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Do you want to make $10,000 plus every month designing websites for businesses? If you heard that there are guys making thousands of dollars per web design project, and you’re wondering how to get in on the actions, then this article is for you. It gives you a step-by-step account and guide on how a business that started in January grew to profitability within 8 months. You can do it too, with the right guidance, and we are here to offer you just that. So let’s dive in;
Read also> How to Start a Successful Online Business
Why am I sharing this?
Because steel sharpens steel. There’s no shortage of work in web design, and many won’t even try (no judgment here). Millions of websites need to be redone every few years, so the opportunities are endless. As I scale up next year, I’d love to connect with others who are just as driven.
For those doubting whether $10,000/month is possible: it’s only one or two big websites a month. It’s achievable if you shift your mindset and put in the work. A year ago, I doubted I could even survive on web design, but now I’ve realized how much well-paying work is available.
Backstory
I used to work as a drilling engineer in Alberta, Canada (I’m Irish). When oil prices crashed, I was let go. I traveled to South America for a month, and loved it, but eventually returned to Canada to find work. After depleting my savings, I worked odd jobs like moving furniture for events. Frustrated, I decided to sell almost everything and move back to South America before Christmas.
With nothing but a desk, laptop, and Wi-Fi, I started from scratch. I tried Instagram marketing (and failed). Eventually, I took a Udemy course to build a website for a product idea, and that’s when I discovered I actually enjoyed web development.
Journey to $10,000+ Monthly
Months 2-5: Struggles on Upwork
I started on Upwork, where I spent 3-4 tough months. I made about $200 total and faced clients who constantly changed their minds on $100 websites. It was demoralizing and time-consuming, so I eventually quit.
Months 5-6: Small Businesses, Small Budgets
I pivoted to working with people I knew, building $200-$500 websites for small businesses. These businesses didn’t have much cash flow, and their websites weren’t yielding great results, so I couldn’t justify charging more.
Month 6+: Breaking Through with Larger Clients
While doing legal work for someone in Canada, I noticed their website was terrible. I offered to redesign it, and they agreed, paying me $2,000. It took a month to complete, but they loved it. I later learned they would’ve happily paid $5,000-$6,000.
This experience taught me an important lesson: target businesses that make significant money and are losing more due to a poor online presence.
I shifted my focus to larger companies with terrible websites. Through cold calls and emails, I started landing bigger clients. My prices grew from $2,000 to $4,000, then $6,500, and eventually $15,000 for a project.
My Strategy
Value Over Code
I’m not the best coder, but I’ve always focused on delivering value. My clients don’t care about fancy code; they care about results. Here are a few examples:
- Helped an oil company close a $1M contract with a well-designed website.
- Increased bookings for one business by 10x (valued at $40k-$90k/month).
- Boosted sponsorships and visibility for a pro athlete.
Finding the Right Clients
The key is to work with businesses that have high profit margins and see significant ROI from a good website. For example:
- Coffee shop: Low ROI (a few dollars per sale).
- Travel agency: Decent ROI (hundreds of dollars per sale).
- Industrial services: High ROI (thousands to millions per sale).
Focus on industries like construction, industrial services, engineering, oil, legal, and medical. Avoid trendy tech startups—they’re saturated with competition and often underpay for design work.
How to Get Started in Web Design
Learning the Basics
- Take HTML and CSS lessons on Codecademy
- Complete this Udemy course
Using HTML Themes
Instead of building websites from scratch, start with HTML themes. These are pre-coded templates you can customize to fit your client’s needs. Example: Foundry Multipurpose Theme.
Sales: The Key to Success
Selling Results, Not Websites
Clients don’t care about having a “cool” website—they care about getting results. Every page, link, and action must drive their desired outcome (e.g., bookings, sales, or inquiries).
Finding Clients
Use Google to find businesses with outdated websites:
- Search “niche industry + local town” (e.g., “Carpet cleaning Calgary”).
- Identify companies with poor websites but clear signs of success (e.g., good Google ranking or a strong local presence).
Final Notes
This journey hasn’t been easy—it required long hours, continuous learning, and resilience. But it’s also been incredibly rewarding, both financially and personally.
If you’re serious about starting a web design business, focus on learning sales, delivering value, and targeting the right clients. Remember, this isn’t an overnight success story, but with hard work, it’s absolutely achievable.
Feel free to AMA, and I’ll respond when I can. Thanks for reading!

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