Productized Services, AI-First

--- ## Who this is for You are a freelancer or designer/developer/copywriter who wants to escape the hourly trap. You want to charge $3K-$10K/mo per client for unlimited requests, deliver in <5 hours/day. You are willing to use AI heavily to scale. If you are a 10+ person agency, this book is too small. If you sell commodity services at $50/hr, this book is too aspirational. ## What you'll have after reading - [ ] Service selection + scope definition - [ ] 3-tier pricing ladder - [ ] AI tool stack per service type - [ ] Async request submission flow - [ ] Weekly ops cadence - [ ] Client health score rubric - [ ] First 10 clients in 90 days - [ ] 12-month scaling plan to $100K MRR --- # Chapter 1 — Why productized services Hourly = capped. Productized = recurring. The 5x leverage math. ## The Designjoy case study Brett at Designjoy built a $1.3M ARR solo design subscription business: - Unlimited requests - Fixed monthly fee ($4K-$8K per client) - 3-5 day turnaround - Async queue (no calls) - AI-assisted delivery (Midjourney + Figma) Source: https://stormy.ai/blog/how-to-build-productized-service-guide ## The unit economics ``` Per-client: - Price: $5,000/mo - Hours worked: 15-20 hrs/mo (AI handles the rest) - Effective hourly: $250-$330 At 10 clients: - Revenue: $50,000/mo - Hours worked: 150-200 hrs/mo (3-5 hrs/day) - Margin: 80-90% ``` Same freelancer working hourly at $150/hr and 150 hrs/mo = $22,500/mo. Same person productized = $50,000/mo. 2.2x revenue with the same hours. ## The 5 service types that productize well 1. **Design** (logos, web, social) — Midjourney, Figma AI 2. **Copy** (blogs, emails, sales pages) — Claude, Jasper 3. **Video** (editing, shorts, captions) — Descript, Synthesia 4. **Code** (small features, scripts, integrations) — Cursor, Claude Code 5. **Ops** (admin, scheduling, inbox triage) — Lindy, Make Pick the one you are best at. The rest follow. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Pick the service type. 2. Define the scope in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/01-service-scope.md`. 3. Set the 3-tier pricing in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/02-pricing-ladder.md`. --- # Chapter 2 — Service selection + scope The scope is what makes productized services work. Without clear scope, you are back to hourly. ## The "in scope" / "out of scope" rule For every service, write down 5 things that are IN scope and 5 things that are OUT of scope. Example (design subscription): **IN scope:** - Logo design (1 per month) - Web page design (up to 3 per month) - Social media graphics (up to 10 per month) - Brand guidelines document - Source files delivery **OUT of scope:** - Custom illustrations - Animation / motion graphics - Print design - Photography - Copywriting The OUT list is as important as the IN list. It defines the boundary. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Write the IN/OUT list for your service. 2. Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/01-service-scope.md`. --- # Chapter 3 — The 3-tier pricing ladder The pricing ladder lets buyers self-select. Most pick the middle. ## The pricing structure | Tier | Price | Requests/mo | Turnaround | |---|---|---|---| | Starter | $1,500/mo | 5 | 72 hours | | Growth | $3,000/mo | 15 | 48 hours | | Scale | $5,000/mo | Unlimited | 24 hours | Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/02-pricing-ladder.md`. ## The "unlimited" promise The Scale tier says "unlimited." That is a promise. The way to deliver it: AI handles 80% of the work. You handle the 20% that needs taste + judgment. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Set the 3 tiers. 2. Publish on your website. --- # Chapter 4 — The AI tool stack The AI stack does the heavy lifting. Pick the right tools per service type. ## Design stack - Midjourney v7 or FLUX — image generation ($30/mo) - Figma AI — mockup + wireframe ($15/mo) - Canva Magic Studio — social assets ($15/mo) - Photoshop Generative Fill — edits ($23/mo) ## Copy stack - Claude Pro — long-form ($20/mo) - Jasper — marketing templates ($49/mo) - Grammarly — editing ($12/mo) - Surfer SEO — optimization ($89/mo) ## Video stack - Synthesia — avatars ($29/mo) - Descript — editing ($24/mo) - ElevenLabs — voiceover ($5/mo) - Runway — B-roll ($15/mo) ## Code stack - Cursor Pro — coding ($20/mo) - Claude Pro — long-context ($20/mo) - v0.dev — UI generation (free) - Bolt.new — MVP scaffolding (free) Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/03-ai-tool-stack.md`. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Subscribe to the tools you need. 2. Build 1 sample deliverable using AI. 3. Time yourself. --- # Chapter 5 — Async delivery Async is the leverage. You process requests in a queue, not in meetings. ## The async submission form Every request comes through the same form: ``` 1. Project / client this is for 2. Request type 3. Brief description 4. Reference links 5. Required by date 6. Priority 7. Files attached 8. Special instructions ``` Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/04-async-submission-form.md`. Use Notion Forms, Tally, or Typeform. ## The queue processing Process the queue once per day, every day: - Sort by priority + deadline. - Pick the top 3-5 requests. - AI-generate first drafts. - You edit + approve. - Deliver via shared drive or Loom. Total: 2-4 hours per day for 5-10 clients. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Build the submission form. 2. Set up the delivery process. 3. Test with a friendly client. --- # Chapter 6 — The weekly cadence The cadence that keeps delivery under 5 hours/day. | Day | Activity | |---|---| | Monday | Plan week's work, client check-ins | | Tuesday | Design / copy / code work batch | | Wednesday | Client check-ins, support | | Thursday | Design / copy / code work batch | | Friday | Ship week, weekly review | Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/05-weekly-cadence.md`. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Block the time on your calendar. 2. Run for 4 weeks. Refine. --- # Chapter 7 — Client health scoring Not all clients are equal. Some churn. Some expand. Score them. ## The 6-factor rubric | Factor | Weight | |---|---| | Usage (requests/mo) | 30% | | Engagement | 20% | | NPS / satisfaction | 20% | | Payment history | 10% | | Growth potential | 10% | | Tenure | 10% | Score 0-100. <40 = at risk. 40-60 = neutral. >60 = healthy. >80 = ask for referral. Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/06-client-health-score.md`. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Score your current clients. 2. Identify at-risk clients. Schedule check-ins. --- # Chapter 8 — Acquisition The channels that work for productized services. | Channel | Cost | Time | |---|---|---| | Cold outreach | $50-$200/lead | 1-2 weeks | | Content (SEO) | $0 + time | 3-6 months | | Twitter build-in-public | $0 + time | 1-3 months | | Referrals | Free | Immediate | | Paid ads | $50-$300/lead | 1-2 weeks | Start: cold outreach + referrals. Scale: content. Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/08-acquisition-channel-priority.md`. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Pick 2 channels. 2. Block daily time. --- # Chapter 9 — 12-month scaling plan The path from $0 to $100K MRR. | Month | MRR | Clients | Action | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | $3K | 2 | First 2 clients | | 3 | $10K | 5 | Hire VA for delivery | | 6 | $30K | 12 | Hire junior designer/dev | | 9 | $50K | 20 | Hire ops manager | | 12 | $100K | 35 | Decide: stay solo or build agency | Save in `templates/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/09-monthly-scaling-plan.md`. ## Do this in the next 48 hours 1. Set the 12-month target. 2. Block monthly review time. --- # Appendix A — Template pack Templates in `/home/hermes/workspace/unloopd/books/09-productized-services-ai-first-templates/`: - `01-service-scope.md` - `02-pricing-ladder.md` - `03-ai-tool-stack.md` - `04-async-submission-form.md` - `05-weekly-cadence.md` - `06-client-health-score.md` - `07-case-study-template.md` - `08-acquisition-channel-priority.md` - `09-monthly-scaling-plan.md` - `10-quote-template.md` # Appendix B — Tool stack ## Free - Notion, Trello, Loom, Canva ## Paid - Midjourney $30/mo - Claude Pro $20/mo - Descript $24/mo - Cursor $20/mo - Total: $100-$200/mo # Appendix C — 12-month roadmap [See chapter 9] # Appendix D — Glossary - **ACV** — Annual Contract Value. - **ARR** — Annual Recurring Revenue. - **MRR** — Monthly Recurring Revenue. - **NPS** — Net Promoter Score. - **QBR** — Quarterly Business Review. # Appendix E — Further reading 1. *Productized Service Blueprint* course — $297. 2. *Built to Sell* — $20. 3. *The Positioning Manual* — $39. 4. Stormy AI Designjoy playbook — https://stormy.ai/blog/how-to-build-productized-service-guide 5. MBO Partners State of Independence — https://www.mbopartners.com/state-of-independence/ 6. BuildMVPFast newsletter-to-SaaS — https://www.buildmvpfast.com/blog/newsletter-to-saas-pipeline-content-creator-10k-mrr-2026 --- ## Related Unloopd books These complement this one — read them next to round out your playbook: - **[The Solo Agency Playbook](https://unloopd.com/books/solo-agency-ai)** — if productized services feel too prescriptive, the solo agency playbook is the looser adjacent model. - **[Pricing & Packaging AI Services](https://unloopd.com/books/pricing-packaging-ai-services)** — the<p style="opacity:0.6;font-style:italic;margin-top:24px;">[Sample chapter — buy the book for the full 30-50 page edition]</p>