You're giving away too much. Here's what to do instead

I see this pattern so often that it almost hurts to watch.

A vegan health coach gets on a call with someone who's interested in working with them. The call is supposed to be a "free consultation." It goes for an hour. Maybe longer. The coach pours out their best advice — meal plans, supplement recommendations, lifestyle changes, the whole thing. The person on the other end is thrilled. "This was amazing, thank you so much!"

And then they disappear. They got what they needed. For free.

The coach is left wondering: What did I do wrong? Why didn't they sign up?

Here's the thing — you didn't do anything wrong in terms of your generosity. You did something wrong in terms of your structure.

I'm not going to tell you to stop giving people advice. That's who you are. That's why people are drawn to you. If you stopped being generous, you wouldn't be you.

But I am going to tell you this: a one-hour free consultation is not generosity. It's giving it all away. And the longer you talk, the easier it is for that conversation to turn into a full coaching session that nobody's paying for.

So here's the shift I want you to make.

Stop offering free consultations. Start offering discovery calls. And keep them to 20–30 minutes.

Not because you don't want to give. Because your time is precious. You can give without giving it ALL away. Twenty minutes is enough to understand someone's situation, show them you know what you're talking about, and figure out if you're a good fit for each other. That's the whole point.

A free consultation says: "Let me prove to you that I'm worth hiring."

A discovery call says: "Let's find out if we should work together."

One is you auditioning. The other is you evaluating — together.

But here's where most vegan service providers get stuck, even after they make the switch to discovery calls. They have a great 20-minute conversation... and then they don't ask the question.

You know the question. It's some version of: "Would you like to talk about working together?"

People shy away from it because they don't want to feel like a salesperson. They think asking is pushing. So instead, they end the call with "Well, it was great talking to you! Let me know if you ever need anything!" and hope the person comes back.

They usually don't.

Here's what I want you to understand: asking isn't selling. It's getting clarity.

You're not promoting an offer. You're finding out someone's intent. Do they want ongoing support? Are they looking for a long-term relationship? Do they need help beyond today's conversation? If you don't ask, they won't always tell you. Not because they're not interested — but because they're waiting for you to lead.

And if the answer is "not right now" — that's fine. That's great, actually. You gave them a great 20 minutes, you showed your expertise, and now you both have clarity. Nobody wasted anyone's time. Nobody feels weird.

But you have to ask. You have to drive that conversation. Hoping they'll come back because you were amazing is not a strategy. It's a wish.

Your one thing this week: look at how you describe your initial conversation with potential clients. Is it a "free consultation"? Is it an hour long? Is there any structure to it?

If not, here's what I want you to change:

Rename it. Call it a discovery call, an intro call, a fit call — whatever feels natural. The word matters because it reframes the purpose. This isn't a free session. It's a conversation to figure out if you should work together.

Shorten it. 20–30 minutes max. Set a timer if you need to. The constraint actually makes you better at getting to the point — and it protects you from accidentally doing a full coaching session for free.

And at the end of your next one, ask the question. Something simple like: "Based on what we talked about, would it make sense to set up a time to discuss what working together could look like?" That's not a pitch. That's asking.

Try it once this week. Reply and tell me how it went.

Tired of reading? Listen to a fellow vegan entrepreneur talk about growing their client base. Kristen Decker built DESERT BLOOM™ from scratch — a plant-based cowgirl boot brand made from corn and wheat leather. Her story is about persistence, finding your people, and proving that business fundamentals translate even when you're entering a completely new industry.

You can be generous and still protect your time. They're not opposites.

— Stephanie

PS: Last issue, I asked you to make two columns — what your life needs vs. your current work schedule. If you did it, I'd love to hear what you noticed. If you didn't, this week's a fresh start. Hit reply.