84: How to Add a Consulting Offer to Your Business with Melissa Froehlich

17-02-2021 • 47 mins

Have you been thinking about using your expertise to consult, and scale your business?

I am excited to share with you one of my dear friends and colleagues in the online space, Melissa Froehlich, as we discuss mindset and consulting.

Meet Melissa

Melissa has a corporate background, but had to give it up to follow her husband in his military career. She started as a virtual assistant in order to have the freedom to take her career with her wherever she went. From there she grew to be an online business manager (OBM) and eventually a business growth strategist and mindset coach.

Melissa is here to share something that is brewing inside of her that she has recently navigated, and today we are having a conversation about helping you understand what your greatest potential is in your journey as a leader for businesses.

“When we look back, we can see that this is exactly where we were supposed to be, but when we look forward, it looks very cloudy.” - Natalie Gingrich

Project Based Business Model (Consulting)

Today's conversation is going to help you understand how you can navigate your next path by leveraging the skills you have, and upleveling them so that you are in the greatest alignment with where you are supposed to be.

As females, we tend to feel like we need to be implementers, because we can get stuff done. But I want more for you… I want you to get to the next level. I don’t want you to stay comfortable, I want you to move out of the implementation and into the management/strategy. (Check out episode 70 for a refresher on the 4 different layers of operations.)

Today we are going to focus on the journey from implementation into strategy.

As I moved from implementation to strategy work, I had a lot of mindset blocks. Can you elaborate on some of the mindset issues we often have as we make that jump?

We experience imposter syndrome and we aren’t able to see ourselves as CEOs or leaders because we are coming from the mindset of an employee. We are trying to figure out a new space which is overwhelming.
We don’t know how to tap into our mindset issues, so we will often go to somewhere that is safe rather than take risks, largely due to scarcity mindset.
We stay in the place of safety and we keep collecting skills, courses, trainings; we stay in the safety net of learning. We think we are buying confidence, but we forget that we are already coming with a lot of skills.
We start asking “is there more?” but then you squash it because you don't want to rock the boat and fall into that scarcity mindset.
Mindset is a skill that we need to devote to enhancing forever.

“I didn’t know how to say, I’m the CEO of my business, and I can continue to take risks because I’m going to manage them appropriately…” - Mellissa Froehlich

“We think we are buying confidence but we’re not… we’re buying the ability to stay in this place that is safe in the space of learning.”- Mellissa Froehlich

What are the different ways we use project based models as operators in business?

As an OBM she had a full roster, but was feeling the itch to help women grow their businesses (and make more money.) She started to look for themes and validation that she could be a strategic partner in their business as a business growth strategist.
Found that people loved having access to her to talk things through, gain clarity, and help them decide what their next steps were.
When you start to notice a pattern in what people are telling you that you are good at, hold on to those things; they are your superpower.
Used her Kolbe and Strengths Finder assessments to confirm her affinity for strategy
Started offering a consulting model that would get results for people in a shorter duration that she could also scale .
Started doing weekly calls with clients but found that they got overwhelmed..She helped them gain so much traction and they had so many action items, that they needed more time to implement between sessions. So she had to vary the contracts according to clients' needs.
She was able to leverage natural strengths the way she wanted to work with clients and came into client’s business as an expert, which finally felt in alignment.

What are you up to now, and how are you looking to serve those who want to move to the next level?

She is building out an accelerator program. She gets lots of women who come to her who want “more,” which means they want to work with clients in a more strategic way.
The program focuses on a model that provides quick fixes, gives laser-focused attention, provides massive results, and a way to return when they need you later.
The program will help women be able to market themselves confidently in a strategic consulting manner in their business. You already have the skills, but will gain skills to build the offer behind the scenes, and mindset work.
Fits the needs of multiple business models, and will help you see yourself as the expert you are.
If you want to work in a more strategic capacity and do less implementation.
Have to be willing to market yourself in new ways.

“When you are a consultant, you bring your knowledge, skillsets and expertise, but you are also bringing your community, and that's really valuable.” - Melissa Froehlich

Who is this for?

People who love strategy and who are willing to market themselves.
Those willing to commit to seeing themselves as an expert.
Requires strategic leadership, independent thought, and the confidence to partner with people.

“If you are a leader, that means you are an independent thinker.” - Natalie Gingrich

Is this a program I should do as a Director of Operations (DOO)?

This could be a great fit, if you are drawn to the idea of being a strategic partner
As a consultant you are there to guide, and deliver the options, but you don’t make the decisions.
How much do you love relationships? Do you want to love someone's business as much or more than they do? You have to be able to form relationships that are deep because that's where the transformation happens.
Consider why are you drawn to this… do you want to leverage a different way of working with people?

About Melissa

Melissa Froehlich is a sought-after business strategist, mentor and mindset coach who works with established female entrepreneurs ready to own the role of being the CEO of their business with a rewired mindset to help it all stick. After leaving her corporate job to follow her active-duty Air Force husband across the United States, Melissa rapidly built a booked-out, multi 6-figure coaching business teaching women to create online businesses that deliver premium results.

Through her signature coaching and Mastermind programs, she mentors online service-based business owners to uplevel their services, embrace the mindset of a CEO, and stand out in a crowded marketplace by delivering an exceptional client experience.

In her spare time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and dogs while adventuring in the mountains or exploring a beach somewhere in Mexico.