Starting off with a small humble brag: I run a solo consultancy business, doing fairly well, and as such have created a bit of a name for myself in my industry. This year in particular, I've had several people reach out to have coffee for the sole purpose of "picking my brain" to help them as they embark on their own in the same industry. I can't really help but feel a tiny bit annoyed. Flattered, but a little bit annoyed. Having spent ten years building my business and reputation, I am not about to impart my hard earned wisdom over coffee with potential competitors. Or am I being an asshole here? I have never reached out to anyone in this manner, and the one time I have, I made it very clear I would pay for their time in helping me (it was for a book I wanted to write and they had been through the process before) Usually, I say I'm busy with clients and projects and to reach out at a later time. However, I've been toying with the idea of offering Business Development Coaching at a cost just to make it clear what they are asking. And also, there does seem to be a demand for these type of services so why not offer them! How would you or how do you handle this?   submitted by   /u/zitpop [link]   [comments]