Investment Overview · Madison + AI
A transparent breakdown of what is being built, what it costs, why the numbers are defensible, and how they compare to 2026 market rates for comparable automation builds.
One-time build
$3,500
Monthly retainer
$1,500/mo
Year one all-in
~$21,500
Business Situation
Frosty’s Elite generates ~$39,200/month across 28 installs with a long-term goal of $1.4M+ annual revenue across 20+ active subs. The ceiling is not the market — it’s the operational model. Every quote, dispatch, review request, and job tracking task runs through Forrest manually. The system changes that.
Quote turnaround
Dispatch method
Review requests
Job tracking
Sub coordination
Monthly tool cost
Proposed Solution — Tool Stack
Telnyx
Business SMS
~$15–20
/ mo
Receives inbound customer photos and messages. Sends quotes and dispatch texts outbound. Pay-as-you-go — negligible at current volume.
Claude API
AI Intelligence
~$5–10
/ mo
Reads water heater photos, extracts model and serial numbers, applies Forrest's pricing logic, and returns a firm quote in seconds. Almost exclusively Rheem — highly trainable.
n8n Cloud
Workflow Engine
$60
/ mo
Connects every platform and runs the dispatch waterfall. Also triggers post-job review texts and syncs everything to GoHighLevel automatically.
GoHighLevel
CRM & Automation
$97
/ mo
Replaces Coursie at roughly half the cost. Manages job pipeline, customer records, and automated review requests. Provides the live operations dashboard.
Total tool cost / month
~$177–187 /mo
Replacing Coursie at
$197/mo
Tool costs are paid directly by Frosty as subscriptions. Madison’s retainer is separate and covers build, maintenance, and ongoing system management.
Scope of Work & Build Fee
The $3,500 build fee reflects ~41–53 hours of real work across six phases. Click any phase to see what’s involved.
One-time build fee
$3,500
Flat project fee · ~41–53 estimated hours
Effective rate
$66–$85
per hour · below market
First-build note
This is Madison’s first standalone client build. The $3,500 reflects a deliberate entry discount — not a reflection of the complexity or value delivered. An established agency prices this scope at $5,000–$10,000 minimum. The retainer is market rate from day one because the ongoing responsibility is identical regardless of client count.
Monthly Retainer — Tiered by Growth
As Frosty scales from 4–5 subs toward 20+, the system grows with him. The retainer is structured so he only pays for the complexity level his business is actually at — no overpaying early, no awkward re-negotiation later.
What every tier includes
System monitoring and uptime
Bug fixes and error resolution
Claude prompt tuning as pricing evolves
Sub roster additions and routing updates
GoHighLevel pipeline and automation updates
Review request sequence management
Workflow updates as the business changes
Monthly performance review
Launch
Starting hereNow — up to 10 active subs
Core system running — quoting, dispatch, review automation, CRM. Monitoring, bug fixes, and sub roster management included.
$1,500
/mo
Growth
10+ subs or 60+ installs/month
Expanded dispatch logic, additional sub routing rules, increased workflow complexity, and more frequent optimization as volume accelerates.
$2,000
/mo
Scale
20+ subs or 100+ installs/month
Full-scale infrastructure. Multi-sub territory management, high-volume CRM maintenance, advanced reporting, and priority support.
$2,500
/mo
All-in monthly at launch
Madison retainer
$1,500
GoHighLevel
$97
n8n Cloud Pro
$60
Telnyx + Claude API
~$25
Total / month
~$1,682
Covered by
2 installs
per month at $1,400 net
Market Comparison — 2026
Published 2026 pricing data from AI automation agencies serving small and mid-market businesses with comparable custom workflow builds.
| Provider | Build Fee |
|---|---|
| Freelancer / Solo Consultant | $2,500–$7,500 |
| Boutique AI Agency (3–5 staff) | $5,000–$20,000 |
| Mid-Market Agency | $20,000–$100,000 |
| Madison + AI · This Proposal | $3,500 |
Why this build sits above a basic freelance quote
Four integrated platforms vs. typical 2-platform freelance builds
Custom Claude AI photo analysis — not a chatbot template
Production-ready dispatch waterfall with priority logic and escalation
GoHighLevel migration replacing an existing live tool
10DLC registration required for compliant business SMS
Pricing logic trained on Forrest's specific rules — not generic
The case for this pricing
One-time build
$3,500
Below market. Reflects real work.
Monthly retainer
$1,500
Scales with the business.
Year one all-in
~$21,500
Build + tools + 12 mo retainer
The $3,500 build fee is below the $5,000–$15,000 market range for a 4-integration custom AI system — a transparent first-build discount, not a hobby rate.
The $1,500/month retainer is at the entry point of what boutique agencies charge for comparable ongoing management, and well below mid-market rates.
The tiered structure means Forrest's cost grows only when his business grows — no bait-and-switch.
Total year-one investment of ~$21,500 against a path to $1.4M annual revenue is not a cost — it is the infrastructure that makes the goal reachable.
The system replaces $197/month in Coursie costs, adds capabilities Coursie never had, and runs 24/7 without Forrest's involvement.