December 14, 2023

Pollen Roundup: New features, navigating ambiguous discovery calls, and tax guidance

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="nl-container" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#f6f2ee" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#f6f2ee" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;border-radius:5px;color:#000;width:500px;margin:0 auto" width="500"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="image_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:10px;padding-right:20px;padding-top:20px;width:100%"><div align="left" class="alignment" style="line-height:10px"><div style="max-width:100px"><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tP3V0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj0xMiUyRjE0K1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwKyUyOFdhaXRsaXN0JTI5XHUwMDI2dXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9MTIlMkYxNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cFx1MDAyNnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWxfYWN0aW9uXHUwMDI2dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1jdXN0b21lci5pbyIsInQiOjE3MTA0MzgwNDN9/713baa54b08083927af6cce35ad90597fd9685fc36f730216f1b915347b92eff" style="outline:none" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img alt="Image" src="https://userimg-bee.customeriomail.com/images/client-env-125681/Calque%202.png" style="display:block;height:auto;border:0;width:100%" title="Image" width="100"></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;font-size:24px;mso-line-height-alt:28.799999999999997px"> <span style="font-size:24px;"><strong><span style=""><span style="">Pollen Roundup: New features, navigating ambiguous discovery calls, and tax guidance</span></span></strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:14px;mso-line-height-alt:21px"><span style="font-size:14px;"><em>👋 Welcome to this week's roundup, where we share </em><em>member wisdom, upcoming events, and expert insights. All happening inside Pollen.</em></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:14px;mso-line-height-alt:21px"> <span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:14px;mso-line-height-alt:21px"><span style="font-size:14px;">➡️ <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcGxpY2F0aW9ucy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2Zsb3cvYXBwbGljYXRpb25zL3ZhcmlhbnQvbWFpbj91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MTIlMkYxNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTEyJTJGMTQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM4MDQzfQ/9d47a114ffe83959ee3264d8566f2271414a7269a96c3590dde90ef388f33baf" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank"><em>Apply to join Pollen</em></a><em> to unlock full membership benefits.</em></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="button_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"> <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcGxpY2F0aW9ucy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2Zsb3cvYXBwbGljYXRpb25zL3ZhcmlhbnQvbWFpbj91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MTIlMkYxNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTEyJTJGMTQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM4MDQzfQ/9d47a114ffe83959ee3264d8566f2271414a7269a96c3590dde90ef388f33baf" style="text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000;border-radius:9px;width:auto;border-top:0px solid transparent;font-weight:400;border-right:0px solid transparent;border-bottom:0px solid transparent;border-left:0px solid transparent;padding-top:5px;padding-bottom:5px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center;mso-border-alt:none;word-break:keep-all;" target="_blank"><span style="padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;font-size:14px;display:inline-block;letter-spacing:1px;"><span style="word-break: break-word; line-height: 28px;">Apply</span></span></a> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-6" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:22px;"><strong>🎁 New features harnessing the power of this collective</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="image_block block-7" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"> <div align="center" class="alignment" style="line-height:10px"><div style="max-width:500px"><img src="https://userimg-assets.customeriomail.com/images/client-env-125681/1702482690184_Benchmarks_01HHHY0GHMYGXFBDW53DN1PNHT.png" style="display:block;height:auto;border:0;width:100%" width="500"></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-8" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">We believe in the power of this group, and have been working hard to provide experiences that harness our collective wisdom to support your goals and build meaningful connections along the way.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Check out these new features:</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp; </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">💰 <strong>Benchmarks</strong>. These help you answer ‘How much should I be charging a client?’ with a verified compensation database.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">📜 <strong>Assets</strong>. It’s a new way to get inspired by the work of others. Assets are real world work examples used by Pollen members in their businesses.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">🪞 Our <strong>member directory</strong> and profiles give you rich information about other Pollen members — including their areas of expertise, how you can exchange help, their roster of clients and more.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">➕ We’ve created an easy way to <strong>refer</strong> your consultant connections to Pollen so they — and all of us at Pollen — can build our businesses together.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">What all these features have in common is that they’re powered by our collective and they celebrate collaboration rather than competition. A small group got them started, but these are really what you make it — so enjoy and contribute by adding a benchmark, submitting an asset, and filling out your profile.</span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-9" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-10" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:22px;"><strong>💡 Expert insight: Take control of ambiguous discovery calls with a solution-provider mindset</strong></span></p></div></div> </td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-11" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">A lot of projects kick off right away after one discovery call. But sometimes, we can get stuck in multiple calls with several stakeholders, and it’s not as clear how to get the project over the finish line and confirmed.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Eevin</strong>&nbsp;asked the community about how to steer a lead that’s seemingly stuck in ambiguity.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Pollen Expert in Residence <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5qYW1pZXJjb3guY29tLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MTIlMkYxNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTEyJTJGMTQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM4MDQzfQ/59803de347e3b5afbcdad5c31e1f5379081d4b1635602c11326a9ac88a48a240" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Jamie Cox</a>:</strong> “I try to end any discovery call with, 'The next step would be for me to create a proposal outlining this information and how I can help so we can start to move forward.' This way, they can begin to overcome some barriers like 'How do we make this budget work?' 'Who else does this person need to talk to?'.</span> </p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="background-color:#ffdf8f;">I'd say if they continue to string you along, it's important to hold a boundary and pose a solution that works for both of you—'It sounds like you need to figure out XYZ before we can begin. I'll follow up with you in a few weeks to see if you have an answer and we can go from there.'</span> If you don't hold the boundary now, it may be difficult to build one in the future.”</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Get more tips on navigating ambiguous discovery calls </strong><strong>in the discussion</strong><strong>.</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#f6f2ee" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;color:#343446;width:500px;margin:0 auto" width="500"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:22px;"><strong>🤝 Member wisdom: Funneling high profile volunteer work into paid consulting work</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">As independents, we’re often juggling multiple projects that can range from our main business to side hustle passion projects to volunteering. Making time for varied ventures is one of the best parts of working for yourself, but it also means it’s 100% up to us to manage our time, and not just saying yes to all incoming asks.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Eileen</strong>&nbsp;shared her dilemma around this: In her higher profile volunteer work, she’s often approached for projects that would fit more under her paid consulting work. She asked for other members’ advice on how to address these asks.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Alison: </strong>“Boundaries!! You can reply with this:</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;background-color:#ffdf8f;">'Thank you for your interest in my professional skills! I'm at capacity for pro-bono work this quarter, but do offer these paid services that would be a great fit for your team…'</span><span style="font-size:16px;">”</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Get more ideas</strong><strong> from members on more explicitly labeling rates and introducing a lead funnel.</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:22px;"><strong>✨ Upcoming events</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#f6f2ee" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;color:#343446;width:500px;margin:0 auto" width="500"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="html_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:center"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:18px;font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>December New Member Onboarding</strong>: Today! Thursday, December 14th at 12pm ET / 9am PT</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Community Coworking Session</strong>: Monday, December 18th from 1pm-5pm ET / 10am-2pm PT</span></li><li> <span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>December Retro</strong>: Tuesday, December 19th at 12pm ET / 9am PT</span></li></ul><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Catch this past event recording: </strong>Preparing for 2024 Taxes with Mohammed Asaduallah</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">A few questions answered in this recording:</span></p><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:24px;font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;">What are the marginal tax rates?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">What expenses can a business write off?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">How do these vary depending on what type of business you have?</span></li><li> <span style="font-size:16px;">What should we do to prep for taxes now?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">What are the key deadlines?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">And many more!</span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#f6f2ee" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;color:#343446;width:500px;margin:0 auto" width="500"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:22px;"><strong>🔥 Most active conversations</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:18px;font-size:16px"><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Making progress on December goals by sharing tasks for accountability</span></li><li> <span style="font-size:16px;">Anyone else psych yourself out when working with new clients?</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Feedback on a member’s new updated website and rebrand</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Publishing content on Medium vs. your own site</span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"><span style="font-size:22px;"><strong>🤗</strong><strong> Member recs and resources</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><ul style="line-height:1.5;mso-line-height-alt:18px"><li> <span style="font-size:16px;">A rate increase email template</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Advice for navigating health insurance</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Tips on increasing email click through rates</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Ways to automate digital product sales</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Year in review examples to reflect on 2023</span></li><li> <span style="font-size:16px;">A content marketing virtual event for a good cause</span></li><li><span style="font-size:16px;">Considerations for including equity as part of your payment structure</span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-6" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row row-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#f6f2ee" width="100%"><tbody> <tr><td><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="row-content stack" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;background-color:#fff;border-radius:5px;color:#000;width:500px;margin:0 auto" width="500"><tbody><tr><td class="column column-1" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;font-weight:400;text-align:left;padding-bottom:5px;padding-top:5px;vertical-align:top;border-top:0;border-right:0;border-bottom:0;border-left:0" width="100%"> <table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-1" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div style="font-family:sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:14px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px;color:#000;line-height:1.2"><p style="margin:0;mso-line-height-alt:16.8px"> <span style="font-size:22px;">📋<strong>&nbsp;Asset Highlight</strong></span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-2" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>30/60/90 Day Action Plan from <a class="" href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hdXN0aW5sY2h1cmNoLmNvbS8_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTEyJTJGMTQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0xMiUyRjE0K1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzODA0M30/eda2bee7b92a6f203e1dd3346f5c680441aa4ef2f1d5bd2eb2e2381f7f4c227c" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">Austin Church</a></strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">“Build out your 2024 Plan using these guidelines”</span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="image_block block-3" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;width:100%"> <div align="center" class="alignment" style="line-height:10px"><div style="max-width:460px"><a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5saW5rZWRpbi5jb20vaW4vcmFjaGVsLWJpY2hhLTQ0MDgwLz91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MTIlMkYxNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTEyJTJGMTQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM4MDQzfQ/d84e4c841c8e3ade280ce0594ca8bab789a3981bfb0eb0f7e63ae67310d9a50f" style="outline:none" tabindex="-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://userimg-assets.customeriomail.com/images/client-env-125681/1702482277773_30:60:90%20Plan_01HHHXKY4KC7KN52X732NMJSQ0.png" style="display:block;height:auto;border:0;width:100%" width="460"></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-4" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> Pollen Assets are real work examples created by members of the community, including documents, presentations, spreadsheets, flow charts, marketing campaigns, and more.</p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-5" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-6" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:30px"><span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>Apply for membership for full access</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Pollen's members get <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL21lbWJlcnNoaXA_dXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPTEyJTJGMTQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXArJTI4V2FpdGxpc3QlMjlcdTAwMjZ1dG1fY29udGVudD0xMiUyRjE0K1dlZWtseStSb3VuZHVwXHUwMDI2dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbF9hY3Rpb25cdTAwMjZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWN1c3RvbWVyLmlvIiwidCI6MTcxMDQzODA0M30/435b20b9737e403731a92e4ff5d86232899e3946717822fb6b0ea8002b49689a" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #343446;" target="_blank">full membership benefits</a>.</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:18px">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>A membership gets you:</strong></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Access to Pollen’s community of fellow independents</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">One-on-one advice from Experts in Residence</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"> <span style="font-size:16px;">Expert-led sprints</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Accountability groups</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Shared wisdom from small expertise groups</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Network referrals</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">30+ playbooks</span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:16px;text-align:center;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;">Discounts to over 100 tools</span></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="divider_block block-7" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"><div align="center" class="alignment"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="divider_inner" style="font-size:1px;line-height:1px;border-top:1px solid #bbb"><span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" class="button_block block-8" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad"> <div align="center" class="alignment"> <a href="http://email.runpollen.com/e/c/eyJlIjoxMjU2ODEsImVtYWlsX2lkIjoiZXhhbXBsZSIsImhyZWYiOiJodHRwczovL2FwcGxpY2F0aW9ucy5ydW5wb2xsZW4uY29tL2Zsb3cvYXBwbGljYXRpb25zL3ZhcmlhbnQvbWFpbj91dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249MTIlMkYxNCtXZWVrbHkrUm91bmR1cCslMjhXYWl0bGlzdCUyOVx1MDAyNnV0bV9jb250ZW50PTEyJTJGMTQrV2Vla2x5K1JvdW5kdXBcdTAwMjZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsX2FjdGlvblx1MDAyNnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Y3VzdG9tZXIuaW8iLCJ0IjoxNzEwNDM4MDQzfQ/9d47a114ffe83959ee3264d8566f2271414a7269a96c3590dde90ef388f33baf" style="text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000;border-radius:9px;width:auto;border-top:0px solid transparent;font-weight:400;border-right:0px solid transparent;border-bottom:0px solid transparent;border-left:0px solid transparent;padding-top:5px;padding-bottom:5px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;text-align:center;mso-border-alt:none;word-break:keep-all;" target="_blank"><span style="padding-left:20px;padding-right:20px;font-size:14px;display:inline-block;letter-spacing:1px;"><span style="word-break: break-word; line-height: 28px;">Apply</span></span></a> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="text_block block-9" role="presentation" style="mso-table-lspace:0;mso-table-rspace:0;word-break:break-word" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="pad" style="padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:10px;padding-right:20px;padding-top:10px"><div style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><div class="" style="font-size:12px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;mso-line-height-alt:18px;color:#000;line-height:1.5"><p style="margin:0;font-size:14px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="">Have a great day!</span></span></p><p style="margin:0;font-size:14px;mso-line-height-alt:24px"><span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="">The Pollen 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