Ep 39: The Truth About Custom Proposals in a Productized Business
“Service work is scalable when it’s designed right.”
Emylee
If you’ve been in the service space long enough, you’ve probably heard some version of this message: automate everything, remove yourself from delivery, never send a custom proposal again, and if you do, your business is not scalable.
I want to clear that up right now.
That voice is not yours.
It’s the voice of a decade of marketing that prioritized one-to-many models, passive income fantasies, and course-based businesses over sustainable service work. And while that advice might work for some business models, it is not the only path forward, especially for one-on-one service providers.
In this episode, I break down what productization actually means, how I use it in my own business, and why offering bespoke support does not automatically make your business unsustainable.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode
In this episode, I walk you through:
How I define productization beyond just a signature service
Why delivery ecosystems matter more than offers alone
How repeatability buys back time for service providers
The difference between bespoke work and reinventing the wheel
Why I still send custom proposals and when it makes sense
How to spot when someone is asking for accountability versus strategy
What an advisory layer actually looks like in a productized offer
Productization Is About the Ecosystem
When I talk about productization, I am not talking about slapping a name on a service and calling it scalable.
I am talking about productizing the entire delivery ecosystem of your business.
That includes onboarding, selling, delivery, retention, messaging, pricing, timelines, systems, tools, automation, and team structure. Everything that supports the result you provide gets intentionally designed.
It starts with the authority anchor. What you want to be known for. The result your container delivers.
From there, we build the container. Then the client experience. Then the systems and structure that allow the owner to stay in the strategic, high-value work instead of being buried in logistics.
This matters because every service provider hits a capacity ceiling.
You cannot make more money if you cannot serve more clients. And you cannot serve more clients if you do not have time. Productization is how you buy back that time.
Repeatability Creates Capacity
A core element of productization is repeatability.
Same onboarding process. Same welcome email. Same kickoff flow. Same phases. Same communication structure. Same scope. Same pricing. Same timeframe.
Not because clients want cookie-cutter work, but because repeatability creates sustainability.
No, service work will never be 100 percent standardized. Nor should it be. There is nuance, context, and customization baked into good service delivery.
But if you productize even 40 percent of your ecosystem, that is time you get back. That time compounds into capacity, and capacity compounds into revenue.
The Myth of “Never Send a Custom Proposal”
Here is the part people don’t expect.
I still send custom proposals.
In fact, I sent multiple this week.
That does not mean my business is broken. It means my filters are strong.
Every custom proposal I send is built on the same core framework, methodology, and IP that already exists in my business. I am not reinventing the wheel. I am not starting from scratch. I am adjusting five percent.
Think whipped cream and a cherry, not a brand new sundae.
When Bespoke Support Makes Sense
There is a very specific type of client where a bespoke or advisory layer makes sense.
They are not early-stage beginners. They are not looking for hand-holding because they cannot take action. They are not asking for accountability.
They are experienced. They have networks. They can land clients quickly. What they need is clarity, refinement, and strategic direction from someone who is a few steps ahead of them.
For those clients, adding an advisory layer on top of a productized framework is strategic.
For everyone else, more access is usually not the solution.
If someone is a perfect fit for a productized offer but will not enroll unless they get more one-on-one time, that is often a red flag. Not because they are a bad client, but because they are looking for something productization is not meant to solve.
Stop Letting Outdated Advice Run Your Business
If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this.
Custom does not mean unsustainable.
The voice telling you otherwise is outdated marketing advice that does not account for nuance, capacity, or service-based businesses.
You already know what works in your business. You may not have the structure yet. You may not have the framework yet. But you know.
Your responsibility is to listen to that, not to a 2016 scaling playbook that never actually worked long term.
Chapters
00:01 Productization defined and why I keep bringing it up
02:17 How repeatability buys back time for service providers
03:41 Why “automate everything” is not the goal
06:06 Service work is scalable when it’s designed right
08:30 The gap client who needs more than SOS but not consulting
10:57 Why I still send custom proposals
13:04 Turning a productized offer into a bespoke advisory
15:31 Why wanting more access is not the same as needing strategy
18:08 The difference between accountability and shortcuts
20:18 Stop letting outdated girl boss advice run your business
22:17 What’s next for Sold Out Services
Resources & Mentions
Interested in Being on the Show or Working with Emylee?
Are you a service provider with a bold perspective to share? Apply to be a guest.
Ready to transform your service into a productized, scalable offer? Apply for Sold Out Services.
If you’d like to see a library of all published episodes in a gallery with easy-to-find links to all listening platforms be sure to check out the Sell The Damn Service Episode Library.
