6 Product Design Business Success Stories [2024]
Got a flair for creativity and a knack for solving problems? Starting a product design business could be your ideal venture. In simple terms, product design involves creating and refining products to meet both user needs and market demands.
Starting out, you'll need to engage with clients to understand their vision, sketch designs, create prototypes, and collaborate with manufacturers. The real work here is in the details—every line and material choice contributes to the finished product.
This business is perfect for those who thrive on innovation and enjoy seeing their ideas come to life. It’s all about blending functionality with aesthetics, making things that are not only beautiful but also useful. Having a portfolio of well-designed products can set you apart in a competitive market.
If you're passionate about creating tangible objects from abstract ideas, this business will give you the satisfaction of making an impact on everyday lives.
In this list, you'll find real-world product design business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a product design business that makes money.
1. ShakeSphere ($3.6M/year)
ShakeSphere, an award-winning shaker bottle manufacturer, was founded by elite sprinter Rick Beardsell. After experiencing the limitations and inefficiencies of existing shaker bottles while training as an athlete, he set out to create a better solution. With a focus on innovation and functionality, ShakeSphere's unique design quickly gained popularity, leading to international success and partnerships with major supplement brands.
How much money it makes: $3.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $75K
How many people on the team: 1
ShakeSphere, an award-winning shaker bottle manufacturer founded by an elite athlete, has generated $4 million in annual revenue globally, and has won awards from Men's Health and Amazon for its innovative design, including no-mesh grid or mixing ball, making cleaning and efficiency better than ever.
2. Innovolo Ltd ($2.4M/year)
Bradley Pallister, co-founder and Head of Innovation at Innovolo, came up with the idea for the business after recognizing the need for an innovation and product development consultancy that could help B2B clients create a culture of innovation. With their flagship product, Unlimited Innovation-as-a-Service, Innovolo offers business owners a cost-effective solution to bring in an external innovation team tailored to their needs, resulting in accelerated product development and a fast turnaround time, as seen with one client's product being expedited from eight months to six weeks. With an impressive revenue forecast of £2.4 million this year, Innovolo is poised to disrupt the remote product development space.
How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 12
Innovolo, an innovation and product development consultancy, went from offering fixed-sum product development to providing product development chain management with a unique program called Unlimited Innovation-as-a-Service, shortening their client's product expedited time significantly, and increasing revenue astronomically since their launch in 2018.
3. BRCHN Design House ($480K/year)
Sam Birchenough, driven by a childhood passion for building and taking things apart, founded BRCHN Design House in 2015, enduring six months of zero income and $35,000 in debt before turning the business into a success, with current monthly revenues between $20,000 and $80,000.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 1
This case study outlines how BRCHN Design House went from starting with no revenue to bringing in $20,000 to $80,000 monthly, by developing an efficient product design process, leveraging networking opportunities, and retaining clients through exceptional service.
4. Design Match ($384K/year)
Danielle, the founder of Design Match, came up with the idea while working as a product designer for startups around the world. As her workload grew, she started matching clients with designers in her network, and realized this could be a great business. She launched Design Match with a website and quickly generated $20,000 in MRR within the first month, validating her idea and spurring the company's growth.
How much money it makes: $384K/year
How much did it cost to start: $4K
How many people on the team: 3
Design Match, run by nomadic entrepreneur Danielle, has made $350k following its launch after receiving organic leads from LinkedIn and focusing on search engine optimization through evergreen articles and other tools like Jasper, SurferSEO, and SalesFlow.
5. SolutionBuggy ($240K/year)
Arjun Bharadwaj, Founder & CEO of SolutionBuggy, came up with the idea for his business after recognizing the dearth of skill sets in the MSME segment of the manufacturing industry. In 2016, he conceptualized the platform and launched it in 2018, aiming to digitize the MSME consulting space in India using AI technology. Today, SolutionBuggy is the largest manufacturing consulting platform in India, with over 50,000 industries and 10,000+ experts registered on the platform.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 30
SolutionBuggy is an AI-based manufacturing consulting platform, providing end-to-end solutions for entrepreneurs looking to start the manufacturing industry, having completed over 2000 projects with 50,000 industries and 10,000+ experts registered on their platform, and planning to expand with 20 million registered MSMEs and 300,000 consultants in the next few years.
6. Rex Marketing and CX ($120K/year)
While leading MyWellbeing's expansion across all 50 states, Ryan Ward realized the dire need for marketing support among small mental health practices. Leveraging his growth marketing expertise and no-code skills, he co-founded Rex Marketing & CX in April 2023, quickly achieving $10,000/month in revenue.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
Case study of Rex Marketing & CX: Growing revenue to $10,000/month in just a year by leveraging AI, automation, and outsourcing, specializing in growth marketing, product development for small businesses in healthcare, financial services, and SaaS spaces.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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