What happens when an ending is really a beginning? After 120 episodes and three incredible years, I’ve been reflecting on the journey from Hourly to Exit to Scaling Expertise—and how this show has become a trusted resource for protecting and scaling expertise.

In this final episode, I share my gratitude for you—the listeners, the amazing guests, and the broader community who embraced my mission of helping experts protect their IP and grow with intention.

But this isn’t goodbye. I’m excited to share what’s next: long-form content, in-person workshops, and deeper conversations about what it means to be an ethical expert in an AI-saturated world.

Key Takeaways

• Erin closes Scaling Expertise after 120 episodes and 3+ years of conversations on scaling and protecting expertise.
• Gratitude for listeners, guests, and the community who engaged deeply with IP, growth, and the future of work.
• Why podcasting has been both humbling and transformative, stretching her thinking and expanding her network.
• The decision to pivot toward long-form content, workshops, and in-person interactions for deeper, real-time exchange.
• A shift from “tips and tricks” toward tackling complex questions especially around AI and ethics.
• Exploring what it means to serve clients responsibly in an AI-saturated world.
• Balancing legal concerns (copyright, contracts, confidentiality) with broader ethical obligations and client trust.
• An invitation to join Erin in the next chapter: building a community committed to using AI with conscience and integrity.

Connect with Erin to learn how to Turn Your Expertise into Scalable Recurring Revenue.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erinaustin/

Think Beyond IP YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVztXnDYnZ83oIb-EGX9IGA/videos

Music credit: Paphos by Mountaineer

A Team Dklutr production

What happens when your brand outgrows you?

Negotiation expert Alex Carter joins Erin Austin to share how she evolved from a one-woman powerhouse to the Ask For More Group expanding her impact while protecting her intellectual property. From hitting the limits of her own time to realizing “me, me, me” isn’t sustainable, Alex opens up about the real decisions behind building a legacy brand.

If you’re still winging it with your contracts or ignoring your IP, Alex’s insights and cautionary tales will have you rethinking how you safeguard your business for long-term success.

Key Takeaways

• From Personal Brand to Group Impact — Alex shares how she moved beyond a solo practice to build the Ask For More Group, expanding her impact while protecting her name and legacy.
• The “Me, Me, Me” Branding Trap — Learn why sticking to a personality-driven brand can limit your reach and why it’s crucial to shift to a scalable business model.
• Think Like a Scientist — Alex explains how adopting a testing mindset helped her experiment with new formats and offerings without fear of failure.
• When Capacity Hits a Wall — Hear the moment Alex realized she couldn’t deliver more without a team and systems to multiply her expertise.
• The Hidden IP Clause That Hurts — Erin and Alex unpack how seemingly small contract clauses — like recording or licensing rights — can cost you control of your work.
• AI & Protecting Your Voice — They discuss the rising threat of AI cloning your content and what steps you need to take now to safeguard your voice and likeness.
• Lessons Even Lawyers Learn the Hard Way — Despite being a negotiation expert and lawyer, Alex admits the missteps she made early on with her IP and contracts.
• Scaling with Integrity — Together, they highlight how to grow your impact without sacrificing your values, your sanity, or the unique value you bring to your clients.

More About Our Guest:

Alexandra Carter is the Everett B. Birch Innovative Teaching Clinical Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. She is a world-renowned negotiation trainer for the United Nations, Fortune 500 companies, civil rights agencies, and more. In 2019, Professor Carter was awarded the Columbia University Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, Columbia’s highest teaching honor. Her first book, Ask for More: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything, was published by Simon & Schuster in May 2020 and became an instant Wall Street Journal Business bestseller. Professor Carter is a frequent media commentator on negotiation and pay equity for women, with appearances on Good Morning America, MSNBC’s Morning Joe and MSNBC Live, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the CBS Early Show, and NPR Marketplace. Professor Carter’s TEDx talk, entitled “How to ask for more – and get it,” was released in July 2024, designated as an Editor’s Pick and then promoted to TED.com, where it has been watched by more than a million people worldwide.

Connect with Alex Carter:

• Website
• LinkedIn

What if your business could run and sell, all while you sleep?

Systems expert Kronda Adair joins Erin to break down how service providers can stop leaking time and money by automating wisely. Learn why your email list is gold, how to keep your audience warm, and the real ROI of documenting your processes.

Are you the bottleneck in your own business? Kronda Adair exposes how a lack of systems keeps you stuck and overwhelmed. Erin and Kronda share practical steps to build automations that serve your clients (and your sanity). It’s time to work less and profit more.

Feeling like you’re reinventing the wheel every client project? Kronda Adair says: never again! Discover her proven frameworks to create repeatable success, nurture leads automatically, and finally escape the burnout hamster wheel. If you want to scale sustainably, you can’t miss this one.

Key Takeaways:

• Systems That Set You Free – Kronda explains how documenting repeatable processes stops you from reinventing the wheel every time.
• Your Email List is Your Lifeline – Why building and nurturing an email list gives you control over your audience, unlike social media.
• Goodbye Bottleneck, Hello Growth – Tips to stop being the single point of failure in your business operations.
• Authentic Automation – How automations can feel personal and build relationships rather than alienate clients.
• Productize Your Genius – Why turning custom services into repeatable offers protects your time and IP.
• Owned vs. Rented Audience – Erin and Kronda break down the dangers of relying only on social platforms for leads.
• Small Tweaks, Big Impact – Easy steps to get started with automations that keep your pipeline warm year-round.
• Protect What You’ve Built – Erin shares how contracts and licensing work alongside systems to keep your business scalable and protected.

More About Our Guest:

Kronda Adair is a Black lesbian dog mom who wants more Black women to rest and let the robots handle their repetitive tasks. Through her Million Dollar Systems retainer and her Automation Club Membership, she uses her knowledge and skills gained as a web developer, content marketing coach, automation service provider, and tech strategist to help overworked business owners stop buying technology and start hiring technology to build a software team that supports their business. When she’s not working, she can be found enjoying time at home with her wife, and cat, hiking or doing dog sports with her two Vizsla's, reading, cooking delicious food, or enjoying the postcard vistas of the state of Oregon.

Connect with Kronda Adair:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• TikTok

Connect with Erin to learn how to Turn Your Expertise into Scalable Recurring Revenue.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erinaustin/

Think Beyond IP YouTube Page:...