Project Description

Challenge: Working 60-hour weeks for £25/hour. Calendar full but bank account empty. Exhausted, burned out, questioning everything.

Industry: Graphic Design | Location: Manchester | Challenge: Operations & Money

The Situation

Sarah ran a graphic design business from her home studio. On paper, she was busy—calendar packed, working 60-hour weeks, rarely seeing her kids before bedtime.

The reality? She was earning £25 per hour when she calculated her true rate. Less than she’d made in her employed design role five years earlier.

“I thought running my own business would give me more time with my family,” Sarah explained during our first conversation. “Instead, I’m working more hours for less money and everyone’s miserable. I’m seriously considering packing it all in.”

The Problem

Sarah’s challenges weren’t unique, but they were choking her business:

  • Charging hourly rates that didn’t reflect project value
  • No system for qualifying clients before taking them on
  • Calendar full of small, low-paying jobs
  • Best clients squeezed into whatever time remained
  • Working evenings and weekends as standard
  • Burned out, resentful, questioning everything

When we mapped where her time actually went, the data was stark: 40% of her working hours went to clients who paid the least and complained the most.

What Changed

We worked together over eight weeks to rebuild how Sarah’s business operated.

She shifted from hourly rates to value-based project pricing. A logo that would be used for 10+ years across all business materials wasn’t worth £200 just because it took 8 hours to design.

We built a client qualification system she could use during initial enquiries—red flags that meant automatic “no,” questions that revealed whether prospects valued design or just wanted cheap graphics.

Sarah worked out her actual capacity: 6 medium projects or 3 large ones per month—not the 15 she’d been trying to juggle.

Most importantly, she stopped saying yes to everyone.

The Result

Six months later:

  • 40% rate increase across all projects
  • 30% fewer clients on her roster
  • Same monthly revenue
  • Working 40-hour weeks instead of 60
  • Weekends back
  • Waiting list of ideal clients

“I actually enjoy my work again,” Sarah said during our follow-up. “And my kids recognise me at dinner. That alone was worth it.”

Where Sarah Is Now:

Eighteen months on, Sarah’s raised her rates again and expanded into brand strategy work. She’s hired a junior designer to handle smaller projects. The business she almost quit now funds family holidays and her mortgage—without consuming her life.