Cora is an AI co-founder and connected business operating system for agencies and service businesses. It connects leads, clients, proposals, projects, approvals, documents and billing in one workspace.

Who is Cora built for?

Cora is built for client-service businesses including performance marketing agencies, design studios, web and development agencies, SEO teams, creative businesses and other service companies.

Is Cora the same product as other companies named Cora?

No. HeyCora at heycora.in builds Cora for agencies and service businesses. Other unrelated products and companies also use the Cora name.

Why should agencies transition from hourly billing to value-based project pricing?

Hourly billing penalizes speed and efficiency—the faster you work, the less you earn. Fixed project pricing and monthly retainers align incentives around client outcomes while protecting agency profitability.

How does Cora help agencies generate profitable proposals faster?

Cora lets you assemble structured rate cards, deliverable packages, and GST-compliant milestone schedules into interactive digital proposals that clients can review, e-sign, and deposit in seconds.

Cora — The AI Co-Founder for Agencies

Load Studio Persona PresetsOne-click model setup

1. Income & Financial Targets

Target Annual Net Income / Owner PayDesired net take-home earnings per year before business profit distributions.

Annual Operating Overhead & SoftwareSaaS tools, accounting, legal, insurance, hardware, hosting, and office expenses.

Target Agency Profit MarginOperating profit retained in the business beyond owner compensation (typically 15% to 30%).

2. Billable Time & Working Capacity

Realistic Billable Hours per WeekDirect client work hours (excluding marketing, admin, sales, and internal projects; 20-25 hrs is typical).

hrs/wk

Weeks Worked per Year52 weeks minus planned vacation, holidays, and sick leave (typically 46 to 48 weeks).

weeks

Estimated Effective Tax RateCombined personal/corporate income tax and local statutory withholdings.

Recommended Hourly Rate100% Client Calculated

$185per billable hour to meet financial goals

Minimum Break-Even Rate$148 / hr

Recommended Standard Rate$185 / hr

Value-Based Tier (+25%)$231 / hr

Service Packaging Reference

Day Rate (7 hrs)$1,295

Weekly Sprint$4,625

Monthly Retainer$7,417/mo

Standard Build (60h)$11,100

Diagnostic Findings & Bottlenecks1 item identified

Healthy Financial Sustainability

Balanced Model

Your rate model cleanly covers target salary ($120,000), studio overhead ($18,000), and a 20% agency profit cushion.

Worked Example & Step-by-Step Calculation

Show details

A solo digital consultant wants $120,000 net take-home pay with $18,000 annual business expenses, paying a 25% effective tax rate while targeting 25 billable hours/week for 48 weeks with a 20% agency profit margin.

Example Baseline Parameters

Target Net Income$120,000

Overhead$18,000 / yr

Billable Hours25 hrs / wk

Weeks Worked48 weeks

Computational Breakdown

Calculate Total Annual Billable Hours25 billable hours/week × 48 weeks

1,200 billable hours / yr

Gross Up for Personal Taxes$120,000 net income ÷ (1 - 0.25 tax rate)

$160,000 gross required

Add Overhead and Target Profit Margin($160,000 gross + $18,000 overhead) ÷ (1 - 0.20 margin)

$222,500 total revenue needed

Calculate Recommended Hourly Rate$222,500 total gross revenue ÷ 1,200 billable hours

$185 / hour

Outcome Analysis:To sustainably take home $120k while covering overhead and funding agency reserves, the consultant must bill at $185/hr or sell monthly retainers starting at $7,400/month.

Methodology & Formulas

v1.2 (October 2026)

Core Computational Formulas

Billable Annual CapacityHours_annual = Hours_billable_weekly × Weeks_worked_annual

Total sellable hours after removing internal administrative and marketing time.

Required Gross RevenueRevenue_required = ((Income_target / (1 - Tax_rate)) + Overhead) / (1 - Margin)

Gross billing target required to cover taxes, business operating costs, and profit cushion.

Recommended RateRate_hourly = Revenue_required / Hours_annual

Standard rate per billable delivery hour.

Baseline Assumptions

Non-billable admin time (invoicing, prospecting, emails) takes roughly 35-40% of total working hours.
Profit margin represents retained business reserves for hiring, equipment upgrades, and lean quarters.

Analytical Limitations

Market acceptance varies based on geography, specialization, and proven client case study results.
Value-based pricing may exceed mathematical cost-plus minimums significantly.

The Proposal & Retainer Bridge

Turn Your Rate Card into Signed, GST-Compliant Retainers.

Stop sending loose PDF quotes. Cora packages your hourly rates, fixed-fee milestones, and monthly retainers into interactive digital proposals with 1-click e-signatures and integrated UPI QR / card checkout.

Assemble custom multi-tiered proposals in under 2 minutes

Automated 18% GST calculation and HSN/SAC code compliance

Collect upfront retainer deposits directly inside the proposal link

Explore Cora's Proposal Engine View Feature Modules

Works alongside your existing WordPress or custom stack

Frequently Asked Questions

Start with your target take-home salary, add annual operational overhead (software, rent, legal, accounting), factor in estimated income taxes, and add an agency profit margin (15-25%). Divide this required gross revenue by realistic annual billable hours (typically 1,000 to 1,200 hours per year per person).

Privacy Guarantee & Data Handling Notice

100% Client-Side

All numerical inputs, pricing assumptions, rates, and configurations entered into Service Project Pricing Calculator are computed in real time inside your browser session using local JavaScript execution.

Zero Server Logging

We do not transmit, log, store, or serialize your financial models, agency figures, or client metrics to Cora backend servers or third-party cloud data warehouses.

No Account Required

Full diagnostic findings, band scores, formulas, and actionable remedies are provided freely without requiring an email address, login, credit card, or lead gate.

Service Project Pricing & Retainer Rate Calculator