Welcome to the inaugural episode of Exotic Matter, where we explore the evolving landscape of knowledge work and expertise.

Topics:

• What is Exotic Matter and why does it exist?
• What kinds of conversations will we be having?
• Who are the guests and what can you expect from them?

João Landeiro is the host of Exotic Matter and founder of Mesozoic. This introductory episode sets the stage for conversations about productizing expertise and the future of knowledge work.

These are the questions Nick and I will go over in this episode of Exotic Matter.

Topics:

• What makes visual tools like the Business Model Canvas and The Value Proposition Canvas so effective?
• At the end of a Workshop, how can you make sure clients do what they said they would?
• And what's the best way to actually begin running Customer Interviews?

Nick Himowicz is a Product Innovation Coach and a friend. After countless conversations and nerding out together on this stuff, I was sure he would be a phenomenal start to the inaugural season of Exotic Matter. I believe you'll agree.

Spencer and I got together to answer these questions and in the process went massively over the scheduled time. It's that good.

Topics:

• What makes Workshops so good for productizing Expertise?
• What do the best workshops have in common?
• What's the future of Expertise work and how Facilitation fits into it?

Spencer Ayres is an expert at running workshops that get results and a friend. After I saw the beautiful work he's been doing at Jointly.Work, I knew I had found a kindred mind.

Danilo and I explore the challenges of early-stage consulting practices, common misconceptions about productization, and the patterns that separate successful consultants from those who struggle.

Topics:

• What makes early-stage consulting practices struggle?
• Why generic marketing advice doesn't work for consultants?
• What's the right balance in the productization spectrum?

Danilo Kreimer helps early-stage consulting firms go to market through the Boutique Consulting Club. His insights on avoiding generic marketing advice and finding the right balance between customization and standardization are invaluable for any consultant.

Florian did not let me off the hook with this one. His many flight hours manifested in the way he clarified subtle nuance and how he gave very palpable examples of real application.

Topics:

• What makes a Signature Methodology actually work in practice?
• How do you know when you have found a repeatable approach worth packaging?
• What are the most common failure modes when developing methodologies?

Florian Heinrichs is a Performance Advisor to Consulting firms and a friend. I've followed his work for a couple of years and we've been chatting for a little over one year. There's a clear connection between how his work highlights the power of a Signature Methodology and my own belief that Workshops are a phenomenal tool for Consulting firms.

Alex and I had to do this twice. The first time, the gods of inter-continental communications were not on our side. It was so worth it to double down on it. Wrath of Gods be damned.

Topics:

• What does it mean to have a "Perspective-Driven" positioning approach?
• How do you develop a perspective that's both unique and useful?
• What are the practical steps to implement perspective-driven positioning?

Alex James is a Messaging Strategist for B2B firms and a friend. Like so many, I was struck by his impeccable carousels on LinkedIn. Seeing that being their brilliance there must be a really clever and creative mind, I got in touch. From there, some of the freshest conversations I've had for a while. Bringing Alex on was a no-brainer.

Dylan and I discussed these topics mostly around how Experts can be found on LinkedIn. At some point Dylan caught me falling into old over-thinking patterns. See if you can spot this.

Topics:

• What makes LinkedIn such a powerful platform for knowledge workers?
• How do you build authentic relationships rather than just collecting connections?
• What are the key strategies for getting found by the right people on LinkedIn?

Dylan Ciaccio helps B2B firms burst through their audience Bubble on LinkedIn and he's also a friend. We initially met when Dylan made me see something that had been in front of all our eyes for a long time. That "slap-my-forehead" moment was only the first of our conversations. So many experts struggle with reach on LinkedIn and I knew Dylan could help make a few things clearer.

Patrick cares for precision and does not suffer shoddy thinking. This makes for a truly densely packed episode where we not only cover the previous topics, but also one where my observation skills get sharpened live.

Topics:

• How is AI changing the landscape of creative work?
• What skills will remain uniquely human in creative fields?
• How can creative professionals adapt and thrive in an AI-enhanced world?

Patrick Kizny is an entrepreneurial creative at heart. After decades running creative businesses of all kinds, he's now working on spatial sound. He's also a friend. We first spoke regarding ideas for a deck of cards that would productize Patrick's methodology. But our calls evolved from that. When I need honest feedback and a clinical attention to detail, I turn to Patrick.

Jay and I have somewhat similar careers. We ended up in similar but different places and this is a phenomenal episode for those of us that sometimes feel we are insisting on something that is not working.

Topics:

• What's the difference between productizing services and creating actual products?
• How do you structure offers that clients can easily understand and buy?
• What are the key elements of a successful productized consulting offer?

Jay Melone helps Experts turn their Expertise into Offers. He's also a friend. We go to talking roughly an year ago. I had signed up for his newsletter, sent him a note and next thing you know we're trading music suggestions and sharing lessons learned.

Kurt is on top of his game. But he wants you to reach that place too. The amount of sharing and co-learning is off the charts. I wish I had started speaking to Kurt much sooner.

Topics:

• Lessons from working close to the Strategyzer team
• Some usual failure modes of trying to Productize Expertise
• Figuring out how to package expertise in a way that actually works

Kurt Bostelaar is a Methodology Designer and a friend. The overlap in interests and niche passions that we have borders on the uncanny. Also Kurt's recurring generosity is a permanent source of fascinating ideas. This light-hearted but also passionate session was the perfect way to close off the first season of Exotic Matter.

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