Hey There Modern Authors,
This week in my Office Hours, we had one of those deep, tactical, wildly energizing conversations I couldn’t keep to myself. It hit a nerve.
We weren’t talking about how to become a coach or consultant.
We were talking about something more important:
How to grow when you’re already good.
And what I noticed is this: the top coaches and consultants I work with, the ones whose practices are growing fastest, are all making the same foundational shift.
They’re moving from a people-focused identity to a problem-solving platform.
Let me explain.
“I Coach Leaders” vs. “I Solve This Problem”
You’ve probably seen this before:
See the difference?
The first one sounds like a job title.
The second one sounds like a category-defining offer.
The moment you anchor your practice around a problem (not just a person), three powerful things happen:
- You gain clarity on who you serve and how.
- You gain structure for your frameworks, offers, and IP.
- You gain scale because now others can use and teach what you’ve built.
This week, I shared two examples of authors from our community who’ve done this brilliantly:
- Navid Nazemian, who built a global executive transition platform off his book
- Nicole Bianchi, who turned her Five Tough Talks framework into a certification model companies now license
Let’s unpack what they’ve done, and how you can apply the same shift to grow your coaching, consulting, or training practice.
Navid Nazemian: From Coach to Category Owner
Navid is one of those people who didn’t wait around for permission. He turned this focus into becoming the two-time Executive Coach of the year by CEO Today. And it wasn't because of who he was... it was because of the problem he solved.
He didn’t try to be “a coach for leaders.”
He chose a specific, high-stakes, underserved problem:
Instead of being known for “coaching,” he became known for solving executive transitions with precision and structure.
Here’s the blueprint he followed, one that any Modern Author can model:
1. Nail the Problem, Not the Persona
He didn’t say “I help executives thrive.”
He said, “I help executives navigate transitions.”
That one word, transitions, became the core of:
- His book (Mastering Executive Transitions)
- His framework
- His corporate training programs
- His coaching certification pathway
📌 Lesson: Most great coaches aren’t generalists. They’re problem owners.
2. Open Source Your Expertise
Navid codified his thinking. Then he gave it away:
- A book
- A downloadable scorecard
- A methodology others can use
He didn’t hide behind “custom approaches.” He created clarity others could latch onto, and share.
📌 Lesson: When you document your system, you stop being a service provider and start being a standard setter.
3. Use the Book to Train Other Coaches
Navid didn’t just write a book. He turned it into curriculum.
He partnered with a coaching federation to license his methodology. Now others teach it, coach it, and spread it.
📌 Lesson: Your book isn’t just content. It’s curriculum.
4. Sell to Corporates With a Signature System
Corporate buyers don’t want personalities. They want repeatable outcomes.
Navid positioned his offer to HR, L&D, and boards as a structured, proven process for successful transitions.
📌 Lesson: If you want to sell into organizations, productize your expertise. Don’t sell you. Sell your system.
5. Feed the Ecosystem With Evergreen Thought Leadership
Navid doesn’t just coach or train. He publishes:
- Evergreen articles
- Podcast interviews
- Keynotes
- LinkedIn posts that always tie back to his method
📌 Lesson: Be visible with intention. Make your content point back to your platform.
Nicole Bianchi: Turning a Framework Into a Licensing Engine
Nicole is another powerhouse who made the shift.
She didn’t just write a book on leadership. She built a trainable, teachable, certifiable system: The Five Tough Talks.
Her message is simple but powerful: Most leaders don’t fail from lack of skill. They fail because they avoid critical conversations.
Her five-part framework covers:
- How We Work – setting team norms
- The Ask – requesting support or feedback
- What’s Going On? – addressing performance
- Being Better – initiating growth
- Moving On – handling transitions
And she didn’t stop at a book.
She built:
- A full certification program
- An online course
- A membership community
- A corporate licensing model
📌 Lesson: When your framework is clear, it becomes an asset others want to use, and pay for.
The Shift: From Coach to Platform Builder
These two aren’t anomalies.
They’re the blueprint.
They stopped selling time. They started selling transformation using a clear, scalable, nameable system.
So let’s break this shift down:
1. Reframe Your Role
Stop saying, “I coach leaders.”
Start saying:
Your book should be the foundation. But your system is the engine.
Thinking Prompt:
Can you name the transformation you guide people through?
2. Codify Your Framework
If you’ve written a book, you’ve probably already described your approach.
Now ask:
- Can you name it?
- Can others learn it?
- Can someone else teach it?
Your job is to turn insight into infrastructure.
Examples:
- Create a one-sheet overview of your system
- Build a downloadable scorecard or assessment
- Design a workshop using 3–5 steps from your book
3. Sell the Framework, Not the Hour
Great coaches don’t sell sessions. They sell systems that create repeatable results.
That’s what corporate buyers want. That’s what other coaches want to license.
So stop pricing yourself by the hour.
Start positioning yourself as the source of a teachable method.
4. Partner Strategically
You don’t have to do it all solo.
Navid partnered with a coaching federation. Nicole built a network of certified facilitators.
You could:
- Co-create a training program with an org
- License your content to other consultants
- Train a team to deliver your workshops
- Run a cohort-based experience with strategic hosts
Ask: Who already has access to your ideal clients? How could they carry your message further?
And perhaps just as importantly, how does this benefit the organization and its members or community far in excess of you. If it's just a way to sell more coaching, training or consulting it won't work.
True partners don't have hidden agendas. (And this is what often trips up coaches or consultants).
5. Think Like a Category Creator
Most coaches are known for what they do.
Great coaches are known for what they believe.
Navid believes transitions are the highest-leverage coaching moment.
Nicole believes leadership is defined by brave conversations.
What do you believe that no one else is saying?
That’s the root of your category.
What I’ve Seen Firsthand with Super Mentors
This shift hit me personally too.
When I started sharing ideas around Super Mentors, I knew it was more than a book title. It was a belief system, that the best careers are built through relationships, not resumes.
But I also knew: if I wanted it to stick, I had to commit.
Three years in, I’m seeing the work pay off.
People are quoting the concept. Using the language. Teaching it to others. Claiming it as their own.
That’s when you know your platform is working.
Not when people know your name.
But when they carry your idea.
Your 3-Step Challenge This Week
Want to start the shift from coach to category owner?
1. Define Your Transformation
Write the one sentence that captures the change you help clients create.
Be specific. Be bold. Be clear.
2. Audit Your Book or Thought Leadership Content for Frameworks
Look for what’s already there:
Is there a 3‑step process? A recurring philosophy? A checklist?
Name it. Shape it. Start building around it.
3. Build One Asset
Don’t try to do it all. Just start.
Ideas:
- A one-pager of your method
- A LinkedIn post that explains your model
- A mini workshop on your framework
- A downloadable scorecard or worksheet
Show how you've solved one, simple, important problem... better than others
Because Here’s the Truth…
Your book is your calling card.
But your framework is your business.
The great coaches and consultants I work with aren’t more talented than you.
They’ve just done one thing better:
That’s the game now.
You’re not just a coach or consultant.
You’re a platform.
You’re a category.
And the sooner you build like one, the faster you scale like one.
Happy Writing Y'all
Eric
PS - We're pulling together our winter Modern Author cohort that will start writing their books in January. If you'd like to be considered to join this group of 20-30 Modern Authors, apply here and I'll grab 15-minutes with you: https://write.manuscripts.com/maa-web
Just say the word.
Originally published in The Modern Author newsletter.
