Become a Design Business Owner

Overview

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Ready to strike out on your own as a freelance designer, or build your own design studio from the ground up? This path will provide you with essential information, expert insights, and inspiration for running a design business.

Learn and apply best practices for starting a business.
Grow your business and maintain creativity
Discover how to manage your work using expert recommended best practices.

Syllabus

Course 1: Entrepreneurship Foundations

Learn the foundations of entrepreneurship and assess your potential to become a business owner.

Course 2: Running a Design Business: Freelancing

Provides tools and insights for self-employed designers just starting out.

Course 3: Running a Design Business: Starting Small

Transition your freelance design career into a small business, one step at a time.

Course 4: Creating a Business Plan

Looking to build a business or expand one you're already running? You need to write a business plan. Learn how to define your business, market, product, sales strategy, and more.

Course 5: Running a Design Business: Creative Briefs

Learn to write and use a creative brief for client-commissioned projects and ensure you have a roadmap for developing great design.

Course 6: Running a Design Business: Pricing and Estimating

Figure out what to charge for your design services, and learn how to set an hourly rate, create estimates, and make sure you get paid.

Course 7: Running a Design Business: Designer-Client Agreements

Learn to protect you and your client's interests and ensure a great creative design with a well-written contract.

Course 8: Running a Design Business: Presentation Skills

Convey your ideas with confidence and clarity to get the approval needed to move your project forward.

Course 9: Sales Secrets for Small Business

Get a simple three-step sales system (explore-present-act) that you can incorporate into your own small business to boost sales.

Course 10: Running a Design Business: Self Promotion

Learn how to promote your design business. Discover the various ways to use self-promotion, both analog and digital, to stand out in today's competitive marketplace.

Taught by

Kim Kaupe, Petrula VRONTIKIS, Petrula VRONTIKIS, Mike Figliuolo, Terry Lee Stone, Terry Lee Stone, Terry Lee Stone, Petrula VRONTIKIS, Dave Crenshaw and Sean Adams