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#320 · the $50/mo cold email stack (minimum viable, 2026)

youtube ↗Agency Operations

I'm freelancing in Germany as a web designer, also doing branding and automation. I don't enjoy freelancing and want a productized agency model. I have a friend interested in UGC, and we want to combine our skills but don't know how. Do you have any suggestions on how to proceed?

Your dream of a productized agency is common. A good example is DesignJoy—Brett made about $100k/month as a one-man agency by templating all his work, working 6–9 hours a day, selling a $4,995/month subscription, and managing clients via a Trello board. He'd pick a template from his library, modify it based on customer needs, and deliver it manually (pre‑AI). Over time he built ~300 templates, making future clients easy. His success came from ensuring every unit of work benefited him and avoiding calls for a long time, which he considered essential to growth. Check out Brett from DesignJoy for reference.

agencyproductizedtemplatingDesignJoy

Related answers

youtube ↗Sales

How can I start a web design agency, get clients, and improve sales call conversion?

You shouldn't expect to convert every sales call; aim for a 20-30% conversion rate, which means you might need up to five calls to close a deal. If you're less experienced, expect to make 10-30 calls before a sale. Keep your expectations low to reduce pressure—knowing you need at least 20 calls to see success will help you perform better on each call. Think of each call as just another 5% toward your goal. Improving naturally comes from following a process or script, which you can find online or in Maker School. If you're running a web design agency but can't build websites yourself, you're not truly running the agency. Learn to build a couple of sites easily with AI—no need for a friend. Then manage the entire stack yourself. Thanks to Leroy and Kapsa. (Note about uncle being a financial advisor skipped as already answered.)

sales callsconversion rateweb designAI
youtube ↗AI & Automation

How do I start an AI agency as a beginner, what skills should I learn, and what is the fastest roadmap from scratch?

Honestly, I can't hold your hand through everything, but here's a roadmap. Start with the Make.com playlist I created—Make for People Who Want to Make Real Money. Watch the first 12‑13 videos to get the basics, then move on to live builds. Join Maker School, my day‑by‑day accountability program, for hands‑on guidance. After that, create an Upwork profile. Upwork lets you see what clients are actually paying for and gives you simple connector projects rather than academic builds. Apply to jobs you have at least a 50 % chance of completing; you may need to send 20‑30 proposals before you land a client. Your first gigs will likely pay $30‑$50 an hour, especially if you're in a lower‑cost‑of‑living country, but they'll give you real customer problems to solve. Consistent Upwork work will transition you from an academic mindset to a real business mindset. If you struggle with Make.com, check out their Academy for day‑by‑day lessons.

ai agencymake.comupworkno-code
youtube ↗Offers

Have you considered creating a dedicated content or resource offering—separate from Maker School—focused specifically on the process of building profitable agencies?

I have. Yeah. If you think about it, I started with agencies, then I crushed agencies, and now I teach agencies. I’ve made a lot of money teaching agencies, and I’ve also taught info products. I’ve considered packaging that knowledge into its own product, but I’m not exactly sure how I’d structure it yet—just iterating day by day.

content productagency traininginfo product
youtube ↗Agency Operations

Isn't teaching everyone to run their own agency just producing a bunch of glorified, commoditized freelancers?

I understand the perspective, but I don't think most people here already have the business experience to launch and run an agency from scratch. Starting as a freelancer — doing the bulk of the work yourself early on — actually makes sense, because you need to learn how to deliver the service before you're capable of running a real business around it. Diving straight into hiring and infrastructure before you've learned to sell usually means losing the forest for the trees. The sequence that works: learn to sell first, then learn the service, then worry about business infrastructure once those are solid.

freelancingbusiness stageshiringcriticism response