Scaling a graphic design business can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. I’m breaking down exactly how you can attract more premium clients, raise your rates, and start outsourcing so you can get your time back and grow your business without burning out. I’ll share the strategies that have worked for me, from refining your brand positioning to building a team that allows you to focus on the high-level work that drives your business forward. If you’re ready to stop being the bottleneck and start scaling your design business with confidence, this episode is for you.

 

Listen to the episode here:

Spotify  –  Apple Podcasts  –  Amazon Music

 

You will learn:

• How to position your brand to attract premium clients who are willing to pay top dollar
• Effective strategies to raise your rates and increase your revenue without losing clients
• The key steps to outsourcing and delegation that free up your time for growth-focused activities
• How to implement systems and processes that make your business scalable and sustainable

Grab a cup of coffee, your notes, and get ready to redefine how you run your design business!

 

Aventive Academy’s Resources:

Free Client Portal for Designers: https://aventiveacademy.com/client-portal/

$12k Client Attraction Masterclass: https://aventiveacademy.com/attract-clients-workshop/

Join My Weekly Newsletter: https://aventive-academy.ck.page/0fc86a336f

The Wealthy Client Blueprint: ⁠https://aventiveacademy.com/wealthy-client/

12-Week Business Program for Designers: https://aventiveacademy.com/profit

The Creative CEO Accelerator: https://aventiveacademy.com/accelerator

 

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TRANSCRIPT:

0:00
You know that moment when you realize that you’ve been working nonstop, juggling multiple projects, and still feeling like you’re just scraping by? You’re attracting clients, but they’re not the ones who truly value your work, and raising your rates feels like a gamble. But what if I told you that the key to breaking free from this cycle isn’t about doing more? It’s about doing the right things strategically.

Imagine working with clients who respect your time and pay you what you’re worth, all while having the freedom to step back and let your business grow without you being the bottleneck.

0:40
Sounds pretty good, right?

0:59
Welcome to the Profitable Graphic Designer Podcast brought to you by Aventive Academy. I’m your host, Kady Sandel. I’m a designer, creative director, and the CEO of a successful six-figure design agency based in Austin, TX, serving clients worldwide.

1:17
After mastering the art of building a profitable and sustainable design business, 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.

1:38
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. But for now, grab a cup of coffee and join me in today’s podcast episode.

1:59
Let’s get right into it. If you’re serious about scaling your graphic design business, the first thing you need to do is shift your mindset. And I know this sounds, you know, kind of like a cliché, and you’ve heard it so many times.

2:17
You have to change your mindset, reframe your mindset—mindset, mindset, mindset. But really, scaling isn’t just about doing more work. In fact, it’s not about doing more work at all. It’s about leveraging your time, resources, and expertise to create a business that grows without you being the bottleneck.

2:36
So how do you do that? Well, it starts with understanding where you’re at at the moment and where you want to go. You need to be clear on your vision for your business. So, are you looking to build a traditional agency with full-time employees, or do you want to run a more flexible floating agency where you outsource work to contractors?

2:58
But of course, this is not the only thing you need to think about. When I wanted to grow my business—when I was stuck at charging or making $3k to $5k a month and wanted to get to that next level—I just didn’t know how to do that because I was so busy doing all the things.

3:17
Yes, I already had some help. I already had my blogger, I already had someone who was doing my taxes. I already had, you know, some kind of help here and there, but nothing that was really helping me either charge more, get more clients, or at least get my time back so that I could figure out what I needed to do.

3:40
I was constantly overworked. I was constantly looking for clients or chasing clients, working on designs, working on marketing, doing the emails, working on revisions, sending the files. I was just like doing, doing, doing—constantly working without knowing where I wanted to be.

4:01
And every day or every time when I wanted to sit down and really make my plans or figure out my vision for the business, I would always be like, “Oh, I don’t have time for it now. I have to complete this label. I have to finish this logo. I have to change these colors. I have to respond to my client.” And I never had the time to work on my business because I was working in my business. And you can’t grow like that.

4:47
So again, we’re going back to that mindset. If you want to grow, you have to take some time off—though it’s not really time off—but you have to work on your business and really focus on shifting that mindset from being a freelancer to being a business owner.

5:03
And then from there, the next step in scaling is attracting more clients, but not just any clients. You want to attract the right clients who value what you bring to the table and are willing to pay a premium for it.

5:23
And I know it sounds very, very hard to get there, especially if you have never had a $10k, $20k, or more client, and it’s hard to even imagine what they would need for that much money. So, to get those better clients, you need to refine your marketing efforts.

5:43
You have to focus on messaging. What do you offer that no one else does? What results can you deliver that your competitors can’t or that they don’t talk about? Make sure your website, social media profiles, and any other client-facing materials communicate this clearly.

6:09
Many designers are not getting the right type of client or are not getting any client because of messaging—that’s related to positioning, but we’ll talk about positioning as well. I remember when I had on my website, “I’m a graphic designer, I provide logo design and website design, and I can do labels and flyers.” And every graphic designer can do the same thing.

6:28
So, of course clients were not choosing me, of course they were going with someone else, of course they were price shopping. So really make sure that everything communicates the end results your clients are looking for. Your goal is to position yourself as the go-to expert in your niche.

6:46
Now let’s talk about how to attract premium clients. Specifically, these are clients who not only value your work, but they’re also willing to pay top dollar for your services. To attract them, you need to do a few key things. First is to elevate your brand positioning.

7:02
Your brand should look very professional, show expertise, and you have to prove that you’re providing high-value, high-quality design services before they even talk to you.

Yes, you can convince them on the call, but how do you get them to even schedule a call with you? Your portfolio should highlight your most successful projects, particularly those where you’ve achieved significant results for your clients.

7:33
And I know that it’s hard to measure, especially if you do branding or graphic design. It’s very, very hard to measure how much success or results we bring to the table because we can design the best logo ever. But if clients don’t do anything with it—if they don’t do their marketing, social media, and whatnot in order to make more sales or get more customers or grow their business in general—then we can’t really, you know, it’s not our fault that their business hasn’t grown.

7:48
So I know that it’s just a piece of a puzzle, but if your clients have any results, you should include that in your portfolio. And something I already mentioned—you should showcase your best work only.

I’ve seen designers that try to add everything and anything to their portfolio, but what you’re doing with that is you’re confusing your client.

8:13
And I know that you cannot have over 50 quality design pieces. It’s best if you have 6 to 8 case studies for A-Z—not just 6 to 8 logos without any explanation or process and whatnot. You have to have those case studies where clients will see how much expertise you can bring to the table.

8:47
Premium clients want to see proof that you can deliver exceptional results. Your portfolio should highlight your most successful projects as mentioned. So really use case studies and testimonials to demonstrate the impact of your work. Focus on a high-quality portfolio.

Besides that, you also want to create high-value content. You need to position yourself as an industry leader by creating content that showcases your expertise.

9:08
This could be in the form of blog posts, webinars, podcasts, or even white papers. The key is to provide value and insights that other designers aren’t offering. When premium clients see that you are knowledgeable and ahead of the curve, they’ll be more inclined to work with you—especially if you focus on this one social media platform that not many designers want to focus on, and that is LinkedIn.

9:39
If you’re on LinkedIn—super professional—you have an amazing headshot, an amazing banner, and you post once or two times a week. You connect with referral partners, potential clients, and whatnot. You will see a huge amount of clients coming from that platform.

9:58
The last thing I want you to do if you’re looking to increase your client base is to network in the right circles. Premium clients often come from referrals or through connections in high-value networks.

10:14
Attending industry events is very important. You can join professional groups and engage in communities where your ideal clients are active. Building relationships with the right people can lead to opportunities that might not be accessible through traditional marketing channels.

10:33
And the last thing—I think I already said the last thing—but one more thing is to offer a high-touch experience. Premium clients expect a higher level of service. From the initial consultation to project delivery, every interaction should feel personalized and top-notch.

This might mean offering more in-depth strategy sessions, faster response times, or a more collaborative approach to projects. And we do have a client portal if you want to download it for free. I will put it in the description. We use it with our clients with every single brand, graphic, or web design client, and they’ll love it.

11:15
This is something that I started implementing just a couple of years ago, and

it’s literally a game changer. And I’m giving it to you for free. So go in the description, download it while it’s still free. Your clients will love it, and you will love it too.

When clients feel they’re getting a bespoke service, they’re more willing to pay a premium for it and also send their friends—your future clients—too.

11:55
By focusing on these strategies, you can attract not just more clients, but more premium clients who are willing to invest in the value you provide. This is a crucial step in scaling your business effectively and sustainably.

We are going to talk more about getting better and bigger clients in my upcoming mastermind. It’s called the Creative CEO. I will leave the link below. It’s an amazing 5-month program that helps you go from solo freelancer into a small boutique design agency that you’ll love running.

12:12
If you want to learn more, again, click on the link and I hope you join us. Seats are definitely limited because we have one-to-one coaching. We have secret podcasts, we have access to guest experts, live calls, and prerecorded lessons. It’s amazing.

12:43
It really has everything that you need to know about running a simple, sustainable, successful, and profitable design business.

OK, now once you’ve attracted more clients, it’s time to raise your rates. But raising rates isn’t just about increasing the numbers—it’s about increasing the perceived value of your services.

13:05
Start by analyzing the results you’ve achieved for your clients. Have you helped them increase their revenue, improve their brand recognition, or solve some other problems? Use these case studies and testimonials to justify your rate increase.

13:22
When you present your new rates, focus on the value you bring rather than the cost. And also do not talk about the services that you provide. Don’t say, “Oh, you’re going to get the logo design, and you get 3 options to choose from, and we do 5 rounds of revisions, and for websites, we do this and that.”

13:39
No, focus on the things that clients want to hear and that you’re actually helping them with, and that is selling more products, getting more customers, getting more clients—the end results. That is what they care about.

They’re not coming to you for a logo. Yes, they will get a logo, but they’re coming to you to help them grow their business.

13:56
Remember, your clients are investing in outcomes, not just designs. The more value you can demonstrate, the more justified your rate increase will be.

14:14
And maybe you’re not increasing rates for your current design clients—maybe you’re increasing your rates for your future clients—but still, focus on the outcomes. Do not talk about your designs too much. Yes, they want to know the deliverables, but don’t focus on them now.

14:34
As you bring in more clients and raise your rates, you’ll reach a point where you can’t handle all the work yourself. Trust me, I’ve been there.

14:54
Even now, we still have so much work that I either have to say, “OK, we have a waitlist of five months; we can’t start this project today. We can start this project in five months or three months, or sometimes it’s two weeks.” It really depends on how big the project is, if we can squeeze it in, if we have time, and so on.

But long story short, you have to figure out how to outsource and delegate when the time comes.

15:14
Start by identifying the tasks that you don’t need to do yourself. This could be anything from responding to emails, making changes on your website, writing Instagram captions, connecting with people on LinkedIn, maybe even going to networking events, working on your SEO, or writing blog posts—whatever it is.

15:37
Whatever you don’t want or don’t need to be doing, you can outsource. The goal is to free up your time so you can focus on the high-level work that only you can do, like strategy, client relationships, and maybe creative direction.

15:53
That is what I do in my branding and design agency. At the moment, I am a creative director, CEO, and I also manage my clients—but not all of them—because I’m building that client relationship so that we can get referrals.

16:09
When outsourcing, make sure to vet your contractors carefully. Look for people who align with your brand values and have the skills to meet your standards. This is so important.

16:26
If you hire someone who is below you, you will have to micromanage a lot. If you hire someone who’s above you, that is perfect. You know, Steve Jobs said that he never hired someone who was not better than he was. And that’s how he was able to grow.

That’s what I do in my branding and design agency too. I always hire designers that are better than I am so that we can actually be an amazing branding and design agency.

16:48
Yes, I set the standards, and I can see what’s good and what’s not. I’m a creative director, and we all—it’s amazing.

So you have to set clear expectations and establish processes to ensure a smooth workflow.

17:04
The more streamlined your operations, the more scalable your business will become. But again, you will have to find people who are going to meet your standards, whatever those standards are.

The next thing is getting your time back.

17:20
This is something that I will really focus on inside the Creative CEO. If you want to join us, click on the link below. The waitlist is open, and the doors to register for the Creative CEO will open this Thursday.

17:37
So you will hear me talking about this program more and more, especially on my Instagram. So go and check out that on @aventiveacademy, and you will hear me talking about the Creative CEO. It’s something that I love.

17:53
It’s really about getting your time back, making more money, and scaling your business.

As you outsource more tasks and delegate responsibilities, you’ll find that you have more time to focus on growing your business and doing the things you truly love.

18:12
But getting your time back isn’t just about offloading tasks. It’s about creating systems that allow your business to run without your consistent involvement.

So invest in tools and technologies that automate repetitive tasks.

18:31
Especially these days when we have AI, streamline communication—you can use software for it, and it’s very, very easy.

The whole team is fully remote. We used to have an office space here in central Austin, and we used to work together.

18:48
But after COVID hit, I decided to sell my office space, and we all became remote. We have an amazing communication process and systems, and everything works perfectly—maybe even better than when we were in person.

19:04
So really consider implementing all those things and implementing a client management system, which goes back to the client portal I already mentioned. It’s in the description, and you can download it for free.

Again, invest in those tools, and it’s going to help you with day-to-day operations.

19:25
The more systems you have in place, the more you can step back and let your business run itself. And then, of course, you can hire a manager and someone who’s going to manage the team.

Once you’ve scaled your business to a point where you’re attracting high-value clients, raising your rates, and outsourcing tasks, it’s time to look at optimization.

19:48
This involves regularly reviewing your processes, identifying areas for improvement, and staying ahead of not just industry trends, but so many things.

If you were to open Photoshop or Illustrator a year from now, can you just imagine how many new things you would find, now that AI is evolving and developing so fast?

20:14
Not just Adobe software and programs, but ChatGPT and other things that can help you really grow your business. You have to really focus on that.

And don’t be afraid to pivot or make changes as needed.

20:32
The design industry is constantly evolving, and so should your business—not just the design industry, but businesses in general. So keep an eye on that.

But of course, if you’re not getting high-paying clients, if you’re not raising your rates, and if you don’t have a team, you won’t have the time to work on your business and on your systems, and you will fall behind.

20:57
By staying adaptable and open to changes, you can continue scaling your business in ways you never thought possible. Trust me, I’ve been there.

I used to charge $65 for a logo design while being a completely solo freelancer, doing everything on my own, to now working about 15 hours a week—sometimes even less—on my design business.

21:23
This is the Aventive Academy part where I do spend some time, but it’s because I love it. Running my design business really allowed me to do what I truly want to do in my—not just business, but life.

Before I let you go, I want to talk about some final thoughts on scaling.

21:42
Scaling your graphic design business isn’t a one-time effort. It’s an ongoing process. It requires a strategic approach, a willingness to delegate, and a commitment to continuously improving your operations. But the rewards are so worth it.

22:00
It’s painful—maybe like right now it is. It takes time. You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t know what you don’t know, right?

That’s why you’re listening to this podcast. That’s why you’re watching YouTube videos. That’s why you’re scrolling through Instagram, hoping to find some new information. That’s why you’re hiring coaches and buying online courses and whatnot.

22:19
Because you don’t know, and that’s OK. You will get there. You will learn. I promise you that by scaling, you

can create a business that not only brings in more revenue but also gives you the freedom to focus on what you love most in your design business.

22:37
Maybe that is designing. Maybe that is not designing anymore.

When I was growing my business, I really liked designing. I really enjoyed opening an Illustrator file, working on logos, selecting colors, finding the typography, and whatnot.

22:55
Now I love being the creative director. And I can do that because I chose to do that. I was able to grow my business to the level where I’m choosing what I want to do and what I don’t want to do in my business.

Now that I have a team—I have a brand designer, a graphic designer, a web designer, a web developer—I choose what I want to do. That is creative direction.

23:18
I want to be the CEO and creative director, sometimes brand strategist as well, depending on the project. But I get to choose.

You can do that too, only if you have higher-paying clients, clients that value what you do, you’re making more money, and you’re outsourcing all the things that you don’t want to do.

23:42
So, as I already said, by scaling, you can create a business that not only brings in more revenue but also gives you the freedom to focus on what you love most about your own business.

Whether that’s working with high-value clients, exploring new creative projects, or simply having more time to enjoy life, scaling is the key to unlocking your full potential as a business owner.

24:09
I know I now sound like AI, but that’s really true. Now I have the freedom to do whatever I want. It’s coming to my mind to start a skincare line, and maybe I’ll do that because I have the time to do it. It’s my hobby. It can be my hobby.

I also now have the time to do my nails. I take two months off every single year. I don’t work when I don’t feel like it. For example, it’s my birthday, and I’m like, “You know what, I’ll just go to Starbucks, get my free coffee—because Starbucks gives you free coffee on your birthday—I’ll go shopping, and I will take myself to lunch because that’s what I feel like doing.” I will not work that day, and it’s Tuesday, and it doesn’t matter. My business doesn’t depend on me.

24:48
So take these steps I talked about today, start implementing them today, and watch your business grow in ways you never imagined.

25:10
If you need help, which I assume you do since you listened to this podcast episode, I invite you to join me inside the Creative CEO. The Creative CEO is my signature program accelerator that helps brand and graphic designers consistently attract top clients and maximize your design agency income in just five months.

We’ll focus on clients, marketing, money, and growth because these are the four main areas that you need to work on when it comes to growing your design business.

25:51
Trust me, this is the only business program you’ll ever need to build a sustainable, simple, and profitable design agency. You don’t need another free workshop, another free YouTube video, or even another free podcast episode. It’s time to stop DIYing it and doing everything alone.

26:11
Let me help you grow your design business to the level that you want. To sign up, click on the link in the description or visit aventiveacademy.com/accelerator. I hope to see you there.

Thanks for tuning in to the Profitable Graphic Designer Podcast, but wait, before you go—

26:30
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.

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.

27:38
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.

Bye for now, your host, Kady Sandel.