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#177 · How to acquire distribution fast and dominate the AI era

youtube ↗Agency Operations

If I start an automation agency solo, how different would that be from what I'm doing now (contracting with IT consulting under my registered corp)?

He explains that starting an automation agency solo under your existing registered corporation is essentially the same as what you're already doing—providing services as a person under your corp. The registered corp is your business entity; you're not becoming a sole proprietor or independent contractor, you're just offering services through it. This matches the business model he recommends: targeting Microsoft 365-based companies, where you have the most experience and authority. If you can deliver scalably, the model works. For cold outreach, he suggests linking to your personal LinkedIn instead of an agency website because LinkedIn provides social proof and you can't share past client work due to NDAs. Make sure your LinkedIn is optimized. Regarding Maker School, if you're not after automation templates, tools, referrals, or learning Maker Naid, the main benefit is mainly breaking limiting beliefs—but if you're already making 20,000 dollars a month you likely don't have many of those. For you, the real value would be networking and direct access to him (questions answered within 24 hours versus 5-7 days elsewhere). Most members want templates, referrals, sales training, their first customer, and emotional support; you don't need those. What remains is the community of about 2,600 people and his personal access, which can be valuable to the right person, though average earnings in Maker School are around 2,000 dollars per month.

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Related answers

youtube ↗Client Acquisition

I've been on LinkedIn for months trying to get clients and failed — a mix of inconsistency and not knowing what to sell or how to do outreach properly. I've been considering starting on Upwork instead. Is that a good idea, or am I just coping? How much would it cost monthly to land a client within 3 months? I always thought I should stick to LinkedIn since I know the platform, but the deeper I get, the more I realize I don't know what I'm doing.

You won't know what you're doing until you've actually done it — it's unreasonable to expect polished outreach skills as an absolute beginner. Your results right now will be the worst they'll ever be; don't judge your future potential by your current 'chapter one' results, judge by 'chapter 100.' Yes, you should be doing more outreach broadly, including Upwork and other freelance platforms — ideally simultaneously. In Maker School, people spend 70-80% of their computer time on sales, marketing, and outreach, because that's what actually gets clients; without clients, you have a hobby, not a business. On cost: plenty of people land their first client within 10-20 Upwork applications, though the median is more like 40-50. If your average cost per application is $5-6, 40 applications is roughly $200 — which against a $500 first client is a high ~40% marketing cost, but your first deal is always your worst deal financially. As you build a track record and start upselling, your marketing cost as a percentage of revenue drops significantly — most people settle around 10-15% of gross spent on marketing via Upwork over time. Don't plan to stay on Upwork forever though — treat it as a crutch to get you to something more scalable, like cold email.

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youtube ↗Client Acquisition

I've struggled to get clients on LinkedIn due to inconsistency and not knowing what to sell or how to outreach. Should I try Upwork instead, or am I just coping? What would be the monthly cost to acquire a client within three months on Upwork?

Well, Ziad, you won't know what you're doing until you've done it; it's unreasonable to expect a beginner to have perfect outreach skills on LinkedIn. Your initial results will likely be the worst you'll ever get, and judging future performance by those early results is a losing game. Early LinkedIn outreach will have low view and reply rates, but after a year of practice those metrics will improve significantly—don't judge by chapter one, judge by chapter 100. Yes, you should try Upwork and other freelance platforms; there's nothing wrong with that, and you can use multiple platforms simultaneously. In Maker School we spend 70‑80% of our computer time on sales, marketing, and outreach because that's what gets clients; without clients you just have a hobby. Regarding cost to acquire a client within three months on Upwork: many students land a client after 10‑20 applications, with a median around 40‑50 applications. If your average cost per application is $5‑$6, that's about $200‑$300 spent. For a $500 client, that's a 40‑60% marketing cost on the first deal—high, but typical; early deals are usually the worst financially. As you upsell and gain experience, your marketing cost as a percentage of gross drops, often to 10‑15% of total gross. Don't stay on Upwork forever; use it as a crutch to reach more scalable platforms like cold email.

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youtube ↗Client Acquisition

I'm 19, just started an automation agency with two co-founders; we have our setup, portfolio, website, and LinkedIn done, but no clients or revenue. What should we focus on to turn this into a real business?

Well, you guys don’t have any revenue or clients, so you’re really just working on a project. Your first priority should be solving the no‑clients, no‑revenue problem. Don’t waste time building out a product or website—just get something sold. I’d have you and your friends create profiles on Upwork, Freelancer.com, and Fiverr. Each day, pool your school money or whatever you can and submit ten Upwork applications. In those applications, tell prospects exactly what you can do (X, Y, Z) and how you’d approach their project, showing rather than just telling your experience. This avoids the inevitable ‘show me your portfolio’ question because you demonstrate your process. If you do this for three days you’ll have sent about ninety applications, and the odds of landing at least one $200 project are high. Once you have that $200 project, you now have a real business—you’ve made money online and can stop pretending. You’ll learn more from that small project than from hours of my talking. After you land a client, get them on a call and confirm the money is changing hands or there’s a monetary agreement, like escrow on a platform. If I built you a solution that automated all of this outreach and follow‑up, it would definitely save you time and money—that’s the vibe I’m advising. So give it a try.

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youtube ↗Lead Generation

If I have zero budget but plenty of time, can I land my first client in under 48 hours and generate $10k monthly revenue quickly?

With no money, you double‑down on time. Scrape LinkedIn or Upwork profiles for first names and contact details, then manually reach out with a concise pitch that showcases your AI skill and offers a quick solution. Aim for 10‑minute outreach slots; in 48 hours (assuming you sleep 16 hours) you have 32 slots, which translates to about 192 potential prospects. Even a single positive response can land a $5k‑$10k client. If LinkedIn isn’t an option, be relentless on any platform—spend every waking second on outreach. These prospects are pre‑qualified because they’ve already expressed a willingness to pay for a problem solved. You can also farm social media for signals of need and contact those users directly.

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