The Path to a 6-Figure Design Business

STARTING ($0-3K/mo) GROWING ($3-5K/mo) HEALTHY ($5-10K/mo) THRIVING ($10-15K/mo)

Basic metrics tracked around revenue and expenses. Detailed qualitative and quantitative metrics tracked
Metrics dashboard is in place and key business
METRICS No (or very few) metrics tracked Little to no tracking of leads, social media, sales with dashboard reviewed regularly and business
success indicators are monitored regularly.
conversions. strategy adjusted as needed.
Basic systems in place for regularly performed tasks. Workflow for documenting systems and processes is All systems and processes in the business are clearly
SYSTEMS AND No strategic systems or processes in place. You start
No strategy set for how to capture and document in place and new systems are recorded as they come defined and updated regularly. Strong use of
PROCESSES from scratch each time you do something.
RUN processes. Digital filing system is in place. up. technology to improve efficiency over time.
your business Lack of legal documents, formal client agreement, Legal documents and client agreement in place. Strong positive cash flow with operating expenses of
Cash reserves are building. Budget actively
OPERATIONS financial/book keeping system, insurances or other Financial system selected and used. Appropriate at least 1 month in the bank. Regular reviews of
monitored and adjusted. Limited cash flow reserves.
operational documents. insurances purchased. Inconsistent cashflow. business activity with external consultants.
Days and weeks not well planned. Limited forward Procrastination is common. Not always working on Time and tasks are batched for maximum Consistent action taking and high levels of
PRODUCTIVITY thinking or planning is undertaken. Generally the right tasks to produce the best results. Poor use productivity. Long term priorities are set. Time is put productivity. Days and weeks are planned in
reactive rather than proactive. of time. Projects often left unfinished. business. advance. Great mix of work/life balance. Proactive.
Business and life decisions are being run through the
Annual goals have been set but are usually financial Solid goals in place that are based on a big picture
No formal strategy, vision or goals have been set for
PLAN or tactical and not based on a broader vision. Basic vision and include clearly defined action steps and
either the business or for the owner personally. at the core. Clear action steps are tracked and
revenue targets set but not tracked smaller target projects to complete.
completed every day.
Energy low, health not a priority. Unhealthy habits Understand that energy levels are strongly tied to Routines in place to start and end the day. A High energy. Excited to start each day. Morning and
MANAGE
and self sabotage are common. No routines to start success of business. Some daily healthy habits in number of healthy daily habits are in place evening routines in place. Daily healthy habits
ENERGY
LEAD or end day. place but not always consistent. consistently and more added as energy increases. regularly tweaked to increased wellbeing over time.
yourself
Some personal/household tasks are outsourced to All personal/household tasks now outsourced. Some Good understanding of $ value placed on your time
Doing everything yourself, no delegation or
DELEGATE free up time to spend on the business. Business design/admin work now outsourced to a virtual or and tasks that are not a good use of your time are
outsourcing
related tasks still done yourself. design assistant on a casual basis. now outsourced.
Confidence growing as you gain experience working High levels of confidence in working with clients and Fully confident in what you are doing. Able to clearly
BUILD
Low confidence, high levels of imposter syndrome with clients and the professionalism of your delivering a great project. Imposter syndrome lead clients in projects and feel confident in
CONFIDENCE
business improves. decreasing as you feel more professional. delivering exceptional outcomes.
Relying on basic organic strategies for attracting Reliance is still largely on organic lead generation Mix of organic and paid lead generation strategies.
No system for lead generation. Not clear where
LEAD GENERATION new leads. Lack of sophistication in lead generation but more sophisticated techniques are being Steady flow of leads that generate a steady flow of
leads are coming from or how to get more.
process. Limited lead follow up. employed for attracting new leads. new paying clients each month.
More complex sales strategy in place with multiple Steady stream of sales flowing from a sophisticated
No sales strategy or process. Sales are sporadic or Basic sales strategy in place including a simple sales
SALES funnels and sales channels. Sales metrics are sales strategy, scripts and process. High sales
non-existent. Low sales conversions. funnel. Sales convert but not in a consistent way.
tracked. CRM in place. conversion with optimised sales funnels.
FIND
clients No intentional branding. Few people know you exist. Basic visual branding in place. Can talk clearly about Branding is now consistent across platforms and you Strong brand presence in the market. Sophisticated
BRAND Inconsistent use of branding across platforms and exactly what you do and who you help. Market is have a signature style to your work. Deeper understanding of your market and clearly defined
mediums defined and basic avatar in place. understanding of the market and their needs. and deeply understood avatars.
No content or social media strategy. Inconsistent Basic content strategy in place. Weekly core content
Compelling content is created to attract and address Sophisticated content and social media strategy in
use of social media. Use of one platform (e.g. created inconsistently. Social media consistent but
CONTENT challenges of A grade clients. Regular social media place and used to create regular and consistent
Instagram) but efforts are not producing consistent only on a single platform. More use of social media
posting across 2-3 channels. content across multiple channels (with ease).
leads. Full features of platforms are not being used. features to drive more organic leads.
Products and services have product/market fit and Redefined product/services mix and additional
Single service/product on offer and not well defined. 1:1 time is now maxed out.
DECIDE are well defined to meet client needs. Reliance on revenue sources now added. Reliance is still on 1:1
Working 1:1 with clients and accepting any type of clients. Moving away from 1:1 client work and
MODEL 1:1 work. Not saying client work and still hard to say no to clients, even if
work that comes your way. towards a 1: many model that scales.
scope creep is common.
No defined client orientation or onboarding Rudimentary client onboarding process in place with More sophisticated mapping of client journey with Client journey is clearly documented from lead
CLIENT
experience. No strategy for client referrals. client welcome pack. Sporadic client referrals and touchpoints identified for each stage of the process. through to project completion. Clients love their
DELIVER EXPERIENCE
Communication strategies ad hoc reviews. Lack of understanding of full client journey. Client review process in place. experience and share you biz regularly with others.
exceptional
outcomes Projects not well tracked or mapped out. Scope Some technology and systems are used to track Systems in place for managing individual client Full client project workload and waitlist mapped
MANAGE
creep common (yet unpaid). Poorly defined (or non- projects but these are not sophisticated. No projects. Full client base is tracked but no forward months in advance. Individual projects tracked in
PROJECTS
existent) project management system. mapping of full client workload or forward planning. planning or waitlist in place. detail and timelines/deadlines defined upfront.
Not sure how to price. Likely undercharging. No Simple pricing model set and tied to vision and More complex pricing model in place with mix of Value based pricing implemented. Fees increased.
SET PRICES strategy has been set around pricing to ensure profit goals. Work is time tracked and pricing adjusted. hourly and flat fee to reduce risk. Fees and pricing Revenue comes from multiple sources to reduce
is made. Likely working on hourly rates only. Weekly revenue targets known and tracked. reviewed and adjusted (and raised!) regularly. risk. A grade clients only.

COPYRIGHT THE LITTLE DESIGN CORNER 2021

 NEED HELP? HERE ARE OUR BUSINESSS SHORT COURSE OPTIONS FOR EACH AREA
SHORT COURSE OPTIONS OUTCOME FROM THE COURSE
Set up your done for you metrics tracker dashboard so you can
METRICS Business Metrics Tracker track the important numbers in your business. Tracking numbers is
critical to your success in business.
How to get started with systems, how to develop a systems
SYSTEMS AND
Getting Started With Systems mindset and some quick systems you can set up and drop in to
PROCESSES
RUN your business right now!
your business Get your business started the right way and make sure you are
OPERATIONS Client Ready Checklist ready to start working with clients by ticking off the tasks on this
checklist.
Sunday Planning Session
These courses are all FREE with any other business course
PRODUCTIVITY Start Up + Shut Down Routines
purchase
Daily Non-Negotiables
Set yourself up for success by mapping out a vision for the next 12
PLAN Plan Your Perfect Year
months.
Plan out your perfect week and learn how to batch your work for
MANAGE ENERGY Plan Your Perfect Week
LEAD maximum productivity.
yourself
DELEGATE Start Outsourcing This course is FREE with any other business course purchase

BUILD CONFIDENCE Your Four Potential Futures This course is FREE with any other business course purchase

Learn lead generation strategies that actually work and will help
Lead Generation Pick-n-Mix
you to find more clients (and make more money!).
Work out who your perfect client is and learn five quick strategies
LEAD GENERATION The Perfect Client Finder
for how to find them.
Build a lead magnet that you can use to attract new clients and
Build your Lead Magnet
grow your email list.
FIND Build out a simple sales funnel and move leads from simply
SALES The Sales Funnel for Designers
clients knowing about you to eventually becoming paying clients.
Create the visual branding for your business so everything you put
BRAND The Brand Builder
out looks cohesive and professional.
Learn how to use Instagram as a strategic marketing tool (rather
Instagram Improvers
than just a place to share pretty pictures!)
CONTENT
Do the thinking and planning in advance and build out a month of
The Monthly Content Calendar
social media content quickly and easily.

COPYRIGHT THE LITTLE DESIGN CORNER 2022

 Work out the right mix of products and services for your business
DECIDE MODEL Product and Services Selector that will serve you best, make money and be attractive to your
market.
Improve your onboarding experience and the way you work with
Upgrade your Client Experience
clients (includes free templates, email scripts and other resources)
Build a professional client welcome pack that you can use as part
of your onboarding process with clients and make your clients
CLIENT EXPERIENCE Build your Client Welcome Pack
DELIVER excited about working with you.
exceptional
outcomes
Map your Client Experience This course is FREE with any other business course purchase

Plug in this done-for-you client project tracker so your current

projects and future waitlist are all mapped out and accounted for
MANAGE PROJECTS The Client Project Tracker
and you can see what you have on now and what is coming up
next.
Implement a pricing model that will help you achieve your revenue
SET PRICES The Pricing System for Designers
goals while working the hours you want to work.

BUSINESSS SHORT COURSE BUNDLES

COPYRIGHT THE LITTLE DESIGN CORNER 2022