For independent consultants, coaches, trainers and facilitators
Your next client is already in your network.
You're great at the work. Opening doors is the hard part, especially when you don't want to sound like a salesperson.
Dunbar is 6 weeks with Joshua Berry and a small group of peers, finding your next work through the people who already know you. Between sessions, the Dunbar app shows you who to reach each morning, and why.
6 live sessions with Joshua, one a week.
A small group, chosen so no one competes and everyone can make introductions for each other.
The Dunbar app, set up with you by Colin before week 1.
Not sure yet? Write to Joshua and Colin.
Cohort 1, a group of 6, meets from November 2 to mid-December.
The cohort experience, powered by Dunbar
What we heard
Before building this, Joshua sat down with 15 consultants, coaches and facilitators. A few things came up again and again.
“If I can get in front of somebody with a conversation, we close the sale.”
“It's not that it's not intentional. It's just not operationalized.”
“[CRMs] are great technology, but the behavior hasn't changed.”
“I am mad about buying training and not doing training.”
So Dunbar isn't more training. It's 6 weeks of doing it, together.
Cohort 2
6 weeks. A small group. Your real relationships.
Tools don't change a practice. Habits do. Once a week for 60 minutes, a small group of independents works live with Joshua on the people who already know their work. Joshua and Colin choose every member, so no two compete for the same clients and each can make introductions for the others. Bring one real relationship each week, and we'll work it together. You set one goal for the 6 weeks, and the group helps you reach it.
The 6 weeks
How the 6 weeks run.
Every session opens with a check-in: what you did since last week, and what came of it. Then one piece of Joshua's method, Sell With, Not To, worked on your own people.
Set up. An hour with Colin on Zoom, on your own screen. Dunbar has already read what is public about your practice, so you start from a first draft of who you serve. Your first morning list follows the same day.
Opening doors
Getting the right conversations, without pitching.
- Week1
- Week2
- Week3
- Week4
- Your people in Dunbar: who already knows your work, and who they know
- The morning list: reaching out without pitching
- Getting seen: finding the talks, workshops and rooms where your buyers can see you in action
- Turning a reply into a first conversation
When a door opens
What Joshua does once someone says "let's talk," worked on your real conversations.
- Week5
- Week6
- Make the first call feel like the first session
- Build it with them: the half-baked proposal
- Arm the person who has to sell it inside
- Hold it lightly, so one piece of work turns into the next
- Your plan for after the 6 weeks
The app that keeps it going
Most contact apps tell you who.Dunbar tells you why now, and what to offer.
- 01
Bring your people
Your past clients come first, since they can vouch for your work. Then the people who send you work, and your LinkedIn connections, sorted by how warm each relationship is. Your calendar and meeting notes fill in the rest.
- 02
Get a short list each morning
A few people, each with a reason: a new role, an introduction someone can make, a client you haven't talked to since spring.
- 03
Send it in your own words
A draft in your voice for each one. Tap Shorter, More formal or More like me, and Dunbar notices what you prefer. Send it from your own mailbox, or skip it. Nothing sends itself.
Marcus,
It's been a while since April, and I keep thinking about that offsite. Coffee in the next couple of weeks? I'd like to hear how the second half of the year went.
Robin
Runs the sessions
Joshua Berry
Cofounder and CEO of Econic, and author of Dare to Be Naive. Last year, 13 of his 18 engagements came from people who had already bought from him. None came from cold marketing. Each cohort is 6 weeks inside that practice.
Who it is for
Who Dunbar is for.
It's for you if
- You sell your own expertise: consulting, coaching, training or facilitation, on your own or in a small firm.
- Most of your work has come through people who already knew you, and you'd like that to happen on purpose.
- You're great at the work, and at the conversation once it starts. Opening the door is the hard part.
- You can give it about 15 minutes most mornings and 60 minutes once a week, for 6 weeks.
It isn't if
- You want a list of strangers to email. Dunbar works through the people who already know you, and the people they can introduce you to.
- You want something to send messages for you. Every message is a draft, and you send it.
- You sell a product or a subscription. Dunbar is built for service work that is won on relationship and trust.
Cohort 2 · Planned for early 2027
We choose each group so its members can open doors for each other.
What it includes
- 6 live sessions with Joshua Berry, 60 minutes each, recorded
- A curated group of generous, relationship-oriented independents
- Your real relationships, worked on live every week
- A group chat between sessions
- Dunbar, the app, set up with you by Colin before week 1
After the 6 weeks, your membership continues month to month: the app, and one group session with Joshua each month. You can cancel at any time.
How to join
- 01
Apply
Your name, email, website and LinkedIn. It takes about 2 minutes.
- 02
We check the fit
Joshua and Colin look at your work, your network and the rest of the group.
- 03
An intro call
If it looks like a fit, we reach out to set up a call. That is where we go over the price.
Questions
Things people ask before they say yes.
SetupDo I need to be good with technology?
No. Before week 1, Colin sets Dunbar up with you in an hour on Zoom, on your own screen. Bring your past clients and the people who send you work, as a spreadsheet, an export or a list of names. Dunbar works with Google or Microsoft 365 for your calendar and email.
ResultsWill it find me new clients?
It helps you find them through the people who already know you. Dunbar won't hand you a list of strangers. It shows you who to reach and who can introduce you, and helps with what to say once a door opens. Each member sets one goal for the 6 weeks, and the sessions work toward it.
GroupWho else is in the group?
Consultants, coaches, trainers and facilitators who sell their own expertise. Joshua and Colin choose every member themselves. No two compete for the same clients, and each can make introductions for the others, so everyone's business grows together.
PriceWhat does it cost?
We go over the price on the intro call: the 6 weeks, and the monthly membership that follows. The 6 weeks cover the live sessions with Joshua and their recordings, the group, and the app.
AfterWhat happens after the 6 weeks?
Your membership continues month to month: the app, and one group session with Joshua each month. You can cancel at any time. If you do, you can export everything, and your workspace is deleted on request.
TimingWhen does Cohort 2 start?
Cohort 2 is planned for early 2027. The group picks the day and time of the weekly session before week 1.
Apply for Cohort 2DataWhat happens to my data?
Your workspace is yours, and Dunbar doesn't train on your data. Your calendar is read for who you're meeting and when, not for what was said. Conversations with Dunbar are kept so it can pick up where you left off, and that includes anything you paste into them.
Privacy and data handling