3 reasons why you SHOULD (and shouldn't) start a design subscription business

Why you SHOULD:

Reason 1: The payment process is such a no brainer 💳

I've been in design for about 6 years now having worked with local corps. to web3 startups and then moving on to freelancing. Right now I've been running Rosebud alone as my most recent ✨ venture for 9 months. I can atest that having someone subscribe and then getting started immediately without having to chase down clients for their invoice is such a breeze (that's if you've got a Stripe, or some other payment provider backend, set up).

Reason 2: The workflow process is also very streamlined 🚀

So if you're like me and subscribed to Brett's Productize Yourself course, then you know that the way he advertises his workflow sounds a bit too good. He claims that he works 6 HOURS A WEEK. 🤯 I have NO IDEA how he does it.

Based on my experience it's possible to have it just how he says, but the caveat is you have to tow between the line of being flexible enough for your partners and explain to them that you have a certain way of doing things. If not, you'll spend a lot of time optimizing your system which'll take time for you and your clients to re-learn and get used to.

I for one suggest that you try your best to breakdown bigger chunks of tasks into smaller ones, or just add subtasks.

Reason 3: It's very fulfilling ♥️

My longest client has been David Bressler from Formula Bot (formerly Excelformula Bot) and I can't say how much it's been a pleasure to help him on his journey. I feel so fulfilled everytime he posts about his success. You're an extension of your partners' core team and they trust you with their babies. He and I have done wonders together and we're still in touch even in times when he doesn't need work done anymore. You get to build real relationships with these people and if you're looking to start a design subscription business don't just treat them as businesses or customers, treat them as partners where you have a vested interest to see them succeed.

Now to the juicy bit... why you SHOULDN'T:

Reason 1: Can't handle uncertainty? Sadly this isn't for you 😞

In these 9 months I can say that it hasn't been smooth sailing, esp. when getting partners. I have enough saved up to be able to weather some months without partners which thankfully I haven't needed up to this point.

But if you're rattled easily by partners pausing or cancelling then you're better off getting a job or even building a product in some profitable niche since there, a few subscibers cancelling isn't much of a big deal if each customer's monthly value is around $10-$100 USD. In these parts a partner that cancels can easily be a significant chunk of your monthly revenue.

Reason 2: Brett from DesignJoy makes it sound stress-free, it's not 🔥

Again, no hate to Brett I'm just saying that if you're juggling 20 clients then you're gonna grow old really fast. I've personally got a cap of only 3 clients a month and even I've had some real stress management issues. It all depends on how far you're looking to go for partners and how skilled you are, I can stretch my quality of work and make sure I give outstanding work for 3 partners only, more than that and I'm losing my mind.

That's not saying that you can't hire, that's a very real solution, but if you have no initial budget to hire then it's gonna be you all day everyday in a very "unlimited design" sense hahaha. I suggest to start off with 2 partners a month and see how you do.

Reason 3: Competition seems stiff 🙀

Everyone seems to be starting a "design subscription" business and I'm definitely one of those. The hard part is that we're all basically offering the same value propositions. If you're just gettinng started then fare warning that we're a lot nowadays.

But good news? 💡

There are a LOOOT of people that need good and reliable designers! So grab your Macbook open up your Figma and your Gmail and get to work!

P.S. I've got a slot opened up for a partner, if you need to improve your conversions and brand positioning let's chat! 😁 https://calendly.com/dcardines

P.S.S. Check out my site too since you're here hehe https://rosebudstudio.co/