Answers from Build with Brad

Real questions from the weekly Build with Brad calls: 771 answers from 43 calls. Here are 6 of my answers, free.

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Questions people ask

How do I price a website based on what it does for the client instead of the hours it takes?

Say your client is a speaker. Their fee is $5,000 a keynote, they do three a year, and they've got room for more. Their website is a landing page they threw up 12 years ago, and deals come in through messy emails and phone calls. Build them a site that shows them on stage, lets people book them, and sells the book and the coaching. What's that worth? Maybe they book 10% more gigs. Maybe their coaching finally sells right off the site. That $2,000 is a no-brainer. You're getting the bad end of the deal.

Can pricing too low hurt me with clients?

Being the low price can actually hurt you. I sat on a panel helping a municipality hire an agency for their website. Three or four agencies pitched, from cheap to Rolls-Royce. They could have saved tens of thousands with the cheap option. They chose the highest price, because they figured those people know what they're doing and do this all the time. If you come in with a discount price, that says something about your confidence and your experience.

What do I say to a client who thinks they can just do it themselves with AI?

I own a violin. Does that make me a professional musician? Not at all. I can buy a cheap violin or an expensive one, and so can a professional. Who are you going to trust to make the sound you want? You can buy Codex and upgrade to the max plan. So can I. You've got the tools, but so do I. One has never stepped on a stage, the other has done it for years. I can buy boxing gloves. So can Mike Tyson, and he'll demolish me with cheap ones.

Does emailing a list of people I already know actually lead to clients?

Old school email a bunch of people, all the time. Make a list of people you know, put some context in a spreadsheet, and start conversations. Use your judgment. This one's a straight up ask. This one's "how was camping last week?" This one's "let's meet for coffee, I want to hear about your new business." Be human and reach out manually every day. Message 11 people and five respond, and you'll get introductions to others. The list grows to 30, then 40, then 60. Soon an hour or two a day is blocked off just for relationships. That's what gets you clients: people knowing who you are and what you do.

How do I turn one-off website projects into ongoing retainers?

Every client project for a website build, try to get them on some sort of retainer. Even a small one is good, honest work that builds momentum and generates cash. Everybody wants to skip that part. They shouldn't even have to worry about the CMS. You're like, no, we'll do it. After six months on a retainer, when they've asked for a number of things, you can say: things are going well, let's revisit a refresh, or let us own this part. Just send us a text and we'll make it happen. Clients love that. Get three, four, five of those on a modest retainer and that's recurring cash flow.

How do I reach out to people without it feeling like constant selling?

Start on your list and message someone you know. "Hey, how was that thing you've been working on? Any updates on that project?" Go back and forth. The goal isn't to get more work out of them. It's to warm the relationship, and maybe at some point make an ask. If I texted Michael every other day asking "how about now?" he'd start ignoring me. But if I'm checking in, I might say "by the way, do you know an executive director at a nonprofit? Could you put me in touch?" That's a really specific ask. It doesn't happen in one text session. It might be seven back and forths.

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What members say

I'm doing the... warm-up, more of a conversation, just like you mentioned... I was really, really scared, really... shy of doing it... So now I'm... very pumped, and I just can't stop doing it.Build with Brad member, Oct 2026 call
The biggest thing for me is being able to ask questions and get direct feedback and advice from Brad. That alone... saves me a lot of time and money compared to figuring everything out on my own.Santiago, Web Designer
I worked through your newsletter playbook this week and set up a newsletter system and Kit... drafted out 12 weeks of emails... We've been talking about that for a couple of weeks and now it's just time to go.Build with Brad member, Sep 2026 call
It gives me a space to do just brain dump... I appreciate that you went into Kit and you're like, well, actually... just keep doing what you're doing. That's the kind of stuff I need to hear.Build with Brad member, Aug 2026 call

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