Leverage is a great thing to have. And once you have it, it makes things a lot easier.
I'm in a position right now where I have a $1,760 monthly retainer. It's not $5k, but here's what it does for me. I have enough room for multiple one-off clients every single week.
And in those conversations I now come with massive leverage. I don't need to say yes to a $100 contract. I can set a floor at $1,000 or more for each deal. The more leads I generate every week, the higher the contract values I can go after. And because I don't need the contract, I get to decide if I want to move forward or not. That is the best kind of leverage.
As a side note, I'm already building more leverage through LinkedIn and my YouTube channel. So if I keep going, I'll be in a pretty good spot by the end of the year. All because of the seeds I planted 6 months ago.