Are you considering starting an unlimited graphic design business?

If the answer is Yes, you've come to the right place.

As an ex freelance designer with over a decade of experience, I've discovered some critical flaws in the traditional client-designer relationship that could be solved by productising your services.

However, I can't say it's easy or doesn't come with its own challenges.

In this article, my goal is to share my personal experience running Giglio Designs, my unlimited design business, and provide tips to help you avoid the mistakes I made initially.

By doing so, you can save months or even years in the process.

Does this sound good? Let's dive in!

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The Pros of starting an unlimited graphic design business

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Let's start by discussing why an unlimited graphic design business can be great for both you and your clients.

Firstly, it provides a predictable way to scale your business, particularly if you opt for the popular monthly unlimited design subscriptions.

As a freelancer, income and client workflow can be unpredictable.

One month, you may have six clients, and the next, you may have none.

On top of that, an hourly client may pay $1,500 in December, $550 in January, and $0 in February due to a product launch.

Working by the hour means you will always be chasing clients, and your income will be capped by that hourly rate.

On the other hand, a fixed monthly rate allows you to focus on delivering great work, without worrying about cash flow.

This benefit is similar to that of working full-time for a company but without the constraints.

Additionally, you have the freedom to be your own boss and work on your own business.

Another benefit of starting an unlimited graphic design business is the ability to manage expectations clearly.

Although the term "unlimited" can be misleading, there will always be a weekly cap on the number of design outputs you can deliver.

This means you can organize your weekly and monthly schedule to suit your business and life goals.

You can also hire staff to help you scale your business, and the structured workflow and income provide a clear overview of your P&L.

Starting an unlimited graphic design business has its advantages, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

Now, let's discuss some of the cons of starting this type of business and why you may need to consider other formats.

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The Cons of productising your design business

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So far, we have only discussed the positive aspects of starting an unlimited graphic design business. However, it is important to consider some significant aspects (not necessarily cons) when launching such a business.

Firstly, you need to decide whether you want to be a solopreneur or build a team. If you choose to go solo, you will be able to maintain high profit margins, but you will need to possess excellent design skills and work at a fast pace, which will require solid experience in the design field.

Alternatively, you can opt to scale your business by building a team, but this approach will come with scalability challenges that any online business inevitably encounters when scaling their team beyond a certain point.

After determining your business structure, you need to differentiate your business from your competitors to stand out in the marketplace. Niching down can be an excellent strategy to create your unique selling proposition in the market.

Furthermore, it is essential to keep in mind that offering recurring monthly subscriptions can be challenging to pitch if you are not communicating with your ideal customers. Managing conversion and churn rates are some of the most challenging issues that companies face when dealing with service subscription models.

Marketing efforts are critical to creating brand awareness. Ideally, evergreen funnels should be used for marketing, enabling you to spend most of your time optimizing the production side of your business, which is typically the most intensive and time-consuming aspect of a service business.

Social media can be advantageous in creating brand awareness, but it can also be a significant time-suck if not structured correctly. Some agencies also use advertising platforms such as Facebook and Google. More established agencies typically plan for long-term investments such as SEO campaigns and partner programs.

Ultimately, your strategy planning, target market, and skill set will determine the success of your business.

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Useful Concepts and Resources

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Now let’s discuss some useful resources that can help you out in your journey of starting an unlimited graphic design business.

One course that is particularly useful is the one that Brett from Designjoy recently launched, which you can find here.

Having purchased the course myself, I can say that it’s been refreshing to confirm some of the experiences that I previously had while running an unlimited design service as well as learning more tips and tricks that helped consolidate my workflows and SOPs.

Brett is definitely one of the pioneers of this business model for solopreneurs and he did some great work at Designjoy, so I would encourage anyone interested in doing this business seriously to check out not only his course, but even his free interviews which you can find on Youtube and around the web.

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Are you looking for an unlimited designs agency?

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Looking to hire an agency that can provide unlimited designs for your website, app, or graphic design projects?

If that’s the case, you should consider Giglio Designs. Our design team is equipped with the necessary expertise and creativity to help your business stand out from the rest.

We specialize in custom website and product design, but can help with any collateral branding need such as creating logos, developing engaging social media graphics or print assets.

We are dedicated to delivering exceptional work that meets the unique needs of our clients, and we always welcome new challenges.

If you are interested in learning more about how we can help take your business to the next level, please visit our website at giglio-designs.com.

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