98. Side Hustle to $1M+ Solopreneur Business

The UpFlip Podcast

Designjoy started as a side hustle in 2017. Now, it’s a $1.5 million a year agency–and Brett Williams still runs it as a solopreneur. He’ll share how to start a design agency and scale it to 7 figures in this interview.

Brett’s life with Designjoy wasn’t smooth sailing from the outset. His workload was a big problem for his first three years, when he was working 12-hour days and earning less than he should. That was when he unlocked how to scale a business the right way, making an innovative shift that sliced his work time in half and skyrocketed his revenue.

A design agency can be among the best solopreneur business ideas–if you know how to run and scale it the right way. Brett will share the mistakes he made early on and how he adjusted to choose better clients, letting him cut down on his workload while increasing his revenue.

Resources:

• Designjoy.co - Learn more about the business at their website
• BrettFromDJ - Connect with Brett on X
• How to Start a Business: The Ultimate Guide - UpFlip blog post
• How to Earn $4.8M/Year Doing What You Love - Episode 76 of the UpFlip podcast where Chris Do from The Futur shares how to make money from your passion
• Webflow - Code generating platform with a visual interface
• Figma - Collaboration platform for designers
• Indie Hackers - Community for founders and creators
• Company of One - Book by Paul Jarvis on the power of staying small in business

Connect with UpFlip:

• On Facebook
• On Instagram
• On Youtube
• @UpFlipOfficial on Twitter

For more insights to start, build, or grow a business, check out the resources on UpFlip.com or head to the UpFlip YouTube channel to see more interviews with business owners and experts.

Thanks for listening!

Kapitel

1. 98. Side Hustle to $1M+ Solopreneur Business (00:00:00)

2. DesignJoy business model and its viability (00:01:12)

3. Startup costs and managing clients' expectations (00:04:01)

4. Revenue explosion (00:08:30)

5. How to manage stress as a solopreneur (00:12:05)

6. Fan Blitz Questions (00:14:15)

7. How to fire clients that don't fit (00:17:01)

8. How to build an effective brand as a solopreneur (00:21:09)

9. The worst million dollar business owner (00:24:02)

10. Book recommendation (00:29:25)