Glossary
Retainer
A recurring fee for ongoing access to your work.
Instead of quoting per project, a client pays $4,000 a month for an agreed scope. It converts freelancing from a series of cliff edges into something closer to predictable income.
Retainers are the main way service providers escape feast-and-famine. Three good retainers usually beat ten one-off projects for the same revenue, because the selling stops.
Where this matters
Freelance Consulting
High-Income Skills
Sell a specific expertise directly to businesses at professional rates
- Capital
- $0
- First income
- Weeks
- Risk
- Ceiling
- Six figures
Agency
High-Income Skills
Turn a service you deliver into one a team delivers
- Capital
- Under $500
- First income
- Months
- Risk
- Ceiling
- Seven figures