One of the most common and least discussed problems in professional services is this: What happens after you decide what you want to do?

You’ve got credentials. You’ve got experience. You know the work you want to be doing. And then reality hits:

How do you actually launch?
How do you avoid long stretches of downtime?
How do you minimize disruption, financially, emotionally, and relationally, while you make the jump?

This newsletter was triggered by a conversation with a new relationship named Mike. He’s a newly credentialed CEPA preparing to step out of his current role and into full-time advisory work as a value advisor.

He’s sharp. He’s deeply experienced in his current field, and that expertise will transfer directly to working as a CEPA. He has real credibility, and like most people at this stage, his biggest risk isn’t competence; it’s how he enters the market.

Mike and I talked about my Strategic Referral Team program. On the surface, it looks like a fit as the owner of a professional services firm aiming at clients with lifetime values north of 125k, but I told him not to join.

Not because it isn’t valuable, and not because it wouldn’t help him.

Because SRT is an execution program, and execution is the wrong starting point for someone who hasn’t fully launched yet. I do believe that SRT will be valuable for him after he launches his firm (the name and branding will be very cool).

Most professionals don’t fail because they lack effort; they fail because they skip design and rush straight to activity.

They start marketing before they’ve clarified positioning. They chase referrals before they’ve mapped their network. They fill their calendar before they understand which relationships actually matter.

That’s how you end up busy, broke, and frustrated.

If you’re interested in taking your business a step further, head over to my Substack to read the full article and subscribe to Can I Borrow Your Car.