He Built $12K/Month in 10 Weeks—Starting From Zero, Selling Websites

Step 1: Lock the Offer (Hour 0–1)

Own a narrow lane so your pitch hits like a sledgehammer.

Pick your stack (choose ONE primary, ONE secondary):

• Primary: Webflow (fast, visual, client-friendly)
• Secondary: Shopify (for e-com) or WordPress + Elementor (if you already know it)

Choose 2–3 micro-niches for relevance + repeatability:

• Local lead gen (dentists, home services, gyms)
• Personal brands/coaches
• Starter e-com (1–50 SKUs)

Define deliverables once (copy/paste forever):

• Conversion-first wireframe → responsive build → on-page SEO basics → analytics + pixels → speed pass → handover Loom

Step 2: Set Prices to Hit $12K (Hour 1–2)

Price for value, not hours. Anchor high. Upsell monthly.

Core project packages (fixed-fee):

• Starter Landing (1 page): $800–$1,200 (Use for lead magnets, event promos, MVP pre-launch.)
• Business Site (5–7 pages): $1,800–$3,000 (Home, About, Services, Blog, Contact, TOS/Privacy.)
• Conversion Site (7–12 pages): $3,000–$4,500 (Adds blog setup, lead gen assets, 2x A/B tests.)
• Shopify Starter (up to 20 SKUs): $3,500–$6,000 (Theme setup, payments, shipping, 3 apps, 2 email flows.)

High-margin add-ons (stack to raise AOV):

• Speed optimization: $350–$700
• On-page SEO setup (10 pages): $500–$1,000
• Tracking & pixels (GA4, GTM, Meta, TikTok): $200–$400
• Copy polish (home + services): $300–$600
• Blog template + 2 posts: $300–$500
• CRM + form automations (Zapier/Make): $250–$600

Monthly retainers (recurring cash flow):

• Care Basic:
$149/mo (backups, updates, uptime)
• Care Growth:
$299/mo (Basic + 1h changes + reports)
• Care Scale:
$499/mo (Growth + 3h changes + A/B)

Math to $12K/month (choose one track):

• Track A (project-heavy): 2× Shopify ($4k avg) + 2× Business ($2.5k avg) + 4 add-ons ($350 avg) ≈ $12.4k
• Track B (retainer-assist): 3× Business ($2.5k) + 1× Conversion ($4k) + 10 retainers (avg $250) ≈ $12.5k

Step 3: Build 3 Demo Sites Fast (Hour 2–10)

No portfolio? Manufacture proof.

Industries (just do these):

• Dental Clinic (lead gen)
• Home Cleaning (quote form)
• Fitness Coach (booking + calendar)

Process (repeat for each):

• Buy/borrow high-quality images (free stock ok).
• Draft wireframe in Figma (30–45 min).
• Build in Webflow/WordPress (3–4h).
• Add GA4 + Meta pixel + conversions.
• Record a 2–3 min Loom walkthrough.

Output: 3 URLs + 3 Looms + 12 screenshots. This is your ammo.

Step 4: Set Up Ops Once (Hour 10–12)

Tools: Notion or ClickUp (SOPs), Google Drive (assets), Loom (video), Canva (thumbnails), Zapier (intake ↔ Slack/email), Calendly (calls), PandaDoc/Dubsado (contracts & invoices).

SOPs (create Google Docs):

• Project kickoff checklist
• Content collection checklist
• Handover checklist
• Update cadence template (Mon/Thu)

Payments: 50/50 split or 40/40/20 milestone. Invoice upfront deposit before starting.

Step 5: Make Your Upwork Profile Print Money (Hour 12–14)

Title: “Webflow & Shopify Conversion Websites | Fast Turnaround, Clean UX, Real Results”

Overview (paste then customize):

Portfolio: Add 3 demo projects with: challenge → solution → outcome bullets + 3 screenshots + Loom.

Project Catalog: Publish fixed-price offers matching your packages.

Step 6: Dominate Fiverr Gigs (Hour 14–16)

Create 3 gigs that mirror your packages.

Gig titles (SEO-friendly):

• “I will build a fast, high-converting Webflow website”
• “I will create a professional 5-page business website”
• “I will set up a clean, sales-ready Shopify store”

Packages & prices:

Basic/Standard/Premium aligned to Starter/Business/Conversion/Shopify. Use the price bands above.

Gig description (convert now):

• Hook: “Most sites look pretty. I build sites that sell.”
• Bullet deliverables (copy from Step 2).
• Micro-case (one sentence) + Loom link.
• FAQ: revisions, timeline, content, hosting, SEO scope.

Thumbnails: Big promise text (“Loads under 2s”, “Webflow + CRO”), device mockups, your face helps.

Step 7: Write Posts That Drive Conversions (Hour 16–18)

Upwork proposal template (paste & personalize):

• Subject: “Quick Loom for your [INDUSTRY] site—2 ideas inside”

1. Personalized opener (1–2 lines referencing their brief)
2. 45–60s Loom walking through a rough wireframe or teardown of their current site
3. 3 bullets: “Here’s what I’ll do in Week 1 / Week 2 / Handover”
4. Fixed price & timeline (match their scope)
5. Call to action: “Want me to record a 3-page wireframe by tomorrow?”

Fiverr profile bio (tight & punchy):

Social magnet post (LinkedIn/X) to attract off-platform leads:

Step 8: Daily Prospecting Sprint (Every Day, Weeks 1–10)

Non-negotiable time blocks (UTC-5 / America-Toronto):

• 90 min Upwork proposals (early AM)
• 30 min Fiverr optimizations (tags, pricing tests, gig edits)
• 30 min Social magnet post + 5 comments on niche posts
• 15 min Pipeline hygiene (follow-ups)
• Rest of day: Delivery

Volume & targets:

• Upwork: 20 tailored proposals/day → Aim 8–12% reply → Close 25–35% of replies
• Fiverr: Maintain 3 gigs; test titles/first 120 chars weekly; respond to every message < 5 min when online
• Follow-ups: T+24h, T+72h, T+7d (short, value add + Loom)

Follow-up script:

Step 9: Week-by-Week Execution Map

Week 1 — Build + Launch + First Deposits

• Publish 3 demos, Upwork profile, 3 Fiverr gigs
• Send 100+ proposals (20/day Mon–Fri)
• Goal: 2 deposits booked ($800–$2,500 each)
• Delivery: finish one Starter Landing in 5–7 days

KPI: 100 proposals → ≥10 replies → ≥3 calls → 2 closes

Week 2 — Fulfill Fast, Collect Reviews, Raise Cred

• Deliver Project #1 (ask for review immediately)
• Start Project #2; upsell Care Basic
• Build 1 case study page on your domain (Notion is fine)
• Goal: $3,000 closed total (rolling 30 days)

Message to request review (Fiverr/Upwork):

Week 3 — Add Shopify, Push Looms

• Record 5 micro-teardown Looms (60–90s) for hot Upwork jobs; attach in proposals
• Launch 1 Shopify Starter gig at $3,500
• Goal: 1 Shopify deposit + 1 Business Site
• Rolling total: $5,000–$6,000

Week 4 — Systemize + Raise Prices

• Raise Business Site to $2,500–$3,000 if close rate ≥25%
• Create template site components (nav, footers, sections)
• Hire a VA (5–10h/week) to: format proposals, crop screenshots, update gigs, prep content requests
• Goal: $7,000–$8,000 rolling

Week 5 — Make Retainers Automatic

• Convert last 3 clients to Care Basic ($149/mo)
• Add “1 free A/B test in Month 1” to push Care Growth ($299/mo)
• Goal: 10 retainers at avg $250 = $2,500 MRR
• Rolling total: $8,000–$9,000

Week 6 — Capacity Boost

• Bring on a vetted junior dev (10–15h/week) for section builds and QA (pay $20–$35/h)
• You handle sales, wireframes, integrations, final QA
• Goal: 2 projects in parallel without delays
• Rolling total: $9,000–$10,000

Week 7 — Offer Stack Upgrade

• Add a Conversion Upgrade offer for past clients:

Speed pass, copy polish, 1 A/B test → $700–$1,200

• Send to all previous clients + 10 warm Upwork prospects
• Rolling total: $10,000–$11,000

Week 8 — Price Test + Proof Wall

• Raise Shopify to $4,000–$6,000; keep delivery predictable
• Create a “Proof Wall”: 5 snippets of client DMs + 3 Looms + before/after speed tests
• Rolling total: $11,000+

Week 9 — Promote Gigs & Proposal Sniper Mode

• Turn on Fiverr Promoted Gigs (cap spend; bid modestly)
• On Upwork, snipe: only proposals with Loom + wireframe sketch; no generic bids
• Goal: Close 2 more projects (1 Business, 1 Shopify)
• Rolling total: $12,000 window within last 30 days

Week 10 — Lock the $12K Run Rate

• Ensure pipeline shows next 30 days booked: 1 Shopify + 2 Business + add-ons + retainers
• Document 3 newest builds as case studies (each < 10 min to read)
• Plan next quarter: niche microsite + referral engine

Step 10: Pitch Sponsors Directly

Kickoff (Day 0):

• Calendar invite + Notion dashboard link
• Content request form (copy, assets)
• Staging link + timeline + comms rhythm

Build (Days 1–10/15):

• Day 1: wireframe + copy outline (send for approval)
• Day 3–4: full build pass
• Day 5–6: integrations (forms, CRM, analytics, pixels)
• Day 7: speed pass + accessibility sweep
• Day 8–9: revisions (batch)
• Day 10: launch & DNS
• Day 11–12: post-launch fixes, Loom handover, upsell Care plan

Rule: All feedback in one batch. Add it to contract.

Step 11: Close Like a Pro (Short Calls, Fast Deposits)

15-minute call flow:

• 2 min rapport → 3 min goals → 4 min scope summary → 3 min timeline/price → 3 min next steps
• “Here’s the fixed price, here’s what you get, here’s when it’s done. If we start today, I’ll send the invoice and kickoff doc now.”

Deposit line (copy/paste):

Step 12: Upwork & Fiverr: High-Converting “Posts”

Upwork Proposal (full example you can ship today)

Subject: “60-sec Loom: 3 fixes to lift conversions on [YourSite].”

Body:

1. One-line personalization referencing their brief or site.
2. Loom link (60–90s) with 3 specific improvements.
3. Scope bullets: pages, integrations, speed target (< 2s desktop), tracking.
4. Flat fee + timeline + milestones (40/40/20).
5. CTA: “Want me to draft a 2-page wireframe by tomorrow? No charge.”

Fiverr Gig Description (core skeleton)

• Promise: “I build sites that convert—not just look good.”
• Deliverables list: 6–10 bullets (match your package).
• Proof: 1–2 micro-wins, 1 Loom.
• Process: Kickoff → Build → Integrations → Speed → Handover.
• Guarantee: “<2s desktop load or I fix it free.”
• CTA: “Message me BEFORE ORDERING so I can send a 60-sec teardown.”

Step 13: Daily Numbers (Keep It Brutal)

• 20 Upwork proposals/day (minimum)
• 5 loom teardowns/week (attach to hottest 5 jobs)
• 3 discovery calls/week
• 2 projects started/week (after Week 3)
• 10 retainers by Week 5–6

If you’re under target: increase proposals to 30/day and record daily Looms.

Step 14: Scope Control (Save Your Margin)

• Out of scope = new mini-invoice ($150 minimum or $75/section)
• Revisions: 2 rounds, batch only
• Content delays: timer pauses; charge content handling fee if you must source stock/copy ($150–$300)

If you’re under target: increase proposals to 30/day and record daily Looms.

Step 15: Referral Engine (Quick Wins)

• After launch, send this 2-liner:

Step 16: Your Weekly Review (Every Friday, 30 min)

• Proposals sent / replies / calls / wins / cash collected
• Which gig or proposal got the best response? Clone it.
• One thing to raise price on next week

Step 18: Your 10-Week Scorecard (what “on track” looks like)

• Wk1: 2 deposits, 1 delivery, 1 review
• Wk2: 1 Business closed, 1 Shopify in pipeline (deposit)
• Wk3: 2 simultaneous builds, 4–6 Loom proposals
• Wk4: Prices raised, VA onboarded
• Wk5: 10 retainers live (~$2.5k MRR)
• Wk6–7: 2 projects/week capacity, junior dev in place
• Wk8–9: Proof wall, promoted gigs, 2 more closes
• Wk10: Rolling 30-day total ≥ $12k

Final Orders (today)

• Ship 3 demos today.
• Publish Upwork profile + 3 Fiverr gigs today.
• Send 20 proposals today (5 with Looms).
• Book 2 calls today.
• Collect 1 deposit today.

Every second is useful. Execute.