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Why I Stopped Giving It All Away -- The Best Things In Life Aren’t Free


I tried giving away my courses for free. Here's what happened...

Years ago, I championed the idea that all knowledge should be freely available online, aiming to accelerate humanity's progress. When I actually tried it, I learned two valuable lessons -- (1) free courses resulted in lower engagement and commitment from participants, and (2) my motivation waned without the reciprocal energy of paid exchanges. This experience, coupled with the disappointing experiment in using Patreon, gradu…

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Don't niche yourself. DO niche your offers.


Don't niche yourself. DO niche your offers.

A lot of us heart-based solopreneurs rebel against the advice that we have to find and commit to a niche. Maybe we consider ourself to be a multipotentialite, integrating various modalities and fields into our work. Or we otherwise don’t like to limit our identity. Here's my advice: Don't niche yourself. DO niche your offers.

Posted by George Kao, Authentic Business Coach on Friday, July 14, 2023


A lot of us heart-based solopreneurs rebel ag…

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Venn Diagram for Authentic Business



In trying to understand your purposeful work, you may have encountered various kinds of complex venn diagrams to express the idea of Ikigai.


Well, here's my version of it... a venn diagram for Authentic Business:


Authentic Business Venn Diagram

I created that in 2014, and I think it can still help many people to understand where to place their energies in their work.

The circle on the right represents your passions, which can be...

  • Topics you love to talk about

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Stuck on defining your niche? Build an audience first.



When creating your authentic business, you might get stuck defining your “niche”, or figuring out your “target market.”

Maybe you’re trying to get clarity too early in your business.

You’re under the illusion that you have to get everything figured out before you can really start to grow your business.

Here’s the typical reasoning:

Define Niche  ➜  Create Content & Offerings  ➜  Get Clients

​In my experience of coaching many so…

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Concentric Circles: A Wholesome Alternative to Sales Funnels



Concentric Circles Business Model George Kao


Here’s the business model that I use, and recommend for all clients to consider.

It’s an alternative to sales funnels, which often feel unethical to me. For more: why I don't like marketing funnels.

This concentric circles model is meant for those who earn a living as solopreneurs (simpler business with less overhead) by sharing their life’s experiences via coaching, mentoring, facilitation, or healing. 

Notice that there are boundar…

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