Why do so many talented freelance designers get stuck in a constant cycle of hustling for clients, overworking themselves, and never quite hitting the income goals they’ve set? In this episode, I’m breaking down the root causes behind why freelancers struggle to grow and, more importantly, how you can break free from this trap. I’ll be sharing the exact steps that helped me move from being a solo freelancer to running a thriving design agency. We’ll talk about the mindset shifts, business model changes, and systems you need to unlock sustainable growth and finally step into your role as the Creative CEO of your business.

 

Designer to Agency Bootcamp: https://aventiveacademy.com/designer-to-agency-bootcamp/

 

Listen to the episode here:

Spotify  –  Apple Podcasts  –  Amazon Music

 

You will learn:

• The three main growth blockers that keep freelance designers stuck
• How to shift from a freelancer mindset to thinking like a business owner
• Strategies to package your services and move beyond the one-to-one model
• How I grew my design business and significantly increased what I charge
• The importance of systems and automation in scaling your design business
• How to position yourself to attract high-value clients who see you as a strategic partner

Grab your coffee, your notes, and get ready to rethink how you run your design business!

 

Designer to Agency Bootcamp: https://aventiveacademy.com/designer-to-agency-bootcamp/

 

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TRANSCRIPT:

0:00
As a freelance designer, you’re hustling non-stop, taking on every project you can get and still not hitting those income goals you set. And let’s be real, you didn’t become a freelance designer to stay glued to your desk juggling admin tasks, client calls, and maybe endless revisions.

0:19
Yet here you are, stuck in a cycle that’s draining your creativity and burning you out. So what’s keeping you from growing? It’s not a lack of talent OR effort. It’s the way freelancing is set up. There’s a limit to how much you can grow when you’re doing it all by yourself.

0:37
I know because I was right there too. The key isn’t just about working harder or finding more clients. It’s about shifting the way you approach your business entirely. And once you understand this, you’ll finally see the growth you’ve been chasing for years.

1:11
Welcome to The Profitable Graphic Designer Podcast, brought to you by Aventive Academy. I’m your host, Kady Sandel. I’m a brand strategist, designer, creative director, and the CEO of a successful 6-figure design agency based in Austin, TX, serving clients worldwide. After mastering the art of building a profitable and sustainable design business…

1:33
I decided to help you achieve the same success. I teach brand, graphic, and web design business owners how to attract more clients, increase their pricing, and develop design businesses that provide the financial freedom and time flexibility you’ve always dreamt of. We offer online programs, courses, and templates that you can use along with our coaching accelerator and mastermind high-touch experiences for creatives. You can learn more about starting and growing your design business at aventiveacademy.com.

2:04
But for now, grab a cup of coffee and join me in today’s podcast episode. Let’s dive into why so many freelance designers get stuck in the same cycle: consistently hustling for clients, working around the clock, and never quite hitting the income goals they dream of. It’s not because you’re not talented enough or hardworking. It’s because freelancing, as most people approach it, has built-in limitations.

2:39
And this is really the key to understand: as a freelancer, you’re wearing all the hats. You’re a designer, you’re a project manager, you’re your own marketer, you do your own taxes, you’re a CPA, you’re an admin, and you do sales. You write proposals, you talk to clients, you organize everything—you do everything.

3:00
You’re trading your time for money. And no matter how high your rates get, there’s always a ceiling because your time is limited. There are only a certain number of hours in a day that you can work or exist. You know there are 24 hours in a day and you can’t work 24/7.

3:19
Plus, there’s the feast or famine cycle that so many freelancers face. When you’re busy working, you don’t have time to market yourself. And when you do have time to market yourself, you’re often doing it out of desperation. And it doesn’t sound good, doesn’t feel good.

3:36
And this is a loop that’s hard to break. And this is where I was stuck for months, maybe even years. I was so stuck. I was not getting enough clients. Then I put so much effort into my marketing, and then I started getting more clients, but I wasn’t prepared because I didn’t have the time to develop the right systems.

3:58
So I felt like things were constantly falling apart. Whether that’s not having enough clients, not having good enough clients, not making enough money, not having the time to properly deliver everything, working on logos for like 2-3 hours because I didn’t have more time than that, and just sending work that I would never proudly say, “This is what my work is all about,” because I was so busy. Then, when I wasn’t busy, when I wasn’t getting enough clients, I would post on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook just to post. But nothing was sustainable.

4:37
Like really, my business wasn’t profitable, wasn’t sustainable, and definitely wasn’t simple. And that is the reality of freelance designing. That’s the reality that many designers, many freelance designers face. So if you are hearing this and you’re like, “This is where I am,” just know you’re not alone.

4:57
If you’re stuck, you’re not alone. But let me help you get to the next level and let me really help you get to that level where you don’t have to chase clients and you don’t have to wonder how much to charge, what exactly to provide, who you’re going to work with, if you should hire your team, if you should expand, and things like that.

5:19
So why is it that freelance designers struggle to break through this barrier and scale their businesses? Well, the main issues usually boil down to three things: mindset, business model, and systems.

5:36
So the first one, we’ll talk just a little bit about it. I don’t want to talk too much about it, but you know, many freelancers hold on to a scarcity mindset. They’re afraid of raising prices because they worry clients will leave.

5:51
Maybe this is where you are at the moment. I definitely was there when I was charging $65 for a logo design. In my head, that’s how much clients would pay for a logo. I didn’t see the value in my work, so why would clients see the value in my work?

6:07
I knew I was good, but I just didn’t see why clients would pay $200, $500, and I wasn’t even thinking about $1,000, $2,000, or $10,000 plus, which is how much I charge right now because, in my head, it was all about that stuck mindset.

6:25
I was really afraid of raising my rates. Also, designers tend to undervalue their skills, thinking of themselves as just designers to hire out, instead of strategic partners who can deliver massive results. And you really can deliver massive results—not just in terms of providing a logo, colors, packaging, but you’re really helping your clients make more product sales, get more customers, and get more clients.

6:52
You’re really helping someone grow their business. You are very important in their business. You just don’t see that, maybe. And this mindset keeps you in this cycle of taking low-paying clients, overworking yourself, and missing out on bigger opportunities because you don’t see how valuable you are.

7:16
Now, let’s talk about business models. Freelancers often rely on a one-to-one service model where they’re directly exchanging their time for money. I’m not talking here about hourly pricing or anything like that, but it’s more like someone pays you for a business card, you deliver that business card; someone pays you for a flyer, you deliver that flyer; and you’re paid for it. Of course, someone pays you for a logo, you deliver that logo, and you’re paid for it. This is when you’re exchanging time for money, even though it doesn’t sound like that, but that’s what it really is all about.

7:38
While this model might seem straightforward, it’s a huge growth limiter. You are capped by the number of hours you can work and the rates you can charge. To scale, you need to move beyond this one-to-one model. You have to have your own signature offer and then put a price on that which your clients will pay.

8:13
As mentioned, I used to charge $65 for a logo design, and then even when I increased it, I was at $240, then $480, and then finally I was getting to $6,000, $3,500, and it was just growing from there. But I was also adding more value to my offer.

8:29
Now my services start at $8,000, and that might sound like a lot—and it is a lot of money, I’m not going to lie—but I also provide a lot of value for that money. And my clients see that. Most of the time, my clients fall between $10,000 and $20,000.

8:45
And I also have a team who helps me execute the project, so that way I can land a lot of these high-paying clients, and it works perfectly for me. Now when I offer something, let’s say for $15,000, I have a package. I have one offer that clients have to sign up for. I no longer offer just one business card, one flyer, one visual identity, or one brand strategy—no. I have one offer, and they have to pay for it.

9:21
And once you have that one offer, you will know exactly where you need to be in order for your ideal clients to find you. And this is definitely something we’re going to cover in my upcoming Designer to Agency Bootcamp. If you want to sign up for that, it’s just $27. The link is below in the description. We are covering positioning and why clients should choose you over me, Nicole, and any other designer in the world. Then we cover pricing. We’ll talk about marketing because not every marketing strategy is going to work for you.

9:55
No matter if you see some designers being super successful on Instagram and then you try it and it doesn’t work—well, there is a reason for that. Then I’ll also cover hiring, expanding, and growing so that you can really grow beyond that freelancing level.

10:11
Another reason why freelancers simply can’t grow is because many freelancers operate without clear processes. They don’t have standardized ways of onboarding clients, delivering work, or even managing their finances.

10:27
When you’re constantly reinventing the wheel for every client or project, you’re stuck in the weeds, leaving little room for growth. What I mean by that is I used to have a different process for every single client depending on their needs.

10:44
So every time a client would reach out, I would send a questionnaire, and then they would respond to that questionnaire. Then I would send the proposal, and they would approve it or not. That was one process. Then with someone else, I would sometimes schedule calls, and we would go over what I can deliver for them. I would not tell them the price because I was afraid of saying that out loud.

11:07
Then I would work on the proposal, send it to them, and they would say yes or no. But I didn’t have the right systems in place. Versus now, I have everything organized, and I know exactly what happens next. I have all the email templates—literally absolutely everything.

11:24
When a lead comes in because we are getting a lot of clients through Google, LinkedIn, networking, things like that. But most of the time, clients come through our website and the contact form. Then we have an email template that we send to them, and then they schedule a call.

11:40
I talk to them, and then I tell them on the call, “This is what I’m going to offer, this is how much it is. Yes or no?” When they say yes, then I send the proposal—just kind of like a summary of our call. If they say no, OK, no hard feelings, bye-bye. We wish you all the best.

11:57
Those are the systems that I have implemented over the years in my business. So if you don’t have the right systems, spend a week organizing and streamlining everything so that you’re not wasting more time than needed.

12:13
The next thing I want to talk about is how to break free from this trap of not being able to grow. It really starts by redefining how you approach your business. So here are two actionable strategies that you can implement.

12:29
The first one is to shift your mindset to CEO mode. That means you need to stop thinking of yourself as a freelancer and start seeing yourself as the CEO of your design business. CEOs don’t handle every single task themselves. They focus on strategy, vision, and high-level decisions.

12:46
This means letting go of the need to do everything and start delegating—whether it’s admin work, project management, or even some design tasks. That’s kind of like when you hire someone who’s going to do your taxes—a CPA—or when you hire someone who’s going to do your emails, maybe a virtual assistant, or when you hire a designer that’s going to help you execute the project.

13:04
Really, the more you step into this CEO role, the more freedom you’ll have to focus on growth. The next thing is transitioning from freelancer to business owner. And this shift is crucial. Instead of offering your design services in a purely one-to-one model, think about packaging your services in a way that allows you to scale.

13:24

This could be creating a signature process that you can systematize or even productizing your services. And this is exactly what I did, and I’ll tell you more about it. This is where certain aspects can be delivered without your direct involvement.

13:41
Right now, I have this one signature offer that includes brand strategy, visual identity, packaging design, and sometimes website design, but not always. Clients have to pay a certain amount of money for that. We always have the same deliverables. And now, as mentioned, I have the team to help me execute the project.

14:01
So every person on my team—it’s six of us—knows exactly what they need to do in order to complete the project. So, you know, we have one offer, one price. Even though the price can change sometimes because we do value-based pricing, I’ll talk more about that in a different episode or cover it inside the Designer to Agency Bootcamp as well. If you want to sign up, the link is below.

14:37
But it’s really all about having that one offer that your clients would love. Another option is if you don’t have enough money to grow into an agency right now. And when I say agency, I’m not talking about growing into a 100-person business. I’m talking about scaling to two, three, four, maybe five people.

14:56
You don’t have to go beyond that. You can stay small, like a small boutique design agency or studio. People love that. And you’re also able to increase your prices because all of a sudden, you’re not just a freelancer—you have an agency, you have people you’re responsible for.

15:22
And if you’re afraid of hiring people, you can always outsource and expand your team little by little. You don’t have to hire six people full-time immediately. You can hire subcontractors or small teams to handle specific tasks, allowing you to take on more clients without burning out and also figuring out what you need to do in your business next so that you can grow.

15:48
Now, once you’ve shifted your mindset, evolved your business model, and put systems in place, the next step is sustaining and scaling this growth. You need to focus on high-value clients and start positioning yourself as a premium provider.

16:06
This means niching down and getting clear on who your ideal clients are—clients who understand the value of your work and are willing to pay top dollar for it. It’s not just about raising your rates and picking a niche like choosing your ideal client; it’s about aligning your services with the kind of clients that are looking for strategic partners, not just a designer to execute tasks.

16:33
And this is exactly what I’m covering in the Designer to Agency Bootcamp on our first day, September 10th, at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time. Register now—we’re accepting only, I think, 250 people, so just register as soon as possible. It’s just $97, and you’re going to learn absolutely everything you need to know to go from being a freelancer to running an agency.

16:49
We’re talking about positioning, high-paying clients, how to increase your prices, how to scale, how to delegate, execute projects, and things like that.

17:06
Then the next thing is all about building a referral and marketing machine. Again, we’re talking about that inside the Designer to Agency Bootcamp, but consistent growth comes from having a steady flow of high-quality leads. So you really need to figure out where your best clients are coming from.

17:24
Is it through referrals? OK, how can you increase that? Is it through your website? How can you increase the number of visitors that come to your website? How can you convert them more into clients? You have to figure that out. Really, the goal is to position yourself as a go-to expert in your niche.

17:41
So you’re attracting clients instead of chasing them. And marketing is, again, also covered in the Designer to Agency Bootcamp.

17:59
Finally, think long-term. Where do you want your business to be in one, three, or even five years? Set goals and reverse-engineer how to get there. I did that so many times, and I do it every single year, and sometimes even halfway through the year. For example, it’s been like five months into a new year, and I’m like, “Well, I kind of changed my plans, I changed my goals.”

18:17
And it’s totally fine to change them as you go. The key is to keep evolving and making changes. The freelance model may have gotten you started, but to reach the next level, you have to consistently adapt and optimize.

18:41
And just to recap quickly: the struggle that freelance designers face isn’t just about working harder or finding more clients. It’s about shifting your mindset, rethinking your business model, and building systems that allow for sustainable growth.

19:07
By stepping into your role as a business owner, as a CEO rather than a freelancer, you’ll unlock the potential to work less, earn more, and finally break free from the cycle that holds so many freelancers back.

19:19
So your next step is to assess where you are right now. Identify which of these areas—mindset, business model, systems—is holding you back the most and start from there. Implement changes, track your progress, and stay committed to the bigger vision of running a scalable, profitable design business that you’ve always wanted to have.

19:33
And if you need help, you know where to find me. Designer to Agency Bootcamp starts on September 10th. Thanks for tuning in to The Profitable Graphic Designer Podcast. But wait! Before you go, if you enjoyed this podcast episode and want a chance to access one of our online courses for free, simply leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Each month, one lucky reviewer gets to pick a course as a token of our appreciation.

19:51
And here’s a reminder: we are here to help you build the design business of your dreams. Whether it’s creating compelling proposals, attracting $10k clients, pricing your design services, improving your portfolio, reaching six figures and beyond, or helping you stand out—we’ve got you covered. I invite you to join over 1,000 designers in my signature 12-week program, The Profitable Designer. Visit aventiveacademy.com/profit and also don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. That way, you’ll be the first to know when each new episode drops so you never miss out on future content.

20:26
Until next time, be sure to connect with us on Instagram at @aventiveacademy, where we share valuable business tips, stories, and resources for brand, graphic, and web design business owners.

20:46
Bye for now! Your host, Kady Sandel.