5 Ways to Protect Your Book of Business in Uncertain Times

Your book of business is your most valuable asset. But if it only exists in your company's CRM and on business cards with someone else's logo, you don't really own it.

Here's how to change that.

1. Own Your Domain, Own Your Destiny

This is non-negotiable. You need a personal website with YOUR name on it.

Not YourName.BigCompany.com. Not a LinkedIn profile. A domain you control: YourName.com.

Why? Because when you leave (and you will, eventually), that BigCompany.com email stops working. Your LinkedIn shows you somewhere new. But YourName.com? That's yours forever.

What to include:

Your expertise and background
Media features or press mentions
A way for clients to reach you directly
Value-driven content that keeps them coming back

Make it the hub where clients can always find you, regardless of where you work.

2. Build Your Own Mailing List

Your company's CRM is not your list. It's theirs. And when you leave, you leave it behind.

Start collecting emails in a personal newsletter tool (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, whatever). Make it valuable—market updates, industry insights, tips that help your clients win.

The rule: Provide value, not sales pitches. Nobody wants another promotional email. They want intel that helps them make better decisions.

Send monthly. Stay top of mind. Own the relationship.

3. Create Regular Touchpoints Beyond Transactions

Most professionals only contact clients when there's a transaction or renewal. Big mistake.

The relationship needs to exist between deals. Otherwise, you're not a trusted advisor—you're a vendor.

Monthly touchpoint ideas:

Market update emails
Industry trend analysis
Helpful tips specific to their situation
Relevant news they need to know
Check-ins with no ask

When you provide consistent value, clients remember you. When you disappear until you need something, they forget.

4. Establish Authority Outside Your Company

Get featured. Get quoted. Get published.

When prospects Google your name, what do they see? LinkedIn and maybe a company bio?

Now imagine they see:

Articles you've written
Media features and interviews
Speaking engagements
Industry recognition

Authority builds trust. And authority that exists outside your employer is portable authority. It moves with you.

Press placements, published articles, and media mentions position you as the expert—not your business card.

5. Make Your Clients Choose You, Not Your Company

This is the hardest one to hear: if clients are with you because of your company's rates or products, they're not really your clients.

Real client relationships are built on trust, expertise, and value—things that transcend products.

Ask yourself:

Do my clients come to me for advice, or just transactions?
Would they follow me if I moved to a different firm?
Do they know how to reach me outside company channels?
Do I provide value beyond what's required for the job?

If the answer to any of these is "no," you don't own the relationship—your company does.

The Bottom Line

Your book of business is only truly yours if you own the relationship.

That means:

Your domain, your terms
Your list, your content
Your authority, your reputation
Your relationships, your future

The professionals who survive and thrive through market changes aren't the ones with the best company backing. They're the ones who built brands that travel with them.

Start building yours today. Because when the market shifts (and it will), you want your book of business to follow you—not get reassigned to whoever's left.

Ready to build a brand that travels with you? Learn how to create authority that's employer-agnostic and recession-proof.