The Upside Accelerator

Your blueprint to a profitable business

Your blueprint to
a profitable business—

ONE LESSON AT A TIME

Define and position your unique offering

Build a profitable client pipeline

Close high-ticket clients

The Digital Program

SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR

Executive leaders who are ready to leave corporate life behind

Freelancers who want to attract premium clients to earn more and work less

Current consultants who are in a rut and want to grow

Kristi Faulkner

Brand Strategist

...Conquer

the Launch

I tripled my fees after joining the Accelerator! After years as a
leader in team-driven organizations, I saw consulting as a lonely
business, and I was uncertain where to start.

I tripled my fees after joining the Accelerator! After years as a leader in team-driven organizations, I saw consulting as a lonely business, and I was uncertain where to start.

The Accelerator provided me with a simple, clear, and linear
process to establish my new company.

The Accelerator provided me with a simple, clear, and linear process to establish my new company.

Meet

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Erin Halper is the founder and CEO of The Upside and the leading authority on independent consulting. Since launching The Upside in 2017, Erin has helped thousands of professionals transition from corporate life into consulting to achieve flexibility, autonomy, and a renewed sense of purpose in their careers.

Prior to launching The Upside, Erin built a thriving seven-year consulting career where she worked directly with private equity clients across New York City, doubling her former full-time earnings while working a fraction of the hours.

Erin has been a frequent speaker at Columbia, NYU, Harvard, and Brown and has been featured as a leading future of work expert on dozens of podcasts as well as in Forbes, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Crunchbase and many more.

Anytime,

ANYWHERE...

24/7 ACCESS

ON YOUR OWN TIME,

AT YOUR OWN PACE

Combining the power of a 30-lesson, self-guided platform paired with hands-on assignments with actionable steps to growth. These substantive materials combined with Erin Halperʼs unparalleled expertise make this program highly effective for building a profitable consultancy.

MODULES

LESSONS

PART I
DEVELOPING YOUR HIGH-VALUE OFFERING

VALIDATING YOUR BUSINESS

DETERMINING YOUR CONSULTING MODEL

Are you a hands-on consultant, a high-level advisor, thought leader, workshop facilitator, boutique agency or some combination? This lesson and its accompanying PDF guide will walk you through how to choose the best consulting model for your specific background and future goals. By the end of this lesson, you will have complete clarity on which model is for you and why.

IDEAL CLIENT AVATAR (ICA) MARKET RESEARCH

Before you make any big decisions, you’ll need to conduct market research. Do not skip this step! Even consultants who are 3 years out still periodically conduct ICA (ideal client avatar) research to sharpen their focus and stay relevant. This lesson and its accompanying PDF guide will walk you through step-by-step who to reach out to + provide you with specific open-ended questions that will help you understand your clients’ pain points in their own language.

MYTHS OF THE NICHE

Understanding the what and why behind narrowing down on a niche is critical to your success as a business owner. What do you want to be known for? Why focus on a niche when you can offer such a large range of services? In what situations do you need to go super narrow and in which cases can you offer services that are more general?

DEFINING YOUR NICHE

This lesson will demystify the strategy of defining your niche – an absolutely necessary step for success as a consultant, advisor or boutique firm. Along with the accompanying PDF guide, this lesson will walk you through step-by-step how to niche down on an industry and offering based on your specific consulting model and background. This customized approach will provide you with a quick and targeted answer to the question: how do I go niche when I’m capable of so much?

ACCOMPANYING WORKBOOKS AND PDF GUIDES

DETERMINING YOUR CONSULTING MODEL
IDEAL CLIENT AVATAR (ICA) MARKET RESEARCH STRATEGY & SCRIPTS
DEFINING YOUR NICHE

DEFINING YOUR HIGH-VALUE OFFERING

NAMING YOUR CONSULTANCY

The name of your business is yet another touchpoint and opportunity to communicate your value to potential clients. “Jane Smith, LLC” probably isn’t going to cut it (with some exceptions, which we will explain in this lesson). With the accompanying Naming Worksheet, you’ll learn how (and why) to name your company in a way that maximizes your value, even if you don't have a creative bone in your body. You’ll also access hundreds of possible name combinations and naming inspiration so that you don’t get stumped by this very necessary and (mostly) fun step.

IDENTIFY YOUR SPECIAL SAUCE

No one is you, and that is your superpower. But let’s face it: you’re not the only one out there with your specific skill set or expertise. Learn how to identify what makes you stand out from the crowd and how to maximize what impresses clients most about you and your background. Everyone has a special sauce. Being able to identify yours will give you a huge advantage when positioning yourself for premium clients.

SO, WHAT DO YOU DO?

How many times a year do you get asked some version of this question? 100? 1,000? Being able to answer “So, what do you do?” in a way that communicates your value, screams confidence, and creates interest is the best tool for generating business. Along with the accompanying Elevator Pitch worksheet, this lesson will teach you how to talk about what you do in a way that makes a lasting impression and generates high-quality client leads.

ACCOMPANYING WORKBOOKS AND PDF GUIDES

NAMING WORKSHEET
YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH

POSITIONING FOR PREMIUM CLIENTS

THE QUALITY OVER QUANTITY (QOQ) METHOD

Unlike other business types, winning at consulting means focusing on landing a handful of quality clients, not generating a high-volume funnel of inbound customers. In this lesson, you’ll learn why the Quality Over Quantity model works so well, and how you can grow a high-margin business to spend more time billing clients and less time prospecting them.

ELEVATE YOUR MARKET VALUE

You know your work is valuable and that you’re highly accomplished. But how are you perceived by others, including your potential clients? This lesson will walk you through how to improve how others perceive your value, including what clients are looking for on the surface and what qualities will have clients prepared to pay top dollar for your services.

POWER-UP YOUR LINKEDIN

You know you need to be on LinkedIn. But how do you maximize the platform in a way that has clients lining up to work with you and ready to pay top dollar for your services? In this lesson and with the accompanying Supercharge Your Bio guide, you’ll learn how to highlight key qualities and improve outreach on LinkedIn to create a steady pipeline of inbound, high-quality client requests.

MAGNETIC 360 CONTENT

The ability to attract in-bound client leads who are excited to work with you and prepared to pay top-dollar for your services will help you avoid burnout while affording you the freedom to pick and choose the projects that light you up. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to start leveraging content to position yourself as the leading expert and create a consistent in-bound funnel of high-quality leads. With the accompanying workbook, you’ll walk away with a content strategy that gives your audience a 360-degree picture of you and your business in a way that’s not only professional, but irresistible to future clients.

ANATOMY OF A WEBSITE

Here’s the good news: most consultants don’t have to have a website to be successful (as long as you follow the LinkedIn advice above!). But if you do move forward with a website, you’ll need to understand the structure that helps clients understand why you’re the one to hire and why they need to pay top dollar for your services. This lesson will walk you through exactly what you need to maximize your consultancy website to convert prospects into paying clients.

ACCOMPANYING WORKBOOKS AND PDF GUIDES

SUPERCHARGE YOUR BIO
CONTENT STRATEGY & CALENDAR FOR CONSULTANTS

PART II
BUILDING YOUR CLIENT ROSTER

BUILDING YOUR PROFITABLE CLIENT PIPELINE

ACTIVATE YOUR NETWORK

Before doing any cold outreach, you’ll want to first maximize your existing network to uncover quality clients. This lesson and guide walk you through exactly how to do this in a way that isn’t at all salesy. Instead, find out how to plant seeds within your own network that grow into long-term, high-quality clients. Then, the Anatomy of a LinkedIn Announcement guide will walk you through proven scripts and templates that will immediately activate your LinkedIn network for a jumpstart on warm leads.

TARGETED COLD OUTREACH

Once you’ve maximized your own network, it’s time to develop a highly-targeted, cold outreach plan to reach your dream clients. Learn the dos and don’ts of cold outreach, including proven strategies that open more doors and close more deals. Plus, master cold outreach in a way that’s aligned with your own style and comfort level using the scripts and templates provided in the accompanying guide.

RESPONDING TO POSTS

It won’t be long before you start noticing consultant referral requests on social media and within your business communities. Your response will be clumped together with dozens of other consultants “raising their hand” for the referral. This lesson will show you exactly how to respond in a way that makes you stand out so you can jump to the front of the line to claim those referral leads.

QUALIFYING LEADS

After building your client pipeline, you may find that you have too many inbound leads. Believe it or not, this can be a problem! The solution: create a system to filter inbound leads so that only the most likely prospective clients are able to book a discovery call with you. This lesson will walk you through exactly how to implement a simple system for filtering out low-quality client prospects so you can focus your time on the clients who are ready and willing to pay your top rates.

BONUS

LEAVING YOUR FT JOB

There is no quicker way to jumpstart your consultancy and mitigate risk than to establish a foundation client through your former employers. In this lesson, we’ll go over the best way to leave your full-time job and approach a foundation client so you can have immediate financial stability and a big head start in your business.

ACCOMPANYING WORKBOOKS AND PDF GUIDES

ACTIVATE YOUR NETWORK
EXCEL TEMPLATE FOR OUTREACH
ANATOMY OF A LINKEDIN ANNOUNCEMENT
LINKEDIN & EMAIL SCRIPTS THAT CONVERT

MAKING MONEY

KNOW YOUR WORTH

You know you want to set premium rates that allow you to make more money in less time. But before you dive into pricing, it’s critical to understand how to calculate your value and worth. This lesson will shape your perspective on value and provide a foundation for charging top-dollar for your services.

10 RULES OF CONFIDENCE

There is no better tool for growing a successful consultancy than confidence. Confidence sells success and success breeds more success. But what does confidence even look like? This lesson will teach you exactly how to project confidence in an authentic way that opens more doors and closes more clients every single time.

PRICING STRUCTURES & RATES

This technical and tactical lesson will walk you through the different pricing structures that top consultants use to maximize their business success. With the accompanying guide, you’ll gain a crystal clear understanding of which pricing structure works for your business model and how to calculate your rates, so you’ll never leave money on the table again.

PRODUCTIZING

Every single consultant should have at least one productized offering – that is, a paid “rinse and repeat” service that requires little-to-zero effort to close. This lesson will teach you proven strategies for productizing your service offerings and monetizing your easiest funnels, all on autopilot.

ACCOMPANYING WORKBOOKS AND PDF GUIDES

PRICING STRATEGIES, STRUCTURES & TERMS

THE UPSIDE BLUEPRINT FOR CLOSING HIGH-TICKET CLIENTS

PITCH DECK

This lesson will teach you when to use a pitch deck and what should be included. You may be surprised at one of the more unusual, yet highly-effective and very much proven, pitch deck strategies you learn in this lesson!

MASTERING CLIENT MEETINGS

If you do nothing else, watch this lesson. Accelerator participants have reported that this lesson alone was worth the entire cost of the program. You’ll gain a complete understanding of how to master each and every client meeting with bold confidence and control so that you can communicate your value and boost your client close rate. With the accompanying guide, you’ll also receive a script for navigating client meetings in a way that gives you a consistent competitive advantage.

SCRIPTS FOR TOUGH CONVERSATIONS

No matter how much work you do to project confidence and communicate your value, you will still run into clients who try to push back on your pricing or terms. Often this is just a client looking to test your confidence and boundaries. This lesson, in addition to Scripts for Tough Conversations, will walk you through the most common client objections and how to respond while maintaining respect for yourself and your business.

NEW

HOW TO BRING UP PRICING

A proposal is not the first place a client should see your pricing. But how do you bring up pricing in the first conversation without being off-putting? This lesson details exactly how and when to bring up pricing so you can communicate confidence in your rates and significantly reduce client ghosting.

CLOSING CLIENTS WITH CONFIDENCE

You’ve built your pipeline and mastered the client meeting. Now it’s time to close the deal! This lesson will show you how to bring it all to completion—and get the contract signed.

PROFITABLE BOUNDARIES

You got into this business for the flexibility and freedom it provides. But without boundaries, you can say goodbye to that coveted flexible lifestyle. This lesson walks you through when and where to draw the line with clients, and how to do it with professionalism, confidence, and respect.

ACCOMPANYING WORKBOOKS AND PDF GUIDES

SCRIPTS FOR MASTERING EVERY CLIENT MEETING
HOW TO BRING UP PRICING
SCRIPTS FOR TOUGH CONVERSATIONS

BONUSES

CONTRACTS BUNDLE

Eight air-tight contracts, SOWs, and proposals proven to eliminate common bottlenecks and close clients quickly—includes time-tested contracts for hourly rates, retainers, strategy sessions, day rates, recruiting retainers and subcontractor agreements PLUS plug-n-play add-ons, scope of work templates, and client proposals.

Value: $2,795

BONUS LESSON

REFERRALS, SUBCONTRACTING AND WHITELABELING VIDEO
Learn how to scale your services without sacrificing more of your time.
Includes: Subcontractor Agreement

REFERRALS, SUBCONTRACTING AND WHITELABELING VIDEO
Learn how to scale your services
without sacrificing more of your time.
Includes: Subcontractor Agreement

Value: $495

BONUS GUIDE

OPERATING ESSENTIALS
Proven resources and low-cost tech solutions for streamlining your
day-to-day business.

OPERATING ESSENTIALS
Proven resources and low-cost tech solutions for
streamlining your day-to-day business.

Value: $295

Paulette Jencks

Growth Advisor

Paulette Jencks

Growth Advisor

Before the Accelerator, I was not sure how to transition from small
freelance consulting gigs to my own consultancy with bigger,
longer-term projects.

Before the Accelerator, I was not sure how to transition from small freelance consulting gigs to my own consultancy with bigger, longer-term projects.

The Accelerator gave concrete examples and walked me through exactly what I needed to do to carve out my niche, update LinkedIn and start generating a pipeline of clients.

The Accelerator gave concrete examples and walked me
through exactly what I needed to do to carve out my niche,
update LinkedIn and start generating a pipeline of clients.

Tiffany Hwang

Retail Consultant

Tiffany Hwang

Retail Consultant

Before investing in the Accelerator, I was worried I would have a
tough time finding clients. Now I have clarity, direction,
and a customer-focused approach.

Before investing in the Accelerator I was worried I would have a tough time finding clients. Now I have clarity, direction, and a customer-focused approach.

The Accelerator gave me very clear and specific advice on how to lay the foundation for my business.

The Accelerator gave me very clear and specific advice on
how to lay the foundation for my business.

Melissa Sanvictores

Finance and Operations Strategist

Melissa Sanvictores

Finance and Operations Strategist

Because of the Accelerator, I closed four accounts within a short
amount of time, and increased my rates.

Because of the Accelerator I closed four accounts within a short amount of time, and increased my rates.

I have also been acquired and now have staff under me!

Kristin Jekielek

Video Creation and Optimization

Kristin Jekielek

Video Creation and Optimization

I have finally figured out sales! Since I started using the
Accelerator client meetings script, I closed two monthly recurring
revenue deals, upsold a client to 3x their existing monthly contract,
and managed to close two tiny one-off deals to build relationships.

I have finally figured out sales! Since I started using the Accelerator client meetings script, I closed two monthly recurring revenue deals, upsold a client to 3x their existing monthly contract, and managed to close two tiny one-off deals to build relationships.

In less than two months, I now feel confident to lead any sales call that comes up.

In less than two months, I now feel confident to lead
any sales call that comes up.

PART 1

DEVELOPING YOUR
HIGH-VALUE OFFERING

12 video lessons + 7 worksheets, templates, scripts and guides, where you’ll master:

• Validating Your Business
• Defining Your High-Value Offering
• Positioning for Premium Clients

(Total value: $2,975)

Investment $650

PART 2

BUILDING YOUR CLIENT ROSTER

15 video lessons + 8 worksheets, templates, scripts and guides, where you’ll master:

• Building Your Profitable Client Pipeline
• Making Money
• The Upside Blueprint for Closing High-Ticket Clients

(Total value: $2,975)

Investment $650

THE COMPLETE ACCELERATOR

• PART 1

DEVELOPING YOUR
HIGH-VALUE OFFERING

(Value: $2,975)

• PART 2

BUILDING YOUR CLIENT ROSTER

(Value: $2,975)

BONUSES

[NOT AVAILABLE A LA CARTE]

• CONTRACTS BUNDLE

(Value: $2,795)

• BONUS LESSON

Referrals, Subcontracting & Whitelabeling

(Value: $495)

• BONUS GUIDE

Operating Essentials

(Value: $295)

(Total value: $10,330)

Investment $1,200

YOUʼRE PROTECTED WITH OUR 100% RISK-FREE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

The Upside Accelerator comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you begin the program and within 30 days decide that it’s not right
for you, we will issue you a refund. Read our Terms of Purchase here.

YOUʼRE PROTECTED WITH OUR 100% RISK-FREE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

The Upside Accelerator comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you begin the program and within 30 days decide that it’s not right for you, we will issue you a refund. Read our Terms of Purchase here.

In case you’re weighing

THIS INVESTMENT

Our participants typically land 5-figure/month clients, 4-figure speaking fees and 6-figure project fees after following our step-by-step action plan.

If you close just one client as a result of what you learn in the program, it more than pays for itself.

If you increase your rates by 2x, 3x or even 5x as a result of what you learn in this program, it more than pays for itself.

If you save hours of time each month because you no longer have to worry about where your next clients are coming from, it more than pays for itself.

If you make more money per unit of your time as a result of this program, and get to spend more time on what you care about most, it more than pays for itself!

And here’s the best part: once you’ve enrolled in The Upside Accelerator, you have lifetime access to all of the materials, guides, video lessons, templates, scripts and worksheets – including any updates or additions.

Your questions,

ANSWERED

WHATʼS THE TIME COMMITMENT FOR THIS PROGRAM?

The Upside Accelerator is designed for you to move through at your own pace, on your own time.

There are 6 modules, each with between 45 minutes – 90 minutes of video lessons and accompanying guides, worksheets, swipe files and templates.

IS THIS PROGRAM FOR NEW OR ESTABLISHED CONSULTANTS?

This program was designed for early-stage consultants, professionals still in their corporate jobs looking to go out on their own, and established consultants who realize there has to be a better way to build their business. (And there is!)

Included is everything you need to build a profitable consultancy, without any of the overwhelm. You don’t need fluff, you need results.

If you want to make sure your consultancy is set up for long-term success using a time-tested, step-by-step action plan, this program is for you.

WILL THIS WORK FOR ME IF IʼM AN ADVISOR, LEADERSHIP COACH, B2B SOLOPRENEUR OR FREELANCER?

100% yes! Although we use the word “consultant” to describe this business model, there are many titles our participants identify with, including advisor, leadership coach, solopreneur and freelancer. Each has their own slight nuances, but the foundations for success overlap significantly.

If you want to package your skills into an offering that companies, founders and business leaders will line up to buy, then this program will work for you.

WILL THIS WORK FOR ME REGARDLESS OF WHAT SECTOR, INDUSTRY OR FUNCTION I SPECIALIZE IN?

Although some Upside frameworks are relevant across every sector, industry and function, we know from experience where and when the action plan needs to be adjusted. That’s why throughout The Upside Accelerator, we break down the different nuances across all sectors and functions so that you have a customized plan for your unique offering.

WILL THIS WORK FOR ME EVEN IF IʼVE TRIED CONSULTING BEFORE?

If you’ve tried to launch a consultancy before and didn’t get the results you hoped for, chances are you were missing some of the foundational elements and proven, tactical strategies that this program — and only this program — provides.

If you’re committed to being your own boss and building a consultancy that works for your lifestyle, the knowledge that you’ll find within this program will help you replace your corporate salary and become a highly-respected (and high-demand) consultant in your niche.

I'M AN MLM CONSULTANT. IS THIS FOR ME?

Sorry, but this program is not designed for MLM consultants. This program is for consultants whose target audience is businesses.

HOW DO I KNOW IF IʼM READY TO LEAVE CORPORATE OR NOT?

If you have a strong network, a track record of results from your previous roles, and a strong desire to build something for yourself, you are likely ready to go out on your own.

You’ll also need to have confidence in your skills and capabilities, and project that confidence in meetings with prospective clients (don’t worry, we’ll show you exactly how to do this!).

With all of the above and the step-by-step action plan provided in this course, you’ll be able to build the type of business that breathes new motivation into your career and has you excited to wake up each morning to start your workday!

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THE UPSIDE ACCELERATOR AND THE UPSIDE MEMBERSHIP?

Membership is a community that gives you access to our powerful network and essential tools for business advancement. Membership opens up 4x per year and renews quarterly.

The Accelerator is an online course with all of the lessons, tools, scripts, templates, guides and blueprints you need to build a successful consultancy business. The Accelerator is available for purchase year-round.

The Upside Accelerator is laser-focused on helping you build
a successful consultancy practice

The Upside Accelerator is laser-focused
on helping you build a successful
consultancy practice

THAT DRIVES MORE PROFIT IN LESS TIME.

Terms of Purchase

BONUSES

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Accepting applications through December 15