I'm charging $500‑$1,000 per month for 4‑month projects and billing usage plus 85%; is this a pricing issue or should I move to productized solutions?
The core issue is that you’re short‑changing yourself. Hourly or monthly retainers make sense when you’re still learning to sell, but once you’re proficient you should flip the model. Instead of $500‑$1,000 per month, charge a flat $7,000 for the entire project with a 4‑6‑week scope. That eliminates the problem of working longer for less money. Many people in Maker School run custom builds that bring in $20‑$30 k per month, so capping yourself at $3‑$4 k is far below your potential.
I would absolutely just keep doing what you're doing—it's clearly working, so just do more and better of it. But I wouldn't allow that to stop you from experimenting with other approaches. Spend 80% of your time on the two models that have been working for you so far, and 20% on something else, like cold outreach or email. I would also significantly improve my prices: in Maker School, people sign $1,500 for one project in their first two weeks, then the next product is $3,000, then $5,000. So, just price more with every deal.
Your plan focuses on output goals (revenue, clients) without accounting for the inputs needed to achieve them. To hit 1‑2 qualified meetings a day you’d need to send roughly 15‑20 Upwork proposals daily, spend time on meetings, kickoff calls, and fulfillment—adding up to far more than 4.5 hours a day. The gap between input and output can be weeks or years, so expecting $15K/month in 60 days is unrealistic without prior experience. Instead, concentrate on input goals (e.g., number of proposals, meetings, calls) and let the results follow; consistent inputs will ultimately exceed any output target you set.
Instead of selling custom builds or one‑off projects, switch to productized services. Create a simple, repeatable deliverable—like a basic CRM setup—so you don’t have to go through a lengthy scoping phase, learn new platforms, or do extensive revisions. You can price it lower (e.g., $2,000) and deliver more of them each month. Five $2,000 projects equal $10,000, which is double what you’d make from a single $5,000 project. The trade‑off is higher leverage: you either keep the old model and grow slowly, or you redesign your business to run on repeatable, smaller projects. That’s how many freelancers and solo agencies now hit $20‑$40k months.
I don't recommend productizing at the very beginning because you usually don't know what you don't know yet. To productize effectively, you need to fix your margins, understand your cost of goods, know how to hire people, and know what you can expect to pay for certain services. You can estimate some of these, but I still wouldn't recommend productizing right away. You're better off hitting the ground running, talking to people, and filling their needs rather than worrying about all that later. Once you're making about three or four thousand dollars a month, then you can start thinking about productizing.