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. Mention your name in the message
Point the lead at the contact form and tell them to drop your name in the project-details box. I read every submission and log the referrer against any inquiry from that business for 90 days.
[ § ] / 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.