Author name: Mahesh

How Agency Owners Waste Their Most Valuable Time And Profits (+ How To Fix It) May 31, 2025 Mahesh If you run an agency and your revenue or profits aren’t where you thought they’d be… Or maybe things are fine…but something still feels off. Like you’re always working. Always fixing. Always moving. But that effort isn’t translating into the kind of profit or scale you expected. You’re not alone. There’s a HUGE chance you’re spending your best hours on the worst work. Because here’s what no one tells you as an agency founder: Not all work is worth your time. Some of it makes you money. Some of it just makes you feel busy. This is the difference between a founder who scales..and one who burns 10 hours a day just to keep the lights on. Let’s fix that. How You Lose Control Of Your Time Without Even Realizing It…   You look at your day, and it feels full: Like…. → Client check-ins → Project reviews → Internal calls → Admin → Content ideas → Proposal feedback You feel like you have to be (and you are) EVERYWHERE. But somehow… profits are flat. Deadlines drift away. The team feels overloaded. You start asking yourself: “What more can we do?” But that’s the wrong question. The real question is: “What’s actually worth doing?” Because not every task is created equal. Some of them directly grow your agency. Others just eat up time, energy, and profits without ever showing up on your finances. And here’s the part no one tracks: According to Teamwork’s 2023 Agency Performance Report:   Only 16% of agency leaders say they have clear visibility into how their team spends time. That means 84% are just “guessing” how their #1 source of income is performing. And guessing leads to bad bets…like: Spending 2 hours on low-converting client calls Burning hours formatting decks Writing some random copy instead of closing retainers Being stuck in standup calls that go nowhere All of this “feels” like work. But if it doesn’t drive revenue, client retention, or scaling  It’s low ROI. Even the tasks that feel “essential” start to break down when you look at what they actually lead to. Take something like daily standup calls. They sound productive. The team shares updates. Everyone’s in sync. But ask yourself…does that call help the team finish work faster? Does it prevent delays? Does it make the actual project move forward? If not, it’s just a random thing you could avoid.  It “feels” important because it’s in the calendar and maybe even people with Six Sigma black belts and MBAs are talking about it.  But there’s a good chance it’s not doing anything that makes the business more profitable, which means you don’t give it too much importance. Same with client updates. Yes, keeping clients informed matters. It’s really important.   But if you’re spending an hour writing long updates every few days, or sitting on “alignment” calls where nothing moves forward..  you’re not delivering any value. You’re wasting both of your time (and time = money remember?) Same with things like: –> Brainstorm sessions that go nowhere –> “quick sync ups” where no decisions get made –> Endless back-and-forth on Slack or WhatsApp or Email or Teams about ideas you never launch All of that adds up to a BIG COST.  Nothing shipped. Nothing closed. Nothing improved. That’s low ROI work. Not because it’s fake….But because it doesn’t lead to more revenue, better clients, or a business that runs smoother. And when those tasks take up your best hours, you end the day exhausted, but not profitable, and no faster / closer to scaling. So your best hours go to the work that matters least. That’s the hidden leak. And if you don’t fix it, no strategy, hire, or new offer will move the needle. PART 1 : SPLITTING HIGH ROI VS LOW ROI WORK   If you’re serious about improving your agency’s profitability, this is non-negotiable: You need to separate high-ROI work from low-ROI work and treat them completely differently. So what do you do? You split your day by what actually grows the business. Here’s how that looks. HIGH ROI WORK (Do this during your best hours) This is the work that makes your agency more profitable, easier to run, or less reliant on you over time. 1. Sales & Growth   This means doing things that bring new revenue through the door. That could be following up with leads, running outreach, building pitch decks, or sending proposals. If you don’t carve out time to grow the pipeline, you’re stuck with your existing clients and “delivery mode” forever. And then when projects slow down, you panic and take on whatever comes your way, like bad clients, underpriced work, low margins. If you’re not spending at least a few hours a week doing this at scale, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to grow. More sales calls = more chances to win. Period. Don’t believe the lie that “I don’t need more sales calls..I’ll just settle for 2 “good clients”.” You need volume AND quality, and it only happens if you block time for it properly.   2. Work That Improves Quality (So Clients Stay and Refer You)   It’s not enough to only “finish” client work. You need to make sure the work is actually good, and that it’s improving week after week, month after month… If you don’t improve or make your clients feel like you’re the best they could ever send money to….they won’t stick around. They won’t renew. They won’t refer. They’ll move on quietly. Your job isn’t just to deliver. It’s to make them want to send you more money. This kind of work includes reviewing deliverables before they go out,  setting a higher creative standard, fixing sloppy processes that led to last-minute firefighting,  or even tightening how feedback gets implemented. When you do it consistently, clients are happier. You keep them longer. And they send you your next projects without

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Freelancers – Fix Your Income & Profits With This. May 23, 2025 Mahesh If you’ve read our e-book on Why Most Freelancers Stay Stuck & How To Escape It, you know exactly why your income has been stalling. You know which projects are draining you. You know which clients have been bleeding your time dry. And this is the execution plan to increase your freelancing income.  So now what? Most freelancers stop here. They see the problem, nod in agreement, and go right back to working the same way. They’ll say, “I should fix this soon.” They’ll tell themselves, “Next month, I’ll start tracking properly.” They’ll feel like they’ve made progress just by realizing what’s wrong. But real progress doesn’t come from realization. It comes from execution. And that’s what this article is about. If you’re done reading, learning and understanding  and ready to actually fix what’s broken, keep reading. BTW – This isn’t another reminder to track your numbers.  Do this today, and by the end of the month, you’ll know exactly what to do and what not to do to improve your freelancing income.  Important Notes  To get the most out of it and put it into action. A project management and profit-tracking tool is essential. Astravue provides both. If you haven’t already, set it up now to apply the concepts discussed. Step 1: Run the Red Flag Audit on Every Client You Have Right Now Not next week. Not when things “calm down.”  TODAY.. Make a list of every single client you’re currently working with. Every retainer, every active project, every open contract. Look at the last three months of work and ask: How much did this client pay me? How many total hours did I spend on their work? Did I take unpaid calls, extra revisions, or admin tasks I didn’t bill for? Would I take this project again at the same rate? The last question is everything. If you wouldn’t take this project again under the same conditions, you already know something is wrong. If it’s a pricing issue, you fix it. If it’s a time drain, you set boundaries or drop them. If it’s a consistent loss, you replace them. No hesitation. No overthinking. Step 2: Set a Minimum Profit Per Hour. Anything Below It Is a No. You’ve done the math before. Now use it. Look at your numbers. Find the actual, proven, tested hourly rate that makes freelancing worth it for you. Not just “what sounds fair,” but the number that ensures you’re actually profitable. Then lock it in as a hard rule. If a new client can’t match that rate?If an old client keeps dragging you below it?If a project looks good on paper but dips under it once the real hours stack up? It’s a no. No negotiation, no making it work, no “but they’re a good client.” If it doesn’t hit your profitability threshold, it doesn’t happen. Step 3: Set a Hard Limit on Unpaid Work. Track Every “Small Task” That’s Costing You. This is where most freelancers lose money without even realizing it. It’s not the big projects. It’s the unpaid calls. The quick check-ins. The “one last tweak” that turns into five more rounds. If you’re not tracking these, you’re leaking profit every single day. Starting now, every extra request that isn’t covered in your contract goes on a Scope Creep Log. Doesn’t matter how small. If a client asks for something, and you weren’t originally paid for it, you track it. At the end of the month, look at that log. If it adds up to 10+ hours? That’s an entire paid project you worked for free. No more. Start enforcing it. Bill for extras, set clear revision limits, and train clients that your time isn’t free. Step 4: Track What’s Scaling and What’s Stalling. Adjust Immediately. Not all projects are equal. Some clients pay well but never lead anywhere. Some might not pay top dollar but send consistent, easy work. Some drain time and energy but feel “safe” to keep around. If you’re not tracking which ones actually move your business forward and increasing your freelancing income, you’re wasting time. For every client, ask yourself: Is this client growing my business or just keeping me busy? Am I in the same place financially as I was three months ago? If I doubled this type of client, would my business be thriving or would I burn out? If you’re stacking too many clients who stall your growth, it’s time to drop and replace. This is the difference between freelancers who scale and freelancers who work the same hours forever. Final Rule: If You’re Not Changing Anything, Don’t Expect Different Results. You already know what’s broken. You already know what’s eating your profits. You already know which clients, habits, and pricing decisions are keeping you stuck. So the question is: Are you going to fix it today, or are you going to keep waiting for “the right time?” Because that time is now. The fastest way to make freelancing easier is to know your numbers. If you’re still juggling clients, chasing invoices, and hoping things add up at the end of the month you don’t need more work, you need a better system. Start tracking what matters. Start making decisions based on real profitability, not guesswork. And if you want a tool that helps you see it all clearly? That’s exactly why we built Astravue. Try it free today. No pressure, no risk. Just a smarter way to work. Try Astravue Share this post ! Keep Reading How Agency Owners Waste Their Most… How Agency Owners Waste Their Most Valuable Time And Profits… MaheshMay 31, 2025 Why Storytelling is a Superpower in… Read this is to see how to actively use your… Ramesh KumarMay 28, 2025 How To Avoid Getting Grilled at… Read this is to see how to actively use your… Ramesh KumarMay 26, 2025 This Brain Science Trick Can 2x… Read this is to see how