Who should pay for software subscriptions (like Apollo, Appify, OpenAI, Make.com) when delivering automation services to clients — the agency or the client? If the agency pays, do they need separate subscriptions per client? If the client pays, how does payment and trust work?
If you're building a system that generates $5,000 a month in value for a client, having them pay a small percentage fee is not a big deal; they care about the upside, not the tiny downside. As the service provider, you might worry about subscription costs, but the AI and automation field attracts technical people who overthink this. Get the client to pay for everything. On a kickoff call, walk them through exactly which platforms they need to sign up for. This builds perceived value because they see the technical setup and appreciate you handling it. You can also use your affiliate links—being a Make.com partner, for example—to earn 3–5% kickback or give clients discounts. If a client stays for a year, you earn recurring affiliate fees; e.g., 40% on a $100/month plan yields $40/month, or $480–$500 per year per client even if they stop working with you. This approach also minimizes your liability since you’re not making monthly payments on their behalf. It’s the best way to handle software costs. If you’d like a kickoff call SOP, I have a document that outlines how to run the call and get clients signed up on the platforms.
Most of the time the client pays for services like Apollo, Appify, OpenAI, and NAN. You can use your affiliate links so you get a cut, but the client is the one covering the subscription cost. They enter their payment details directly into the platform, so you never handle their credit card info. The risk is low, and as a beginner you generally don’t charge the client for those recurring costs directly.
He says clients should pay for APIs and platforms to remove liability and enable affiliate partnerships, which can add 3‑5% to gross margin (e.g., Zapmail 10%, Instantly 40%). This also minimizes handoffs because the client owns their own environment, making transitions easy and avoiding dark‑pattern lock‑ins. For email integration, use a dedicated client‑owned Google Workspace or Outlook account; only handle credentials during a kickoff call when 2FA is required. Finally, recommend containerizing services as a black box: the client pays, you do all the work, they only see input and output (e.g., lead‑gen service where they pay and receive booked meetings). This delivers clear ROI, reduces client stress, and simplifies delivery.
There are several ways. One is to sell courses that teach specific enterprise tools—think Airtable or Zapier for large companies—usually priced around $100. Another is affiliate revenue: by embedding affiliate links you can earn an extra 5‑10 % on each client you refer, which can boost agency margins from about 30 % to 40 %. Over a client’s lifetime that can add roughly $10‑$15 per month per client, scaling to several hundred dollars per year per client. You can also run monthly subscription models on a cloud server, using payment processors like Stripe to handle recurring billing. I’m planning a video that walks through setting up an AI‑automation agency from day one, covering all these monetization streams.
Sure. When a new client signs a contract and the invoice is paid, the first step is a kickoff call. In that call you thank them, clarify the problem you’ll solve, reiterate the value you’re delivering, and cover timelines, communication channels, account sign‑ups, and any two‑factor‑authentication requirements. You walk them through signing up for every platform you’ll use, making sure all 2FA is set up, and you aim to have every account, email, and password ready by the end of the call—ideally stored in a password manager like 1Password, LastPass or Dashlane. Then you invite the client to your communication hub (Slack, email, WhatsApp, etc.) and establish a cadence for updates, such as a brief status every couple of days. From there you proceed with the automation build. The client pays for everything: the automation platform (Make.com), any niche tools you use (Naden, PandaDo, Instantly, Mailfinder, ClickUp, Slack, Apollo/Amplify, etc.). Because you have affiliate partnerships with most of these services, you include your referral links, which typically give you a 3‑5 % margin, providing a small side‑income that continues even after the project is handed off.