From vague idea to $1k client in 4 weeks (one call made me face reality)

Auðunn Hartmannsson

17d • 💬 General

(I wasted a year building an offer I knew wouldn't work)

4 weeks ago I was stuck on an offer I knew wouldn't work.

3 days ago I closed my first $1,000 client.

Here's exactly what happened:

Over a year going the wrong direction, I'd been building a fitness and mindset coaching offer for over a year.

"Help young men build discipline, transform their identity, get excited about life."

I'd even gotten some results. A few clients. Some traction.

But deep down? I knew it was too vague, and too subjective.

I'd learned copywriting, marketing, business principles. I knew better.

But I was letting my emotions win.

Then I got on a call with Patrice.

She told me straight up: "That's gonna be tough to sell. Words like "discipline" and "excitement" don't sell because they're subjective."

I knew she was right, I'd known it the whole time.

But hearing it from someone else made me finally face reality.

That one call changed everything.

Week 1: Started over (but with clarity)

I pivoted to something I'd been doing but hadn't formalized: "help people start their online business."

Still broad, but now I wasn't letting passion override strategy.

I started networking. Built a free Skool community. Posted daily. Got on calls with anyone who'd talk to me.

Weeks 2-3: Found the pattern

Offered free beta coaching to see what people actually needed.

Here's what I noticed:

Some needed help with content
Some needed help with offers
Some needed help with mindset

But one group kept showing up: new and aspiring online coaches.

That clicked because I'd just lived that journey myself (and learned the hard way).

I knew their problems. I'd made every mistake they were about to make.

Week 3: Doubled down

Stopped trying to help everyone.

Focused only on helping coaches get their first clients and launch on Skool.

Took a few people through my process for free. Got them wins:

One landed their first paid client
Another got clear on their offer
Third one went from "I don't know what to do" to 6 beta-clients and a clear path forward

Week 4: Created the offer

Now I had proof, testimonials and I knew exactly what worked.

3 days ago, I upsold my first beta client to a $1,000 package.

They said yes in 15 minutes 29 seconds.

Why? Because they'd already seen me get them results for free.

The lesson:

Sometimes you already know what you need to do, you're just not ready to admit it.

I wasted over a year building something I knew was hard to sell because I was emotionally attached to it.

One honest conversation made me face what I'd been avoiding.

What actually works:

Stop lying to yourself about your offer (get honest feedback from someone who's done it)
Start broad, have real conversations
Offer free help, see what resonates
Notice the pattern (who shows up? what do they actually pay for?)
Double down on what matches your experience AND what sells
Build proof with beta clients
Create the offer based on what actually worked

This is how you find a profitable Skool niche:

Not by building what you're passionate about, by finding where your experience meets what people actually pay for, and sometimes you need someone to make you face that reality.

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