Two Decades of Skill, Six Months of Freelancing
Austin Boyd is a branding and web designer based in Colorado. He'd been designing for over 20 years and had run multiple businesses, from product-based ventures to e-commerce. But when he went full-time freelancing with his design services, he was only about six months in, and the cracks were already showing.
“I knew for myself, just from past experience, that word of mouth was going to be a death trap. The people you know only know so many people.”
Revenue was wildly inconsistent. One month might be $5K. The next might be $500. On average, he was hovering between $3,500 and $5,000 per month. With a wife and three stepdaughters at home, the unpredictability was brutal.
“Panic and stress. Not knowing where the next client was going to come from. I have a wife and three stepdaughters, and it was a fun time, but it was very stressful and very unpredictable.”
Knowing the Runway Was Running Out
Austin didn't wait for rock bottom. With nearly two decades of business experience, he recognized the pattern. He knew he had about six months of networking and word-of-mouth momentum before things would taper off.
“Rather than just grit my teeth and try and figure it out, I was like, nope, I'm doing this different this time. I know what I need, and the skills and knowledge that underlie that are going to be applicable to all sorts of things.”
He'd tried another coaching program before and had a bad experience. Disorganized communication, unanswered questions, and broken trust. He ended up getting a refund. So when he found Clients by Design through an Instagram ad, he was skeptical but also recognized something different.
“The offer was really talking about figuring out that strategy that is applicable to you and your business. If you can't look at my business and tell me exactly what I need to do, I don't care.”
On a call before signing up, someone told him he wasn't charging enough. That moment expanded what he thought was possible.
Skyrocketing to Consistency
Since joining, Austin's business has transformed. He's working with about three clients per month on full branding suites and web development, consistently bringing in $15,000 to $20,000 per month.
“It's skyrocketed. It feels very strange for the low to be higher than anything I could've ever anticipated. Having a level of consistency there is an utter game changer.”
More importantly, he's now working exclusively with clients he actually wants to work with. No more taking whatever comes through the door just to keep the lights on.
“I actually tell clients in sales calls, 'We don't like working with people we don't like working with.' All of the client base are people that we are creatively aligned with, similar backgrounds, similar interests, similar stylistic choices. It's not just the volume of clients I want. It's the volume of the types of clients I want.”
His Wife Quit Her Job
The biggest lifestyle shift? Austin's wife was able to leave her full-time nanny job to work with him in the business. Now it's the two of them, running things together with the flexibility to be available for their teenage kids at home.
“My wife being able to now work full-time with me is super exciting, especially with teenage kids at home. We're kind of always available if they need something. We can work remotely. We can go and work wherever we want, and there are no conflicting schedules.”
After nearly two decades of entrepreneurial hustle across different ventures, Austin finally found the missing ingredient.
“It has truly been a dream come true. I have hustled for this for a very long time in a variety of different ways, and Clients by Design absolutely was like the secret ingredient that really made it happen.”
The Three Keys That Made It Work
Austin points to three things that made the biggest difference:
• Mindset shift: Learning to think about outcomes for clients rather than just his own stylistic preferences. “The program has really taught me how to think differently than I did prior.”
• Real coaching, not a support chat: Having actual conversations with coaches who could give feedback, correction, and guidance. “The guidance is priceless. It's utterly priceless.”
• Community: Being surrounded by other creatives solving the same problems, even if they're in completely different industries. “Being able to have a camaraderie of all types of men and women in different types of businesses, all trying to achieve the same goal. You're stronger together.”
He's now looking ahead to adding team members, launching a merchandise line, and continuing to level up the caliber of clients he works with. The difference? These are things he wants to do, not things he needs to do to survive.
"You can try other programs, but just try to laugh at yourself when you eventually give up and come back to Clients by Design. Immerse yourself in it, and if you commit, whatever goals you're trying to hit, it's not a matter of if you'll hit them, it's just a matter of when. And even with when, it's going to be quicker probably than you think. If you're on the fence about it, jump off and just commit. It's worth it. And that's coming from somebody that's usually highly skeptical of stuff like this."— Austin Boyd,
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