M1 — 5 Case Snapshots
Five real positioning journeys. Names changed, situations real. The point isn’t to copy the answer — it’s to see how the move from “I do marketing / consulting / design” to “I do this specific thing for these specific people” actually happens.
Sarah — ex-corporate marketer (Sydney, 38)
Started here: “I’m a senior marketer with 12 years of B2B experience. I can do brand, demand gen, content.”
What was wrong: Too broad. Every other ex-CMO is selling the same line. Nothing made her the obvious choice over an agency.
The pivot: She’d spent her last three years at a PE-backed SaaS doing email and lifecycle. People kept asking her how she ran the renewal-recovery flows.
Where she landed: “I rebuild B2B email programs for PE-backed SaaS companies post-acquisition. Specifically the renewal and expansion flows that are usually broken after the transition.”
First three months: $18K project, then $25K/month retainer with the same firm. Two more PE firms in the same network referred work.
Marc — ex-architect (Melbourne, 44)
Started here: “I’m a residential architect. Heritage, contemporary, anything.”
What was wrong: “Anything” is the killer. Everyone with the degree says they do anything.
The pivot: Half his last decade had been Sydney terrace and Melbourne federation restorations. He knew the heritage councils, the trades, and the failure modes nobody documents.
Where he landed: “I consult on heritage façade restoration for owner-occupiers planning extensions on Sydney terraces and Melbourne federation homes. I keep them out of the council fight that costs other architects 18 months.”
First three months: Two consults at $4,500 each. One led to a full architecture engagement at $80K.
Priya — ex-management consultant (Sydney, 36)
Started here: “I help businesses operate better.”
What was wrong: The world’s most generic line. “Operate better” means nothing to anyone trying to write a cheque.
The pivot: Her last three engagements had all been agencies in the 50–200 person range — the awkward stage where founder hustle has run out and middle management hasn’t gelled.
Where she landed: “I run two-week operational diagnostics for creative and digital agencies between 50 and 200 people. You leave with a list of three things to fix, ranked by impact, with a roadmap for each.”
First three months: Three diagnostics at $12K each. One agency hired her on retainer for quarterly check-ins.
James — ex-finance director (Brisbane, 49)
Started here: “I’m a fractional CFO.”
What was wrong: Nothing wrong with fractional CFO — but there are 400 of them on LinkedIn in Australia alone. He needed a wedge.
The pivot: He’d spent his career inside boutique product companies — fashion, accessories, wine. He understood inventory, MOQ, and supplier terms in a way generalist CFOs don’t.
Where he landed: “I run finance for boutique Australian product brands doing $1M–$10M. Specifically the inventory, supplier, and cash flow side of the business — the part most accountants flatten into a P&L row.”
First three months: Two retainers at $4K/month. Word-of-mouth in the Sydney fashion industry filled his calendar by month four.
Ana — ex-UX designer (Brisbane, 32)
Started here: “I’m a freelance designer. UX, branding, websites.”
What was wrong: Three services, three audiences, three conversations. She was selling against agencies, freelancers, and Fiverr at the same time.
The pivot: Her best results had all been on DTC fashion sites — fixing checkouts, product pages, lookbooks. She had data: average +18% conversion lift across six engagements.
Where she landed: “I do conversion-rate audits for DTC fashion brands under $5M ARR. Two-week sprint, written report, prioritised fixes. Average lift across past clients: 18%.”
First three months: Five audits at $3,500 each. Two converted to ongoing optimisation retainers at $6K/month.
What to take from these
Five different starting points. Five different wedges. Three things they all did:
- Specified the customer. Not “small businesses” — PE-backed SaaS, Sydney terraces, agencies of 50–200, boutique brands $1–10M, DTC fashion under $5M.
- Specified the deliverable. Not “consulting” — diagnostic, audit, retainer, two-week sprint.
- Specified the outcome. Not “better business” — renewal flows, council approval, three things to fix, conversion lift.
Your positioning should pass the same three tests. If any of those is fuzzy, redo Part 6 of the worksheet.
Move to M2 when you can fill in all three with one sentence each.