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21 contributions to Become An Income Engineer
Aug 7 • 
Questions
Dry Dock
A ship with a problem doesn't get scrapped. It gets brought in, lifted clear of the water, and repaired properly, where the damage can actually be seen. That's what this space is for. Every business runs aground somewhere. A launch that isn't landing. A client relationship gone quiet for no obvious reason. Margins that don't add up the way they should. Growth that's stalled and you can't quite say why. None of that means the voyage is over. It usually means something specific and fixable is below the waterline, out of sight until someone actually looks. This classroom is where you bring that problem before it becomes a bigger one. Post what's actually happening, not the version that makes you look better, the real one. The more specific the problem, the more specific the help you'll get back. How to use it Say what's stuck, what you've already tried, and what it would look like if it were fixed. That's usually enough for someone else in the Guild, or me, to spot what's actually below the waterline. There's no problem too small to bring in here, and very few too big. The only mistake is staying at sea with a leak, hoping it fixes itself. Bring it in. Let's get you seaworthy again.
1 like • 4d
The only comment I have: Not: "Bring it in. Let's get you seaworthy again" but: "Let's make it seaworthy!"
Introduce yourself
Say hi, let us know where you are from and tell us about the biggest issue you are facing right now. Are you an author looking to monetise your books? Are you trying to decide what business to run? Are you looking to grow your business? Would you like to expand your reach? Do you know what you need? Do you have a business? Build your network? Hire sales people? Improve margins? Find referrers? Automate? Share the top three things you are looking for and I will share a resource with you.
1 like • 4d
1: Certainly looking to grow the business... 2: Do we have a business: No we have a project... 3: Do we know what we need: Yes, the project has come along far enough to aim for investors! 4: We are building the network, always. 5: Are we hiring sales people: Now that is an issue! We discussed this (#5) yesterday (24 Sept 2026) and it has to do with us setting the right expectations. As long as they do not have any or little to no industry knowledge, just set the expectations accordingly, have them create leads only, while we build the relationships after the leads have been generated. And only if they are truely industry knowledgeable people they can build those relationships too on the company's behalf!
The Word You Think Sounds Professional Is Costing You The Client.
Here's what nobody tells you when you start writing for clients: the words you use to describe the problem aren't the words they use to describe it. You call it "workflow inefficiency." They call it "I'm working until 9pm every night and still behind." You call it "brand positioning." They call it "nobody remembers us after the meeting." You call it "lead generation." They call it "I don't know where my next client is coming from." The gap between those two languages is the reason good work gets ignored. Not because the work is wrong. Because the words arrived in a language the reader doesn't recognise as their own. A stranger doesn't trust expertise on first contact. They trust recognition. The moment your copy uses their exact phrase for their exact problem, something shifts: this person understands me. That's the whole transaction, decided in the first line, before a single credential has been read. I've spent 40 years working with engineers, marketers, and CEOs, and the pattern holds at every level. The Fortune 500 client and the sole trader use different vocabulary for the same fear. Your job isn't to educate them into your terminology. It's to find the sentence they'd already use to a friend, and start there. Here's how you find it. Don't ask "what's the problem?" Ask "what did you actually say to someone the last time this went wrong?" Read your client reviews and support messages for the exact phrasing people reach for under pressure. That's your copy. Not the industry term. The kitchen-table version. The reason this matters more than any headline formula: you can have perfect structure, a sharp hook, a clean call to action, and still lose the reader in the first three words if those words sound like they came from a conference, not from their own head. Once you notice this, you can't unsee it. Every piece of marketing you've ever ignored, ignored you first, in a language that wasn't yours. If you want more of this kind of thinking, on the systems behind attracting the right clients without chasing them, check out my new book How To Start A Business Without Any Money now updated and on Amazon or check out the course within this group.
The Word You Think Sounds Professional Is Costing You The Client.
1 like • 6d
As a business management consultant I always have the Customer speak first, that way you can pick up on their language and you can name the issues the same way they do! Words are important, never just try to impress, because you're talking yourself out of their realm so easily.
0 likes • 6d
or is it "... you talk yourself out of their reality...."
8d • 
Info
Pricing Without Flinching
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1 like • 6d
That's true, you cannot compare a book with a coffee, you can only compare a book with another book. You got to keep an eye on your competition, at all times. Just a quick analysis: The advantage of one book vs another book is one thing, the other (one level up) may be that the book as entertainment is cheaper than any other form of entertainment, or easier even than the choices you have on TV, flipping channels all night and in the end settle for the news, which is only negative, and you go to bed grumpy, because of it! A coffee and a book do not easily compare, and how many people drink a cup of coffee before bedtime? Most certainly not to fall asleep with!
8d • 
Info
How to say no to the money you need
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1 like • 6d
There is no price in business for goodwill, relationships... and ultimately reputation! They can all go down the gurgler within no time, they will always cost you before (if ever) they will get paid back to you! So it is up to you to "control" those expenses. A firm no is at times better than a weak (unsupported) yes!
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Jan Breukers
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25 points to level up
@jan-breukers-3790
First Choice Bio CEO, on a mission!

Active 4d ago
Joined Aug 6, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area
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