Plan B Business
Creative

Stop hustling project to project.
Start commanding retainer relationships.

We work with graphic design studios doing $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue. Our monthly engagement, no minimum term works toward 50%+ retainer revenue, disciplined scope management, fair source-file pricing, and a studio that produces wealth - not just work. How fast it moves depends on how seriously you work the plan - what you will see from the first meeting is exactly what is holding the business back.

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Industry Reality

8 patterns we see in most graphic design studios

85%
how often we see it

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%
how often we see it

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%
how often we see it

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%
how often we see it

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%
how often we see it

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%
how often we see it

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%
how often we see it

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%
how often we see it

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 aim at

These are the targets we work toward in an engagement - a bar to measure against, not an average anyone measured for you.

KPITypical starting pointPlan B target12-month goal
% 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: $165K-$3.3M in annual revenue with 2-15 designers including 1099 contractors - the same band our Hebrew site states in shekels. Below it there are three ways in, not none: the academy at $33/month, the $365 paid diagnostic and B-Start at $365/month - plus business-plan work for an owner who has not opened yet. Above it you usually need a full-time studio manager or operations director in-house rather than an outside partner. It is a guide, not a gate - ask and we will tell you straight.
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?+
Situation Room: $365 one-time. B-Grow: $1,430/month (most studio engagements). B-Beyond: $2,750/month (multi-discipline studios or studios preparing for acquisition). No minimum term and no notice period - you can end it at any time.

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