LinkedIn is the most powerful platform for building trust, growing your brand, and attracting high-value opportunities.

But most creators and consultants approach it the wrong way — chasing engagement instead of authority.

That’s where strategy comes in.

I help digital entrepreneurs simplify their content, clarify their message, and build a personal brand that attracts the right audience.

Here’s what you’ll find on my profile:

→ Actionable content strategies for LinkedIn growth
→ Systems to turn content into inbound opportunities
→ Positioning frameworks that build trust at scale

Whether you're a creator, coach, or founder — authority is your most valuable asset.

Let’s build it right.

Nikhel R.

Imagine this… Instead of struggling to find clients, you have high-level decision-makers consistently reaching out, eager to work with you.

Sound appealing? It’s all about having a market-validated, irresistible offer coupled with a reliable outbound system to consistently fill your calendar with qualified leads. 

That’s where our proven, four-phase approach comes in.

Phase 1: Craft Your Offer 
First, we work together to package your expertise into a unique offer that speaks directly to your ideal client, positioning you as the go-to solution.

Phase 2: Validate with the Market 
Once your offer is defined, we use a tailored, soft-sell strategy to test and refine it, ensuring it not only solves a key problem but that clients are ready to pay premium prices for it.

Phase 3: Generate Leads 
Next, we install lead generation systems that help you have meaningful conversations with high-quality leads, reliably and predictably.

Phase 4: Scale for Growth 
Finally, using data-driven insights, we scale the top-performing campaigns, maximizing revenue and expanding your client base.

If you’re a new consultant ready to scale sustainably, let’s connect. 

Book a call with me here: https://calendly.com/carlacherry/call-w-carla-cherry

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Prior to helping consultants 👉 I was a producer 🤩 for Larry King & more (see below)


Showrunner credits include: 
- Larry King's digital, celebrity talk show (Collector’s Cafe / Ora TV) 300+ episodes
- Larry King's "8-camera, live audience" TV talk show (Collector's Cafe / BiteSizeTV)
- "Inside Versailles" After-Show (Netflix /Ovation / 2017)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
* "Inside Versailles" After Show (Creator/Showrunner - 2017) - over 665K views on Facebook 
* “Women of Versailles” Marketing campaign video (Producer/Editor) - garnered major advertising sponsorship from Volkswagen
* Booked celebrities including: Tiffany Haddish, Cheech Marin, Betsey Johnson, Kat Von D, Tom Green, DJ Kaskade, Dick Van Dyke, John Fogerty, Rev Run (Run DMC), Debbie Allen and more on a Larry King hosted talk show.
* Jim Henson's "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" pop culture throwback video - (Producer/Editor)  2.2 M views - highest video count in Ovation’s history (2017)

Carla Cherry

“But I’m just getting started…”

I hear this constantly.

Consultants who left corporate 3 months ago…

6 months ago… maybe even a year ago.

And they’re convinced it’s a disadvantage.

Like they need to wait, build a roster of clients first, get more experience “on the other side.”

And you know this but here’s what actually happens when you wait:

→ Savings drain.
→ Confidence tanks.
->Desperation creeps in.

You start taking bad fit clients just to survive, and you end up trading one job for another job, except now without benefits.

Meanwhile, the consultant who just launched is out there closing six-figure deals.

WHY?

Because being new isn’t the problem.

Having the wrong offer is the problem.

Let me show you what I mean.

Tina came to me with a brand new consultancy. 

She'd helped make people MILLIONS in corporate. serious results. 

But she was stuck trying to prove herself to the wrong people, going too small, and burning through savings.

Classic "just getting started" situation.

We didn't wait for her to build credibility. 
We didn't tell her to go get a few small clients first.
We FOUND the gap, packaged up what she'd already done. and positioned her to go big instead of playing small.

Within two months she hit $8,800/month.

Then landed a $50,000 corporate sponsorship.

Brand new consultancy.

You’ve got what it takes I promise.

Carla Cherry🍒

I help people escape corporate → Build an offer → Sell back to corporate. Helped 100+ people leave corporate. Send me a message to make corporate your client!

“But I’m just getting started…”

I hear this constantly.

Consultants who left corporate 3 months ago…

6 months ago… maybe even a year ago.

And they’re convinced it’s a disadvantage.

Like

After 8 years owning my consultancy these are my best 5 lessons I learned to create offers that sell for 5-6 figures:

1. Stop starting with your skills - Start with your client’s pain points. Every great offer begins with: “What’s costing them money right now?”

2. Talk to real buyers, not just friends - Validation isn’t asking for opinions. It’s asking decision makers what they’ve already tried (and why it didn’t work).

3. Name the outcome, not the activity - “LinkedIn lead gen” sounds like work. “Book 5 qualified calls a week with corporate decision makers” sounds like ROI.

4. Don’t build the whole offer before testing - Sell the outcome first, then build the system after someone says yes. That’s how you avoid overthinking and wasting months in prep mode.

5. Every phase of your offer should solve a specific problem - If you can’t map a clear before and after for each step, it’s fluff, cut it.

Save this for later, you’ll thank yourself when your next offer lands easier than ever!

After 8 years owning my consultancy these are my best 5 lessons I learned to create offers that sell for 5-6 figures:

1. Stop starting with your skills - Start with your client’s pain points. Every

The 2026 consultancy checklist:

1. One offer that solves one expensive problem (not 5-6 services on your website)
2. Adding an audit to your sales process 
3. Outbound that's specific enough to reply to
4. CRM before you're drowning in sticky notes
5. Case studies with real numbers not "helped a client grow"
6. Sales calls you run, not ones you wing
7. Follow ups tracked and DONE
8. Pricing based on outcomes not hours
9. Contracts & proposals templated so you're not creating new ones
10. Charge what you want not what feels right

Most consultants have 3 of these and wonder why they're stuck…

Not you this year!

The 2026 consultancy checklist:

1. One offer that solves one expensive problem (not 5-6 services on your website)
2. Adding an audit to your sales process 
3. Outbound that's specific enough to r

One of my favorite things to do when I travel?

Find a local café with a long line and figure out why it works.

Not just the menu.
Not just the branding.

I mean really break down how they’ve structured their business.

→ The clear offer on the chalkboard
→ The flow from ordering to pickup
→ The way they guide you without needing to explain anything

There’s a kind of elegance to it.

You can feel that someone thought through every touchpoint.

That nothing is random.

I’m the same way with offers.

When I look at a business, I’m always asking:

- Is the value clear in the first 5 seconds?
- Does this solve a real problem?
- Is there friction in the buying process?

Because when your offer clicks, sales feel easy.

You don’t need to convince.

You just need to show up.

If you're struggling to get traction, it’s rarely because your idea is bad.

It’s usually because something in the structure is off.

Tighten your offer.
Clarify the problem.
And make it stupid simple to say yes.

That’s when business starts to flow.

One of my favorite things to do when I travel?

Find a local café with a long line and figure out why it works.

Not just the menu.
Not just the branding.

I mean really break down how they’ve 

"That call went well" means NOTHING.

Here's what actually tells you the offer will sell:

 1. They’re losing sleep over it.

When someone describes a problem with emotion, frustration, stress, urgency in their voice, that’s not just conversation. 

That’s pain they’ll pay to make disappear. If they’re calm and detached? It’s not urgent enough to buy.

2. They mention a deadline.

“We need this figured out before Q4.” 
“We’re trying to go public.”
“The board wants to see results by March.”

Any time there’s a deadline, inspection, or external pressure? That’s urgency you can’t manufacture. 

They’re not browsing, they are ready to buy.

3. They’ve already tried to fix it themselves.

“We’ve been dealing with this for months.” 
“We tried hiring internally.” 
“I’ve been Googling solutions for weeks.”

Failed DIY attempts mean they know the problem is real AND that they need outside help. 

That’s validation you can’t get from surveys.

4. There’s a dire consequence if they don’t solve it.

Listen for what happens if they do nothing. 

That might look like going back to corporate, losing the deal, or missing the funding round. 

The bigger the consequence, the faster they’ll move.

5. They validate your framing.

When you say “So it sounds like your main challenge is X, is that right?” and they say “YES, exactly” that’s them telling you they’ll buy a solution to X.

6. They have budget indicators.

Series A funding just landed. 

They’re preparing for an acquisition. 

They hired three people last quarter. 

Money is moving through the organization and you can take a percentage of that

You’re not listening for compliments on your idea. 

You’re listening for proof that the problem is real, urgent, and funded.

If they have all three? Your offer sells itself.

"That call went well" means NOTHING.

Here's what actually tells you the offer will sell:

 1. They’re losing sleep over it.

When someone describes a problem with emotion, frustration, stress, 

Stop pitching people who need permission.

Start pitching people who GIVE it.

I know how it goes… you send a message to a company page thinking you're being proactive. 

You know who's on the other end?

→ A marketing coordinator
→ An intern
→ Someone who literally cannot say yes to anything

You're pitching to a gatekeeper who's job IS to ignore you, meanwhile the actual decision maker has no idea you exist.

Here's what to do instead:

Google the company, find the CEO or the founder, find whoever actually signs checks.

Go to their personal Linkedin. Connect with them and reach out.

"but that feels weird"

You know what's weirder? Spending 6 months nurturing a lead who was never going to buy.

Company page = I'll pass this along" (they won't)

CEO = "let's talk"

It’s the exact same offer and message, but you now have a chance to book calls.

Go try it!

2019: left corporate to "be my own boss"

2020: realized i'd just given myself a worse boss

I had traded one manager for 10 clients who all think they own me.

The freedom I wanted? Replaced by anxiety about where next month's rent is coming from.

What I didn't understand back then was leaving your job isn't the same as building a business.

Most corporate refugees just recreate the same trap, selling hours saying yes to everything, letting clients dictate scope, timeline, price.

Then I found what actually changes things:

→ One clear offer with a specific outcome. Not "I can help with lots of stuff"
→ Pricing on value not hours
→ Lead gen system that predictably brings in qualified leads
→ Ability to say no (because your pipeline isn't empty)

When you build that way you stop being a pair of hands they rent.

YYou become the person who solves expensive problems  and companies pay a premium for that,

Took me way too long to figure this out, You don't have to let it take that long.

2019: left corporate to "be my own boss"

2020: realized i'd just given myself a worse boss

I had traded one manager for 10 clients who all think they own me.

The freedom I wanted? Replaced by

Every project that falls apart traces back to 3 things.

All of them are PREVENTABLE.

1- Budget chaos

Not that there's no money, but nobody knows where it's actually going until it's gone

2- People dysfunction 

Either the wrong staff or stakeholders making demands because they feel left out of decisions 

3- Timeline death spiral 

"we'll catch up" turns into a death march where exhausted teams cut corners to ship anything

You and I know all three things are preventable.

But preventing them doesn't feel urgent when a project starts. 

Tracking budgets feels bureaucratic. 

Stakeholder updates feel like overhead. 

Building timeline buffer feels pessimistic.

So teams skip it.

Then they're shocked when month 6 is a disaster.

Proactive work isn't fun but it's the only thing that actually works.

I’ve closed 100+ enterprise deals

And watched 100s of consultants blow deals in the first few minutes

It’s the same 5 mistakes every time:

1. You’re in the friend zone

You spend 20 minutes on rapport because you want them to like you…

But now you’re their buddy, not the authority that controls the flow of the call.

Rapport is 2–3 minutes max. “How’s the weather?” Then get into it.

2. You’re not getting tie downs

When they tell you their challenges, you nod and move on.

WRONG, mirror it back.

“So it sounds like the budget is all over the place and you need a system to track it, is that right?”

Get them to say, “Yes, I need that.” Do it for three separate things times.

 Now they can’t say they don’t need you later, because they already told you they do.

3. You give away the whole thing

You listen to their problems and you give them all the answers. 

Then you say, “Hope that helps!” and hang up.

Congrats, you just did free consulting.

The call isn’t for solving, it’s for diagnosing. 

Give them one nugget, then pitch the engagement.

4. You’re pitching to the wrong person

There are five stakeholders on their side, and you’re talking to the one who can’t sign anything. 

Qualify early “Who else is involved in this decision?”

5. You wait to follow up

You leave the call thinking, “I’ll send the proposal Monday.”

By Monday, they’ve forgotten your face.

Send it the same day. Or better get the next call scheduled before you hang up

“Let’s lock in Thursday to walk through this together.”

Most consultants are doing 2/5

You need to do 5/5 (if you want to start signing enterprise clients).

I’ve closed 100+ enterprise deals

And watched 100s of consultants blow deals in the first few minutes

It’s the same 5 mistakes every time:

1. You’re in the friend zone

You spend 20 minutes

Corporate buyers trust ex-employees more than agencies

I’ve watched this play out hundreds of times…

A Fortune 500 VP has a specific problem. Budget's approved. Timeline's tight.

Two options on their desk:

Option A: A slick agency with 14 services and a “we do everything” pitch deck.
Option B: Someone who used to sit in the exact same seat they’re sitting in now.

They pick Option B almost every time.

Here’s why:

• Ex-employees speak fluent “corporate.”

They’ve sat through the quarterly reviews. 
They know what keeps leadership up at night
They understand that Q4 budget pressures are real.

An agency account manager? They’re just Googling it.

• They’ve been on the buying side.

They know how purchases actually happen. The stakeholder meetings. The justification emails. The internal politics. They’ve LITERALLY written those RFPs.

• They solve specific problems, not “everything.”

Agencies spread across a 100 different business problems. Ex-employees went deep on one thing for 15+ years. That specialization isn’t a limitation. It’s exactly what enterprise buyers want.

• Trust is built-in.

When someone says “I dealt with this exact situation at [Big Company Name]” that’s not theory. That’s proof. Agencies sell case studies. Ex-employees ARE the case study.

The market’s shifting.

Enterprise buyers are tired of generic pitches and spray-and-pray outreach.

They’re looking for people who’ve been in the arena.

Position yourself that way!

Corporate buyers trust ex-employees more than agencies

I’ve watched this play out hundreds of times…

A Fortune 500 VP has a specific problem. Budget's approved. Timeline's tight.

Two options 

Fancy branding won’t save you.

But a clear offer will…

The truth is your clients don't care about your fancy frameworks or 10-step processes.

They care about 3 simple questions:

1. What exactly do you do?

→ Be specific, not vague
→ Make it easy to understand

2. How do you solve their problem?

→ Show the transformation
→ Paint the before/after

3. Why should they pick you?

→ What makes you different
→ What results have you delivered

I see consultants spending thousands on:

- New websites
- Fancy branding
- Complex funnels

Yet they can't answer these basic questions clearly.

No wonder they're struggling to close deals.

Start by answering these 3 questions in one sentence each

Fancy branding won’t save you.

But a clear offer will…

The truth is your clients don't care about your fancy frameworks or 10-step processes.

They care about 3 simple questions:

1. What ex

9% of people only set "realistic" goals.

And that's exactly why they will stay stuck in 2026

The truth is you need TWO types of goals:

1. The BIG, scary ones that make people laugh (Like building a $10M business when you're at $0)

2. The stepping stones to get there ($10k/month → $20k/month → $50k/month)

Why?

Big goals force you to think differently.

When you're aiming for $10M, hitting $100k feels like a warm-up.

Your actions change:

→ You raise your prices 
→ You pursue bigger partnerships 
→ You make bolder moves • You think longer term

Without that big goal?

You'd probably stop at $100k and celebrate.

Nothing wrong with that.

But is that really your ceiling?

Set a goal that scares you today.

Then break it down into monthly targets.

Watch how differently you start moving.

80% of what consultants do is WASTED effort.

They confuse activity with actually building demand.

Here’s what “busy” usually looks like:

➝ Flooding Facebook with offers
➝ Posting content nobody asked for
➝ Firing off LinkedIn DMs with random pitch slaps
➝ Tweaking their website for the fifth time this month
 ➝ Networking to the wrong people over and over again

It “feels” productive, but 80% of that effort is wasted on the wrong prospects.

Meanwhile, demand gets built differently.

Demand comes from solving a specific problem for a specific buyer and being perceived as the person who’s done it many times with proven, transferable results.

Not “I help companies improve.” That’s just noise.

But “I reduce operational costs by 20% for mid market logistics companies in 90 days”.

 That’s a magnet.

The consultants who actually build demand do 3 things:

1. They get clear on the exact problem they solve (not a category, a problem)
2. They validate that real buyers will pay for it before scaling outreach
3. They target enterprises with budget, urgency, and authority, not just anyone who’ll listen

Everyone else stays stuck in what I call “validation vagueness” sitting in uncertainty, hoping the next batch of DMs finally works.

AI consultants are the FUTURE of consulting.

A client of mine just came out of a Fortune 500 company.

She helped a personal injury lawyer take their intake process from 1-2 days down to 15-20 minutes using AI.

His caseload doubled from 25 cases a week to 50.

He literally said to her "I am going to quit law if i can't continue doing business with you."

That's what solving a real problem looks like.

Right now about 75% of the people we're helping are experts who figured out how to bring their companies up to speed with automation and AI and are now bringing that capability to others.

Professional services are DESPERATE for this.

Auto mechanics. Salons. Plumbers. HVAC. Construction. Manufacturing.

Everyone wants to get modernized.

If you can help an everyday professional service double their clientele, they're going to hear you out.

AI can take on generic, broad jobs now. but if you're specialized in something specific?

This is the time to cash in on that.

Before I found my footing in business...

I spent YEARS second guessing myself.

Left corporate in 2017.

Everyone thought I was crazy.

But what they didn't see were the countless nights wondering if they were right.

The client less months.
The failed launches.

The whispers growing louder: 

"Maybe you should go back to corporate.” "Maybe this isn't for you. "

Truthfully?

They were right... in that moment.

But I knew one thing:

Temporary failure isn't final.

I kept learning.
Kept refining.
Kept building.

Until eventually...The right clients started coming.

The right offers started working.
The right model finally clicked.

I learned that you don't need to be perfect or get it right every time.

You just need to be right once.

Before I found my footing in business...

I spent YEARS second guessing myself.

Left corporate in 2017.

Everyone thought I was crazy.

But what they didn't see were the countless nights wond

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Nikhel R.

Carla Cherry

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The Battle

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Carla Cherry

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Engagements

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Carla Cherry's LinkedIn Performance

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