If I had to start over from $0 today, here's exactly the 90-day plan I'd follow to hit $5K/month selling AI services.
The Premise
You don't need:
A website
An audience
Coding skills
Investment capital
Past client work
Months of preparation
You need:
1 weekend to set up
1 service to start with
10 DMs to potential clients
The willingness to deliver fast
Week 1: Pick ONE Service
Don't try to do all 5. Pick ONE. Spend the week researching, setting up, and getting ready to sell.
Day 1-2: Choose Your Service
The 5 best AI services for first-time founders:
1.
AI Resume Service — easiest, fastest delivery
2.
AI Cold Email Agency — best for B2B
3.
AI Content Service — best for SEO
4.
AI Lead Gen Agency — highest revenue per client
5.
AI Customer Service — best recurring
Pick based on:
Your existing skills (writing → content; sales → cold email; HR → resume)
Your existing network (know recruiters? → resume. Know SaaS? → customer service)
Your tolerance for sales (resume = low; lead gen = high)
Day 3-4: Set Up Payment
PayPal Business account (5 min)
Stripe account (5 min)
Both connected to your bank
Day 5-7: Create Your Landing Page
Carrd.co (free, $19/yr to remove branding)
Or a free Notion site
1 page only: problem, solution, price, CTA
Week 2: Find Your First 3 Clients
Day 8-10: List 50 Prospects
Where to find them depends on your service:
Resume: LinkedIn search "recently laid off" + Reddit r/jobsearchhacks + local Facebook groups Cold email: LinkedIn outbound → "marketing manager" at B2B SaaS Content: Local SEO agencies (white-label) + B2B SaaS without content teams Lead gen: B2B SaaS companies + sales consultants Customer service: E-commerce brands on Shopify + SaaS without 24/7 support
Day 11-12: Write Your Outreach
5 different templates, all personalized:
"I noticed [specific thing about them]"
"I help [similar person] get [specific result]"
"Worth a 15-min chat?"
Day 13-14: Send + Follow Up
Send 5 DMs/day
Follow up on Day 3, Day 7
Stop after 3 attempts
Week 3: Close Your First Client
Day 15-17: First Calls
Get on a 15-min Zoom call
Don't pitch. Ask questions.
The 5 questions to ask:
1.
"What's your biggest problem right now?"
2.
"What have you tried?"
3.
"What would solving this be worth?"
4.
"Who else needs to be on this call?"
5.
"If I can do X, Y, Z for you, when do you want to start?"
Day 18-19: Close
Send a 1-page proposal (Google Doc)
Price: 50% of "what would solving this be worth?"
Payment terms: 50% upfront, 50% on delivery
Close in 24 hours, not 3 days
Day 20-21: Deliver
Set up a delivery process
Use AI to draft, you edit and polish
Deliver in 2-3 days, not 2 weeks
Week 4: Get Your First Testimonial + Case Study
Day 22-23: Ask for Testimonial
After delivery, ask:
"What was the result?"
"Would you recommend this to others?"
"Can I use your name?"
Day 24-25: Build Your Case Study
Problem → Solution → Result format
Include specific numbers (revenue, time saved, etc.)
Use as social proof on your landing page
Day 26-28: Refine Your Pitch
Update your landing page with the testimonial + case study.
Month 2: Hit $2K/Month
Week 5-6: Get 2 More Clients
Repeat the same process. Aim for 2-3 more clients. With 3 clients at $500-1,000 each, you're at $1,500-3,000/month.
Week 7-8: Systematize
Document your delivery process
Build templates (emails, deliverables, etc.)
Hire 1 VA at $5/hr for repetitive tasks
Month 3: Hit $5K/Month
Week 9-10: Add a 2nd Service
Pick a 2nd service that complements your first:
Resume + LinkedIn Profile Optimization
Cold Email + Lead Gen
Content + SEO
etc.
Week 11-12: Raise Prices
You now have testimonials, case studies, and 3+ months of experience. Raise prices 30-50%.
Old clients: "I'm raising my rates for new clients. Want to lock in your current rate for another 3 months?"
The Math (Real Numbers)
If you follow this plan:
Week 2: 1 client × $500 = $500
Month 1: 2-3 clients × $500-1,000 = $1,500-3,000
Month 2: 4-5 clients × $1,000 = $4,000-5,000
Month 3: 5-7 clients × $1,000-1,500 = $5,000-10,000
By month 6, if you raise prices 50% and add a 2nd service: $15,000-20,000/month.
The Mistakes to Avoid
1.
Don't build a website first. Use a 1-page Carrd.
2.
Don't price low. If you price at $50, you get tire-kickers.
3.
Don't try to be perfect. First deliverable is rough. That's OK.
4.
Don't spam. 5 DMs/day, personalized.
5.
Don't undervalue your time. Unlimited revisions = 2x price.
6.
Don't take advice from people who haven't done it. Most indie hackers haven't sold a service.
The Shortcut
If you want to skip the 30-day setup, I packaged all 5 services (resume, cold email, content, lead gen, customer service) into a single product:
AI Money Kit - $199 one-time https://lwy907919-a11y.github.io/ai-money-kit/
You get:
50+ ready-to-use prompts per service (250+ total)
Outreach templates
Pricing calculators
Client onboarding flows
Legal contract templates
30-day refund
I built this in 30 days after my 6-month mistake. You can use it day 1.
The Bottom Line
90 days from now, you'll either:
Be making $5K/month from AI services, or
Be back to building tools that nobody buys
The difference is the 5 minutes you spend picking ONE service this weekend.
Pick. Set up. Send 5 DMs. Close your first client.
That's it.
If you want the complete AI Money Kit system (5 service-in-a-box templates), it's at lwy907919-a11y.github.io/ai-money-kit. $199 one-time, 30-day refund.
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