Dr. J.J. Peterson - Building A Business Beyond Hourly Billing

Dr. JJ Peterson, head of StoryBrand, joined me on Ditching Hourly to explain why he says, “You can't build a business on hourly billing.” JJ emphasizes the importance of value pricing and project-based billing for delivering results and customer satisfaction. He offers advice on storytelling and differentiation, finding your target audience, and building an email list for lead nurturing.Talking PointsBuilding value-add strategies is crucial to satisfying your customersProfessional pricing is focused on value for each project, not solely billable hoursValue pricing involves reverse engineering and scoping based on different budgetsProductized services can help predict income and make services profitable over timeStorytelling is a powerful tool for making sense of information and engaging customersMailing lists and podcasts can increase awareness and trustFind platforms where your target audience hangs out and offer value before sellingQuotable Quotes07:16 “Showing clients what kind of return they're going to get is a huge way to position yourself as value in the field.”22:00 “Story takes a bunch of information that's out there and puts it all in a form that makes sense to somebody.”29:00 “It's not about you, it's about what your skills and experience do to solve their problem.”35:28 “Clarify your message first. Figure out what your messaging is gonna be before you do spend money on anything, creating anything else.”37:33 “You wanna be on those stages. Then the second part about that is once you figure out where you wanna be, you wanna go into those places, and you wanna add a ton of value, don't wanna actually go in and sell.”39:25 “Building your audience with free stuff and then charge quote unquote for the next level, which is to get your email address.”47:07 “What you bring to businesses and the problems that you solve and the value that you bring is huge. So don't sell yourself short.”J.J.'s BioDr. J.J. Peterson has used the StoryBrand Framework to help thousands of organizations clarify their message in order to grow their business. He teaches leaders how to leverage the power of story in marketing and messaging to get results through his Marketing Made Simple Podcast. J.J. holds a Ph.D. in Communication and has spent the last 20 years practicing and teaching communication theory. He has studied C.S. Lewis in Oxford, debated theology with filmmakers at the Sundance Film Festival, directed a documentary, served in marketing and PR for two multinational non-profit organizations, is currently an adjunct professor at the Owen School of Business at Vanderbilt University, and has spoken to thousands of people about creating a clear message. As the Head of StoryBrand, J.J. travels around the world facilitating StoryBrand workshops and keynotes, helping people grow their businesses.J.J.'s Linkshttps://storybrand.com/brandscripthttps://marketingmadesimple.com ----Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in?You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem.You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business.On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down.That's what we'll tackle in this workshop.It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you.Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait.Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgsEnroll in Positioning For Soloists now »Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.