The most secure thing you can do? Build something of your own.
A 3-week program to help you build a fulfilling freelance business (even if you have no idea how to price your work or find clients... yet).
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Now enrolling
Designing Your Freelance Business Course
Join our April cohort
4/9 - 4/25
If you feel the call to intentionally redesign your work (and life), you can.
For UX designers, developers, and all other creatives who dream about:
- Leaving full-time employment to offer your services as a freelancer
- Creating a flexible schedule that works for you
- Building sustainable income on your own terms
- Choosing projects that ignite your passion
- Making a real impact with your work
Go from in-house employee to successful freelance business owner – even if you're afraid of giving up that steady paycheck.
The top 3 things freelancers worry about most
This course is designed for:
- Aspiring freelancers who want the confidence to quit their 9-to-5 (or 9-to-9!) job even if they don’t have a solid game plan (yet).
- Active solopreneurs struggling with inefficient systems and overwhelm who want to design more intentional processes that lead to growth.
- Design/Tech industry creatives who worry about finding consistent, high-quality clients and want to become magnets for dream projects.
- Creative business owners who are ready to attract better clients, and finally achieve the harmony in their work and life that they’ve been looking for.
You no longer have to worry whether you're doing it right.
Making your own way may feel much more amorphous and uncertain, but you just need the tools to ask the questions, to experiment, and to...
...discover what is meaningful — for you.
“Such a fantastic foundation for getting started as a freelancer. Sarah provides so many resources for starting a business, organizing your business, and project management as a solo entrepreneur. I will be returning to this material in the months to come!
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“The insightful and resourceful cohort led by Sarah was incredibly helpful. The workbook provided the clarity I needed, and the live sessions helped me clear any doubts and learn directly from Sarah's experience. Thanks to the cohort, I was able to overcome my mental block regarding pricing and get my service page and systems up and running. I now feel confident about my next steps and I highly recommend the cohort, regardless of where you are in your freelance journey.
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“This course has everything! Sarah presents the material in a concise and practical way and covers everything from business and money logistics, handling clients, and making sure you actually ENJOY and can sustain the business you build. I really liked how holistic the content was and how I can go back to it as needed. If you are looking for a way to organize your business and have a playbook for exactly what to do, no stone unturned, this course is for you!
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So tell me, why do you want to freelance?
Is it to design a future that truly energizes you, allows you to work on projects you're passionate about, and gives you the flexibility to, I don’t know, go for a walk at 2pm on a particularly gorgeous day?
Imagine a future where you:
- Wake up excited to dive into a new project for a startup you believe in, rather than dreading another day of corporate meetings.
- Have the freedom to say “I’m actually booking 2 months out…”
- Take a Thursday afternoon off to attend your kid's school play, without using PTO or explaining yourself to anyone.
- Set your rates confidently, knowing you can earn $5,000 or more per project instead of saying yes to everything in a panic.
- Get to connect with a community of fellow freelancers every day!
Transitioning to freelance can feel super high stakes. And yet, you can’t unsee the problems with traditional work:
- It's all-consuming, designed for linear productivity rather than human creativity.
- Companies often prioritize profits over people, leaving you stressed and unfulfilled.
- Work environments rarely consider human needs, leading to burnout and dissatisfaction.
- Your job devours most of your time and energy, leaving little for life outside work.
- At the end of the day, most people are simply unhappy at work.
But here's the truth: stepping into freelancing isn't just about escaping these issues. It's about finding genuine fulfillment in your work life — which is what we’re all after, right?
The real risk? Never mustering the courage to design a career that could lead to all the freedom and alignment you’re seeking.
Not to mention: by forging your own path, you're giving others permission to do the same.
Even if you stop reading here, I hope this inspires you to find your own alignment, re-envision your life, and design your freelance future.
...you think it's impossible to stand out and secure clients in a crowded market.
I know it can feel like everyone’s jumping on freelancing (which is great! We’re changing the future of work!). Here's the truth: there are more than enough potential clients for you to work with. You just need to know two things: how to position yourself and how to deliver a great client experience.
...you feel pricing will always be a guessing game.
Pricing doesn't have to be a shot in the dark. You can learn to price confidently and profitably. I'll provide you with proven frameworks that take the guesswork out of pricing, helping you value your work
appropriately and communicate that value to clients.
...you believe the logistics, taxes, and lack of benefits will make this impossible.
These challenges are absolutely manageable with the right knowledge and systems. I'll cover these practical aspects in detail, making them less daunting and more of an opportunity for you to take control of your financial future.
This course includes:
- ⏺️ 9 interactive live sessions for real-time lectures & lab time, covering all aspects of freelance business (that you can return to as you build and grow)
- ✍️ 10 practical projects to apply your learnings and start designing your business even before you launch
- 👩🏻🏫 Direct access to instructor (Sarah Jutras) for personalized guidance and coaching
- 💬 Guided feedback and reflection on your progress
- ♾️ Lifetime access to all course materials
- 👯 Exclusive access to a private community of peers
Week 1: Apr 9 - Apr 13
Fit-for-You Systems
Transform your mindset from employee to entrepreneur. In this foundational module, you'll:
- Define your core values to help guide your future business decisions
- Identify your unique service offerings that set you apart in the market
- Set up your business logistics, from registration to insurance (we’ll face these all head on!)
- Establish concrete fit-for-you financial goals that motivate and guide you
- Master the art of pricing your services for profitability
Week 2: Apr 14 - Apr 20
Designing the Client Experience
Create systems that attract and retain dream clients. In this module, you'll:
- Develop a strategy for finding and landing clients (repeatably!)
- Craft compelling proposals that close deals
- Get templates for running a project from start to finish with the support of tools like Notion
- Design seamless and thoughtful client onboarding and handoff experiences that make your clients remember you
- Build ongoing networking and relationship management techniques that help generate consistent referrals
Week 3: Apr 21 - Apr 25
Balance & Boundaries
Transform your mindset from employee to entrepreneur. In this module, you'll:
- Look at frameworks for designing your time
- Build your organizational systems for your day to day business practices
- Explore rituals for work/life harmony
- Set boundaries to manage burnout
By the end, you'll have a clear vision for how you want to FEEL in your freelance business that aligns with your values.
With support from a practicing biz owner
Over the past 15 years in the tech industry, I've:
- Worn many hats – design director, educator, mentor, business coach
- Designed over 20 apps that shipped to the App Store
- Held leadership roles at PayPal, Modcloth, Detour, and Chairish
- Consulted for agencies like IDEO, Industry Global, and Deloitte
- Worked with over 100 clients, constantly refining my approach
All my various experiences were influential in founding my own company, Huzzah Studio, where I now offer creative strategy and experience design expertise to a diverse client base.
These days I’m lit up by not only building my own business but helping others navigate the exciting, sometimes scary, but ultimately rewarding world of freelancing.
When I’m not in my studio, I’m enjoying recreating Fabrique’s famous Swedish cardamom buns or dining at San Francisco’s tastiest restaurants, or traveling the world (sometimes by motorcycle).
Course Schedule
3 weeks in April
{ April 9th – 25th }
Wednesdays: LECTURE 8:30 - 10:30am PT
Thursdays: LAB 8:30 - 9:30am PT
Fridays: OFFICE HOURS 8:30 - 9:30am PT
*All sessions recorded