… began work with a new client.

She’s launching a new business and is very excited about the problem it solves, who it’s for, how it plays to her strengths, and her new web site.

At one point I asked: “What can I buy from you?”

I didn’t expect this to be a trick question, but after a long silence she said, “I don’t know.”

Nobody opens a retail store without explicitly offering things for sale.

But service professionals, particularly those who are inventing something new, sometimes forget that until somebody writes you a check, you’re not really in business.

Think about how the money will come in and offer that, even if it’s a bit rough, as soon as possible. You can (and should) fine-tune the rest as you go.