A self-paced, easy-to-implement course for up-and-coming design entrepreneurs who want to establish a steady and profitable business.

You’ve Got the Design Part Down. It’s Time to Work on the Business Part.

This is a safe space

You can admit that when you decided to monetize your design skills, you didn’t fully realize what you were signing up for. Booking clients, choosing a CRM, creating and implementing processes, setting your pricing, building a community, and what the heck is an ROI?

The truth is a million things need to happen before you can even start thinking about designing something, and it’s overwhelming. 

Go From Overwhelmed to Under Control

All you want is a profitable and flexible business that helps you live the life you desire. You want to book high-quality clients, make a consistent income, make your own schedule, and feel confident in your new entrepreneur role.

But you know that’s impossible unless you figure out how to push past the imposter syndrome, get clear on who your audience is, create streamlined and seamless processes, and charge what your work is worth.

We know– if you had a dollar for every course that promised to give you all the secrets to running a 7-figure design business while only working 3 hours a week, you wouldn’t need to be running a business.

But the truth is, starting a profitable and flexible business doesn’t actually have to be so complicated. Not if you have the right resources, the right mentors, and (of course) the right attitude!

What if You Didn’t Have to Figure It All Out Alone?

Pro Design Business is the most comprehensive and easy-to-implement course for on-the-rise design entrepreneurs who want to show up with professional and streamlined processes, charge competitive rates, and still have time to live their lives.

In just four weeks, you can implement new systems, get aligned and high-quality leads, and confidently raise your rates–knowing you’ve set a solid foundation for your growing business.

Pro Design Business

Get Clear, Organized, and Confident

If you’re really, really honest with yourself, would you say that you:

  • Are struggling to find clients for your design biz (much less dream clients!)?

  • Have you played the comparison game with other design businesses and felt yours lacked professionalism or credibility?

  • Struggle with imposter syndrome?

  • Are embarrassed to onboard clients because you know your systems need some serious TLC?

  • Feel afraid to go all-in on your business because you’re unsure it can provide the financial stability you need?

  • Feel overwhelmed with all that comes with running a business?

  • Feel like a right-brain creative, cosplaying as a left-brain logistics person?

  • Have no freaking clue where to start?

  • Are wearing too many hats and are not quite sure you look good in any of them?

What If Your Business…

Attracted only dream clients

Imagine an inbox filled with inquiries on inquiries of people you actually cannot wait to work with.

Provided consistent monthly income

You could finally leave that full-time job in the rearview and step confidently into your business, knowing it can sustain your life comfortably.

Was seen as reputable and credible

No more imposter syndrome. No more doubt. Just a confident business owner with best-in-class marketing, processes, design skills, and brand presence.

Was successful without being stressful

Work the hours you want, work with clients you love, and charge the prices you deserve without sacrificing the life you’ve always wanted.

Charge Your Dream Rates. Book Your Dream Clients. Live Your Dream Life.

Most designers aren’t chasing fame and fortune. They want to build a space where they can use their creativity to help others while making enough money to live a happy, fulfilled, and comfortable life. They want to work with cool people, design beautiful, strategic brands and websites, and build a business they are proud of. Pro Design Business gives new and aspiring designers a blueprint for starting that business.

More than just talking heads on a screen, Pro Design Business is a comprehensive toolkit made up of video lessons, templates, and resources to help you lay the foundation for the business of your dreams.

We took all the confusion and trial-and-error out of starting a design business and created a course that answers all your questions, gives you valuable industry tips and tricks, and allows you to step confidently into your business owner era.

We’re Cass and Amanda, the founders of Foxtrot Branding and creators of Pro Design Business. We’ve helped over 500 designers build, scale, and sustain their businesses. As designers, we know first-hand how hard it is to get your design business off the ground. We spent years taking courses, making mistakes, trying every “3 tips for scaling your business” we saw on IG, only to end up burnt out and no closer to the success we wanted.

But after years of bootstrapping and figuring it out, we realized one simple thing: building a business isn’t hard, but learning about building a business can be miserable. So, we wanted to create something that could save fellow designers the headache and heartache we went through when building our own business.

And so, we took everything we’ve learned and packaged it all into this course–for you!

Throughout our time together, we’ll share all of the processes, templates, and resources we implemented when building our own business and guide you in implementing them into your business in ways that work for you.

Taught By–Not One, But–Two Trusted and Established Designers

What Designers Are Saying About Us

All the tools you’ll need to set off your dream business.

Take a Peek at What’s Inside

Self-paced lessons

17+ Pre-recorded video lessons to help you tackle different parts of building a business, from mindset shifts and business basics to handling difficult clients and project management setups.

Business Templates & worksheets

The whole point of this course is that you’ll never have to start from zero. We’ll share the exact templates we’ve used in our business to help you tackle sales calls, set project workflows, and so much more.

Business Resource Lists

10 lists filled with resources to help you get started, position your brand, set your prices, and even find memorable and thoughtful client gifts.

BTS Walkthroughs

We’re not just teaching theories and hypotheticals–we’re pulling back the curtain and giving you step-by-step breakdowns of how we implement, set up, and run things at Foxtrot.

Lifetime Access

Revisit Pro Design Business as often as needed, with lifetime access to the course and all future updates and refreshes.

Ready to Gain Confidence and Raise Your Rates?


Pro Design Business Enrollment is Now Open until 5/1/24

Pro Design Business

(LIVE)

Most Designers Join Live Badge

includes:

• 17+ Self-Paced Lessons
• 21 Design Business Templates & Worksheets
• Business Resource Lists
• BTS Walkthroughs
• Lifetime Access
• Access to all new and updated course materials
+ 7 Bonus Lessons
+ Private Community Slack Channel
+ 4 Weekly Live Group Coaching Calls & Replays


All prices are in USD

1 Payment of

$997

3 Payments of

$349

Pro Design Business

(SElf-guided)

includes:

• 17+ Self-Paced Lessons
• 21 Design Business Templates & Worksheets
• Business Resource Lists
• BTS Walkthroughs
• Lifetime Access
• Access to all new and updated course materials


All prices are in USD

1 Payment of

$797

3 Payments of

$282

Upgrade to Pro Design Business (Live)

Most Designers Join Live Badge

Be honest–how many courses have you signed up for, only to have them end up in the unfinished course graveyard?

With Pro Design Business (Live), you’ll get all the goods included in Pro Design Business as well as four weekly group coaching calls to help you stay on task, allow you to ask any outstanding questions, and, of course, help you start building a strong community around your business.

What's IncludedPro Design Business (Self-Guided)Pro Design Business (Live)‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎
17+ Self-Paced Lessons✓✓
21 Design Business Templates & Worksheets✓✓
Business Resource Lists✓✓
BTS Walkthroughs✓✓
Lifetime Access✓✓
Access to all new and updated course materials✓✓
7 Bonus Lessons✗✓
Private Community Slack Channel✗✓
4 Weekly Live Group Coaching Calls & Replays✗✓
Live Brand & Web Design Audits✗✓

See Results Quickly

The Pro Design Business Curriculum

Every element of this course was thought out with you in mind. Because of that, we’ve broken it down into four targeted and easily digestible sections, each dedicated to helping you tackle a specific part of setting up your business.

  • Lesson 1: Mindset Work & Setting Intentions

    Lesson 2: Business Basics

    Lesson 3: Creating Your Branding & Web Design

  • Lesson 1: Positioning, Services, & Clientele

    Lesson 2: Creating Service Offerings & Pricing Yourself Like a Pro

    Lesson 3: Creating and Refining Your Portfolio

  • Lesson 1: Creating an Effective Marketing Plan

    Lesson 2: Booking and Holding Successful Sales Calls

    Lesson 3: Example Sales Call

    Lesson 4: Sending Effective Proposals and Closing the Deal

    Lesson 5: HoneyBook Setup Walkthrough

    Lesson 6: Contracts

  • Lesson 1: Establishing Your Project Timelines

    Lesson 2: Our Project Management Templates

    Lesson 3: Basecamp Setup Walkthrough

    Lesson 4: Professional Project Management Practices

    Lesson 5: Difficult Client Situations

But That’s not all

We know how hard and time-consuming researching business resources can be–so we’ve done it all for you. In addition to our four-section curriculum, you’ll also get tons of templates and resources to get you started.


Here’s what you’ll get:

Everything We Use to Run Our Profitable Design Business, All Packaged With a Bow

  • Mindset Journal Prompts

  • 6-Step Framework for Building Better Brands Workbook

  • Daily, Weekly, & Monthly Marketing Checklist

  • Social Content Planning Spreadsheet

  • Sales Call Questions & Scripts Template

  • Project Proposal Template

  • Income Tracker Spreadsheet

  • Complete Business Set-Up Checklist

  • Positioning Worksheet 

  • Base-Price Calculation Spreadsheet

  • Personal Branding & Web Design Checklist

  • Design Project Workflow Spreadsheet

  • Warm Email Template

  • Client Welcome Guide Template

  • Project Email/Message Templates

  • Project Questionnaire Template

  • Strategy Meeting Questions Template

  • Client Feedback and Approval Template

  • Final Files & Links Off-Boarding Template

  • Our Favorite Client Gift Ideas

  • 13 Email/Message Templates for Difficult Client Situations

Pro Design Business is for Designers Who:

✓ Want to start their design business or are in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey.

✓ Want to take their design business full-time.

✓ Are overwhelmed with all of the business information and advice and are not sure where to start.

✓ Want mentors who understand their situation and have the tools to do so.

✓ Feel uncertain when it comes to pricing.

✓ Are struggling with imposter syndrome.

✓ Are ready to start attracting and booking clients who are aligned with their values and their prices.

✓ Want to establish themselves as experts among their peers.

✓ Are craving community.

✓ Are busy and need a course that can flex around their schedule.

Enroll in Pro Design Business (Live) and receive access to seven exclusive bonus lessons and call recordings.

Bonus Lessons Included in Pro Design Business (Live)

Our Journey to Starting & Growing Our Client Base

41 min

Grow Your Client Base With Email Marketing

50 min

How to Realistically Outsource Work In Your Business

54 min

Adapting Your Services & Pricing in a Volatile Economy

54 min

How to Take Extended Breaks & Vacations From Your Business

51 min

Creating a Business That Supports Your Life and Well-Being

58 min

Small Business Financial Q&A With Our Bookkeeper

57 min

Live Group Coaching Schedule

Upgrade to Pro Design Business (Live) to join weekly group coaching calls or watch the replays.

• Thursday, may 2 @ 11am ct

(Mindset & Business Set Up)

• Thursday, may 9 @ 11am ct

(Positioning, Pricing, & Services)

• Thursday, may 16 @ 11am ct

(Marketing & Sales)

• Thursday, may 23 @ 11am ct

(Project Workflows, Systems, & Templates)

Designers Before & After Pro Design Business

“Before starting the Pro Design Business program, I was kind of winging it with my business, learning as I went. Looking back, it was very clear I missed things here and there, making my own process more of a struggle. The program is filled with resources, instructional videos, and detailed guides covering all the essentials for starting your own design business. My confidence in my business skills has improved massively since completing the program and I couldn’t be any happier!! I would absolutely recommend as there is a ton to learn from this program!”

-Ashley, Opyl Studio

“Before the course, my client process was messy and I felt stuck on how to price projects to have a successful business and make a living. After taking the course I now have an amazing business process, I’m exceeding revenue goals, and feel proud of the work and experience I’m providing.”

-Josh Merow, josh merow design

“After losing my job, I had no idea where to start to set up my business as a web and brand designer. This program was exactly what I needed to put my business together. If you are on the verge of doing it and came across this course, TAKE IT! You will not regret it.”

-Bianca Eckstein, Mano Santa Designs



”Before Pro Design Business, I felt a little bit like I was blazing my own trail. I didn’t have any real guideposts to understand what I was doing right and where my business had room for improvement. This program helped me truly understand and leverage what makes my services unique. It gave me the confidence to rebrand and raise my prices. I’d recommend it to other designers, wherever you are on your business journey!”

-Emma Tuthill, The Brand Anthropologist

Pro Design Business Course Member’s Biggest Wins

biggest wins reported by course members:

• 31% Said Increased Confidence & Reduced Imposter Syndrome

• 19% Said Booked Highest Project Yet

• 18% Streamlined & Organized Business Process

• 15% Said Feeling Confident in Pricing & Sales

• 10% Said Booked First Client

• 7% Said Clarified Positioning & Offerings

100% of members that left feedback said they learned what they hoped to from the course.

The majority of course members reported increased confidence as their biggest win.

“Booked my highest project” is commonly mentioned in member feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Of course! Affordability is one of our most important values, so we provide a 3-month payment plan option.

  • The short answer? Yes. The course is made up of pre-recorded videos so that you can take the course at your own pace.

    However, if you’re the kind of person who wants a little extra inspiration to get you through the course, there is a Live option that includes weekly coaching calls over four weeks, access to the Slack group, and 7 bonus videos.

  • Yes! This course is most beneficial for aspiring design entrepreneurs and designers who are in the first few years of their business, as it helps you set and solidify the foundation for your business.

  • For both! The content is not service-specific. Instead, it is a toolkit for starting your business, whether you're a brand designer, web designer, graphic designer, or a combination.

  • Pro Design Process was our original signature design and business course, which we retired in 2023. Pro Design Business is our new signature course, which features an all-new curriculum, templates, and resources, as well as a few Pro Design Process fan-faves that have been refreshed and improved.

    While Pro Design Business will cover similar topics to those taught in Pro Design Process, this new course focuses solely on building and developing the business side of things. This means we will not cover the basics of brand or web design in this course.

  • The course is completely self-paced, meaning it should take as long as it takes you to get through it based on your busy schedule. However, the course is conveniently split up into four sections, and our recommendation is to start the course ASAP and complete it within four weeks.

    We’ve also built this course in a way that allows you to implement as you go, meaning you don’t have to wait until you finish the course to incorporate your learnings, templates, and resources into your business.

    And, because we know how valuable your time is, you won’t find any fluff or drawn-out, unnecessarily-long lessons–just the information you need in easily-digestible videos.

  • All Pro Design Business members have lifetime access to the course and all future updates and refreshes.

Meet Your Instructors

Cass, lead web designer

I’m Foxtrot Branding’s lead web designer and project manager. While I love the design side of our business, I’m equally as passionate about finding the best and most efficient ways to optimize and streamline our workflows and client experience.

My creative freelancing background & degree in professional communications align perfectly for helping other designers carve their path to success.

Go-to design drinks: Seltzer or an Iced latte

Co-worker: My cat Lazlo

What I work for: weekend city trips, thrift hauls, & plenty of free time to read, play guitar, play switch games, or garden.

Amanda, lead brand designer

I’m Foxtrot Branding’s lead brand designer and the creative brain behind the general direction of our business. I love that I get to help my clients see their businesses in a fresh new light with branding.

I have a degree in Fine Art and years of experience working with established design studios and start-ups, all of which have provided me with a range of knowledge to share in our resources for designers.

Go-to design drinks: Hot tea or seltzer

Co-workers: My cats Charlie and Ralphie

What I work for: freedom to pursue my ever-changing hobbies, time in nature, trips abroad, & quality time with friends & family

Are you ready to stop dreaming about your design business and start building it?

© 2024 Foxtrot Branding