You're going to be mad at me. Do one thing and do it well. FIRST. branch out after the initial launch and offerings but it's hard to have everything dialed in to multiple projects at the same time unless you have a seperate team devoted to each of those projects which means more overhead, less profit and a lot of juggling.

You CAN launch multiple products under one corporation. In fact I'm helping a tech firm do just that right now. but our main focus is on a single product with ancillary offerings to begin with. (we don't shut down the opportunity for monetization, but we don't advertise that we are everything to everybody either).

Once the first phase is performing at a rate that the firm is happy with, the focus will be able to shift to another product launch and offering while the first is still performing.

I hope this helps. Feel free to speak with me more in depth!

My very first job out of college (a loooooooong time ago). Was working in a boutique marketing and public relations firm. They hired me to do just that, get new clients and develop the business so that we were the agency of record or on "retainers".

It's funny how many firms don't want an in house team but want the flexibility and accessibility of one. By offering them the access of a dedicated account manager and setting realistic expectations of what they are REALLY in need of, the task of finding these strategic partnerships can be easier than you think.

The first thing you have to do is build your relationships though. It sounds easy enough, but going in to make a sale wreaks of desperation and ulterior motives. If you want to be a firms' go-to on-demand agency you must be valued as not only the expert in the field but the trusted advisors that they need before and while they make moves.

Pricing points also play a factor, but without knowing more about your business Od be hard-pressed to offer any advice on this topic. I'd love to speak more with you about the size of your firm, the direction it's going and what percentage of the business you actually want to devote towards your larger secured contracts versus the freedom of project work. Keep in mind, the balance must always be there in case one falls away down the road. Good luck!

I coach a lot of entrepreneurs who are trying to find balance and monetize their services without going crazy. You are not alone! There is no set way to bill clients for hours and projects and I've seen this issue come up A lot with over-givers. Especially those consultants who are perfectionists and want to make sure something is right for their end user regardless of how long it takes. While I applaud the quality of work, it is incredibly important to not over-extend yourself and your offerings.

As each client, as you pointed out, is different and requires a different amount of effort and scope per project - a simple hourly rate with your other obligations isn't a perfect fit for you. Don't beat yourself up, it's not about "growing up" or doing it the right way. It's about doing it the way that creates abundance for you and the highest quality work for your clients. If I may offer a hybrid solution that may work out best for you as you seem to not have a per project problem but a "knowing your limits" challenge:

Use an a la cart method of project selection and bill by project with written limits and expectations included as well as a set limit of hours devoted to each project.

For example, a public relations professional I was working with set her press releases with a maximum of two rounds of edits. If more is required, charge for the excess hours at a discounted rate.

Now go a step further. Whether you have a website or not, you can start using a service like acuity scheduling.com to bill and book projects directly onto your calendar and availability so your clients have the freedom to choose when they want you to work on a pre-packaged project during your availability, and can even add discounted hours automatically should they need them.

This level of automation takes the guesswork out of your billing question and saves you from going crazy with overwork and over-extending yourself.

Let me know if this sort of solution would fit in your particular work environment and please call me to discuss further or if you have any questions, going over your packaged pricing and reverse engineering the projects so you aren't over worked is your next step. Sometimes, simple system strategy and knowing your resources can make all the difference!