June 10, 2018

Success story from reader Umar Bahadoor

Umar Bahadoor wrote to tell me about his success transitioning from custom development projects to productized services (shared with permission):

Hi Jonathan,

As you may know (or probably not), I sell white-label WordPress development to design agencies. Before, I was always needing a call to go over the project and understand the needs, etc.. but since I’m basically selling staff augmentation, therefore not very high value, these discovery sessions cost a lot. So, I’ve moved to a productized service instead. Now, it’s easier than ever to get the projects. For $1000, we convert their whole design into a functional 6-page website with all the regular stuff. The client wants some animation here and there, doesn’t matter that much, we got libraries for that.

Now instead of having existing clients call me to discuss a project, they just send me their files and 50% upfront. My team does the work, and I don’t even need to spend a couple hours per week on this side of the business.

An added benefit for me is that once they buy this service if they need additional features, it makes sense to discuss since I’ve already secured the project.

I’m using the free time to build a completely different SaaS, and I have started coaching locals on how to start a side business.

Thanks for your daily emails :) It gave me the motivation to build a list and email daily as well. Been just two weeks though...

Cheers.

Umar.

Thanks Umar! I hope this inspires others to experiment.

Yours,

—J

P.S. Are you tired of competing on price against every other freelancer? You might want to consider reading my new book, The Freelancer’s Roadmap.