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
Complete the intake, then have a few things on hand so we work from your real numbers, not estimates:
- The intake: a structured questionnaire across your whole business — your work, your numbers, your offer and rates, your market and proof, outreach, delivery and capacity. About 20 minutes, saves as you go; the link arrives after you book.
- 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 start from your intake: 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, and which of the nine stages it lives in: See, Shape, Position, Attract, Communicate, Sell, Deliver, Retain, or Compound.
- 4
Build the assignment
We write your next moves as a 2-week assignment — your Action Map — plus a metric to watch and something to stop doing.
What you leave with
Six concrete artifacts, built during and after the session, plus scripts where they help. Depending on what your business needs most:
A diagnosis
The one bottleneck holding the business back, named plainly, so you stop spreading effort across the wrong problems.
A prioritization map
A short, ordered list of what to fix first. Not everything at once. The few moves that actually shift things.
A 2-week assignment
Your Action Map: concrete homework for the next two weeks, each with a definition of done where it applies, tracked on your own page — plus a metric to watch and something to stop doing.
A rate decision
A rate floor and monthly target built from your real costs and capacity, so pricing stops being a guess.
A health read across the nine stages
Where each stage of your business stands, See through Compound, scored on the call — so you see the whole system, not just the symptom.
The recording and transcript
The full session recording, a transcript, and written notes, so nothing said in the hour is lost.
Scripts, where they help
When it fits your situation, outreach, follow-up, or rate-conversation language written around your actual clients.
Everything you take away
Every business is different, so we spend the hour on what will move yours most. Not every session covers everything below.
- A structured intake across every area of your business, before we meet
- A private 1:1 consulting session built around your business
- A diagnosis: your primary bottleneck, named
- A prioritization map: what to fix first
- A 2-week assignment: concrete homework, tracked on your own page
- A rate decision: a rate floor and monthly target
- A health read across the nine stages of your business
- Where useful, scripts written for your situation
- A metric to track and something to stop doing
- A full recording of the session
- A transcript and written 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."
Built a value proposition framework to scale budget and scope.
"Our call with Michael helped us find and create a simple yet efficient value proposition framework that made sense both for us and for our clients, which was a meaningful step in the goal of scaling our budget and work-scope."
Common questions
We get straight into your business: what is happening now, what you are trying to create, where the drag is coming from, and what I would focus on first. You leave with a diagnosis of your real bottleneck, a prioritization map, a 2-week assignment, a rate decision, and a health read across the nine stages of your business, plus scripts where they help — and the recording, transcript, and notes afterward. Every business is different, so we spend the hour on what will move yours most.
A structured questionnaire you complete before we meet. It takes about 20 minutes and saves as you go. It covers your work and income sources, your numbers, your offer and rates, your market and proof, outreach and conversion, capacity, and delivery. The link arrives after you book. It is what lets us spend the hour solving instead of catching up.
Yes. After the session you receive the full recording, a transcript, and written notes, alongside your Action Map.
No. If the Private Mentorship seems relevant, I may mention it. But the intensive is designed to be useful on its own. The goal is clarity, not pressure.
The Business Reality Check is an automated diagnostic tool. The Intensive is a private 1:1 consulting session where we work on your actual business and you leave with a diagnosis, a prioritization map, a 2-week assignment, and a rate decision. Start with the Business Reality Check if you want to find out where to begin. Book the Intensive when you want someone in the room building the plan with you.
The Intensive is one focused session that gives you the map and the first moves. The Private Mentorship is ongoing 1:1 support where we build, test, and refine the whole system together over two months. The intensive points the way. The mentorship walks it with you.
Yes. The hour is focused, so one session is usually enough to name the primary constraint, build your 2-week assignment, and give you the next moves. The intake and your numbers (the short list above) let us spend the time solving instead of catching up.
Both. I will ask questions to understand the business properly, but I will also tell you what I am seeing, what I think matters, and what I would do next.
This is not a casual advice chat, and it is not priced like one. You get a focused private consulting session and you leave with a diagnosis, a prioritization map, a 2-week assignment, and a rate decision you can act on. If the problem is costing you money, time, confidence, or momentum, the real question is whether it is worth leaving unclear.
Most mixing businesses have different details but similar underlying constraints. Rates, markets, genres, credits, geography, and client types vary. But the core questions are usually the same: Who are you trying to reach? Why would they trust you? What do you charge? How does work come in? What happens when someone shows interest? What system keeps opportunity moving? The strategy should adapt to your situation. The business still needs a system.
Maybe. A lot of engineers know the visible problem. They need more clients. They need better rates. They need clearer positioning. They need to follow up. But knowing the issue and knowing the constraint are not always the same thing. The intensive helps separate the symptom from the thing actually creating drag.
If ongoing mentorship makes sense, we can talk about it. If not, you take the plan and implement it yourself. There is no pressure either way.
Start with the Business Reality Check or the free writing. The Intensive is for when you want a custom plan for your situation and someone in the room building it with you.
$400
- A private 1:1 consulting session built around your business
- A structured intake across every area of your business
- A diagnosis: your bottleneck, named
- A prioritization map: what to fix first
- A 2-week assignment: concrete homework, tracked on your own page
- A rate decision: a rate floor and monthly target
- A health read across the nine stages of your business
- Scripts for your situation, where they help
- A full recording, a transcript, and written 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 ($29).