I.
Friend
$100 flat
Anyone — friend, family, someone you met once at a conference. No prior relationship with Obsidian required.
Paid within 7 days of contract signing.
[ ✦ ] / referral program
Send some work, get a check.
If you know a local business that needs a website, introduce them. If they sign, you get paid. Friends get $100. Past clients get 10%. Partner designers and photographers get 15%. No paperwork, no limits, no expiration.
II.
Past Client
10% of project
Anyone who has paid Obsidian for a completed project. Cash — or double-value credit toward your next update.
Half on deposit, half on final invoice.
III.
Partner
15% of project
Designer, copywriter, photographer, agency, Chamber member. Anyone with a professional service adjacent to web.
Half on deposit, half on final invoice.
[ $ ] / what it looks like
Real numbers. Paid fast.
Project size You are You get
Starter — $650 Friend $100
Starter — $650 Past client $65
Professional — $1,800 Past client $180
Professional — $1,800 Partner $270
Premium — $4,500 Past client $450
Premium — $4,500 Partner $675
Past clients can swap cash for 2× value in design credit toward future Obsidian work. $180 cash becomes $360 in credit. Cap: credit is valid for 18 months.
[ → ] / how to send an intro
Three ways, all equally valid.
1. Email intro
Email me and the lead on the same thread:
Intro: [Lead name] ↔ Drake at Obsidian I'll reply, drop you from the thread after the first exchange. Simple.
2. Direct DM
"Hey Drake, I just sent my friend at [business] your info." That's it. I log your name against any new inquiry from that business for the next 90 days.
3. "Referred by" field
Point the lead at the contact form — the "How did you hear about me?" field logs your name automatically.
[ § ] / rules that keep it honest
A few things worth knowing.
- No pyramids. One hop only. A person earns as a referrer, not a referrer of a referrer.
- The intro has to happen first. If a lead already reached out to me last week and a friend "refers" them today, no reward. Timestamps win.
- Refunds claw back. If a project is cancelled and refunded in the first 30 days, any paid reward is clawed back or netted against the next one.
- 90-day window. Referral counts if the lead signs within 90 days of your intro. After that it's a fresh start.
- I disclose. If a lead asks whether you're being paid, I say yes. Trust beats pretending.
- No gating. I never ask leads who referred them. If the field is blank, it's blank. On the honor system.
Got someone in mind? Make the intro.
[07] / next step
Know a business that needs a site?
Send them a quick email with drake@obsidianwebco.com cc'd — that's all it takes to start a referral. Reward tracks from the moment they sign.