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bigger problems = better fees

bigger problems = better fees

8 Business Models To Get More $10K Clients

April 14, 2025

Your ideal clients are creating problems for themselves.
For free. Right now.

Neglecting this.
Delaying that.
Just stackin’ problems like poker chips.

Then the day comes…
Their problems demand fixing.

And there’s a fee for that— your fee.

I am breaking down 8 business models you can use to get better fees for fixing problems you did not create.

This is a long deep dive since we’re talking about you– and getting paid.

The Simple Truth About Winning $10K+ Clients

Here’s what I know–

Getting $10K+ clients isn't about just looking premium.
Or having the most followers.
It's about solving expensive— massive consequences if not fixed— problems.

Why?

Because your ideal clients don't buy "consulting services."
At that price point, they are not buying your process.

They're buying clarity, progress, and certainty that someone will know exactly what to do. (Since their salaried team clearly does not.)

This means you can brazenly talk about the expensive problems you solve better than anyone else. Your offer must be hard to copy and nearly impossible to price shop.

Now this brings up a wild question– What problems are worth $10K+ to solve?

Here are just a few problems that command premium fees:

❗Revenue decline/stagnation
❗Operational inefficiencies
❗Massive leadership and team dysfunction
❗Branding, marketing and sales strategy failures

Most consultants who consistently land premium clients focus on problems directly tied to P&L statements or soul-destroying business threats.

But long before they invest in you– they first need to
1) feel understood about the problems they are struggling with.
2) respect your expertise and experience.

This is why you go beyond just having another trash bin newsletter.
Instead, you have a smartly positioned CEO to CEO,
Leader to Leader,
Executive to Executive,
ThinkLetter.

You help them THINK clearly about their problems with your insanely helpful, personality-packed LETTER.

You are not the 6 o’clock evening news.
You are the advisor, strategist, guide showing up like an ER doctor ready to save their life, business, reputation, future from epic failure.

It’s good to be YOU.

The Direct Path to $10K+ Monthly Revenue

$10K per client, per month is where consulting becomes truly profitable.

It's often where you can finally let go of nickel-and-dime clients and focus exclusively on extraordinary work for fees that make you do the happy dance.

So what's the fastest path to $10K per month with premium clients?

Here are the 8 paths that countless consultants take every day
and only 1-2 are worth your irreplaceable time and effort.

1. Generalist approach with low-end pricing

You are positioned as a business generalist.

At $1,000 per client per month you’ll need 10 clients simultaneously.
You'll earn $10,000 per month.

Managing 10 clients simultaneously can get exhausting and lead to burnout.
There are better paths.

Keep reading…

2. Specialized expertise with mid-range pricing

You are positioned as a specialist and you solve 1-2 problems well.

At $7,500 per client per month, you will need 2 clients at the same time,
to earn $15,000 per month.

It’s better than the generalist, but still requires juggling multiple client relationships and deliverables that may require working nights and weekends.

3. Problem-specific approach with premium pricing

You solve one specific, business-threatening problem.
At $15,000 per client per month…
You just need 1 client.

Now you’re entering the club of true premium consulting. With just one client, you can deliver exceptional results while maintaining work-life balance.

Now, I’m being ultra-conservative with the math.
Many top consultants charge $20K-$30K monthly retainers for solving extreme problems.

What about you?

4. Transformation-focused approach

You can guarantee an ultra-specific business improvement.
At $30,000 per client per month.
You just need 1 client and you will earn $30,000 per month.

You just blasted past the $10K/month ceiling.

But to achieve this, everything you do across social media and your ThinkLetter must hyper-focused on a specific pain or risk that you solve better than anyone else.

It’s inside your weekly ThinkLetter that trust, confidence, and respect for your expertise grows.

Then one day…

When they cannot live with their painful problems any more they THINK–
“I can’t go on like this. I need to hire them.”

The sooner you start helping your readers THINK deeper, the better.
(For you and them!)

5. Results-based approach

You structure a performance deal:
$10,000 base monthly fee
Plus 10% of easy to measure improvement.
The average client sees $200,000 monthly improvement.
You'll make $30,000 per month per client.

Enter the power of skin-in-the-game consulting.

You can make substantially more by connecting your compensation with actual results.

However, the clients you attract need to have high-value problems,
and you must be able to easily track measurable improvements.

If tracking is complicated…
Or if the potential client gives you dishonest vibes….
Don’t do it.

You will do the work..
Get results– and they will find a thousand ways to NOT pay you.
Better yet– any potential client that gives you the wrong vibes... run!

6. Mixed approach with diagnostic + execution

You have: $5,000 upfront diagnostic/assessment fee
And a $10,000 monthly strategic execution
Convert 2 diagnostic clients to execution clients…
You'll make $40,000 per month with just 4 diagnostic clients.

With this approach, you create value at every step.

Some clients will execute your recommendations themselves.
Others will hire you to execute or advise.

Either way, you are paid for your expertise while creating a natural pipeline for premium clients.

7. Ultra-premium pain-relief with a big company

If you work with just ONE big client ($50M+ in revenue)
Solve an ultra-specific problem worth millions.
Charge at least $30,000 per month for the next 12-24 months to access your emergency services.
You'll earn $30,000 per month (and more) with less effort…
IF you have a strategic playbook to win at this level.

Resolving an ultra-specific problem with a single client is the simplest path to premium revenue.

In this model, you're solving a specific, high-value problem for a company that can easily afford your fee.

The fees seem high only to consultants who don't understand the ROI they deliver.
When you help a company save $3 million in expenses or gain in revenue, $30K monthly is a bargain.

What you may not realize is this–
The time investment to get a $3K client versus a $30K client many times are identical.

Let’s say you invest 2 hours a day on LinkedIn growing your followers and ThinkLetter subscribers.

It’s still 2 hours of your life.

How was your time invested?
Building relationships for $3K deals or $30K deals?

How you position yourself and the problems you choose to solve– is the difference between small deals and big deals.

8. Consulting + Passive Income

You use any of the above approaches …

Plus, you create offers that your subscribers can easily buy to experience accelerated results.

These paid offers can include–

Premium subscription to your ThinkLetter
Mini courses
Community sprints
Physical products
Masterclasses
Live experiences
Single strategy sessions
Workbooks, Templates, Tools
Affiliate links
Ad sponsor revenue (if you use Beehiiv)

Since this approach includes multiple streams of income it positions you for more stability.

When your revenue is not dependent on just one source of income– like speaking, coaching, and consulting—you are less impacted by recessions, budget cuts, and layoffs.

Instead, because you have been growing your subscriber list all this time–
you have multiple (paid) ways to serve your subscribers with the help they want.

The relationships and revenue built with this approach are endless. This path gives you the most flexibility to grow and thrive.

You are sitting on gold.

Here's why your email list is the perfect place to get more clients…

You control the environment – Unlike the social media giants, your email list is YOUR 24/7 communication asset.
You've already earned attention – They're reading your emails because they value your thinking (assuming 50%+ are opening your emails).
You build anticipation – Properly launched, your offers can create the friction needed to help your subscribers says– Yes, let’s do this!!!
You create exclusivity – By offering subscriber only strategies, intelligence, and insights means with YOU they have an advantage to thrive (vs the non-subscribers).

You might be on the fence about your business model.

Understandable.

Let’s look at what some big brands are charging.
Then maybe you will begin to see what’s possible when you solve expensive problems.

Elite Semi-Private Models That Command Insane Fees

(And how YOU can implement them without being world-famous)

Below are the models used by the consulting elite.
(Thanks to Jay A. for giving a glimpse inside this world.)

But more importantly – I’ve included 5 ways YOU can implement each approach without their fame or Fortune 500 connections.

McKinsey & Company – Leadership Roundtables

What they do: Exclusive strategy roundtables for Fortune 500 execs
Price tag: $250,000-$1,000,000 per participant

5 ways YOU can implement this:

Decision-Maker Forums – Monthly virtual roundtables where 6-8 leaders tackle one industry challenge
Quarterly Breakthrough Days – One intensive day solving the single biggest bottleneck your clients face
Peer Accountability Circles – Weekly structured check-ins for leaders implementing your methodology
Implementation Accelerators – Small group workshops that turn strategy into executable actions
360° Rapid Assessment – Group sessions where leaders get honest feedback in a controlled environment

Harvard Business School – Executive Education

What they do: Advanced Management Programs with peer learning
Price tag: $100,000+ for 7-8 weeks