Designer

Designer Success Stories [2024]

•

Updated: October 10th, 2024

Looking to blend creativity with business acumen? Consider starting a designer business. In its simplest form, being a designer means bringing ideas to life through visual storytelling, whether it’s fashion, graphic design, interior spaces, or digital interfaces.

The demand for skilled designers spans numerous industries, from tech firms seeking user-friendly app interfaces to boutiques needing custom fashion lines. As a designer, you'll spend your days brainstorming, sketching, and working closely with clients to transform abstract ideas into tangible, aesthetically pleasing realities.

Creating a portfolio is essential to attract clients and showcase your skills. Networking, either online or through industry events, can open doors to various projects and collaborations. If creativity is your strong suit and you have an eye for detail, a designer business can be both fulfilling and profitable, allowing you to make a visible mark on the physical and digital world.

In this list, you'll find real-world designer success stories and very profitable examples of starting a designer that makes money.

1. Reedsy ($24M/year)

Ricardo Fayet, CMO of Reedsy, didn't come up with the idea for the book publishing services marketplace. His co-founder Emmanuel mentioned it to him in university, and it stood out as a promising idea that leveraged the growing self-publishing trend and freelance economy movement in traditional publishing. They validated the idea by talking to industry experts and built a core team to bring it to life.

How much money it makes: $24M/year
How much did it cost to start: $40K
How many people on the team: 38

How Our Book Publishing Services Marketplace Hit $1M/Month In Gross Merchandise Value

Reedsy, a book publishing services marketplace that connects authors with freelancers, has driven over $1m in GMV, features over 1,500 vetted freelance professionals, and sees over 1,000 projects every month.

Read this case study

Read by 11,384 founders