The Fixed-Fee Launch
Your first fixed-fee consulting offer.
I help senior engineers build their first fixed-fee consulting offer and take it to real buyers in under 90 days, without quitting their job.
$2,997 · 12 weeks · 6 one-on-one sessions
Book your fit callThe Fixed-Fee Launch is a 12-week, 1:1 program built on the Build While Employed method. In 12 weeks, you'll build a priced consulting offer, take it to real buyers, and prepare the documents to sign a direct client. The goal is your first signed client. If you've done the work but haven't reached three qualified buyer conversations, we keep working together at no added cost until you do. Not hourly. Not through a staffing vendor. Not a job. A direct client paying a fixed fee for an outcome you own.
The transformation
From a senior engineer with one employer and no offer, to a consultant with a priced, fixed-fee offer in front of real buyers, in 12 weeks, without quitting.
| Point A (today) | Point B (week 12) |
|---|---|
| Deep expertise, with one employer paying for it | A priced, fixed-fee offer built from that expertise |
| Unsure what to sell, who to ask, or what to charge | A clear niche, a price, and an approved list of people to approach |
| Picturing consulting as hourly vendor work | Equipped to pitch direct, fixed-fee engagements with your own scope, pricing, and terms |
| No proposal, contract, or business setup | Proposal and contract templates prepared, with a business setup plan ready for professional review |
| Waiting for a company to offer a job | Buyer outreach underway, with three qualified conversations targeted and continued coaching if needed |
Who it's for
Senior engineers and architects who have solved the same hard problem for years and want a company to pay them directly for it.
| For you if | Not for you if |
|---|---|
| 15+ years in engineering or architecture | You're early in your career |
| Earning $150K+ total compensation | You want a new full-time job |
| Based in the US or Canada | You're an established independent consultant who already sells fixed-fee work |
| Want income beyond one employer, without quitting first | You want hourly or staffing-agency contract work |
| Can give about 5 focused hours a week for 12 weeks | You can't commit weekly time right now, or you want it built for you |
You also need a warm network you're allowed to approach: at least 15 people who know your work and could buy or refer. We check this together before you enroll, starting with one question: of those 15, how many are business leaders, budget owners, or people who could introduce you to one?
The problem
You know you could consult. You don't know what to sell, who to ask, or how to price it, and you need to stay within your employment obligations while you explore it.
Most senior engineers also picture consulting as vendor contracting: hourly, one client, someone else's terms. That isn't the model here.
| Vendor contracting | What The Fixed-Fee Launch builds |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | Fixed fee or monthly retainer |
| Through a staffing vendor | Direct client relationship |
| Fills a seat | Owns a defined outcome |
| Replaces your job | Built alongside your job |
| Client sets your hours | You set scope and terms |
The moment that matters: a company wants your expertise but isn't ready to hire. Without an offer ready, that conversation ends. With a priced offer ready, that conversation has a path to becoming a paid engagement.
The method: Prove, Package, Pitch, Paper
Four steps in a fixed order take your expertise to real buyers, with a signed first engagement as the goal. Your first priced offer is ready by week 4; weeks 5 to 12 take it to market. The order matters: each step produces what the next one needs.
1. Prove · Weeks 1-2
Cleared to proceed, one lane, proof
- Focus
- Employment and conflict check with your own lawyer; choosing one lane; three past projects as buyer stories (only details you're permitted to share)
- What you submit
- Completed employment check; niche statement; 3 before-and-after stories with numbers
2. Package · Weeks 3-4
A priced offer you can send
- Focus
- Phased fixed-fee offer (paid diagnostic or Phase 1 first); pricing; proposal and statement-of-work templates
- What you submit
- One-page offer with prices; proposal and statement-of-work drafts
3. Pitch · Weeks 5-8
Real buyer conversations
- Focus
- Approved list of 15+ people who can hire or refer; outreach messages; refining the offer from feedback
- What you submit
- Tracker updated before each session; messages sent; notes from every conversation
4. Paper · Weeks 9-12
Ready to sign a client
- Focus
- Proposals, follow-ups, negotiation, contract, business setup (an LLC or the right structure, confirmed with your own accountant or lawyer)
- What you submit
- Proposals sent to interested buyers, where applicable; follow-up log; contract and setup checklist complete
Format: 6 one-on-one sessions over 12 weeks, in weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, with email support between sessions.
What you walk away with
Six working assets you keep and reuse for every future client.
| Asset | Built in |
|---|---|
| One-line niche statement | Prove |
| Three buyer-ready case stories with numbers | Prove |
| Priced, phased offer on one page | Package |
| 15-person warm network list with next steps | Pitch |
| Proposal and statement-of-work templates | Package |
| Client agreement template (for your lawyer's review), plus employment check and business setup checklists | Paper |
The guarantee
Buyer conversation guarantee. Complete the program and the agreed outreach. If you haven't had three qualified buyer conversations by week 12, I keep coaching you every two weeks at no extra cost until you do, as long as you keep doing the agreed work. A qualified conversation is a discussion of at least 20 minutes with someone who has the problem your offer solves and a real role in evaluating or buying a solution.
Employment eligibility refund. If your employment review shows a legal or contractual restriction that prevents you from consulting, tell me by the end of week 2 and confirm it in writing from a qualified professional within 30 days. You get a full refund.
This is a conversation guarantee, not a promise that a client will sign. The full terms are in the coaching agreement, which you can read before you enroll.
Price and format
The Fixed-Fee Launch is $2,997, shown before anyone books a call. Fees for your own lawyer or accountant aren't included.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | $2,997 paid in full, or 2 payments of $1,550 ($3,100 total) |
| Length | 12 weeks |
| Sessions | 6 one-on-one sessions, one every other week, with email support between them |
| Your time | About 5 focused hours a week |
| Enrollment | Enroll on the call, or book a short follow-up after checking your employment agreement or talking with your partner |
How one first engagement could cover the program fee: the two examples below were an $8K engagement and a $19K signed first-phase contract. Both are gross amounts, not guaranteed earnings or profit. Profit depends on scoping and pricing the work well, which is what the Package step covers.
Why a fixed-fee diagnostic comes first. It's a small, contained purchase for the buyer, with a defined outcome, and a way to get your expertise without hiring a full-time engineer. That makes the first yes easier. It also becomes a repeatable product you can sell again.
Proof
One personal result and one client result, both stated at their real size.
Aurobinda's own first engagement
One email to a former colleague turned into an $8K engagement while he was still employed.
Joe Watters, principal ML platform architect
After a layoff and months of job searching, Joe joined an earlier 8-week version of this program. A company he'd been talking with wanted his expertise but wasn't ready to hire. He had a phased offer ready and signed a $19K fixed-fee first phase with a national professional services firm, 7 to 8 weeks in. Follow-on work was discussed. He also formed his LLC during the program. His full account is in his public LinkedIn recommendation and on the case study page.
FAQ
These answer the reasons past prospects hesitated, before the call instead of during it.
Is this contract work through a vendor?
No. You sell directly to a client, at a fixed fee, for a defined outcome.
Will this put my job at risk?
Week 1 starts with an employment agreement and conflict check, reviewed with your own lawyer, before any outreach. Outreach goes to people who already know your work, not public advertising. No approach is risk-free, which is why the check comes first. If a legal or contractual restriction prevents you from consulting, tell us by the end of week 2 and confirm it in writing from a qualified professional within 30 days, and you get a full refund.
Do I need a website, brand, or testimonials first?
No. A first client usually comes from people who already know your work. Joe signed his before building any public brand.
I'm not a salesperson.
You won't cold call. Outreach starts with people who already trust your work, using messages drafted with me. If your network is limited after your employment review, we can agree on written cold outreach to buyers who fit your offer, and I'll train you on it.
How much time does it take?
About 5 focused hours a week for 12 weeks to build and market the offer. Delivering a signed project takes additional time.
Is there an upsell?
No additional program is required. Everything promised in the Fixed-Fee Launch, including guaranteed support, is in the $2,997 fee. Optional support may be available afterward; you never need it to get your guaranteed support.
What if I don't get results?
See the guarantee. If you do the agreed work and don't reach three qualified buyer conversations by week 12, we keep going every two weeks at no cost.
Ready to turn your engineering expertise into your first fixed-fee consulting offer?
Book a private fit call. We'll review your expertise, your network, your employment constraints, and whether The Fixed-Fee Launch is right for you.
Book your fit call