Working 10 days/mo with a current ARR of $18K. My design agency

Hey everyone, 3 months ago I launched my design agency focused on helping fast-paced startups save costs while validating their concept quickly. Our website - https://sollas.co/

Our core model revolves around delivering designed products (think: Web app, mobile app, and others) within just 7 days.

And seems like it’s working - my studio has since helped 4 startups designed their products (UX and UI). We got our first customer from my own Instagram account (I have 30K followers 👀).

Next, word of mouth worked great for me too, I have asked the founders of those startups I have worked with to refer me to their friends or founders they might know who needs my services.

Currently, we're expanding our strategies by reaching out to potential clients through cold outreach. It’s still early days and we have not gotten any client from this tactic YET.

Our current stats:

• Annual revenue - $18K
• Team - 3 members

Our process:

• Onboarding. We start our collaboration by offering all information about our workflow and procedures, ensuring that you're well-informed about what to expect.
• Research and estimation. We perform research on the client’s niche and users. This essential groundwork allows us to handpick the most suitable design solutions and UX patterns for your project. Additionally, we provide you with a clear time estimate, which typically ranges from 7 to 14 days
• Design process. We construct a design system specifically to your project and create user flows. Once these initial concepts are approved, we dive into the designing of high-fidelity designs. Throughout this phase, we communicate with the client, providing daily updates.
• Delivery and presentation. Final Product Design presentation. To ensure a smooth transition, we also provide onboarding sessions for your team to familiarize themselves with the Design System, ensuring continuity and consistency in the project's execution.

I'd like to share a few valuable insights on accelerating your product design process:

• Use commonly used and well-tested design patterns in your interface. Avoid cluttering your design; your primary focus should be creating a functional and streamlined MVP.
• Use design systems to expedite the design and development phases. They not only enhance the speed of design creation but also provide a structured foundation for your product, making it easier to scale in the future.
  Some good design systems -
  Untitledui
  Framesxfigma
  Ant design
• Keep your user interface simple. Simplicity equals speed. You can refine and enhance the visual elements later in the process, especially after you've tested the viability of your idea.

Next Steps

• Start offering development services, so we will become full stack design agency
• Building a strong email newsletter with freebies for founders.

Recently we added add-ons to our services in order to increase the average check size. Pitch Deck design, design subscription, and Social media marketing support. We will see how it works

Thank you!

Happy to answer your questions!