Become a Design Business Owner

Ready to strike out on your own as a freelance designer, or build your own design studio from the ground up? This path will provide you with essential information, expert insights, and inspiration for running a design business.

Learn and apply best practices for starting a business.

Grow your business and maintain creativity

Discover how to manage your work using expert recommended best practices.

Try for free

Part of your Lynda.com membership.

13 Hours of expert-created video tutorials

Practice to reinforce what you learned

Certify your achievement

Advance your career

Entrepreneurship Foundations with Whitney Johnson

Discover the basics of becoming an entrepreneur and running your own business.

2h 20m • COURSE

Running a Design Business: Freelancing with Petrula Vrontikis

Provides tools and insights for self-employed designers just starting out.

1h 23m • COURSE

Running a Design Business: Starting Small with Petrula Vrontikis

Transition your freelance design career into a small business, one step at a time.

1h 33m • COURSE

Creating a Business Plan with Mike Figliuolo

Looking to build a business or expand one you're already running? First you'll need to write a business plan. Learn how to define your business, market, product, sales strategy, and more.

1h 12m • COURSE

Running a Design Business: Creative Briefs with Terry Lee Stone

Learn to write and use a creative brief for client-commissioned projects and ensure you have a roadmap for developing great design.

1h 13m • COURSE

Running a Design Business: Pricing and Estimating with Terry Lee Stone

Figure out what to charge for your design services, and learn how to set an hourly rate, create estimates, and make sure you get paid.

1h 5m • COURSE

Running a Design Business: Designer-Client Agreements with Terry Lee Stone

Learn to protect you and your client's interests and ensure a great creative design with a well-written contract.

1h 10m • COURSE

Running a Design Business: Presentation Skills with Petrula Vrontikis

Convey your ideas with confidence and clarity to get the approval needed to move your project forward.

1h 4m • COURSE

Sales Secrets for Small Business with Dave Crenshaw

Get a simple three-step sales system (explore-present-act) that you can incorporate into your own small business to boost sales.

48m 57s • COURSE

Running a Design Business: Self Promotion with Sean Adams

Learn how to promote your design business. Discover the various ways to use self-promotion, both analog and digital, to stand out in today's competitive marketplace.

1h 23m • COURSE