value Driven Data Science. I also have three more episodes in various states of production, which will be uploaded over the next two months.

Producing a podcast is something that I have always wanted to do, but never thought possible and I am still astounded that this is something I managed to achieve.

Thank you so much for creating 5-Day Podcast Challenge. Without it, I would never have even considered producing a podcast, much less gotten this far. I can’t wait to see where this podcast goes in the future.

All the best in your own business and podcast!

— Dr Genevieve Hayes

After hearing about Jonathan on Wes Bos’ Syntax podcast, it was honestly a life-changing moment to read what he was teaching. As a self-employed developer, it aligned with my goals for my business growth, and the offering I wanted to provide clients.

I read Jonathan’s books, listened to his podcasts, and then engaged Jonathan to help me with a client proposal. He helped me lock down on a proposal that resulted in my client signing off a proposal for double their communicated budget.

This put me in a position for the project discovery, where once I would be concerned about scope creep, I instead knew that I had enough of a budget to provide outstanding value to my client, do everything they wanted, and give 150% to the project, with a large ROI for the client. Win-Win for the client and me. This is how working with clients should be.

— Alex Murton

Hey J, I signed up for a lot of email lists, however when it comes to yours I swear to God I have never seen so much value in my life. For. Free. Like damn. Thank you so much J. You’re amazing.

— Mahmoud Ahmed

Hi Jonathan,

I have to let you know...

Your emails are the only ones I read regularly.

Why?

It’s awesome. Keep it up!!!!

— Jenn Tankanow

“Hourly Billing Is Nuts” gave me the tools to break free from hourly billing, talk openly with clients about the value I can provide, and build out pricing from there.

The book blew my mind. Freelance writers are often asked about their hourly or per-word rate, but this limits earning potential and creates skewed incentives. If work is priced on inputs, not results, the vendor is punished for efficiency and is incentivized to withhold immediate value.

— Chris Weller

Jonathan coached me on refining my business’s positioning to better address my dream clients. End result? I’m making more money, working with better clients, and much happier. His insight and business advice is incredibly valuable.

— Kai Davis

Honestly, of all the email lists I subscribe to, not only is yours is the daily one I’m still opted into, but your emails are the only ones I typically find myself reading from beginning to end. That’s because they’re never, ever a waste of my time. They’re always thought-provoking and inspirational. They always add value. That’s a truly amazing thing to pull off, and you do it so well. Thank you. :-)

— Kathrin Bussmann

Loving The Freelancer’s Roadmap! The one thing that I see as very helpful to me is the succinct presentation of the roadmap, which goes through “productized-ville” first. I like that idea as a starting point, before moving ultimately into value-based proposals. It’s an easier transition for me.

— Brent Giesler

Jonathan, Your email list is amazing. I’m on other lists, and some of them have an occasional useful email stuck between sales pitches glued to a billion different unrelated stories. I look forward to each of your emails, and I’ve referred back to them more than once already.

— John Tseng

Your First Productized Service book provided exactly the guidance I needed as I started exploring productized services.

The ‘Think Like a Doctor’ method and the PSD (Productized Service Description) introduced me to new ways of structuring and presenting the service.

The clear, step-by-step approach for creating a sales page and pricing was incredibly helpful, giving me practical, detailed instructions I could immediately put into action.

— Vukašin Petrović

Jonathan Stark’s content is a gold mine. I am very sorry for the people who don’t know about Stark. Keep crushing!

— Evgeni Stoyanov

J, Out of all the kick ass emails you send out, this one was beyond amazing and resonated. I’m also a little jealous...as a website consultant I wish I had thought about saying it this way...because, well, nothing could be farther from the truth about a website. Rock on! Dinos

— Dinos Papoulias

Just yesterday I had my third 1-on-1 consulting call ever (and the first was less than a month ago). This was the second person who found me via my podcast.

And it was honestly a bit of a funny feeling. Literally, the first thing the client said as an introduction was “I know you, but you don’t know me.”

I’ve only released 21 podcast episodes, but already it’s having a tangible payoff in the way people perceive me as an authority in my space.

— Jonathan Hall

Jonathan Stark’s campaign against hourly billing made sense to me when I first heard it, but I had no idea how to put it into practice. Also, Jonathan seemed to be talking to such big companies, I was wondering if my situation would be really something to trouble him with.

As soon as I asked my first question, my concerns were dissolved. Jonathan’s a master at active listening, no matter how messy you think the problem is, and he comes up with creative but practical solutions to help solopreneurs to punch above their weight.

— Anthony English

Hi Jonathan,

The 1-hour call we had earlier this year opened up so much for me that I ended up developing an 8Ps framework to help me (and hopefully others) look at the marketing of a solo business in a more coherent and structured way.

You only had to ask a few pointed questions for me to realize that many of my challenges (pricing, positioning, and overall business direction) came from not sending the right messages, not truly knowing my clients, and never really defining what I was selling. Until that moment, everything had been based on wishful thinking rather than strategy.

Thanks again for all the value you share!

— Elina Jutelyte

I’ve generally been skeptical of fixed vs. hourly pricing debates. It seemed like both options required a conversation with the client if and when things started to go over budget. It just seemed like a semantic difference.

It didn’t click until I read The Freelancer’s Roadmap. Jonathan described value pricing as an option during the proposal process, where you charge a premium for taking on the risk of a bad estimate.

This can also start to solve an additional problem in my business which is we are just starting and currently eating a lot of over-estimate time ourselves.

Definitely adding a value-based fixed price to my next large proposal!

— Trevor Carr

Hi Jonathan I been following your stuff for a little over a month but it really clicks with me. I can’t tell you how many sales/marketing/business books i’ve read and gurus I’ve watched, but your content is so simple and powerful you just get straight to the point and offer practical steps to take right now. I love it man, I already read through your PDF books and you’ve answered almost all the questions that been in the back of my mind keeping me up this last few years. I am really excited and looking forward to putting all of these steps into play, you’ve already given me so much clarity, and really have been a tremendous inspiration. Thank you. -Mike

— Michael Shatravka

I’ve been mainlining Jonathan’s content since joining Ditcherville last month. The ability to search topics in Slack is so useful. I’m continually blown away by the quality of the content!!

— Jon Heraty

Jonathan, you are good!!

I read every email you send. I love your style and how you use analogies to get readers to understand what you’re teaching.

Thank you for your consistency and wisdom.

— Terri Podlenski

OMG Jonathan this is brilliant and so bag on the money! Just home from a Joomla conference and this was the first email I opened. So grateful for your insights. Have a super day! Alison

— Alison Meeks

Hi Jonathan!

I was just listening to your show and wanted to reach out to say that I launched my podcast last month and that your 5DPC course - especially all the templates - made it SO MUCH easier.

I ended up hiring a podcast manager to support me with editing and distributing it but they were super impressed with my basic knowledge of Audacity thanks to your course.

Thank you so much for your content!

— Akua Nyame-Mensah

Jonathan,

Thank you for your FANTASTIC program yesterday for our monthly PRSA Independent Practitioners Alliance Business Building webinar series. Your message resonated with so many of our members, and you have the others thinking about hourly billing in a whole new way. I am still receiving texts, emails and social media comments about how great the program was!

Your content was insightful and thought-provoking. Your delivery was engaging and encouraging. Even some of our “old-school” naysayers were complimentary of the ideas you presented when we were discussing the webinar on the PRSA College of Fellows group Zoom chat later in the day…in fact, the bulk of that latter one-hour conversation focused on the concepts you’d shared and how they might be applied to various audiences (e.g., agencies vs. government, nonprofit vs. corporate, etc.).

Attendance for the program was one of the highest we’ve seen in the 8 years I’ve been hosting the webinars. We typically have 40-50% of registrants attend live (with the rest watching the on-demand replay), but yesterday we had over 70% attend live and they stayed until the very end, proof positive your presentation was captivating, and that there is deep interest in ditching hourly billing!

If there is ever anything I can do to help you in your continued quest to rid the world of hourly billing, don’t hesitate to reach out.

With deep appreciation,

Wendy

— Wendy Kurtz

Damnit, I wish I had the Stark mojo two months ago!

— Chris Ferdinandi

Jonathan, in a couple weeks I will be airing the 100th episode of my podcast! From humble beginnings a year ago I’m now getting over 2,000 downloads per month and the show has over 16,000 total downloads! Better yet, I hear from people about how I am impacting their lives, and my network and business opportunities are growing. The approach that you teach in your podcasting course is what has allowed me to get started and to sustain the show. The simple - SIMPLE - strategies you teach continue to underpin how I do the show. THANK YOU!

Cheers!

Frederick

— Frederick Buskey

Jonathan,

I just finished reading The Freelancer’s Roadmap this morning and of course, I loved it.

Your clear/direct writing style is pitch perfect for my needs.

Keep up the good work, Jonathan :)

— Clint Walkingstick

Hi Jonathan,

I just wanted to thank you for the daily emails that you have been sending out on regular basis. Your advice has made a huge impact on my business, and I have seen a five-fold increase in my income since I started following your advice.

Your emails have helped me to improve my business in a number of ways, from better managing my time, to more effective contracts and documentation. I’m so grateful for all the help you have given me and I’m sure I will continue to benefit from your emails in the future.

Don’t forget your strong words are changing lives here in Pakistan, a third-world country, far away from States.

You are awesome.

Thanks

Regards,

Aasim

— Aasim Abdullah

I can’t believe how much I got done in the time that we started the coaching sessions. I needed to have someone who could listen to all my ideas, give me unexpected and invaluable feedback, and keep me accountable and on task. I wouldn’t have my new business plan on track without his guidance and resources.

— Geneve Hoffman

Hi Jonathan,

Charge MORE for the stuff I find easy and enjoy. I LOVE this idea!!!

I’m going to spend some time with this, because it makes complete sense to me. Now just to figure out where to find those clients who’ll pay for that. 😉

I love to get an email that makes me stop and think. Thanks for consistently writing to us each day. It’s much appreciated!

— Dina Pruitt

@jstark Wow, your website teardown in Ditcherville was amazingly helpful. From our COO: “For f#ck’s sake. We have paid our marketing contractors about $200k total over 2 years, and they have never given us something as clear and helpful as this review.”

— Danny Wilson

Jonathan - I used your proposal as a template for a job I pitched yesterday. They LOVED it. Not only did they love it, they picked option 3 (the highest priced option) and want to put me on retainer after the final project payment. And as you suggested, I asked for 50%/50% with a set final payment date and they agreed - it’s freaking brilliant! Because of your instruction this month, I had the balls to ask, and the client didn’t bat an eye. I never thought about fixed date before but will never do it another way. Thanks!

— Lisa Ellington

Jonathan,

Your daily emails are pure gold for a commoditized .Net contractor like me.

...riveted, waiting for the next one.

BTW, the conversation last week on the FS podcast with the guy that owned an agency, was mind-blowing. I’m that guy, only as a solo dev, not an agency owner.

— Brent Giesler

Being on Jonathan’s daily emails is the next best thing to having him with you when you’re with the client. Answers just come to your lips, and suddenly you’re no longer a hands-on techie; you’re respected as a consultant.

— Anthony English

If I could, I would round up every consultant I’ve ever met and pull them into Jonathan’s presentation on Value Pricing and make them watch it with their eyes forced open “Clockwork Orange” style.

— Matt Inglot

This is killer - printing it out and posting it on my wall. Thank you! 🙏

— John Hemminger

Jonathan, you finally convinced me to drop the hourly rate. I’m done. I’ve now sent out two quotes without hourly rates. Just wanted to say thank you.

— Greg Colker

Dude you’re a genius! Thanks for this! This is a severity 1 priority 1 problem that’s really made me reconsider building websites for a living. I always knew it wasn’t the clients fault, but couldn’t find the words together to challenge their small budgets, now I have weapons!

Thanks!

— Virgil Shelton

Hi Jonathan:

Your email series is pure gold. Particularly I’ve been stumbling upon the "coming too early with the why" problem you mention here and once I refrained myself from doing it, things made a dramatic change.

If I had to limit myself to just one advice for the new comers it would be this: let them talk first!

Thanks. This is really helpful.

— Mauro Chojrin

I had a potential client haggling with me about a quote. I took Jonathan’s advice and within 48 hours the client had agreed to my original price and was ready to get started immediately.

— Philip Morgan

Dear Jonathan

Your emailed pearls of wisdom are quickly adding up to a serious jewelery collection, thank you most graciously for your insight and inspiration.

All the best

— Jacques Naude

If you would like help getting your business to the next level, apply now to my private coaching program.

Yours,

—J

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