$50 TO
FIVE FIGURES
Knowledge doesn't pay. Systems pay. If you're stuck under $5k/month, you aren't lacking talent—you're lacking a skeleton. This is the blueprint to fix it.
The story
The 12-hour workdays for $50 that almost broke me twice. Start here.
The Chaos Audit
Diagnosing the hidden disorganization draining your bank account.
The ROI Shift
Busy vs. Paid Work. Mastering the 10-Before-10 Rule for real cashflow.
The Leverage Math
Turn a $150 clip into a $1,000+ brand investment using usage rights.
I WAS A
PHOTOGRAPHY GHOST.
Nine years ago, I thought "hustle" was a badge of honor. I was a "professional," which meant I had the gear and the business cards, but I was living on $50 sessions. Drive two hours, shoot four, edit six. When I finally sent the gallery, my bank account hit that $50 mark. I was eye-strained and functionally poor.
Marie's Truth: I brought that same "$50 mentality" into the UGC space where brands have five-figure budgets. I took $75 deals because I didn't have a system to say no. Knowledge doesn't pay. Systems pay.
If you don't have a predictable way to track your deals and calculate your value, you'll always be the ghost in your own business. It's time to build the skeleton.
THE CHAOS AUDIT.
If you're stuck under $5k/month, you don't have a "creative" problem. You have a **leak**. You are losing deals through the cracks of your own disorganization.
DISORGANIZATION CHECKLIST
- I couldn't tell you exactly which pitches I sent on Tuesday without searching my sent folder.
- I've "lost" a brand email and realized it three days too late.
- I have no tracker for which invoices are overdue by 3+ days.
- I have no central place to view my monthly earnings goals vs. actual revenue.
You cannot scale a mess. If you try to build a $10k business on top of a disorganized foundation, it will collapse. We need to install the **skeleton** before you try to grow.
THE ACTIVITY TRAP.
The 10-Before-10 Rule
No social media. No editing "fun" Reels until you have sent 10 high-value pitches or follow-ups before 10:00 AM.
✨ THE PITCH LAB
Paste your pitch here, and I'll rewrite it to be impossible to ignore.
THE MATH
OF LEVERAGE.
If you charge $150 per video, you need 33 deals a month to hit $5k. That is a sweatshop. Your creativity will die. You don't need more deals; you need better math.
| Deliverable | The "Broke" Way | The "Paid" Way |
|---|---|---|
| 1x Core UGC Video | $150 | $250 |
| 90-Day Paid Usage | Free (Mistake) | $350 |
| 3x Hook Variations | $0 | $250 |
| Whitelisting Rights | Not Offered | $150 |
| TOTAL PER DEAL | $150 | $1,000 |
You only need 5 deals like this to hit $5k. 5 emails. 5 shoots. That's a business. The other way is just a job that pays worse than retail.
Marie's Rule: Never sell a video. Sell an ROI. When you justify fees with math, you become an investment, not an expense.
INSTALL
THE SYSTEM
THE PAID CREATOR PIPELINE
The mandatory fix for creators ready for five-figure months. Before we expand, we organize.
Take the first step,
Marie