Get Erin's wisdom in your inbox every Wednesday. From insider pricing strategies, to advice on dealing with difficult clients, and inspiring stories of consultants' success and failures that you can learn from.| The Upside
Today, The Upside is the leading authority on independent consulting – sharing connections, resources and industry best practices with independent consultants. This is how we got here.| The Upside
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On July 1, I did something for the first time in two years: I raised our prices. I wrestled over the decision for more than a year before finally taking my own good advice that I give to members of The Upside community who question whether or not to raise their prices. But even though … “Why and When” to Raise Your Prices Read More »| The Upside
The Upside is the Community for Consultants who love being independent, but don't want to go it alone. The Upside provides highly curated peer match-ups, give/get exchanges of member expertise and advanced resources to help you evolve and grow your business.| The Upside
If you read last week’s Wednesday Wisdom, then you know that I shared a big feature–one of the biggest I’ve ever had–about being on Jessi Hempel’s Hello Monday podcast. It was nothing short of thrilling. The morning of the interview, I picked up a Philly Fluff cake at Natales (IYKYK) to bring to the LinkedIn … How to Make the Most out of Visibility Opportunities Read More »| The Upside
What do Melinda Gates, Anna Kendrick, Jesse Eisenberg, and I all have in common? We aren’t all billionaires. We aren’t all famous. We aren’t all global philanthropists. Instead, we were all featured guests on Jessi Hempel’s Hello Monday podcast! But what’s remarkable about this story isn’t the feature itself. Although, if I’m being honest, it … Hello Monday Podcast Read More »| The Upside
When you send a proposal and you never hear back from the company… When you follow up several times after a first meeting and never receive a response… When a company eagerly requests to meet with you, but they don’t respond to your emails… When someone books time with you and then cancels without any … 10 Ways to Stop Client Ghosting Read More »| The Upside
When I first started The Upside in 2017, it wasn’t a community or accelerator at all. In fact, the first business model for The Upside was a boutique matching firm that connected companies with high-caliber consultants. You see, I was really good at getting clients. But I certainly didn’t nail every client meeting. In fact, … Learnings from a Rude Client Pitch Read More »| The Upside
Growing up in Spartanburg, SC, my family spent weeks each summer in Myrtle Beach. We’d pile into my parents’ brown station wagon and drive 5 hours to my grandparents’ 2-bedroom condo on the beach. My memories from those vacations are priceless. Juicy S.C. peaches and Capri Suns in the cooler. Bugles from the … A Lesson on Boundaries from an Unexpected Source Read More »| The Upside
I’m invited to lots of events by folks who are loosely in my network. Most of the time, the messages read something like this: Erin, I’m excited to explore The Upside and will be digging in deeper next week. I’d love to personally invite you to our upcoming private, sold-out event in NYC on June … They’re Buying You above All Else Read More »| The Upside
In 2019, I coined the term 20/20 Market Research to describe a framework I developed that works exceptionally well for understanding your potential clients’ needs while also building strong relationships. It’s simple: You reach out individually to old leads, potential leads, or folks who fit your ideal client profile and ask if you can have … 20/20 Market Research: Understand Your Clients While Building Relationships Read More »| The Upside
How do you know when it’s time to scale your business? I’ve been asked this question no less than 200 times. One of my own scale moments happened after 100+ 1:1 calls with people wanting to talk to me to learn more about The Upside. I slowly realized I was answering the same questions over … How Do You Know If You’re Ready to Scale? Read More »| The Upside
Thinking about being part of our community? Join Erin Halper and other Upside-curious guests for an inside tour at our next Open House!| The Upside
Inside The Upside community, you’ll find a sea of go-getters. But many of them will tell you that being a go-getter–the A+ students in life–didn’t result in the type of success they had imagined for themselves. We have several Upside members who went to Ivy League schools, won all the awards, earned multiple degrees and … An A+ Won’t Make You a Successful Entrepreneur Read More »| The Upside
Engaging on LinkedIn pays off… …if done the right way. That’s the lesson I hope you’ll take away from this story about Jill Kravetz, a long-time Upside member and strategic advisor to founders and C-suite executives. Jill had been pushing herself to get out there and be more visible as an independent consultant and business … Consistent Engagement on LinkedIn Pays Off Read More »| The Upside
I just returned home from Las Vegas with my kids. Yep, we took a family vacation to Sin City. The last time I was there was about 15 years ago for a bachelorette party (shout out to Thunder Down Under!). But this trip was obviously different. We took a helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon, saw … Here’s How Gambling Could Pay Off Read More »| The Upside
My kids love to play the “how much money would it take for you to do/drink/eat [insert something disgusting here]?” game. Because even as kids, they know there’s a price for everything. …even swimming in a pool of 💩 – one of their many scenarios posed to me over the years. I had a conversation … Would You Do It for Double the Pay? Read More »| The Upside
I love to cook for my family and I love stocking up the fridge. So, every Sunday, you’ll find me at my local Wegmans (IYKYK) shopping for weekly groceries. It’s an hour of “me-time” that I look forward to each weekend. Whenever I make my way to the checkout lines, I always look for Steven’s … Here’s How to Set Yourself Apart Read More »| The Upside
At a recent workshop I hosted for a co-working space, a participant asked me how she could possibly keep her 1:1 pricing equitable even though she needed to make more money. She asked, “Should I find additional ways to generate income?” This puzzle is more common than you might think. You want to give back … 5 Ways to Create Equitable Offerings, While Still Making Money Read More »| The Upside
A few weeks ago at Upside Office Hours, a very smart member started a sentence like this: “I saw on LinkedIn that a competitor in my space was …” I let her finish the sentence but stopped her right there. I asked: “What makes you feel you should pay attention to … Put the Blinders on, Change Your Mindset Forever Read More »| The Upside
It took me a while to realize that at almost every Open House that I host, a guest asks some version of this question: “How much time should I allocate to business development vs. delivering client work?” This is much bigger than a business development or time management question. This, my friends, is a question … Working on the Business Vs. In the Business How to Create the Perfect Balance Read More »| The Upside
2024 was a struggle for most. Leading a community of ~250 consultants, advisors and business coaches, I have a unique pulse on what’s happening in the industry, some of which I’m going to share with you today. Here’s what I’ve observed in 2024 and what you need to know as you move into 2025: #1 … Trend Report and Action Steps for 2025 Read More »| The Upside
Let me start by saying that I’m a person who values quality over quantity. This value permeates every aspect of my life, from friendships to my home to business and everything in between. Through that quality-over-quantity lens, I see people making what I think is a major mistake on LinkedIn: Messaging strangers or … Here’s What Not to Do on LinkedIn Read More »| The Upside