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 plan
We write your next moves as a 2-week plan, plus a metric to watch and something to stop doing.
What you leave with
Four concrete artifacts, built during 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 plan
Your next moves laid out across the next two weeks, 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.
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 diagnosis: your primary bottleneck, named
- A prioritization map: what to fix first
- A 2-week plan of concrete next moves
- A rate decision: a rate floor and monthly target
- Where useful, scripts written for your situation
- 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."
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 four things built around your situation: a diagnosis of your real bottleneck, a prioritization map, a 2-week plan, and a rate decision, plus scripts where they help. Every business is different, so we spend the hour on what will move yours most.
No. If the Private Practice 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 personalized 1:1 session where we work on your actual business and you leave with a diagnosis, a prioritization map, a 2-week plan, 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 Practice Mentorship is ongoing 1:1 support where we build, test, and refine the whole system together over three 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 plan, and give you the next moves. Bringing your numbers (the short list below) helps 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 session and you leave with a diagnosis, a prioritization map, a 2-week plan, 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 focused private 1:1 session
- A diagnosis: your bottleneck, named
- A prioritization map: what to fix first
- A 2-week plan of concrete next moves
- A rate decision: a rate floor and monthly target
- 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).