I’m a Booked Out Designer! What Elizabeth McCravy’s Course is Like

Entrepreneurship is exciting and fun, but it can also be hard and lonely. I once heard Jenna Kutcher share that entrepreneurship is 10% doing the thing that you love, and 90% learning all of the things that you need to run a business successfully. That’s so true, isn’t it?! I started my graphic design business 3 months after college. It quickly became clear that there was so much I didn’t know! Around that same time, I discovered Elizabeth McCravy’s Breakthrough Brand Podcast. She gave away the GOOD STUFF for free! When she announced her course on how to have a successful design business, I knew that I had to be a founding member. When I find something this amazing I have to share about it, so let’s chat about my experience with Booked Out Designer*, my results, and how you can join!

(Affiliate Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of Elizabeth McCravy’s Booked Out Designer Course. When you join the course using my link, I receive  commission on the sale, at no extra cost to you. All thoughts shared in this post are my honest opinion as a Founding Member of Booked Out Designer!)

Before Booked Out Designer

Before I get into talking about the course, I want to share a bit of my backstory. Everyone’s business journey is different, and results are relative. I feel like my transformation won’t be as impactful for you unless you know where I started.

Three things you should know about me:

• In 2019, I graduated from college with a degree in Graphic Design. At the time, Maya Palmer Designs was a hand lettering side hustle. When the job offers didn’t come, I decided to start my own graphic design business. I was doing all the things (brochures, logos, websites, social media, etc.), with little knowledge of how to make it all work.
• In 2020, I decided to really make an effort to figure out how to build a sustainable business. I niched down to specializing in Brand + Showit Web Design – instead of trying to do it all. I booked my first few custom Showit clients that year; but other than that and a few retainer clients, things were pretty slow. I took this slow season as an opportunity to invest in business education. From courses on brand strategy and business systems, to a conference for creative entrepreneurs, I was trying to learn everything I could.
• By the time 2021 rolled around, I wanted to move my business forward. But I still felt confused about HOW to actually market as a designer, and how to handle some of the sticky situations I was facing that only designers understand.

In a nutshell, I had increased my knowledge, but still felt stuck when it came to taking action that gets results. Knowing that Elizabeth often talks candidly about working as a designer and applying marketing strategies on her podcast, I felt confident that she could help me out of my rut. I decided to take one more big leap and sign up for Booked Out Designer (and promised myself that I wouldn’t make any other big educational investments for a while, lol). 

My Experience as a Founding Member

Now that you know where I’m coming from, let’s talk about what Booked Out Designer is actually like! I also want to preface this by saying that even though I’m a newer designer, there are women of all ages and experience levels in the course. 

The Course Content

The Booked Out Designer course is divided into modules with video lessons that you can watch at your own pace. There’s tons of valuable videos inside, and you get lifetime access! The content covers everything from your mindset and marketing strategy, to client experience, contracts, and self-employed retirement recommendations. 

You don’t just learn the who and the what, Elizabeth takes the time to explain the how and why. 

My favorite module is about developing your client experience. Elizabeth explains how she communicates with her clients, and takes you through each step of her design process. She drops gems to make things easier for you and your clients along the way! 

As if a giant tutorial on how to set up / improve your client process wasn’t enough, there’s another module showing Elizabeth on Zoom calls with real clients! You get to see her communicate with business owners at different phases of the process. It’s so cool to see how she handles the scenarios that come up.

This course isn’t really about how to be a better designer. It’s more about how to run a better design business. One where you get to work with clients you love, doing work you enjoy, and changing rates that allow you to meet your financial goals. You can expect to learn lots of marketing strategy and communication skills. There’s still some helpful tools and resources to make designing easier, as well!

The Facebook Group

Along with lifetime access to the course content, all students are invited to join a private Facebook community. It’s a place where we can ask questions and get feedback from Elizabeth and each other, share our struggles, and celebrate wins!

I’ve been in Facebook groups before that aren’t that active or just feel spammy. But let me tell you – the women in this group are some of the sweetest people! We have so much fun helping each other and cheering when someone has a win. I even DM with some of my fellow designers regularly on Instagram. It’s truly a spirit of community over competition. 

Wondering how much access you’ll have to Elizabeth inside the Facebook group? As busy as she is, she takes the time to answer questions regularly, sometimes even sending voice messages or Loom videos to help. The other members of the group are super helpful as well! It’s been a blessing to be able to learn and be inspired by everyone.

Live Coaching Calls

Live coaching calls with Elizabeth are included as part of the course package as well! While I’m not sure how many Elizabeth plans to do in the future, we had 3 Zoom calls, plus a bonus Facebook live. Mindset coaching calls are also led by Life Coach Becky Hoschek. 

The coaching calls are so much fun because you get to interact with everyone in real time. Elizabeth is great at giving advice on the spot, and others often chime in using the chat! Even when I didn’t have a question, it was so helpful to learn from other’s struggles – especially those farther along in their business than me. 

If you’re a shy introvert like me, live video calls can be kinda scary. But everyone is so kind and supportive! It’s truly a good time. I can’t wait until Elizabeth starts them up with the newest group of enrollees. We founding members can attend those, too!

My Business Wins

Let’s talk results now. I’m not sharing these results to brag, but because I want you to know that Elizabeth’s teachings work. If I – a newbie who was feeling stuck, can get real results – I know that you can, too!

Even though I was hopeful that I would see results, I wasn’t sure how long it would take. I knew that I was coming from a place where a lot needed to improve. Honestly, I’m blown away by the results I’m about to share with you, and I get a little emotional when I think about how God has moved and used this course to open doors for me. 

Financial Wins

As part of the course, you get access to an awesome spreadsheet that helps you track income and expenses, and set financial goals. It’s not a replacement for QuickBooks, but it makes it easier to see you financial plan at a glance. I’ve been using it along with the Profit First system (to create my business budget). It’s been so empowering to feel like I have a better handle on my business finances!

Shortly after joining Booked Out Designer, I redesigned my website and raised my prices. Elizabeth teaches you how to raise your prices strategically over time in the course. She explains that as you get more experience, you can charge more for the value that you provide. I was overdue for an updated website that showed my skills. I went from charging $750 for custom design to successfully booking a $2,000 project! 

I’m also booking clients more consistently. I booked 4 clients in one month who were happy to pay my rates. The discovery call lessons in the course helped me feel more confident in guiding clients through calls, which no doubt helped. 

Because of these other financial wins, I’ve been able to pay myself more than ever before! It was a surreal feeling the first time I paid myself more from my business than I’d ever received in a paycheck from the other jobs I’ve worked. 

Communication Wins

This might feel like a small thing, but how you communicate with your clients matters. I needed to set better boundaries with clients, and Elizabeth’s lessons on client experience helped with this. She explains how to set clear expectations and boundaries with your clients, while still creating an experience they’ll enjoy. I now have a process that I’m proud of, and feel more confident in handling the sticky situations that might arise.

Ready to Join Booked Out Designer?!

Overall, I’m more confident as a business owner because of Booked Out Designer. I’m excited to watch my business continue to grow! It feels good to be getting real results! If you’re a designer who feels like you could benefit from learning how to run your business better and having a community to support you, I can’t recommend Booked Out Designer * enough. Elizabeth went above and beyond to create a valuable resource, and I’ve already made my investment back and then some. 

Click this link* to join Booked Out Designer while enrollment is open! I’ll see you inside the Facebook group! 🙂

(Reading this post after enrollment has closed? Be sure to join Elizabeth’s waitlist!)

(Affiliate Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of Elizabeth McCravy’s Booked Out Designer Course. When you join the course using my link, I receive  commission on the sale, at no extra cost to you. All thoughts shared in this post are my honest opinion as a Founding Member of Booked Out Designer.)