How to turn 10+ years of experience into your first offer
You don't need a new skill to start a business. You need to decide which part of what you already know someone will pay for, and put it into words.
A few weeks into almost every programme, someone says a version of the same sentence: “I can do so many things, I just don’t know what to sell.” It usually comes from the most experienced person in the room.
That isn’t a coincidence. Ten or fifteen years of work gives you a long list of things you’re good at, and the longer the list, the harder it is to pick. Experience makes a first offer possible. It rarely makes it obvious.
Start with what people already ask you for
Before you think about what you could offer, look at what people already come to you for. Write down the last ten times a colleague, friend or former client asked for your help, and what exactly they wanted. Then note which of those you enjoyed, and which ones you’d happily do again for money. The overlap is usually smaller and clearer than the list you started with.
When I started, I could have offered sales training, customer success consulting or marketing support, because I’d done all three in tech. What I enjoyed most, and what I kept coming back to, was helping people get clear on their next step and grow into it. That became the business.
Describe the problem in your client’s words
What people pay for is a way out of a problem they recognise. “Operational excellence consulting” is a description of you. “Your team is growing and nobody knows who’s responsible for what” is a description of them, and it’s the one they’ll respond to. The words come from conversations, so listen for the phrases people use when they describe what’s going wrong.
Write the offer on one page
A first offer fits on a single page. It says who it’s for, the problem it solves, the result they can expect, how it works (sessions, a project, a workshop) and what it costs. If it doesn’t fit on one page, it’s probably two offers, and you only need one to start.
Test it before you polish it
Show the page to five people who could plausibly buy it, and ask for a decision rather than an opinion. “Would this be useful?” gets polite answers. “Would you like to start in March?” gets real ones. A no is useful too, especially when it comes with a reason.
Price it for the life you want
Most experienced people underprice their first offer, because they price the hours rather than the result. Start from what you need to earn in a month, the number of clients you can realistically work with, and what the problem is worth to them. Your first price will probably feel slightly too high. That’s often a good sign.
Your first offer doesn’t need to hold everything you know. It only needs to be clear enough for the right person to say yes, or to tell you why not.
Questions people ask
What should my first offer be?
One service, for one type of client, solving a problem they already know they have, in a format you could deliver next week, such as a package of sessions or a fixed project. You can widen it later.
Should I start with an online course or a digital product?
Usually not. Courses need an audience and a proven method. A 1:1 or done-with-you service lets you learn exactly what people need, and get paid while you do.
How long does it take to create a first offer?
A first draft can be written in an afternoon. Turning it into something people buy takes conversations. In my group programme, we reach a one-page, priced offer presented to a real person by week six.
Written by Val
ICF ACC certified business coach for expats and international professionals. Originally from Italy, building a life and a business in Copenhagen for over a decade.
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