The Swiss Army Knife trap (and why it keeps you underpaid)

BTW, before we get started, Thursday’s newsletter had a broken link to The So What test. Here’s the correct one.

Here's the thing about Swiss Army Knives: they're useful. Genuinely handy to have around.

But nobody invests in a Swiss Army Knife. They're a stocking stuffer. A thing you keep in a drawer and grab occasionally when you need something "good enough."

They're not the tool you reach for when something important is on the line. And they're definitely not something you pay premium prices for.

So why are you positioning yourself like one?

I want you to think about the last time you described what you do to a potential client.

Did it sound something like this?

"Well, I can help with your messaging, but I also do brand strategy. And I've done a lot of work with sales teams. I can help with your website copy too. Oh, and I've built out entire content systems. Really, I can jump in wherever you need me."

The Swiss Army Knife pitch.

It feels safe. It feels like you're maximizing your chances. You're showing them everything you're capable of so they can pick whatever resonates.

But here's what's actually happening when you do this:

You're not positioning yourself as an expert.

You're auditioning for a job.

And you're telling them exactly how to value you: handy, versatile, and cheap.

When you first start your business, the Swiss Army Knife approach makes sense.

You need clients. You need revenue. You need to prove you can do this.

So you say yes to everything. You pitch your versatility. You take whatever work comes your way because something is better than nothing.

And it works... for a while.

But then something starts to shift.

You notice that you're exhausted in a way that doesn't match your hours. You're doing good work, but it doesn't feel like YOUR work. You're capable of everything you've taken on, but half of it drains you.

And here's the part nobody talks about:

The more you operate as a Swiss Army Knife, the MORE insecure you become. Not less.

Because when you're constantly doing work outside your zone of genius - things you CAN do but aren't your sweet spot - you're never operating at full power. You're spreading yourself thin. You're delivering B+ work when you're capable of A+.

And over time, that gap starts to eat at you.

→ "Maybe I'm not as good as I thought." → "Maybe I need another certification." → "Maybe everyone else has this figured out and I'm the only one struggling."

The imposter syndrome isn't random. It's a direct result of how you've been positioning yourself.

For years, I called myself a "revenue strategist."

Which sounds impressive until you realize it meant I did 1,001 different things and nobody - including me - could explain what I actually did.

I thought my ability to be a generalist was my advantage. I could jump in anywhere! I knew so many things! Surely that was valuable!

But the more I leaned into that versatility, the more confused people got.

My network had no idea how to refer me. Prospects couldn't figure out if I was the right fit.

And I had NO CLUE how to drum up business - because I didn't know who to reach out to or what to even say I could do for them.

I was drowning in capability, but starving for clarity.

It wasn't until I got brutally specific - about who I serve, what outcome I deliver, and what I DON'T do - that everything started to shift.

(One quick side note: this is not a one-and-done exercise. I still consistently have to adjust what I do, how I do it, and how I talk about it. We continue to evolve. We learn more about our work and ourselves and that requires ongoing refinement. This is a journey, not a destination.)

Here's the thing. This pattern didn't start when you launched your business.

It started in your career.

In corporate, being a Swiss Army Knife was a GOOD thing. "She's so versatile." "He can handle anything we throw at him." "They're a real team player."

You were rewarded for proving your value through volume. For being willing to jump in anywhere. For never saying "that's not my job."

That's employee conditioning.

And it made total sense in that context. When you're an employee, your job is to make yourself useful to the organization however they need you.

But when you're running your own business? That same behavior is destroying you.

Because you're not trying to be useful to an organization anymore. You're trying to build something that's YOURS.

And you can't build something that's yours when you're constantly shapeshifting to be whatever each client wants.

Let's talk about what this is actually costing you - beyond the exhaustion and imposter syndrome.

Most of my clients come to me wanting the same thing: a business that generates consistent revenue without requiring them to work more hours.

That future requires three things: intellectual property, leverage, and a business that isn't entirely dependent on you.

And the Swiss Army Knife approach makes all three impossible.

IP requires consistency. A methodology. A point of view. Repeatable frameworks that you refine over time.

But when every client gets a different version of you doing different things, there's nothing to systematize. Nothing to document. Nothing that compounds.

Leverage means your effort multiplies instead of just adding up. But when everything is custom - when you're reinventing your approach for every engagement - you're stuck in linear mode forever. One input, one output. Trade time for money until you burn out.

I can't tell you how many clients have told me: "Someone in my network said 'Oh, I thought you did X' - and it was something I did once, years ago."

When you pitch yourself as a Swiss Army Knife, people remember random tools - not your expertise. And confused networks don't refer. Or worse, they refer you for the wrong things, which feeds the whole cycle.

If you ever want to exit - or even just step back - you need a business that isn't entirely dependent on YOU doing all the things.

But Swiss Army Knife businesses are unsellable. Because the entire value proposition is your willingness to do whatever the client needs. There's no "business" there. Just you, exhausted, trying to be everything to everyone.

You're not building an asset. You're building a job with no ceiling and no exit.

There's a fundamental difference between two types of entrepreneurs:

Order Takers wait to be told what the client needs, then prove they can deliver it. They position themselves through volume of capabilities. They let the client drive. They're always auditioning.

Strategic Partners know what they do and what outcome it creates. They position themselves through depth of expertise. They lead the engagement. They're never auditioning - they're assessing fit.

Same skills. Same experience. Same capabilities.

Completely different energy. Completely different results.

The Order Taker says: "Here's everything I can do - what do you need?"

The Strategic Partner says: "Here's the outcome I create and how I create it. Is that what you're looking for?"

One is asking for permission. One is claiming authority.

One attracts clients who want to direct you. One attracts clients who want to follow you.

One builds a job. One builds a freaking business.

When you make this shift - from Order Taker to Strategic Partner - something surprising happens:

Not because you talked yourself into it. But because you're finally operating in your zone of genius. You're doing the work you're actually great at, not the work you can technically handle.

When you stop trying to be everything to everyone, the people who need YOUR specific thing can finally find you. They're not hiring you because you're available. They're hiring you because you're the obvious choice for what they need.

When you're crystal clear about what you do, other people can be too. Suddenly the referrals that come in are actually aligned with your expertise - not random projects based on something you mentioned once three years ago.

A methodology you refine with each engagement. Frameworks that get sharper over time. IP that compounds. A business that could eventually run without you - or sell to someone else.

This is how you stop trading time for money.

Not by working more hours. Not by hiring a team. Not by adding more capabilities to your Swiss Army Knife.

By going deep instead of wide. By owning your zone of genius instead of proving you can do everything. By leading instead of auditioning.

I know why the Swiss Army Knife approach feels safer.

When you're specific about what you do, you're also specific about what you DON'T do. And that feels like you're leaving money on the table. Turning away opportunities. Limiting yourself.

But here's what's actually true:

Every time you say yes to work outside your sweet spot, you're saying no to building something sustainable.

Every time you pitch your versatility instead of your expertise, you're training clients to see you as an order taker.

Every time you let the client drive the engagement, you're reinforcing the employee conditioning that's keeping you stuck.

The Swiss Army Knife approach isn't keeping your options open.

It's keeping you trapped in the kitchen drawer.

On Thursday, I shared the Before/After/Beyond framework - the tactical tool for shifting from activity-focused to outcome-focused positioning. (Read it here if you missed it.)

But the framework only works if you're willing to make the deeper shift underneath it.

From proving to owning.

From auditioning to assessing.

From Order Taker to Strategic Partner.

That's not a positioning change. That's an identity change.

And it's the foundation everything else gets built on.

I'm curious: Where do you see yourself right now - Order Taker or Strategic Partner? And what's one thing keeping you stuck in audition mode?

Hit reply and tell me. I read every single one.

In love, growth, and scalability,
Kasey