Breaking Free from Feast or Famine: Building Recurring Revenue Streams

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Feeling like your freelance web design business runs on a constant cycle of booking, building, and yet stressing about money? In this episode of Web Pro Savvy, Cathy talks about why the traditional project-to-project model feels so unpredictable—and how to build more stability into your business.

You’ll learn how to shift from a hustle-heavy cycle to a model that provides consistent, reliable income, all without overhauling your entire business. Cathy shares practical ways to turn the work you’re already doing into ongoing services, create stronger client relationships, and finally feel like you’re starting each month with a foundation you can count on.

Whether you’re new to freelancing or ready to move beyond the feast-or-famine grind, this episode will help you rethink your business model and create a freelance life that feels sustainable—and enjoyable.

Episode Transcript

Cathy Sirvatka (00:00):
Hey there, savvy friend, welcome to another
episode of Web Pros Savvy wherewe talk all things freelance web
design, building a sustainablebusiness and actually enjoying
the work we do.
I'm Cathy Sirvatka, yourfreelance cheerleader and fellow
WordPress designer in thetrenches.
Welcome to the Web Pros Savvypodcast.

(00:20):
This is your host, CathySirvatka S.
as in Sam I-R V, as in VictorA-T-K-A, have you ever looked at
your bank account and thought,well, I better get another
project?
Yeah, you're not alone.
Why does freelance life feel sounpredictable, so unbudgetable?

(00:44):
Freelance life feel sounpredictable, so unbudgetable?
I know that's not a word, butit should be.
I've definitely struggled withthis over the years and have
come to learn that it doesn'thave to be this way.
A business built on one-offproject work is, by its nature,
unpredictable.
You have to constantly find newclients and once their project
is complete, that's it when mostof us start freelancing.

(01:06):
We do it project by project.
That's how the money comes inright.
The client hires us, we buildthe site, we get paid and then
that's the end Until the nextone comes along.
It's a cycle that works to apoint.
It's difficult to live on inthe best situations, let alone
when you're just starting out.

(01:27):
Rather than having a nice, evenpace of work, you may find
yourself in one of three modesbooking, building or panicking.
The problem isn't the workitself, it's the business model.
When every dollar you hope tobring in depends on a new
project, your income is tieddirectly to your ability to

(01:48):
hustle, and the hustle isexhausting.
I've been there.
I've spent many a night up till2, 3, and even 4 am trying to
crank through those projects.
This type of work bender on aroutine basis left me tired and
frustrated.
I felt unprofessional.
I felt like my business andeven my clients were controlling

(02:10):
me.
I needed to take charge andmake my business more
sustainable.
I needed it to work for merather than the other way around
.
The missing piece was havingmultiple revenue streams.
What I discovered, and what Iwant to share with you, is that
you don't need a ton of clients.
You just need some clients topay you in a few different ways.

(02:33):
For instance, what if you haveone client who pays you $4,000
for a new website and then theyalso get on your website
maintenance plan for $100 amonth and they host their
website on a service that youoffer for $250 a year?
That's $1,450 per year inaddition to the project price.

(02:55):
Now what if you did this witheach and every one of your
clients?
The project work is great, butyou don't want it to be the end
of the line.
Instead, look at it as an introto a continuous relationship
with your clients.
We know that WordPress websitesneed technical maintenance to
keep them secure, fast andproperly functioning.

(03:17):
The client doesn't know thatand handing a brand new website
over to them can seem dauntingand risk the overall health of
the site.
This is where a maintenanceplan comes in.
It is the ongoing nutrient.
Websites need to be healthy androbust, and the income from
maintenance clients can be yourbread and butter, that monthly

(03:39):
income you can count on.
Let's go through the potentialnumbers and we'll keep it simple
.
Count on let's go through thepotential numbers and we'll keep
it simple.
You get 10 clients to join yourmaintenance plan for $100 a
month.
That's $1,000 a month of income.
Times 12 months, that's $12,000per year.
That's not project work.
Now say those 10 clients alsoget on your hosting plan for

(04:01):
$250 a year.
Times 10 clients, that's $2,500per year.
Plus the 12,000 you're alreadygetting from the maintenance
plan, that's $14,500 per year ofincome you can count on.
That's good news, right, andmore good news is that that
number could very potentially bea lot higher, depending on the

(04:24):
type of clients you serve andhow many.
What this does is give you afoundation, a sense of okay.
I'm not starting at zero thismonth.
You still build websites, butyou're not solely relying on
that one-off project cycle.
It's about creating somethingsustainable, something that
supports you even in the slowseasons.

(04:45):
This doesn't require a bigoverhaul of your business either
.
First, just pay attention towhat you're already doing for
free.
Are clients emailing you monthsafter launch with quick
questions or update requests?
Are you logging in to fix aplugin issue because it's no big
deal?
That's unrealized recurringvalue.

(05:08):
You're already providingongoing support.
You just haven't packaged it.
Take a look at all your recentand current clients.
These are the people whoalready trust you.
Is there something simple youcould offer them monthly, like a
maintenance plan?
Maintenance plans usuallyinclude things like security
scans, backups, software updates, small content edits.

(05:31):
Offering this service is areassurance to your clients and
a huge value.
And stop assuming your clientdoesn't want to pay you.
This one took me a while tolearn.
I didn't want to bother clientswith extra services or feel
like I was being pushy, but inreality I was doing them a
disservice.
Clients want to know you'restill there.

(05:52):
They want someone they can relyon, and you are that person.
So here's something I want youto reflect on today If you stop
taking on any new clients rightnow, would your business still
make money next month?
If the answer is no, that'sokay.
That was my answer for years.
But if you'd like to changethat, even just a little, you

(06:15):
can.
You don't have to rebuild yourbusiness from scratch.
Just start thinking differentlyabout the value you already
provide.
You're not just a web designer.
You're a trusted expert.
You're someone who can offerpeace of mind, consistency and
support month after month.
If anything in this episodesparked an idea for you, write

(06:38):
it down.
Is there something you alreadydo that you could turn into a
small recurring service or maybea client you could reach out to
?
We'll keep talking about thisidea of stability over stress in
future episodes, because it'ssomething so many freelance web
designers struggle with and youdon't have to figure it out
alone.

(06:58):
Hey, if you're enjoying theseepisodes, would you do me a
favor?
Leave a quick review or sharethis with a fellow web pro.
You never know who's feelingstuck in that feast or famine
cycle right now and just needsto hear that there's another way
.
You've got this and I've gotyour back.
Talk soon, my savvy friend.