What I'd Tell a Designer Starting Their Agency Today

The short answer: raise your prices earlier than feels comfortable, never start work without a contract and a deposit, say no to the wrong projects sooner, write down your process from the very first client, and build relationships before you need them. Almost every agency owner learns these the hard way, a year or two late.

Nearly everyone who starts a design agency runs into the same handful of lessons. This is the honest version, the advice worth hearing before you start instead of after.

Key takeaways

• Underpricing early sets a ceiling that's hard to raise later.
• Contracts and deposits protect friendships as much as business.
• Scarcity-driven yeses cost more than they pay.
• Loose documentation from day one makes growth possible.
• Referral partners and peers are worth building before a slow month.

Should new design agencies charge more?

Almost always, yes. Nearly every agency owner looks back and wishes they'd raised prices sooner. The market rarely pushes back as hard as the fear predicts, and low early prices set an anchor that's hard to move with existing clients. Why Most Designers Are Undercharging goes deeper on why, and it's rarely about skill.

Do you really need a contract for small or friendly projects?

Yes. The projects that go sideways are rarely the ones with a clear contract and an upfront deposit. Skipping both because a client feels trustworthy, or because it's a friend, is one of the most common regrets a few years in. A contract doesn't signal distrust. It makes expectations clear for both sides. The Contract Clauses Every Freelancer Skips lists the ones to add.

A contract doesn't signal distrust. It makes expectations clear for both sides.

Evan Barnes, Founder, Brand University

When should a new agency start saying no?

Earlier than feels safe. At the start, every project feels essential. In hindsight, the wrong clients taken out of scarcity cost far more in time and energy than they paid. Decide what a good-fit project looks like, and turn down what doesn't match before burnout forces the decision for you. The Art of Saying No to the Wrong Project shows how.

When should you start documenting your process?

With your first client. Waiting until the business is complex means reconstructing a process that's already tangled. A simple running doc of how you onboard, present, and deliver makes delegation and growth dramatically easier later. It's also the foundation of the Designers Booklet of Operations.

Why build relationships before you need them?

Because referral partners, peer communities, and mentors take time to build and are worth the most when they already exist, whether that's during a slow month or when a project is outside your skill set. A peer community is also where you learn which lessons other people already paid for.

Does running an agency get easier?

Yes, with deliberate practice and honest reflection. Pricing, client relationships, systems, and marketing all get easier. There's no shortcut past the learning curve, but there's a faster path through it than learning everything alone. We built branded by the slow way, and a lot of what's in Brand University is what we'd have wanted on day one.

If you want one number to understand early, learn what a new client costs you to win. branded by breaks it down in the profitability equation.

Frequently asked questions

What's the biggest mistake new design agency owners make?

Underpricing, usually tied to taking any project that comes along. Both make it harder to build a sustainable business.

How much of a deposit should a new agency ask for?

Many agencies ask for 50 percent upfront on projects. Why You Should Always Ask for a Deposit covers how to decide.

Should a new design agency niche down right away?

It helps, but you can start broad and narrow as you learn which work you do best and enjoy most. See Specialist vs. Generalist.

Where to go from here

Every topic here is covered in depth inside Brand University. Join the Brand University community on Skool free and start with the one that's costing you the most right now.