Packaging Design Business

3 Packaging Design Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: October 6th, 2024

Packaging design is an integral aspect of the manufacturing and supply chain industries. Manufacturers and those in the supply chain want to ensure they get the product packaging right, or else poor packaging might affect their business.

Take advantage of the high demand for innovative packaging designers and start your own packaging design business. Your target customers will be brands seeking an innovative and interesting way to stand out and create an amazing customer experience through unique packaging.

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

1. Sttark ($12M/year)

Frontier Label, a digital label printing company, was founded by Dan Frist, who came from a family with a small business background. After his father passed away, Frist saw an opportunity in the emerging technology of digital label printing and purchased an HP Indigo WS 2000 printer. Initially struggling to attract customers, Frist took a risk and increased his Google Ads spend, leading to a significant increase in quote requests and the success of Frontier Label, which now brings in $12M annually.

How much money it makes: $12M/year
How much did it cost to start: $2M
How many people on the team: 54

We Turned A Basic HP Printer Into A $12M/Year Custom Labels Company

Frontier Label started as a small digital label printing company with a basic HP printer and has grown to a $12M yearly e-commerce business that prints labels for companies of all sizes in various industries, with a focus on finding and meeting customer needs through SEO, content marketing, and exceptional customer service.

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2. Percept ($1.32M/year)

Lewis Jenkins, the founder of Percept Brand Design, started his business 24 years ago with a vision of creating a design agency that prioritized work-life balance and did not rely on unpaid overtime. Despite starting as a one-man show, Percept has grown to a team of 10 and now generates approximately $1.5 million in revenue each year. By implementing a pricing structure that tripled the quality of work delivered and the billing rate, Jenkins was able to achieve financial success while also maintaining a high quality of life.

How much money it makes: $1.32M/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
How many people on the team: 8

I Bootstrapped My One-Man-Show Branding Agency To $1.2M/Year

This case study is about how Lewis Jenkins bootstrapped his branding and creative agency in Sydney, which now turns over approximately $1.5M/year, employs 10 staff, and has worked with high-profile clients such as Unilever, Dulux, Toyota, Sennheiser, and The Australian Government, while maintaining a focus on company culture and work/life balance.

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3. LabelGurus ($72K/year)

Mike Shaefer, the founder of LabelGurus, came up with the idea for his business while working as a head brewer and production manager at a brewery. He realized that many breweries needed help with label designs for their new canned beers, so he started offering his services to craft breweries. Using social media direct messaging and personalized video pitches, he was able to attract and retain customers, resulting in an average monthly revenue of around $6,000.

How much money it makes: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $28
How many people on the team: 1

How I Run A Solo $6K/Month Design Business In The Craft Beer Industry

LabelGurus founder, Mike Shaefer, started his label and packaging design service for CPG brands in 2019 and currently brings in an average of $6,000 per month from new and recurring clients in the beer and better-for-you beverage industries, with Instagram and word-of-mouth referrals being his main source of new customers.

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Read by 2,188 founders