How Cooper Scaled an AI Agency to $30K a Month

TL;DR

Cooper reached a little over $30K per month within five months of joining Maker School, closing roughly $25K in his very first month. He started while unemployed, using an Upwork profile and cold email instead of building a website or filing an LLC. His advice: validate you can sell before dealing with any business paperwork.

Transcript

Starting in January, I was unemployed. And it actually got bad that my church community uh did a GoFundMe for my family so that like we could, you know, like keep the lights on. I have three boys and then a wife and, you know, running off trying to do some silly AI thing was uh kind of scary, but I was like, just give me one month. Let me try it ou... Read More

Key Insights

• Cooper is closing a little over $30K this month, made up of about $15K in ongoing custom work for his first large client, $10K on a new voice automation, plus retainers and some smaller clients.
• The first month generated around $25K from a single client, starting as a roughly $20K AI cold email and AI outbound system proposal that grew when Cooper pitched additional automation and sales enablement work.
• Validating that you can sell a service first is more valuable than filing an LLC or building a website, because business paperwork adds friction and you may discover the model does not work two months later.
• A service business website functions like a fancy digital business card, so clients do not care about its polish; the host recalls wasting two weeks on his own site before realizing this.
• Cooper spent 10 years in tech and product management, including roles at Arizona State University and five years at American Express, before being let go in July of last year.
• After a renewed American Express contract was cut short, Cooper became unemployed in January, did Uber and gig work, and his church community ran a GoFundMe to help his family keep the lights on.
• Cooper distrusted many AI automation sellers who he felt were charlatans profiting mainly from educating people, and chose Nick because of demonstrated tech credibility and real building experience.
• Cooper has worked with about four or five clients so far, with several more deals in the pipeline about to close, after coming in with fair pricing rather than lowballing to win relationships.

Questions & Answers

Q: How much is Cooper making per month with his AI automation business?

Cooper says he is closing a little over $30,000 US this month with his automation business. That total is made up of about $15K in ongoing custom work for his first large client, another $10K on a new voice automation, some retainers from both ends, and additional work for a few smaller clients. He reached this level roughly five months after joining Maker School around the end of March.

Q: How much did Cooper make in his first month?

Cooper closed around $25K in his first month. It started as a proposal for an AI cold email and AI outbound system on Upwork, where he initially came in around $20K. After the client agreed, Cooper pitched additional automation, a new AI-based way to use the client's whole system, and sales enablement tools like an auto presentation creator, which brought the total project to roughly $25K in month one.

Q: What was Cooper doing before he started his AI automation business?

Cooper spent the last 10 years in tech and product management, working at small companies, at Arizona State University, and for five years at American Express. In July of last year he was let go, which he found shocking after feeling secure in the corporate world. He got another American Express contract late last year, but it was cut short, leaving him unemployed starting in January.

Q: Why does Nick advise validating before filing an LLC or building a website?

Nick argues there is inherent friction in setting up a website, filing an LLC, and handling tax and legal logistics before you have proven anything. He says it is easier to start selling and validate that you can sell the service first, then deal with paperwork afterward. Any taxes owed will only be a fraction of your net income, whereas spending weeks on paperwork can leave you with a business model that does not work two months later.

Q: How did Cooper get his first big client?

Cooper followed Nick's plan, set up his cold email system, and got his Upwork profile roasted and improved. He then submitted a proposal on Upwork for an AI cold email and outbound system, and the client liked what he had to say. When Cooper came in low to build a relationship, the client insisted on paying something fair, so Cooper researched typical pricing around $5K to $10K and pitched a custom job that ultimately grew to around $25K.

Q: What happened to Cooper financially before he found success?

After being let go from American Express and having a renewed contract cut short, Cooper became unemployed in January. Things got bad enough that his church community ran a GoFundMe for his family, which has three boys and his wife, so they could keep the lights on. He started Ubering and doing various gig work while listening to YouTube, which is how he fell into the AI automation space.

Q: Why did Cooper choose Nick's program over other AI automation sellers?

Cooper first entered the GoHighLevel space and was initially impressed, but concluded that many sellers were charlatans who had never actually done the work and mainly made money educating people, showing Stripe screenshots from their courses. He gravitated to Nick because Nick had been involved in tech, could speak the language credibly, and had street cred from things he had built over the years, which made Cooper trust that he knew what he was talking about.

Q: Why does Nick say a service business website does not matter much?

Nick compares a service business website to a fancy digital business card. Unlike a SaaS product or a fundraising startup where the website is a critical digital footprint, a service seller's site just needs to exist. Clients will not care whether it is printed on linen stock or made super shiny and glossy. Nick recalls spending two weeks on his own website before realizing it functioned only as a business card, reinforcing the advice to focus on selling the core service.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Cooper, a guest on Nick Saraev's show, is closing a little over $30,000 US this month with his AI automation business, roughly five months after joining Maker School around the end of March. The revenue includes about $15K of custom work, $10K on voice automation, and retainers.

• Before this, Cooper spent 10 years in tech and product management, including American Express for five years, until being let go in July of last year. A renewed contract was cut short, leaving him unemployed in January, doing Uber and gig work while his church ran a GoFundMe.

• Cooper followed Nick's plan: skip the website and LLC, build an Upwork profile, and use cold email. His first client turned a roughly $20K proposal into about $25K in month one, and he stresses validating that you can sell before dealing with business paperwork.