You do not need a perfect agenda.
Most engineers come in with a messy version of the same questions:
- Why is work inconsistent?
- Why am I not charging more?
- Why are better clients not finding me?
- Why does outreach feel so awkward?
- Why do conversations fail to turn into booked projects?
- Why does the business still feel unstable even though I am working hard?
The intensive is where we sort that out.
Before we meet
Nothing formal. Just have a few things on hand so we work from your real numbers, not estimates:
- How much money you need to make each month
- Your current rates, and the last 24 months of sales if you have it
- The top three things you want to cover
How the session runs
- 1
Map the current state
We look at services, rates, project volume, where work comes from, how projects move, and how much capacity you actually have.
- 2
Model the numbers
We look at survival, baseline, stable, and ideal numbers, adjusted for taxes, time off, slow periods, and realistic monthly output.
- 3
Diagnose the constraint
We name the primary bottleneck clearly: foundation, identity, offer, growth, or operations.
- 4
Build the Action Map
We write down your next moves, usually for the coming weeks, plus a metric to watch and something to stop doing.
What is in your Action Map
A document you keep, built during the session. Depending on what your business needs most, it can include:
Your constraint, named
The one bottleneck holding the business back, written plainly so you stop spreading effort across the wrong problems.
Your numbers
A rate floor and monthly target built from your real costs and capacity, so pricing stops being a guess.
Homework: your next moves
A short, ordered list of what to do first. Not everything at once. The few moves that actually shift things.
Scripts, where they help
When it fits your situation, outreach, follow-up, or rate-conversation language written around your actual clients.
What you leave with
Every business is different, so we spend the hour on what will move yours most. Not every session covers everything below.
- A custom Action Map you keep, built during the session
- Your primary business constraint, named
- A look at your numbers: rates, capacity, and a monthly target
- Homework: your next moves, ordered
- Where useful, scripts written for your situation
- Usually a metric to track and something to stop doing
- Recording, transcript, and notes
Who this is for
Most engineers who book see themselves in one of these.
The beginner with no pipeline
"I am trying to build this from scratch."
You need numbers to aim at, a positioning direction to start from, and the first 30 days of outreach.
The working generalist
"I do mixing, mastering, production, sometimes engineering."
You need a clear answer to what the business should be known for and what to stop doing.
The established mixer with a ceiling
"I am working, but the bigger clients are not coming."
You need a market-entry plan: positioning, proof, and relationship-building before people need you.
The studio- or manager-dependent mixer
"Most of my work comes through one person or place."
You need a map of what you own, what you are dependent on, and what to build so you own more demand.
The volume-based engineer
"I am busy, but the rates and offers are scattered."
You need a specialized offer, a defensible rate, and an outreach system you can run weekly.
Client results
What engineers say about working with Michael
Called it the best career investment he's made.
"This has been the best investment I've ever made in my mixing career. Better than any piece of equipment or any tutorial."
Doubled his rate, built consistent outreach systems, business confidence from 3/10 to 8/10
"Learning the difference between operating as a technician versus an owner completely rewired how I think about my career."
Rates nearly tripled. Imposter syndrome gone. Confidence 4→9.
"What surprised me most was that I was the one holding myself back. My rates went from $250 a mix to $450–800, and imposter syndrome has practically gone away."
Common questions
$400
- A focused private 1:1 session
- A custom Action Map you keep
- Your numbers: rates, capacity, and a monthly target
- Homework for your next moves
- Scripts for your situation, where they help
- Recording, transcript, and notes
No pitch. No pressure. Just a custom plan for what to do next.
Have a question first? Message my team on Instagram. Not ready for the intensive? Start with the Business Reality Check ($75).