Blog Posts

I’ve had a quite a few people ask me about how their “Big End of Town” experience translates to working with “Small End of Town” clients…

Or put another way, what happens when corporate thinking is applied to small businesses… is it oil and water or more like gin and tonic (meaning very compatible!)

So, I thought it makes sense to talk about the biggest differences I’ve seen between corporate and SMEs to see what you think!

OK here’s four of the biggest differences I’ve seen between corporate and SMEs…

1. Big end of town means lots of resources, well established revenue lines, systems for much of the operational parts of the business and they can afford salaries to recruit high calibre people for key roles… that’s def different to the small end where resources are limited so you need to WAY more resourceful. So, when you’re working with SME’s it just means you need to imagine that there’s likely to be ONE person putting into place the strategies you’re sharing, not a whole team… that’s a difference!

2. Corporate is also very focused on KPIs and the cycle of annual budgets, reporting for monthly board meetings, quarterly reviews for actual vs budget forecasts, reports and structured performance assessments. You’re basically under scrutiny the whole time… that means there’s a lot of information and access to information that you kinda take for granted in corporate. In SMEs you’ll need to dig for information because they just don’t collect or analyse it but in fact that’s one of the biggest areas where you can add value to coz when you get the info you need it makes decision making really easy…

3. In corporate there’s also relatively slow decision making and plenty of hurdles if you want to do anything new or perceived as risky. That means there’s a lot of reports and number crunching that has to support any new initiatives… again, very different. Small business will make a decision in a heart-beat and want it done the same day… so if you’ve ever been frustrated that the lag between idea to execution in corporate is glacial, you will love working with owners. They make decisions FAST!

4. Apart from that when it comes to similarities, it’s business so the principles are exactly the same… so every business needs to drive revenue, control costs and manage the overhead. So, all your sensibility about this is perfect… the only difference here is that you don’t have a specific person or department in charge of each area. That means you need to work on these things one at a time e.g. JUST work on cost controls until you get a result THEN work on driving revenue coz if you try doing them both at the same time it doesn’t work which comes back to my earlier point of needing to be RESOURCEFUL when you don’t have RESOURCES…

Quick summary…

If you love quick decision making… Small end of town EATS big end for this… you could double or triple client’s business whereas in corporate you’re sometime tracking inflation.

If you can think like an entrepreneur that lacks resources but has a heap of resourcefulness, then that mentality will work really well for you.

If you’re used to being able to find information and use it for helping to make decisions then again, this will serve you really well.

And lastly, if you’re great at prioritising what needs to be done and can sequence out tasks for implementation, then SME’s will love you forever.

Hope that helps?

What are some of the other similarities and differences you’ve seen…

Yesterday I got asked about what my advice would be around a niche… the person asking had a few clients who were lawyers and wanted to know if he should work exclusively with a single client avatar…

Great question! Ever wondered the same thing?

Seems like the answer should be YES… marketing 101 is to niche so I thought I’d share what I shared with him…

The benefits if you get niche right…
Your marketing is laser focused… easier
Your program material is dialed in… helpful
Your become a known expert… great!

But not many people talk about the downsides of niche…
What if someone wants help who’s not in your niche… do you just say “no”
What if your niche sees you working with their competition and say “no thanks!”
The marketing style to drive your niche is a big commitment

That last point is probably the biggest… to really drive your niche means a style of marketing that may or may not fit with your personality.

I’ve taken a number of people through the process of niching and this is what I’ve learned… You need to be:

Big on Camera… you’ll need a ton of content so you’ll be in front of a camera a lot
Big on Socials… you’ll need to be across platforms that all have their differences
Big on Personality… the people that make this work are like micro-celebrities
Big on Ad Spend… you won’t be the only one so you’ll need to outspend them
Big on Tech… you and a VA are not going to cut it – there’s a lot of tech support

It’s actually MORE about the marketing persona than it is about the content of your program to your niche.

There’s definitely a type of person that this is a good fit for, but… if the idea of this style of marketing leaves you cold, then what are your options?

Well within TAN I’ve seen people try a niche, come up against what I’ve talked about, and go back to no-niche… but is it really no-niche?

What I’ve seen work best is the niche of LOCAL… it’s so under-rated as everyone thinks a niche by business-type is better. But what we’ve found is that local business owners that you meet in-person with a strong sales process is by far the most lucrative and the fastest way to build a strong client base.

But what if you have expertise in a niche like the guy who was asking about specialising in Lawyers?

The way I’ve seen it work best if you have a background that would suit a niche is to operate your niche as a super-premium option.

I’ll give you a couple of examples:

There’s a guy in our network who specialises in a specific industry because he built and sold his business to a very large company… he can help clients with M&As and prep for sale. So, while he has MAINSTREAM local clients, he has PREMIUM clients that pay him a lot of money for his expertise.

Another example from our network is a member who has a CFO background. Again, he has MAINSTREAM local clients but has PREMIUM clients who pay him up to $10K a month for his help.

So that’s my advice for niche… offer it as a PREMIUM service and have the LOCAL niche as your mainstream service. The marketing is less daunting and it means you can say “yes” to working with more clients sooner…

1^st Mistake is no sales process… “just put me in front of people and I’ll be fine” is not a strategy! Think about it, your would-be client is doing the best they can and you think you can do a better job because of your background… what would your reaction be if someone implied they could do a much better job than you… at worst you’d think they were arrogant at best you’d be at least a little bit defensive. That’s not helpful if you’re trying to sell your services! But it’s a common mistake and that’s why new advisors get a 1 in 20 conversion-rates. We’ve spent the last decade refining our sales process for getting new clients so our conversion rates are 1:2. Think how much time this saves when you’re signing every second client rather than every 20^th… that’s a lot of burnt leads you’re saving!

2^nd Mistake is wrong pricing… many new advisors will try things like hourly rates or project rates and if they’re desperate for more clients they’ll settle for a few hundred dollars a month. Your pricing needs to be around the $2K a month mark and for that you need to be able to present a business case that quantifies what they should be making with your help. Don’t do hourly rates and don’t do project rates… you’ll just end up limiting what you can earn. You’ll earn 4-5 X as much when you get your pricing right with long-term business development programs which brings me to the next mistake…

3^rd Mistake is not having a structured program… many new advisors see themselves as being able to fix anything so they’ll find a problem with a potential client and then pitch a price to solve it. Sounds logical, but that’s why most new advisors can’t keep their clients longer than 90 days. The client hasn’t been positioned for a long-term program because they think one project is all they need and they’re not prepared to pay for any more. With a structured program, the average time with a client extends to 18 months… that’s 6 X longer than new advisors who are constantly having to replace clients who drop off at the 3-month mark…

4^th Mistake is building your own content… I spoke to a new advisor just this week who told me they were working 6 days a week with just 4 clients because they had to build content for what their clients needed. The advisor had all the knowledge but not in a format that the client could use… they were all talk, but no tools. The reason they joined us was because they didn’t want to re-invent the wheel. Sure, they had lots of experience, but they told me it’d take a couple of years to convert it into client-facing professional content. You should just be focused on getting more clients because there’s more money in new clients than there is in building new content. The world doesn’t need more content, it needs more clients paying you for help…

So that’s it… all these mistakes are obvious once you start but not so obvious before you get into it… it’s like all businesses. You have the expertise, but you need a business model to make sure you can turn your expertise into client revenue so you can build a professional services business… no different to a builder that knows how to build, but the business of being a builder is different than building… make sense?

I’ve spent the last ten years helping people with business backgrounds get into their own business as a consultant. And here’s what I’ve learned.

If people knew they could replace their incomes within six months, they reckon they would have jumped out of corporate much earlier. But in their 40s, when it comes down to either paying the mortgage or spending more time with family, they always vote with their feet. They pay the bills first. In their 50s, it’s different. They’ve seen what corporate takes out of them, and they know it’s now or never.

The ones who go all in—who commit a hundred percent—get the best results. It feels like a bigger risk, but it always works out better than trying to do it on the side.

And here’s what surprises them:

• The level of client gratitude. When someone thanks you for not just changing their business but their whole life—it’s a different kind of job satisfaction.
• Their big business skills translate faster than they expected. The small end of town doesn’t need complicated solutions. Simple strategies create big wins.
• The right people around you make all the difference. The ones who surround themselves with high-caliber, like-minded people when they launch are the ones who succeed.

Most people who’ve tried to do this on their own get stuck. They realize that trying to create all the program materials from scratch is just too much—it takes way too long to build something viable.

And the longer they stay in high-pressure jobs, the more they realize it’s not just their time they’re giving up—it’s that entrepreneurial spark they know they have in them.

If any of this hits home, let’s talk.

No time like the present.

If you’re thinking about becoming a business coach, consultant, or advisor, you’ve probably realized something—there’s no point reinventing the wheel.

The question is, with so many options out there, which one actually gets you where you want to go?

When it comes to launching or growing a coaching business, there are three key things you need:

1. Lead generation—knowing how to attract the right clients.
2. Client conversion—turning leads into paying clients.
3. Program material—keeping those clients long-term.

Without these, it’s a struggle. And that’s why most people look for a system that works.

If you don’t want to build from scratch, here’s what’s out there:

Franchises – Expensive, long contracts, and they take a chunk of your income.

Licenses – Lower cost than franchises, but little support and you’re mostly on your own.

Specialists – Great training, but it’s spread out over months before you see results.

Agencies – Can handle marketing, but most don’t understand the coaching space.

In terms of TAN – Think of it like a business partnership.

You’re the front stage talent—we work backstage to make sure you shine.

Done-for-you marketing – You look great across all platforms.

A proven way to sign clients – No trial and error, just results.

All the program material you need – No scrambling before client sessions.

No revenue splits.

No long contracts.

Your brand, your business, with full support.

If you’re serious about building a high-performing coaching business, watch the video and let’s talk about how this could work for you.

Ever wondered how small business owners can afford to pay for advisory services—especially when they’re struggling with cash flow?

Here’s the kicker: we don’t take money out of their pockets—we unlock money that’s already there.

It’s called profit leakage, and every business has it. Lost sales. Inefficient operations. Rising costs. These all drain profit before it ever hits the bank.

Our job? Find the leaks. Plug them. Turn that lost money into revenue—for them and for us.

In this short video, I break down exactly how this works, including how we use our Profit Leakage Calculator to show business owners the money they’re missing.

Watch the video and see why the SME market is way bigger (and more lucrative) than most people think.

Once you see this, you’ll never look at advisory fees the same way again.

We’ve made some major strategic shifts over the last quarter, and the results speak for themselves.

If you’re considering stepping into this space, you’ll want to know what’s changed—and why it matters.

1. In-Person Training is Back

We’ve moved away from online-only training for new advisors and brought back face-to-face sessions. This hands-on approach is already proving to be a game-changer, helping new members gain confidence and results faster than ever.

2. Local Business Focus

Instead of trying to reach businesses across the internet, we’ve narrowed our focus to local business owners—the ones you see in your community every day. These are the people who need real, trusted advisors to help them grow, and it’s making a huge impact.

3. Referral-Based Growth Over Online Marketing

We haven’t abandoned online marketing, but our primary focus is now on referral-driven business development. Leveraging trust, credibility, and strong connections has proven to be a far more effective way to gain quality clients.

The Results Speak for Themselves

We ran our first in-room training in December 2024 with five attendees. Four of them launched in January, and each has already secured one to three clients. Given that each client is worth $20,000 to $30,000 annually, this is a strong start.

One new member, Meg, followed our system step by step and landed her first almost overnight. This proves that when the right training, support, and strategy come together, success happens fast.

What This Means for You

With these changes, we’ve refined the support and launch systems we provide to new advisors:

• A dedicated team to assist with sales, strategy, and tech.
• Done-for-you marketing assets for both online and offline growth.
• A proven launch framework that helps new members land clients quickly.

Some might say this strategy is a return to old-school methods, but the reality is—it’s working.

Curious to see how this approach could work for you?

Watch the video and let us know what you think.

If you’re back at work in 2025 wondering, Is this really it?—you’re not alone.

A lot of experienced professionals reach a point where they start looking for something more—more impact, more control, more fulfillment. Business advisory offers exactly that.

In this video, I take you inside a real advisory session. This is where we help business owners see the gap between where they are now and where they want to be—then guide them in bridging it.

It’s a structured, proven process that leads to a lightbulb moment: I need your help.

If you can see yourself in that role, now is the time to explore what’s next.

Watch the video to get a real look inside business advisory—and if it sparks something in you, let’s talk.

Don’t wait for the rocking chair moment to wonder, what if?

I want to share a quick story about Tony, one of our consultants in North Sydney.

He’s been getting amazing client results, but last year he came to me and said, “I want to help even more people.”

So, we put a plan in motion.

One of the things we do at Trusted Advisor Network is hold quarterly planning sessions for clients. These sessions are game-changers. Here’s why:

1. Peer Inspiration: Clients hear each other’s wins and immediately benchmark what’s possible for them in 90 days.
2. Simple, Actionable Plans: In one session, clients walk away with a one-page plan—quick, focused, and incredibly effective.
3. Invite Guests: We also bring in other business owners to experience the process firsthand, which lets them see the results our clients are getting and how our content works in action.

Tony started running these sessions last year, and nine months later, he’s crushing it.

His clients are thriving, and he’s even taking some time off in Spain before heading to our 2024 conference in New Zealand.

This is what we’re all about—helping businesses grow and making a real impact in our local communities.

How up to speed do you reckon SME business owners are when it comes to driving sales in today’s economy? Let’s be honest—it’s a skill every business owner needs to master. Yet, I keep hearing the same three challenges popping up over and over again.

1. Over-Reliance on Passive Word-of-Mouth

A lot of business owners are just sitting back, waiting for the phone to ring. And when it does? Great, things are moving. But when it’s quiet, they just chalk it up to “a tough economy.”

Relying purely on word-of-mouth is a recipe for inconsistency. We know there are so many proactive things you can do to keep that phone ringing, yet too many business owners aren’t taking control of their lead generation. If you’re sitting around waiting, it’s no wonder sales are stalling.

2. No Basic Sales System in Place

Here’s a typical scenario: a customer asks, “Do you have X to fix my Y?” The business owner says, “Yep, here’s a quote.” And then what happens? The customer shops around, compares prices, and leaves the owner hanging.

The problem? There’s no structured sales process to move that prospect from inquiry to conversion. Information’s being given away for free, and the owner has no idea if they’ll land the sale. Without a solid sales system, it’s just too easy to lose out on potential business.

3. Paying for Leads Without a Follow-Up System

Many business owners think the solution to getting more sales is to hire a digital marketer to generate leads. Sure, that can work, but here’s the catch—it’s not the marketer’s job to make sure those leads convert into dollars in your bank.

Without a proper follow-up system, leads will slip through the cracks. You end up paying for those leads and the campaigns that drive them, but without a follow-up strategy, you’re just wasting money.

It’s not enough to just bring leads in—you need to nurture them, follow up, and turn them into paying customers.

I don’t know about you, but when I hear about a business challenge, I can’t help but dive in and figure out how to tackle it head-on. That’s the kind of work that really fires me up, and it’s what we’re all about. If you’re someone who gets excited by the thought of solving real business problems, then we should definitely connect.