How Brett Williams Turned Designjoy Into a $145K/Month Solo Design Business
How Brett Williams Turned Designjoy Into a $145K/Month Solo Design Business
Oct 4, 2024
Brett Williams
Brett Williams
● 4 min
● 4 min
Revenue/month
Revenue/month
$145,000
$145,000
$145,000
No. of founders
No. of founders
1
1
1
Startup costs
Startup costs
N/A
N/A
N/A
Contents
Brief Overview
Brief Overview
Imagine launching a business in just 3 days and scaling it to $145K per month without a team. That’s Brett Williams’ story with Designjoy, a productized design service that replaces unreliable freelancers and agencies with a flat monthly fee.
Here’s how he did it.
Imagine launching a business in just 3 days and scaling it to $145K per month without a team. That’s Brett Williams’ story with Designjoy, a productized design service that replaces unreliable freelancers and agencies with a flat monthly fee.
Here’s how he did it.
The Birth of Designjoy
The Birth of Designjoy
Brett didn’t come out of nowhere. He started by simply sharing his design work on social media. Some were polished, some not so much. But the key was consistency. Over time, his work improved, and he built up a solid following. Fast forward to today—he's running Designjoy solo and has scaled his pricing 10x from when he started.
Brett didn’t come out of nowhere. He started by simply sharing his design work on social media. Some were polished, some not so much. But the key was consistency. Over time, his work improved, and he built up a solid following. Fast forward to today—he's running Designjoy solo and has scaled his pricing 10x from when he started.
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➤ Every week, we dig up stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses—
➤ Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers.
➤ Then, we share those insights with you.
➤ Every week, we dig up stories of how regular people started and grew their businesses—
➤ Plus the marketing hacks that won them customers.
➤ Then, we share those insights with you.
Built in a Weekend
Built in a Weekend
In 2017, Brett had the idea to turn his freelance design work into something more predictable. Over a single weekend, he set up two plans for his service: $449/month for basic design and $849/month for front-end design (think apps and websites). He wrote some simple copy and launched a bare-bones website.
Clients could request one design task at a time, with a turnaround time of two days. The beauty of this setup was that Brett broke larger projects into smaller, manageable chunks, delivering them piece by piece every couple of days. It was simple, clear, and effective.
(A screenshot of DesignJoy's Pricing Now)
In 2017, Brett had the idea to turn his freelance design work into something more predictable. Over a single weekend, he set up two plans for his service: $449/month for basic design and $849/month for front-end design (think apps and websites). He wrote some simple copy and launched a bare-bones website.
Clients could request one design task at a time, with a turnaround time of two days. The beauty of this setup was that Brett broke larger projects into smaller, manageable chunks, delivering them piece by piece every couple of days. It was simple, clear, and effective.
(A screenshot of DesignJoy's Pricing Now)
The Product Hunt Launch That Changed Everything
The Product Hunt Launch That Changed Everything
A week later, Brett took his website to Product Hunt for a soft launch. The response? Wild. His page made it into the top 4 products of the day, and within 24 hours, 40,000 people had checked out his landing page. That early momentum catapulted Designjoy into the spotlight.
A week later, Brett took his website to Product Hunt for a soft launch. The response? Wild. His page made it into the top 4 products of the day, and within 24 hours, 40,000 people had checked out his landing page. That early momentum catapulted Designjoy into the spotlight.
Growth Through Community & Authenticity
Growth Through Community & Authenticity
Here’s where Brett’s real genius shines. He didn’t just sit back and watch the business grow. He became an active member on platforms like Indie Hackers, where he shared his journey, answered questions, and built relationships with people who fit his target market—indie makers.
By staying active on Twitter (where he now has 90,000+ followers) and regularly sharing his story, he kept Designjoy top of mind. People loved his transparency and followed along, eager to see what he’d do next.
Here’s where Brett’s real genius shines. He didn’t just sit back and watch the business grow. He became an active member on platforms like Indie Hackers, where he shared his journey, answered questions, and built relationships with people who fit his target market—indie makers.
By staying active on Twitter (where he now has 90,000+ followers) and regularly sharing his story, he kept Designjoy top of mind. People loved his transparency and followed along, eager to see what he’d do next.
Big Numbers, No Employees
Big Numbers, No Employees
By July 2024, Designjoy hit $4M in revenue. And here’s the kicker: Brett still runs it entirely by himself. No employees, no big overhead. Just a killer product that solves a real problem—reliable, fast design at a flat rate.
(A screenshot of DesignJoy Revenue)
By July 2024, Designjoy hit $4M in revenue. And here’s the kicker: Brett still runs it entirely by himself. No employees, no big overhead. Just a killer product that solves a real problem—reliable, fast design at a flat rate.
(A screenshot of DesignJoy Revenue)
Key Lessons
Key Lessons
Brett Williams’ story with Designjoy is the perfect example of what can happen when you mix skill, hustle, and community. He didn’t reinvent the wheel. He just executed his idea really well, kept the service simple, and made sure to build relationships along the way.
Whether you're a founder or a freelancer, there’s a lot to learn from how Brett turned a weekend project into a seven-figure business.
Brett Williams’ story with Designjoy is the perfect example of what can happen when you mix skill, hustle, and community. He didn’t reinvent the wheel. He just executed his idea really well, kept the service simple, and made sure to build relationships along the way.
Whether you're a founder or a freelancer, there’s a lot to learn from how Brett turned a weekend project into a seven-figure business.
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If you're interested in more stories like this, here's more for you 🙂
I share more of these case studies in my newsletter and I'd love for you to join here 😊
Do me a favor and pass this on to a friend or share on X/reddit? It'll take just 20 seconds—this one took me about 7 hours to research and write 🫠
Shoot me a DM if you want to share your story or visit this page to submit your information 💌
