13 Digital Product Designer Success Stories [2024]
A digital product designer is a multidisciplinary professional who is involved in the creation of digital products. A digital product designer is responsible for the whole process from an initial concept to the launch of a product.
Many designers are looking for how to make a living with their designs. They want to build websites, sell products online, and be as productive as possible. It's hard these days because there are more designers than ever working on the same projects. But with some basic actionable techniques, you will easily succeed in creating a sustainable digital product design business.
Starting a digital product designer business is a great side hustle for graphic designers looking for an alternative to freelancing. The idea is simple: grow a portfolio of user interface design PSD templates and sell them to new businesses.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a digital product designer:
1. Krit ($1.09M/year)
Andrew, the founder of Krit, initially had no intention of starting a software agency. However, after taking an intro to Computer Science class in college, he became hooked on programming and the startup world. Through various pivots and a failed product launch, Andrew and his team eventually made the tough decision to shut down their product and transition into a full-time agency.
How much they make: $1.09M/year
Current team size: 7
A software agency started by a non-technical founder helps diverse clients with their minimum lovable product, boasting a revenue of over $700,000 this year with a 20% profit margin and a team of 8.
2. Driftime® Media ($126K/year)
Abb-d Choudhury, co-founder of Curate Labs, came up with the idea for his business after falling out of love with his work at large agencies and wanting to create a practice focused on ethics and design for good. Starting with the launch of Curate Magazine, Choudhury and his partner Sara built the business from the ground up, using their own skills to design the brand and website, while also securing client work to sustain the business financially. They have since expanded their ventures to include The Annual Digest and Driftime®, with plans to merge all aspects of their business into one entity with multiple revenue streams.
How much they make: $126K/year
Current team size: 2
Curate Labs is a creative practice focused around ethical and sustainable design, with an annual publication that champions good business and a travel platform that advocates conscious travel, founded in 2016 by co-founders Abb-d Choudhury and Sara, bootstrapped, now turning into one business with 3 departments and aiming for 50-100% increase in revenue.
So... can you actually make money with a digital product designer?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. UX studio ($2.03M/year)
Budapest-based UX studio was founded by Dávid Pásztor, a computer engineering and information technology graduate, who started his journey by selling his lego collection to buy his first computer and creating his first website. After working as a part-time UX designer, Dávid took the leap and turned his contracting work into a full-fledged UX design agency, offering services to clients worldwide. With a focus on marketing and attracting international clients, UX studio has grown to become a top design agency, recognized by industry-leading platforms such as Clutch and Zeplin.
How much they make: $2.03M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 41
UX Studio, a user experience design agency based in Budapest, Hungary, founded by Dávid Pásztor, has grown to generate almost $2 million USD in revenue per year with a profit rate of 20.5%, while supporting dozens of clients across various industries and running two successful independent product teams.
4. Wolfpack Digital ($3.6M/year)
Gina, the founder of Wolfpack Digital, came up with the idea for her app development agency after realizing the lack of soft skills and business strategy in the tech ecosystem in Romania. With a diverse background in engineering, psychology, and business, Gina was able to bring together her interests and tap into the impressive tech talent pool in her hometown of Cluj. Since launching in 2015, Wolfpack Digital has experienced impressive growth, reaching a yearly revenue of over $1.5 million.
How much they make: $3.6M/year
Current team size: 88
Wolfpack Digital, an award-winning app development agency from Romania, founded by Gina Lupu, with a team of 50 in-house employees, has exceeded the $1.5M yearly revenue threshold, with an impressive 15-20% profit margin, focusing on fintech, health tech, IoT, social, and transportation industries.
So... can you actually make money with a digital product designer?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Huemor ($3M/year)
Example: Jeff, the co-founder of Huemor, started his journey as a graphic design student who freelanced to gain experience and earn money. After feeling unfulfilled in a corporate job, Jeff joined forces with a friend to build an internal agency for a media placement company. When the work environment turned toxic, they made a bold move to start their own agency, Huemor, and haven't looked back since. They've helped over 200 companies transform their digital presence and earned over 100 international awards, while maintaining a simple, customer-focused approach.
How much they make: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 44
Huemor is a successful digital marketing agency with over 200 company transformations, over 100 international awards, and a team beyond 40 people, scaling YoY at 74%, with an average project value of $67,500 and 2.7 year average client relationship.
6. UI/UX Design, Motion, Branding | Flexy ($1.2M/year)
How much they make: $1.2M/year
Current team size:
Flexy Global, a UI/UX design agency, founded by Garik and currently a 15 person team, has a target of $2M ARR within their second year of operation.
So... can you actually make money with a digital product designer?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. By Recruiters ($42K/year)
Ana Colak-Fustin, founder of ByRecruiters, came up with the idea for her business after working as a corporate career coach and noticing that job seekers struggled with crafting effective resumes. She decided to create functional and minimal resume templates that would pass the screening of corporate recruiters and ATS software. Since launching in 2018, ByRecruiters has sold over 6,000 resume templates and brings in between $1,500 to $4,000 per month.
How much they make: $42K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5
Current team size: 1
Founded by a corporate career coach in 2018, ByRecruiters has sold over 6,000 digital resume templates in 50+ countries, generating $1,500 to $4,000 per month and boasting a 116.91% return on ad spend through Etsy.
8. Design Match ($384K/year)
Danielle, the founder of Design Match, came up with the idea while working as a product designer for startups around the world. As her workload grew, she started matching clients with designers in her network, and realized this could be a great business. She launched Design Match with a website and quickly generated $20,000 in MRR within the first month, validating her idea and spurring the company's growth.
How much they make: $384K/year
How much did it cost to start: $4K
Current team size: 3
Design Match, run by nomadic entrepreneur Danielle, has made $350k following its launch after receiving organic leads from LinkedIn and focusing on search engine optimization through evergreen articles and other tools like Jasper, SurferSEO, and SalesFlow.
9. Client Portal ($48K/year)
How much they make: $48K/year
Current team size: 2
This case study examines how Laura Elizabeth made $4k per month in her first year by creating Client Portal, a simple WordPress plugin that provides clients with access to their project's progress, which helped expand on the success of her later businesses.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
