RetainHub

Manage retainers effortlessly – track, invoice, and grow stable creator income

Score: 7.8/10FranceMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Freelancers in the creator space struggle to transition from unpredictable one-off gigs to stable retainer models, causing inconsistent revenue streams.

Solution

Track hours/milestones against retainer scopes with auto-invoicing. Get alerts for renewals and upsells. Simple dashboard shows revenue stability metrics to focus on high-value clients.

Target Audience

Freelancers in the creator space (e.g., content creators, influencers, and digital artists billing via gigs)

Differentiator

Creator-specific time tracking with content milestone templates

Brand Voice

professional

Features

Client Dashboard

must-have12h

Overview of all retainers, revenue, usage

Time/Milestone Tracker

must-have15h

Log hours or check off content deliverables

Auto-Invoicing

must-have10h

Monthly invoices based on retainer terms

Renewal Reminders

must-have8h

Email/Slack alerts 30 days before end

Revenue Analytics

must-have10h

Churn risk, MRR forecasts

Upsell Suggestions

nice-to-have7h

AI prompts for add-ons

Integrations

nice-to-have9h

Google Calendar, QuickBooks

Team Collaboration

future12h

Subcontractor access

Total Build Time: 83 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
stripe_idtextYes
created_attimestampNo

retainers

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
client_nametextNo
monthly_priceintNo
end_datetimestampYes
statustextNo

Relationships:

  • user_id -> users.id

entries

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
retainer_iduuidNo
typetextNo
hoursintYes
notestextYes
datetimestampNo

Relationships:

  • retainer_id -> retainers.id

API Endpoints

POST
/api/retainers

Create retainer

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/retainers/:id/entries

Log entry

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/invoices

Generate invoice

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/analytics/mrr

MRR data

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/notifications

Fetch reminders

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Stripe webhooksCron jobs for reminders

Build Timeline

Week 1: Setup & dashboard

18h
  • Auth
  • Client list

Week 2: Tracker

22h
  • Entry logging
  • Milestones

Week 3: Invoicing

28h
  • Stripe integration
  • PDF gen

Week 4: Analytics

22h
  • Charts
  • Forecasts

Week 5: Reminders & polish

18h
  • Emails
  • UI tweaks
Total Timeline: 5 weeks • 128 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No auto-invoice

  • 3 retainers
  • Basic tracking

Pro

$25/mo

10 clients

  • Unlimited retainers
  • Auto-invoice
  • Analytics

Enterprise

$79/mo

None

  • All + Integrations
  • Custom reports

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11204%$120$1,440
Month 69007%$1,575$18,900

Unit Economics

$22
CAC
$350
LTV
4%
Churn
93%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 15.9xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Master Your Retainer Revenue

Track, invoice, and retain clients automatically for consistent creator cashflow.

Feature Highlights

Milestone tracking
Auto monthly bills
MRR insights
Renewal alerts

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Stabilized my income overnight.' – @VideoCreator"
"'Invoices on autopilot.' – Illustrator Pro"

First Three Customers

Email list from past freelance tools users, offer migration free. Share case study on r/Entrepreneur and creator Discords. Referral program for early adopters.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/smallbusinessTwitter #SaaSCreator newsletters

SEO Keywords

retainer management softwarefreelancer retainer trackercreator invoicing toolstable retainer dashboard

Competitive Analysis

$12/user/mo
Strength

Time tracking

Weakness

Not retainer-focused

Our Advantage

Built-in retainer scopes/invoicing

Invoice Ninja

invoiceninja.com
Free-$14/mo
Strength

Invoicing

Weakness

No tracking/renewals

Our Advantage

End-to-end retainer lifecycle

🏰 Moat Strategy

Data moat on retainer churn patterns for predictive analytics

⏰ Why Now?

Freelancers hit by AI disruption seeking retainer stability in 2024

Risks & Mitigation

executionmedium severity

Stripe webhook issues

Mitigation

Test extensively + fallback emails

financiallow severity

Low initial conversions

Mitigation

Freemium + upsell path

legallow severity

Invoice compliance

Mitigation

Use Stripe Billing standards

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Survey 50 freelancers on retainer pains

Success: 80% want tracking

mvp14 days

10-user beta

Success: 90% retention week 2

growth30 days

Affiliate program

Success: 20% MoM growth

Pivot Options

  • General invoicing
  • Agency management tool

Quick Stats

Build Time
128h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,575
Market Size
$600.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
3
API Endpoints
5