Everything you need to go to the next level
Ambitious Creatives Booked Solid is our signature program consisting of a comprehensive online curriculum paired with 6-months’ worth of our community of supportive ambitious creatives including quarterly events and monthly live coaching calls with myself.
Now accepting applications for 2023
You’re an Ambitious Creative providing your genius as a service.
You’ve gone against the grain and set up shop on your own – and it turned out better than you expected! You’re booked with enough clients so that you never have to consider going back to a 9-5. (phew! Thank god for that!) And most importantly, you’re phenomenal at what you do – no doubt about it.
Yet, you’re craving more.
You don’t want to sound ungrateful, but you just know deep down, that it can get better than this (and trust me, it can!). But you also know that to get to that next level, whatever that looks like for you (whether it’s double the money or double the free time), you need to overcome some obstacles first.
Because with every new level… There’s a new devil, right?
I remember that as soon as I started to get more clients, I started to face new problems.
It was no longer about “Can I make enough to pay my bills so I don’t have to go back to my old job”, but it became:
“How do I make sure that this flow of clients stays consistent so that I never experience the feast or famine cycle? We’re having a phenomenal couple of months, but what if in the summer it goes quiet?”
“How do I get some of my free time back?”
“How do I get higher paying clients, and dream projects, so I can work more on what lights me up, and be juggling less projects at once.”
“How do I set boundaries with clients so they respect my expertise and don’t try and ‘pixel push‘?”
(oh god, this takes me to a time where I let a client have 17 logo reviews because they weren’t 100% confident in my opinion that the logos were great for their brand. In the end, they ended up going with the very first one. Now we know better)
“How do I set up my business up for financial success and security?”
“I think I need some help. Do I hire freelance, or part time, or full time? Do I hire a designer to help me with delivery? Or an assistant to help me with admin?”
“I’m hungry for the next level. What strategies do I need to put in place?”
If any of the above sound like something you’re going through now…
I can say that I’ve been there, and would love to help you get through it!
Without any social media marketing required by the way!!
Yes, that’s right! All those hours you spend creating those beautiful value packed posts, that either get crickets or a ton of engagement but no clients through the door?
That can stop now.
And I can say this with confidence, because we were able to bring in 1.8M+ in business in our first 5 years without ever posting on social media.
Marketing doesn’t get you clients!
Marketing only creates awareness about what you do, and it’s what you do with that awareness that counts.
How do you convert that awareness into clients? We’ll go through that. But how do you create that awareness in the first place? Well, there are many more less time-consuming and more effective ways to create it than social media marketing.
All this to say that there is a way to get to that next level you’re craving for, without having to invest a ton of time creating things!
That’s what this program is all about:
Minimum effort, maximum impact!
Introducing
Where Graphic Designers (And Other Creative Service Providers) Get Booked Solid With Dream Projects, Work With Dream Clients, Earn 6 Figures And More…
All Without Burning Out!
Imagine being part of an intimate group of creative service providers just like you, where you’ll feel supported by them and inspired to take action.
Imagine having guidance in your strategy, mindset and systems so you had 100% clarity on what your next steps were. And now imagine having that result in success and a work life balance far better than you had ever dared to dream for yourself.
What can that look like?
How about 5 hour days? Or 4 day weeks? Or 4 months off a year? $5K, $10k, $20k, $40k, $60k months?
Or 6 figures plus in your savings account? That sweet feeling of being 100% safe and having more money than you know what to do with.
And how about no longer doing emails and only focusing on your area of genius? Experiencing stress free days, total clarity and inner peace.
Or how about dreamy projects with even dreamier clients? Having the business run without you so you can launch that passion project you’ve been dreaming about?
Or what about getting featured on major podcasts and publications like Business Insider? Talking on stages to 500, 1000 and even 3,000 people?
Or maybe being able to take time in the middle of the day to go to the spa and treat yourself to a massage?
I know this is possible because all the above, I was able to create for myself.
And while I can’t promise all the above in the time we’ll work together, I can definitely teach you the steps I took to get there!
Now accepting applications for 2023
About your mentor
If we don’t know each other already…
Hi, I’m Joana Galvão!
I’m the co-founder of Gif Design Studios, an award-winning design agency specialized in brand identities and conversion-obsessed design. Based in Porto, Portugal, with our team of 7 designers and developers, we’ve spent the last 8 years serving industry leaders in seventeen countries on five continents.
I’ve had the privilege of speaking at some of North America’s and Europe’s leading marketing events, and our work has been featured in Business Insider, the book brand brilliance and digital arts magazine, to name a few.
But what I’m most proud of is my work life balance
Because what’s the point in making a lot of money if you don’t then have time to enjoy what it can bring? At the moment of writing this, I currently work 5 hour days, and got to have a 4 month maternity leave, where I didn’t check emails. (and the business, not only did it survive, but it thrived! In the middle of a pandemic nonetheless)
On the side of running the agency, I’ve always been very active on Instagram creating content to help other fellow creative service providers find success (whatever that means for them), but there’s only so much you help through creating content. Hungry to make a deeper impact, I got certified as a Book Yourself Solid Coach, and spent the last year dreaming up this program as a way to work with an intimate group, and help them achieve big things.
as seen in
So far through the program…
I’ve coached 57 creative service professionals and helped them grow their businesses. It’s been the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in my career to date and the results have been amazing.
Alex landed his first 5 figure project.
Celestine doubled her income!
Sara went from having no clients, to $5k months!
Craig tripled his rates in 3 months.
See what they have to say about the course:
Make 2023 the year that everything changed for the better!!!
Now accepting applications for 2023
- Live group coaching calls every month with me
- Quarterly events with guest expert workshops
- There will be a secret podcast feed with audio lessons so you can learn as you take a walk, wash the dishes, or run errands, because if you’re at your desk, I want most of that time to be spent taking action!
- Access to a hub with all the program resources including call recordings, video tutorials, the audio trainings and worksheets
- You’ll get access to an exclusive Slack group where:
- You’ll be able to connect with the other members of the program
- You can ask questions that myself or my team will answer
- You will have accountability with a weekly thread moderated by team
Strategy and Mindset
- The system that gives you clarity on what your goals are (more time, better projects, more profit) and map out a strategy to get there
- The process for uncovering and eliminating your mindset blocks that are getting in your way.
- My proven strategies on overcoming the anxiety inducing aspects of business (nightmare clients, overwhelm, growing responsibilities etc.)
- Plus I’ll share my secret mindset resources with you so you have the same toolkit that I have used.
“This program will help you own your creative business instead of feeling like your business owns you! Now I feel much more confident to set and grow a creative business in a way that I can see profitability and joy.”
Yohany
“Everything, from the beginning to the last day of the program was made with excellence. My confidence grew so much, even in such a short time, I can clearly see the results of the program.”
Winner
Sales
- The failsafe way to package your signature services so that your clients say “hell yes”, to your offers, regardless of the price
- The Sales Cycle: How to create a sales funnel for your services and how to set up a sales pipeline to make sure you’re only getting on the call with qualified leads and to half your sales call time (leaving your more time for the things you’re truly genius at)
- The proven sales process for closing high ticket clients
- Pricing: how and when to charge more, effortlessly, to finally get paid what you’re worth.
- Plus I’ll give you our own sales email nurturing sequence so you can swipe and deploy into your own business.
Marketing
- P2P Networking: How to network to get clients (whether it’s networking with peers that serve the same audience as you, or potential clients you’ve never interacted with before)
- The referral strategy that has allowed us to get 1,5M of booked business, 90% of it from referrals alone
- Big Fish Strategy: Landing a big name client, so it becomes a source of an endless stream of business
- Building trust and credibility with the right marketing efforts
- The five-step testimonial process that means each client brings two more.
- Plus … my under-the-radar marketing resources that add fuel to your marketing fire without adding any more hours or dollars to your efforts
“I have gained so much confidence thanks to ACBS. I have so many great tools thanks to the content, the worksheets and the calls. Now I’m able to understand my numbers, craft better offers, and that has made a huge difference in my business so far!”
Karla
This program was an absolute game-changer for me. I’ve learnt to be decisive and proactive when working with my clients. And now we’re booked 4 months ahead. If you consider joining the program – don’t hesitate. I am deeply convinced that ACBS will change your life and career.
Agnieszka
Finances
- How to guarantee profitability and cash-flow visibility
- The strategies and routines I’ve implemented in our business to guarantee we’re consistently growing our savings (to 6 figures and beyond) and hitting our goals (as well as some nightmare stories, to make sure you never have to go through these mistakes yourself)
- Resource: Template for bookkeeping
- Resource: A Behind the scenes look at how we track our finances
- Resource: My Golden Go-To Reading List for Simple and Quick Financial Literacy
Operations + Delivery
- What makes a high-end client experience, besides the quality of the work delivered? Getting clear on your high-end client process and making it the best client experience out there, so you that you don’t just look good, but DO good, too, every time
- Resource: The email templates we use for client communication from selling, to onboarding the client, to post-project communication
- Resource: The document templates we use to present our work to our clients
- Resource: The questionnaires we use to get information from the client in order to create a quote, the questionnaire we use for branding projects, and the post-project follow-up questionnaires we use to extract client feedback from.
- A behind the scenes look at our brand new project management set-up on Notion, and our step by step processes
- The importance of creating SOPs in your business and how to create them
“Before ambitious creatives I felt like I was all over the place. I knew how to design and I had clients, but didn’t feel that I knew how to run a business in the real way. Now I wake up everyday and I know what I need to do to generate income, as a business owner. That was the biggest thing for me – to get clarity.”
Alexis
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it only for graphic designers?
The program is for any creative who provides their genius as a service. So far we’ve had videographers, photographers, architects, interior designers, motion designers and event organizers. I will however give you a heads up, that because of my background, I attract more graphic designers and therefore that might be the majority of the group.
I’m really overwhelemed with life and work at the moment. Should I join now, or later?
In this program, you’ll hear me say that overwhelm can be not knowing what to priotize next and if that’s the case, I can personally help you work out what that is. For those who are already at full capacity with no free time, then we explore in depth what you can do to get some time back: Wether that’s a strategy to raise your prices so you can take on less projects, how to stream line your processes so you can save some time on work deilvery through templates and automations, or whether that’s to bring someone on to help you with your work load. Whatever it is, as a busy mum running two businesses, I’m all about acheiving more with less time, so I can help you get there, and therefore would suggest you join now rather than later, so I can help you create more breathing room in your life (and bank account).
How much access do we get with you?
My vision for this program has always been to keep it intimate so that you are guaranteed 1-1 time with me. There will be monthly “hot-seat style” calls where if you submit a question in advance, you’re guaranteed to have 1-1 coaching from me. Additionally, I’ll also be in the slack group weekly to answer any further questions you might have.
How much is it?
For many who have joined, ACBS has been a considerable investment, but one that they have been able to make back within the time of the program (and more) by applying the strategies we go over. We also incorporated the application process to make sure we only accept students who we know will be able to get an ROI from the program. But so far, everyone has said that it’s less than they thought it was! So if you’re curious, make sure you apply!
How will the calls work?
Calls will be hosted on Zoom and will be “hot seat style”. We will ask that you submit your question in advance so I can have my answers ready, to make the most out of our time together on the call, so you get the maximum value.
What happens after the program is done?
After our 6-months together, you will still have access to the hub with all the lesson content and call recordings for the foreseeable future. There will also be a continuing program available, should you want to keep having access to me over monthly calls.
Are all classes released at once?
You’ll have access to the whole curiculum as soon as you join so you can go through it however fast or slow you’ll like.
How long should I put aside to go through the program?
The calls are monthly and are 90mins long, which is the time we suggest you make priority, as it’s where you’ll get live actionable coaching from Joana.
The curriculum, you’ll have access to for a yearand it was designed so you can go through and implement everything in 12-weeks (with that said, feel free to go faster or slower). The lessons have been created mostly in audio format so you can consume them on the go and not have that take up too much time. They’re between 10-20mins each and two are released a week. On top of that, past students have mentioned that they have needed 30mins a week to complete the worksheets.
I saw it used to be 3-months, and now it’s 6. Why the change?
We’re always taking feedback from our students and we improve and adapt the program to make it better each time. One of the main requests we had was that the coaching calls continue beyond 3 months so that students had time to implement everything and still have the support of the community when new challenges would arise. Other feedback we got was that weekly calls became overwhelming to work into an already busy schedule, so instead of weekly calls, we now have monthly calls, with the opportunity to ask me questions in the community in between.
