Plan B Business
Creative

Stop hustling project to project.
Start commanding retainer relationships.

We work with graphic design studios doing $300K-$3M in annual revenue. Our 12-month engagement gets you to 50%+ retainer revenue, disciplined scope management, fair source-file pricing, and a studio that produces wealth - not just work.

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Industry Reality

8 patterns we see in >70% of graphic design studios

85%
frequency

Project-to-project revenue with no retainer base

Root cause: Every month starts at zero. Designer-owner constantly selling. No predictable cash flow. Burnout cycle.

What we do: 3-tier retainer structure: Brand Care ($2K-$5K/mo), Brand Partner ($5K-$10K/mo), Embedded Creative ($10K+/mo). Convert top 5 existing clients to retainers within 6 months.

90%
frequency

Scope creep eats 30-40% of project profitability

Root cause: Loose scope definitions. Client requests 'just one more revision.' Designer-owner says yes to keep relationship.

What we do: Documented scope per package: defined deliverables, defined revision rounds (2-3 max), change order process for anything outside scope. Signed before work begins.

75%
frequency

Source files given away for free

Root cause: Client demands native Figma/Illustrator files at project end. Designer never charges for source-file release.

What we do: Source-file pricing structure: 25-40% project value to release source files, or included in higher-tier packages, or licensed (annual fee). Industry standard - clients accept once positioned correctly.

70%
frequency

Hourly billing destroying perceived value

Root cause: Quotes given as 'X hours at $Y rate.' Clients negotiate hours. Designer-owner discounts.

What we do: Project-based and value-based pricing only. Hourly rate visible only in internal margin calculations, never to client. Average project value 2-3x in 12 months.

75%
frequency

Average project value plateaued at $3K-$8K

Root cause: Generalist positioning. Logo + business card + social media graphics. Commodity work.

What we do: Niche specialization (brand identity for SaaS, packaging for CPG, editorial design for publishers, etc.). Build portfolio in chosen niche. Average project value 3-5x in 18 months.

80%
frequency

No business development beyond Instagram

Root cause: All leads from Instagram/Behance organic. No outbound, no partnerships, no referral system.

What we do: LinkedIn thought leadership (3 posts/week). Referral partnerships with web developers, marketing agencies, brand strategists. Targeted outbound to ideal-client niches. Pipeline visibility extends 90+ days.

60%
frequency

Designer/junior creative retention crisis

Root cause: Below-market salaries, no growth path beyond 'senior designer,' no equity, work-from-home isolation.

What we do: Tiered compensation: Junior → Mid → Senior → Lead → Creative Director with defined salary bands. Project bonuses for retained clients. Annual offsite or retreat for culture.

70%
frequency

No DSO discipline (clients pay 60-90 days)

Root cause: Net 30 invoices ignored. Designer-owner uncomfortable with collections. Cash crunch every quarter.

What we do: 50% deposit / 50% on delivery. Retainer billing on the 1st of month, due on receipt. Late fees enforced. Net 15 max for new work. DSO drops from 75 to <30.

Benchmarks

The numbers we hit

KPIMarket avgPlan B targetAfter 12 mo
% revenue from retainer relationships10-25%50-60%40-55%
Average project value$3K-$8K$12K-$30K$9K-$25K
Project margin (after designer cost)25-40%55%+45-58%
Days sales outstanding (DSO)60-90<3025-45
Designer-owner weekly hours55-65<4038-48
Client retention (12 months)40-55%80%+65-82%
Junior designer retention (2-year)35%70%+55-75%
Engagement Model

What working with us looks like

  1. 01

    Month 1: Studio + financial audit

    We pull 18 months of project P&Ls. Every project's quote-to-actual margin, designer utilization rate, scope creep capture, DSO. We identify the 1-2 highest-leverage actions for your specific studio.

  2. 02

    Months 2-3: Scope discipline + retainer launch

    Documented scope per package. Source-file pricing structure. 3-tier retainer offering launched. Top 5 existing clients pitched on conversion to retainer. Figma/Adobe CC workflow standardized.

  3. 03

    Months 4-6: Niche positioning + BD engine

    Niche specialization defined and portfolio rebuilt. LinkedIn content cadence operational. Referral partnerships with 5-8 agencies/developers. First net-new niche-aligned clients close.

  4. 04

    Months 7-12: Team systems + freedom

    Junior designer tier structure deployed. Project margin dashboards visible weekly. Owner-designer hours drop. Retainer base at 50%+ of revenue. We shift to quarterly cadence.

Common questions from graphic design studios owners

What size studio is this for?−
Sweet spot: $300K-$3M annual revenue with 2-15 designers (including 1099 contractors). Below $300K, you're still in solo-designer mode and need different help (typically freelancer coaching). Above $3M, you need full-time studio manager/operations director - we'd hand off.
Brand identity, packaging, editorial, motion - any specialization you don't work with?+
We work with all design disciplines. Brand identity, packaging, editorial, motion graphics, UI/UX (with caveat), illustration. We do not work with pure agency operations (mixing design + paid media + dev) - those need agency-specific advisory.
Figma vs Adobe CC - which do you recommend?+
Figma for collaborative brand/UI work with multiple stakeholders. Adobe CC for print, packaging, and high-fidelity editorial. Most studios run both. We help you optimize the workflow split. We don't sell software.
Clients demand source files. How do you really hold the line?+
Reposition source-file release as a deliverable, not an afterthought. 'Source file release fee: 30% of project value' on the proposal from day one. About 60% of clients pay; 30% accept working without source files; 10% walk - and those are usually the worst clients anyway. After 18 months of pricing this way, it stops feeling weird.
Our retainer pitch keeps getting declined. Why?+
Most studios pitch retainers as 'monthly hours' which clients (correctly) see as bad value. Reposition as ongoing brand stewardship: monthly creative review, strategic brand direction, defined deliverable categories (not hour banks), priority queue access. Brand Partner retainers ($5K-$10K/mo) sell when positioned as 'CMO-level creative oversight,' not 'hours we'll be available.'
What about web design - do you address that?+
Some. Pure web design studios (Webflow, WordPress, Shopify implementation) have different economics - we partner with web-design-specialist consultants. For brand-design studios that occasionally execute web, we focus on the brand work and source web partners for execution.
Will you help with hiring senior designers?+
Yes. Senior Designer / Lead Designer hiring is the #1 unlock for $500K+ studios. We help with job descriptions, comp structure, portfolio review process, interview design. We don't recruit for you.
Who does the work?+
Ligal Frish and Eitan Eshtemaker - the two co-founders. Direct access, no associates.
What's your fee structure?+
Diagnostic: $1,500 one-time. Advisor: $3,500/month (most studios, 12-month engagement). Partner: $8,500+/month (multi-discipline studios or studios preparing for acquisition).

Stop hustling project to project. Command retainer relationships.

30-minute strategy call. We'll diagnose your top 2 levers and tell you if we're a fit. No pitch. No pressure.

Book My Free Strategy Call