When I started my agency back in 2016, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how to get clients, I didn’t know how to pitch a project, I didn’t know how to manage a team.
Yet somehow, within a matter of 3 months I’d made my entire previous year’s salary. And by the end of my first year I made more money than I ever had before (by a magnitude of 3). Absolutely mind blowing 🤯🤯🤯. I spent the next 5 years testing, experimenting, learning, and refining. Each year, revenue increased.
By year 6, here’s what it looked like:
— Working 1-3 hrs per day
— Landed my first $100k job
— Hit upper 6 figures (in profit)
But aside from that, the coolest part was that I actually had the freedom to do what I wanted to do. To design my days the way I wanted. To go on trips. To work on side projects and new businesses.
So what happened? What was working?
Well, I can tell you for damn sure it wasn’t me. I’m not exceptionally talented or skilled or smart.
The truth is, what was working was the model. You see, i’d pieced together this weird hybrid. I brought the best parts of both freelance and agency worlds together under one roof (but without all the BS).
The freedom and flexibility of a freelancer…
Combined with the earning power of an agency…
I truly believe that this model can work for anybody. If you’re willing to follow the playbook and put in the hard work, you can have success with a micro-agency. I’m truly not exaggerating when I say that this business really changed my life. It allowed me to live on my own terms, to be my own boss, and make some pretty good money too. Big agencies suck. Freelancing sucks. There is a huge opportunity there in-between if you just know how to find it.
If this sounds good to you, I encourage you to take a peek around, do a little exploring. Feel free to ping me with questions: [email protected]
Cheers.
Welcome to the course
What you can do with a service business
Agency > Freelancer > Micro-Agency
How to use this courseÂ
Intro
The finances of delegating
Delegation myths
Contractors v. employees
How to store and access contractorsÂ
Contractor Bullpen walkthrough
Intro
How to differentiate from the competition
Target Client: Are they accessible?
Target Client: Are they capable of paying?
Target Client: Are they used to paying?
Intro
Why you need a sales process
Selling psychologyÂ
The 3-meeting framework (manufactured rapport)
Meeting 1: Ballpark Budget Negotiations
Meeting 2: Convey expertise w/ advanced discovery
Meeting 3: Closing & maximizing project price
Intro
Choosing an entity & business setup
Taxes & payroll
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Business Insurance (yes or no?)
Everything you need to know about contracts
Intro
Mindset shift
Quickstart launch list (0 to Agency in 48 hrs)
Raising your prices
Handling your existing clients
Intro
Must know principles for hiring contractors
Hiring process (overview)
Step 1: Where to hire
Step 2: Crafting the perfect job post
Step 3: How to set payment terms & pricing
Step 4: Screening & vetting
Step 5: Filter & selection
Step 6: Try before you buy (The pilot project)
Behind the Scenes: Watch me hire for a recent project
Intro
5 Elements of a perfect offer
1. Creating your context statement
2. Building a value proposition
3. Service stacking for higher prices
4. Choosing the right pricing strategy
5. Removing risk
Examples of winning offers
Real world agency offers
How to validate your offer
How to price your service (the pricing matrix)
Intro
What is productization?
Agency systemization flywheel
1. Building your process map
2. Designing a streamlined solution
3. Trimming the fat
4. Maintaining quality in delegationÂ
5. AutomationÂ
6. Documenting your processes (SOPs)
Agency Operating System (Behind the scenes)
Bonus: SOP Database & Templates
Bonus: Project brief template
Welcome to the course
What you can do with a service business
Agency > Freelancer > Micro-Agency
How to use this courseÂ
Intro
Mindset shift
Quickstart launch list (0 to Agency in 48 hrs)
Raising your prices
Handling your existing clients
Intro
The finances of delegating
Delegation myths
Contractors v. employees
How to store and access contractorsÂ
Contractor Bullpen walkthrough
Intro
Must know principles for hiring contractors
Hiring process (overview)
Step 1: Where to hire
Step 2: Crafting the perfect job post
Step 3: How to set payment terms & pricing
Step 4: Screening & vetting
Step 5: Filter & selection
Step 6: Try before you buy (The pilot project)
Behind the Scenes: Watch me hire for a recent project
Intro
How to differentiate from the competition
Target Client: Are they accessible?
Target Client: Are they capable of paying?
Target Client: Are they used to paying?
Intro
5 Elements of a perfect offer
1. Creating your context statement
2. Building a value proposition
3. Service stacking for higher prices
4. Choosing the right pricing strategy
5. Removing risk
Examples of winning offers
Real world agency offers
How to validate your offer
How to price your service (the pricing matrix)
Intro
Why you need a sales process
Selling psychologyÂ
The 3-meeting framework (manufactured rapport)
Meeting 1: Ballpark Budget Negotiations
Meeting 2: Convey expertise w/ advanced discovery
Meeting 3: Closing & maximizing project price
Intro
What is productization?
Agency systemization flywheel
1. Building your process map
2. Designing a streamlined solution
3. Trimming the fat
4. Maintaining quality in delegationÂ
5. AutomationÂ
6. Documenting your processes (SOPs)
Agency Operating System (Behind the scenes)
Bonus: SOP Database & Templates
Bonus: Project brief template
Intro
Choosing an entity & business setup
Taxes & payroll
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Business Insurance (yes or no?)
Everything you need to know about contracts
Lifetime access to 70+ high-quality video lessons broken into 8 modules designed to give you everything you need to build your micro-agency.
Get a proven template for sourcing contractors so that you can jumpstart your hiring process, ensuring you attract skilled and reliable contractors every time.
A structured database designed to simplify contractor management so that you can ensure projects flow seamlessly by easily matching the right contractor to the right job.
How to negotiate a bid with contractors.
The exact tools & software I use to run my agencies.
See the principles of the course applied in real world scenarios with screen-recorded walkthroughs. Unlike the fundamentals in the flagship course, these videos are designed to fill in the gaps and give you tactical, nitty gritty how-tos. Get an inside look into the operational facets of both of my agencies with direct, actionable insights.
A template to house and classify all SOPs, complemented with a detailed SOP page blueprint. Infuse consistency and precision into your operations & equip your team with a structured playbook for success.
This mini-course breaks down how I use automation and AI in my agency. Spend less time managing and more time designing a better business.
Get all of the contracts your agency is going to need to operate above board. NDA, MSA, SOW, and more.
An opportunity to get your questions answered by Shane. Clarify doubts, extract personalized advice, and fill in the gaps for a more tailored result.
Ongoing mentorship & support via direct DMs with Shane* (see details below). Ask any question you want and get a tailored answer. I'll tell you how i'd handle it if it were me.
A 45-minute dedicated strategy call to get solutions to unique challenges and a tailored roadmap to your next breakthrough.
Short answer: because it’s going to make you a lot of money.Â
Look, I know this course isn’t “cheap.” But here’s the cool thing, even if you think 99% of the course is TRASH, if you take away just 1 thing that makes an impact in your business, you will make your money back and more.
If this course helps you attract ONE more client…
Or close ONE more pitch…
Or charge more on the next project…
You’re going to get a multiple X return on your investment. And that will continue to compound for years to come.
To be honest, this course was originally designed for people who already have some sort of freelance business going on. However, I’ve had multiple students (with zero prior experience) go through the course and they said it was still valuable/helpful. It may be a little advanced for you, but if you’re a smart cookie i’d be willing to bet you’d do fine.Â
No worries, if for any reason you don’t find the course valuable within 30 days we’ll send you a full refund. However, we do ask that you at least watch 50% of each lesson (ie give us a chance to knock your socks off).Â
First of all, I totally get it. That’s how I felt too.Â
A lot of people think that this course only works for design or programming, but really it works for any type of service business. In cohort 1 alone we’ve had a really cool variety of students. One has an agency that builds courses for high profile clients. We’ve also got an email marketing agency, photographer, ghost writing, and more. Basically, if you serve a client, this should work.
No worries, all QA sessions will be recorded and distributed.Â
On the one hand, we’ve got freelancing. While it certainly offers freedom and lifestyle flexibility —it has some major flaws.Â
Firstly, your earning potential is severely limited. Freelancers simply don’t command premium prices. And it’s really hard to get access to the best clients with the biggest budgets.
On top of that, you’ve got no leverage. As a freelancer, you’re not really a “business owner,” you’ve basically just given yourself another job — trading time for money.Â
If you go the traditional agency route, then yes, you command a higher price (and might get access to bigger budgets), but at what financial risk?
Your expenses are through the roof —hiring employees, getting an office, stocking the snackbar.
And because your profit margin is so low you’re constantly stressing about whether you’re going to make payroll next month just to cover your overhead. The average agency takes 2 years to reach profit.Â
No thanks.Â
So what is a Micro-Agency?
Well, to me — it’s the future B2B service. The micro-agency is an attempt to get the best of both worlds, with none of the bad stuff. A hybrid. Pulling the super powers of both models into one.
What if — like an agency — we coulde charge premium rates and get access to premium clients?
What if — like a freelancer — we could get to profit quickly, and be agile enough to easily whether downturns, and have the control & freedom to actually enjoy our lifestyle?
With a Micro-Agency you…
Client's automatically expect to pay more for agencies due to their high overhead. The average hourly rate for freelancer is $50, the average agency rate is $200.
You need leverage to make real money. But employees are expensive & risky. We don't want to be on the hook for a salary when we don't have any work coming in, right?
