Key Metrics — Jan 2025 to Aug 2026
Total Revenue
$258,721
20 months
Current MRR
$10,530
Aug 2026
↓ 6.1% from $11,220 (Jul)
Projected ARR
$126,360
Aug MRR × 12
Total Ad Spend
$7,641
Connects $5,633 · Meta $2,008
8
Interviews
28.6% of viewed
Proposal → Hire: 3.9%
Retention >90 days: 33%
Bottleneck: View rate 27.5%
Meta ROI Jul: 1.09x
Meta ROI Aug: 2.09x
Upwork share Aug: 44% (was 91% in Jul)
| Month | MRR | ARR (×12) | Ad Spend | ROI | MoM Change | Signal |
|---|
Lag effect confirmed. Mar–May 2025 spend drove recovery to $12K+ by July. Aug 2025 peaked at $20.8K on nearly $0 spend — pure pipeline payoff.
Upwork collapsed but total revenue held. Upwork fell from $10,155 to $4,680 — the freelancer account billed $0 in August. Meta and Playces absorbed most of it, so total only dropped 6% to $10,530.
Channel mix has flipped fast. Upwork was 91% of revenue in July, 44% in August. Diversification arrived by accident — Upwork fell rather than the others rising dramatically.
50% interview-to-hire close rate. Excellent. The only funnel leak is the 27.5% view rate — proposals need to land faster with stronger opening lines.
Meta ads are working. $456 spend → $498 in July (1.09x). $1,552 spend → $3,250 in August (2.09x), and that client converted to a retainer. Second month, ROI nearly doubled.
Next: Meta deserves more budget given the 2.09x and the retainer conversion. But don't let connects stay at $90/mo — the lag means thin Upwork bidding now shows up as thin revenue in October.
