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Hello Fellow Ronins
Last month, I walked away from a $7,000/month retainer. Not because they couldn't pay, but because they couldn't respect the signed scope of work.
Every single week, it was the same pattern: "just one more thing" requests, tasks that weren't in the statement of work, their team member dropping the ball, and somehow my team being expected to pick it up. For free.
Here's the truth most agency owners and fractional operators avoid saying out loud:
You put guardrails on your AI every single day.
You correct Claude when it drifts. You rewrite prompts when it works outside your parameters. You demand precision.
But you refuse to put those same guardrails on your clients.
That's why your business is bleeding.
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The scope-of-work rule I live by:
→ Scope change = new retainer. Every time. No exceptions.
→ Out-of-scope request = documented conversation, re-papered deal, re-priced.
→ Their team's gaps are NOT your team's free labor.
This isn't being difficult. This is being disciplined.
The structure that actually works:
I never sign annual deals out of the gate. Ever.
I start with a 90-day sprint. Month one, I deliver a full one-year marketing plan as part of the first deliverable — most clients don't even have one when I arrive. Months two and three, we execute and regroup weekly.
After 90 days of proven performance? Then we talk annually at a higher rate. Why higher? Because I grew their revenue, my fee should reflect that.
My retainer structure:
Base retainer + performance percentage tied to revenue I generate.
Now our incentives align. Now they have a partner, not a vendor.
Success Pyramid — the 4 non-negotiables for any win:
Right YOU — mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually prepared
Right VEHICLE — the business model that creates leverage
Right KNOWLEDGE — applied, not theoretical
Right TIMING — market readiness matters
If you miss one, the whole structure falls apart.
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What else hit in today's room:
Katie landed a warm LinkedIn intro with a senior decision-maker at a top Premier League football club — diversifying off-platform is already paying her dividends.
Nino was approached to become VP of a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention. Tim dropped a gold framework: familiarity → trust → open checkbooks → contracts. That's the relationship business we're all in.
The Startup Circle just crossed 8,300+ members. The mastermind happens daily at 6:45 AM Pacific, Monday through Friday. If you're not showing up, you're leaving money on the table.
One ask before you close this:
The Revenue Ronin community is at 45+ members. Prices lock in now before summer pricing goes live. If you've been thinking about joining — this is the moment.
Apprentice / Warrior / Sensei / Lifetime tiers available.
Respond to this email, and I'll get you the details.
Stay disciplined. Stay dangerous.
"At the end of our lives, we will ask ourselves 4 simple questions: Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter? Did I make a difference? Keep making a difference. Build that mind. Build that body. Build that business. Build that bank account. But most importantly — build that legacy. Stay healthy. Stay hungry. Stay humble. We'll see you at the top!"
🥷 Justin "Results" French
Founder, The Revenue Ronin
Fractional CMO | Community Builder | Sales & Marketing Mastery
⚔️ Discipline. 📊 Data. 🎯 Results.
P.S. - Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward this email. They'll thank you.
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