Linda Tran had worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world long enough to know when a conversation was going nowhere.
She asked for a raise. Then asked again. Nothing.
💰 Income: Several six figures per year
🗓️ Started: 2022
Featured Quote:
“Clients don’t hire me to make things pretty; they hire me to create slides that get yeses. »
“It was very frustrating,” she said. “Knowing that someone else was dictating my future.”
So in 2022, she stopped waiting. She invested $500 in a Google ad, looked into the type of design work she was doing on the side, and started taking on freelance clients from her Toronto apartment.
Not logos. No full brand packages. PowerPoint presentations.
The first year she made $87,000. The following year, it reached six figures. Today, her calendar is booked weeks in advance, and she’s built her business around something most designers overlook: good old slideshows.
A Google ad, a client and a path she didn’t expect
Tran had previously worked as a freelancer. A logo here, a favor there. Friends, acquaintances – it doesn’t matter who asked. But it never amounted to more than a side income.
“There was just too much competition,” she says. “I couldn’t stand out from all the noise.”
In early 2022, she tried something different. She took $500 and ran a Google ad – just a short ad, aimed at people looking for help with pitch decks and sales presentations. No fancy funnel. No perfect website.
A week later, someone contacted me.
This first customer paid for the advertising. Then they came back for another project. Even after changing companies, they continued to hire him.
That was enough to convince her. She didn’t need to chase logos or compete with every other Instagram creator. There was a demand – a real and continuing demand – for clear, well-designed presentations that made his clients look polished.
Better yet, these tasks were easier to define and quicker to complete. No brand discovery sessions, no endless rounds of color touch-ups. Just focused work with a clear end goal.
So she leaned down. Presentations became his niche. Customers needed it every week – and she was ready to fill that gap.
Related: How to become a graphic designer
The power of a narrow niche
At first, Tran didn’t have a plan. Not really. No careful onboarding process. No predefined packages. She understood it little by little.
“I didn’t know what customers were willing to pay,” she said. “I just wanted to offer something that felt right.”
So she tested her prices. I raised them a little. I waited to see how people would react. Then put them back together.
By the second year, its prices had increased by 40% and its revenues had climbed into the multi-digits. And instead of scaring people, it had the opposite effect: customers started booking it in advance. Some would set aside time per month just to make sure they would have a spot.
“Some people need help every week,” she said.
The work wasn’t flashy, but it mattered. His customers weren’t looking for “cool.” They presented their project to boards of directors, raised funds, introduced themselves to stakeholders. They had to look professional. And every slide had to work.
This pressure turned out to be an advantage. This helped her streamline her process, set expectations, and become the go-to person for a very specific thing.
And because her niche was so clear, she didn’t need to constantly introduce herself. People found it. Most of her new clients still come through LinkedIn, whether from her profile, content, or a recommendation from someone she’s worked with before.
Related: 21 Low-Cost or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas
What she wishes she had known sooner
When Linda started freelancing, she thought the hardest part would be finding clients. This was not the case.
“I knew how to design,” she says. “What I didn’t know was how to price, scope a project, handle feedback, or track invoices. That part hit me fast.”
She made it work: Googling contract templates, adjusting her prices after each job, saying yes more than she should have. But looking back, she said most of her early stress was due to a lack of structure. “I didn’t need to know everything,” she says. “I just needed a system.”
One of the best decisions she made early on? Hire a lawyer to create your service contract. “At first I used something I found online. But eventually I had a professional write one. You only have to do it once, it’s worth it.” From now on, each new client signs this agreement and pays a deposit before work begins.
This is what she would tell other designers who are considering going out on their own: you don’t have to be perfect, you just need to be prepared. A few smart systems up front can save you weeks of chaos later.
💡 Linda’s advice for designers going solo
- Niche faster than comfortable. “I thought I had to do everything – logos, branding, websites – just to survive. The truth is, clarity sells.”
- Be crystal clear about who you are helping. “Don’t just say “graphic designer.” Share who you serve and what you help them accomplish.
- Keep your calendar. Linda now refuses urgent projects unless she knows the client. “If someone sends an email on Friday and needs it on Monday, that’s not my customer.”
- Don’t wait for a perfect website. His first leads came from a Google ad and a polished LinkedIn page – no portfolio needed.
- Value is not a question of aesthetics. “Clients don’t hire me to make things pretty,” she said. “They hire me to do slides that get yeses.”
- Integrate the possibility of rebooking into your offer. Clean file transfers, fast turnaround times, and a calm process keep customers coming back and booking in advance.
- Start with real agreements. “You don’t need a fancy legal team,” she said. “Just a proper service contract that protects you and your customer.”
Related: How to Start a Business in 9 Simple Steps
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Linda
Now, Linda has booked weeks of vacation and is turning down more work than she accepts. Most of her clients find her through Google or LinkedIn – no cold emails, no outgoing hustle. “People come to me when the stakes are high,” she said. “They’re trying to get funding or convince a board. They don’t want cute slides. They want clear, compelling slides.”
But she doesn’t coast.
She moved more of her workflow to repeatable systems, using templates, onboarding forms, and project frameworks to streamline everything from launch to handover. “It protects my energy,” she said. “Not every designer thinks about it, but it’s important. It keeps me creatively creative.”
Its client selection process is just as intentional. Each new request goes through a form on its site, with fields for budget, schedule and project scope. She also researches clients in advance and requires a discovery call, signed agreement and deposit before any work begins.
On the product side, she began experimenting with digital products, including Squarespace templates and pitch deck resources for startups that don’t yet have the means to work custom. There’s also coaching, behind-the-scenes content, and occasional deals for designers trying to break into the B2B space.
His biggest takeaway so far?
“You don’t need to scale to build a good business,” she said. “You just need to be known for solving a very specific problem – and doing it very well. »
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