Building a $2M ARR Design Subscription App by Selling the Service First
Who is Maximilian Fleitmann?
Maximilian Fleitmann began learning web design in his early teens, freelanced under an alias, and later sold his first online game while still in school. He briefly studied mechanical engineering before co-founding an education startup that expanded across Germany and Austria. For the past 15 years, he has founded and invested in multiple startups without ever holding a traditional job.
What problem does Magier solve?
Modern businesses need a high and constant output of quality design—from websites and landing pages to ads and marketing materials—but traditional agencies are slow, inconsistent, and expensive. Startups and fast-moving teams often lack the resources to hire full-time design staff, leaving them stuck with freelancers who create uneven results. Magier solves this by providing predictable, consistent, and fast design support through a subscription model. This allows companies to get scalable, reliable design help without delays or cost uncertainty.
How did Maximilian come up with the idea for Magier?
The founder spent years building companies and always needed dependable design help but found agencies too costly and inefficient. His co-founder introduced him to the subscription model being tested abroad, which offered design services like software subscriptions with predictable costs. Initially doubtful, he recognized its value from the perspective of a founder needing reliable, timely design without constant price negotiations. The concept fit his experience and the market’s growing demand.
How did Maximilian Fleitmann build the initial version of Magier?
Before hiring designers or setting up backend systems, they began selling the service to test demand. The founding team handled the actual design tasks themselves in the beginning, ensuring promises to customers were delivered. Early customer discovery interviews (30–50 conversations) validated assumptions and refined the approach. This scrappy, hands-on process helped them gauge product-market fit before scaling with processes and designers.
What were the initial startup costs for Magier?
- Designer Payments: Variable, once team was hired
- Outreach Tools (email, CRM, automations): Minimal initial costs
- Website & Branding: Founder-led, no noted large spend
- Operational Costs: Low at start, before scaling
What was the growth strategy for Magier and how did they scale?
Personal Network
The founders secured their first five customers entirely through direct connections. These were relationships with fellow founders and marketing executives who immediately understood the value proposition. Why it worked: Warm leads trusted the founders’ credibility and past entrepreneurial track record, reducing friction in trying a new, unproven model.
Cold Outbound Emails
They used targeted cold outreach to secure their next set of customers. This included founders and marketing leaders who had design needs. Why it worked: Cold outbound allowed them to directly reach decision-makers with a clear pitch, providing a fast way to test messaging and demand.
Paid Advertising (Did Not Work)
They tested social media ads designed to drive demo bookings and leads but found it too costly with weak conversion results. Why it didn’t work: Their service required explanation and credibility, unlike impulse-purchase products. Ads failed to communicate enough context and didn’t justify the cost per lead.
What's the pricing strategy for Magier?
Magier uses a fixed monthly subscription that covers unlimited design requests with a 48-hour turnaround, giving clients predictable and flexible costs.
What were the biggest lessons learned from building Magier?
- Sell Before You Build: Validating with real customers before hiring a team or building systems confirms demand and reduces risk.
- Focus On One Channel First: Early growth came from concentrating on personal networks and outbound emails, not spreading across many channels.
- Do Unscalable Things Early: Founder-led sales and hands-on work helped secure initial traction and build trust.
- Agencies Don’t Fit Startups: Traditional agencies are too slow and expensive, so building a faster, predictable model solves a real unmet need.
- Product-Market Fit Feels Clear: When customers buy quickly despite an unfinished backend, it indicates strong demand alignment.
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More about Magier:
Who is the owner of Magier?
Maximilian Fleitmann is the founder of Magier.
When did Maximilian Fleitmann start Magier?
What is Maximilian Fleitmann's net worth?
Maximilian Fleitmann's business makes an average of $150K/month.
How much money has Maximilian Fleitmann made from Magier?
Maximilian Fleitmann started the business in , and currently makes an average of $1.8M/year.
