#42 Sell before you build, build as you go

Welcome to the $100k Playbook with Mike KoziolMost consultants and course creators build their programs backwards.They spend months creating content, recording videos, designing worksheets, setting up platforms, and buying tools… only to discover nobody actually wants to buy what they built.In this episode, I share the approach I’ve used for years instead: sell before you build, then build as you go.I talk about why every business exists to solve a problem and why your job isn’t to create a solution first, but to validate that the problem is real and that people want your specific way of solving it. Instead of investing time and money upfront, I explain how I test positioning, packaging, pricing, and delivery by putting an offer in front of the market and asking for real commitment.Likes, comments, and waitlists can be helpful signals, but the strongest feedback comes when someone takes out their credit card. That’s when you know your idea resonates.I also break down how I quickly test offers using simple assets like posts, emails, offer docs, landing pages, and payment links, which allows me to explore multiple ideas every month without huge risk. And I clarify an important point: selling before building isn’t about promising something you can’t deliver. It’s about testing how you package expertise you already have.In the second part of the episode, I explain what happens after the sale. I share how I build programs incrementally, stay a few steps ahead of clients, and use real feedback to shape the experience. This helps me create offers people genuinely love instead of products built in isolation.If you’re a consultant, coach, or creator who wants to productize your expertise, reduce wasted effort, protect your mindset, and launch offers that people actually want, this episode will give you a practical and proven way to do it.—Connect with the host of the $100k Playbook Mike Koziol on Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michalkoziol/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download the 2025 Consulting report: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mikekoziol.com/the-100k-consultant-report/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download to $100k Offer Playbook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mikekoziol.com/the-100k-offer-playbook/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Schedule a free marketing brainstorming session: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mikekoziol.com/connect/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please rate the podcast on Spotify and iTunes <3Tags: consulting, consultant, productization, scaling, service business, marketing agency, freelancing, fractional CxO, profitability