The "Next Chapter" Sprint

Hey there,

There’s a good chance you’ve been circling this decision for months. Maybe longer.

You’ve come to the realization that the business model that’s carried you the last five years isn’t going to carry you the next five. You’ve thought about what’s next. You’ve probably brainstormed a few directions, then quickly talked yourself out of most of them.

This isn’t a thinking problem. You’ve already done plenty of thinking. It’s a deciding problem.

And making a smart decision requires real conversation, honest signals from the market, and a deadline that finally gets you moving in the right direction.

I’ve heard some version of this story from many people in my audience.

One writer told me she can do her current work in her sleep now, and the spark she used to feel building this business is long gone. She’s not sure what’s next, but she knows it’s not more of the same.

Another told me she’s run through three or four different directions in her head and shot down every one of them before she could even write it down.

A third put it about as honestly as anyone could. She said, “I’ve been so tuned out these past couple of years, I’m not even sure I know what the market wants anymore.”

If any of that sounds familiar, here’s what I’ve learned from surveying my audience for almost fifteen years (and from one-on-one conversations I had with people just like you this summer).

You don’t need to gather more information to make this decision.

You could read every book and newsletter published this year and still be stuck, because information was never the missing piece.

What you’re missing is a structured process, honest signals from the market, and a sounding board you can trust.

In 30 Days, You’ll Walk Away With Three Things

That’s what The “Next Chapter” Sprint is all about.

A direction for your business you actually believe in, not one you talked yourself into because it was the only option still left.

Clear signals, from real conversations with real people who could buy from you, that this direction has real potential.

A step-by-step 90-day plan for making the shift, built so your current income keeps flowing while you make it.

Why now, and not eventually

The Market Is Already Forcing This Decision on You

And the disruptions caused by AI and the challenging marketing landscape have moved up the timeline.

The only real choice you have left is whether you make this decision on purpose, or let indecision make it for you by default.

And there’s a compounding effect once you decide. A clear direction makes every LinkedIn post, every client conversation, and every hour of marketing point the same way. Which means all that effort finally starts building momentum in your favor instead of canceling itself out. I’ve watched this happen in my own business this past year. And I’ve watched it happen to person after person I talked to this summer.

Take my client Amy Ragland, a financial writer. After our conversations, she changed two words in her LinkedIn headline. She went from “content writer” to “content partner.”

Amy RaglandFinancial writer · Wichita, Kansas

“It was such a silly little thing, but it took a lot of courage. I changed my LinkedIn headline to be ‘content partner’ instead of ‘content writer’… I attribute that directly back to my conversations with Ed, of him giving me the nudge and the courage to see myself in a different way.”

Two days later

An existing client referred someone to her. “She saw my post about being a content partner,” says Amy. “During our onboarding conversation, she said…”

That’s really what we’re looking for. We’re not looking for just a writer. We’re looking for somebody who’s going to come in and look at our content and say, oh, you have holes here, or hey, I think this works here, or suggest ideas for new content. Amy’s new client, in their onboarding conversation

Look at what that client described. Reviewing the content. Spotting the holes. Bringing ideas nobody had asked for. That’s strategic work, and it’s the kind of work clients go looking for by name.

Amy didn’t learn a new skill to get there. She already had the judgment. She just started saying it out loud, so the right clients could recognize it.

How This Works

Diagnostic questionnaire

Before we meet, I’ll ask you to fill out a short assessment. It tells me where you’re stuck and what you’ve already tried, so I show up to our workshop with ideas already forming instead of starting cold.
Half-day 1-on-1 workshop over Zoom

This is where we get your real options on the table, kill the ones that deserve killing, and pressure-test the one that makes the cut. The one you’d enjoy doing and the market will pay you for. By the end, you’ll have a direction you’re ready to test and a blueprint for the conversations in step 3.
Your 30-day validation sprint

You’ll have 3 to 5 real conversations with people who could actually buy from you or refer you, using what we built together in the workshop. And before you ask “with who?”… you already know more of these people than you think. We’ll identify exactly who they are, together, in the workshop. This is the step most people skip when they try to figure this out alone, and it’s the one that actually moves the needle. You’ll report to me by email weekly on what you’re hearing.
Unlimited email access, the full 30 days

Have a question, a concern, or a confusing signal from one of your conversations? Fire away. I typically respond within one business day.

“I loved being able to share my wins and challenges with Ed every week. His feedback was always timely and thoughtful.”

Robyn KurdekAlton, Missouri
Two-hour closing workshop, weeks 3 or 4

We read the signals together, confirm or adjust your direction, and build your step-by-step 90-day plan: what to change first, what to keep running exactly as is, and in what order.

I’ll be honest about something else too. There’s a chance your current business is doing well right now. What you’ve been doing is working. The clients still send you projects. But that’s exactly what makes it easy to keep circling this decision for another year instead of making it.

I’ve talked to enough of you now to know how this tends to go if nothing changes. A year from now, you’re still doing the same work. A little more tired. A little more bored. Telling yourself you’ll figure out the next thing once things calm down.

Things don’t calm down. I learned that one the hard way myself.

Robyn Kurdek came to me wanting to move her financial writing business into strategy and advisory work. She knew where she wanted to go. She didn’t know how to position herself to get there.

Robyn KurdekFinancial writer · Alton, Missouri

“I felt like I was at a point in my business where I couldn’t get out of my own way. I needed, as Ed puts it, a ‘sparring partner.’”

What changed

Before “I feel like before, I was kind of an order taker. It was like, ‘Oh, you have a project? Okay, I can write that. What do you need? When do you need it by?’”

After “Now, I’m better at listening to prospects, so I can tune into what they really need and direct earlier conversations to show them how I can help overcome their challenges.”

“I’m not afraid to go after higher fees and better clients, because after doing the work with Ed, I feel like I deserve that. I feel worthy.”

Robyn has since rebuilt her roster with an almost entirely new set of clients. Same writer. Same skills. She just stopped waiting to be handed a project and started directing the conversation.

Why Me

A few reasons, though you probably already know most of them.

I’ve been coaching writers, copywriters and solo marketers since 2012, and I’ve built my business the same way you built yours: first as a writer, then as a coach, and now reinventing again. This one-on-one workshop format is the same one that’s produced real results for the coaching clients I’ve worked with over the past two years.

But the biggest reason is one I don’t need to spell out for you. You’ve watched me make this exact decision, in public, on my own business, over the past year and a half. I’m not handing you a framework I read about somewhere. I’m walking you through the one I just used myself.

So yes… I eat my own medicine and coach from personal experience.

Your Investment

The “Next Chapter” Sprint

$2,500

30 days · One-on-one · Paid in full

I’m limiting this to three people. That’s not a sales tactic. It’s genuinely all the room I have on my calendar right now, and the kind of attention this requires doesn’t work at a bigger group size.

Three spots total

Apply for one of the 3 spots

Clients I’ve Worked With on This Exact Decision

“

The train has left the station. I feel very invigorated and very excited about this next chapter, which isn’t something I’ve had in my business in some time.

Noelle AbarelliLongmont, CO

“

The biggest result for me is just knowing I’m in the right place. I’m marketing to the right people. Refocusing was the right thing for me… Having that certainty, for me, that’s the outcome because the rest will come.

Karin BeuerleinKnoxville, TN

“

I really felt like by the end, I had come to a point where I knew how I needed to pivot my business. I feel like I know for the next few months exactly what I need to do to reach those longer-term goals. Just having that plan has put me more at ease and given me confidence.

Kathleen FordyceHoltsville, NY

One more honest thing

I’m Winding Down My Coaching Practice

My flagship Boardroom coaching program, which I’ve run for 7 years, wraps up this September. And I’ve purposely not taken on many coaching clients since last fall. This sprint is part of how I’m closing out that chapter, and I honestly don’t know if I’ll run it again.

That’s not meant to be a countdown clock. I’m just letting you know that I won’t have many more coaching opportunities on the horizon.

Who This Is For

This is for you if…

✓You have a working business and real clients right now. This isn’t about starting from zero. It’s about deciding where you go from here.
✓You’re willing to have three to five real conversations with people who could buy from you or refer you, sometime during the 30 days. This is where the real shift happens, and it only works if you’re willing to do it.
✓You can commit to the full 30 days: the half-day workshop, the conversations in between, and the closing two-hour session.

This isn’t for you if…

×Your business is in real crisis right now and you need stability before you can think about direction. That’s a different problem, and I’d rather point you somewhere more useful than sell you the wrong solution.
×You’re hoping for a course or a template you can work through on your own. This only works with real conversation and real accountability built in.

How to Move Forward

If this sounds like where you are, the next step is a short application. It takes 5 to 10 minutes, and it asks you to think through a few questions about your situation: where you’re stuck, what’s at stake, and how you feel about the validation conversations at the heart of this sprint.

Fair warning: the application itself will make you think. A couple of people who filled out my midyear survey told me the questions alone were clarifying. This one goes a step further. Even if we end up not working together, you’ll walk away with a clearer picture of your own situation than you had before.

Here’s what happens after you apply.

1I’ll personally review your application and reply within one business day. If it looks like a fit, we’ll get on a short call. That call is a two-way conversation, not a sales pitch. You’ll get your questions answered, I’ll get a feel for your situation, and we’ll both know pretty quickly whether this is the right move for you.
2If we agree it is, I’ll send you the diagnostic questionnaire and we’ll get your half-day workshop on the calendar. Most people can start within a week of applying.
3And if it’s not a fit, I’ll tell you directly, and I’ll do my best to point you somewhere more useful. No hard feelings either way. Three seats means I’d rather turn away a maybe than take a wrong fit.

Ready?

Start the Conversation

You’re not committing to anything by applying. Three spots, 5–10 minutes, and a personal reply within one business day.

Apply for one of the 3 spots

Questions before applying? Email me at ed@b2blauncher.com and I’ll answer personally.

One last thing. If you’re on the fence, the application is a good way to get off it. You’re not committing to anything by applying. You’re just starting a conversation. And if the past few months have taught me anything, it’s that the people in this audience who are circling this decision have been circling it alone for far too long.