The Day Rate Strategy That Made Me $400k as a Web Designer
How I Went From Long Annoying Projects to a $400k/Yr With Day Rates
Let me take you back.
I had been designing websites for about a year by 2020... I was in that sweet spot of making $15K–$20K months, but let’s be honest… It was absolute chaos.
Client projects were supposed to take 4–6 weeks but some dragged on for 3-4+ months.
Not because of me, but because clients ghosted. Delayed. Forgot passwords. Didn’t send photos. Wanted to “tweak the headline” after 6 weeks of silence (iykyk).
If you’re a designer, you get it. The actual designing wasn’t the problem. It was everything around it.
And I remember thinking:
There has to be a better way.
Cue: Random Tiktok guy.
He was talking about weddings.
He said he charged $4,000 for a single day of photography.
Did the shoot. Went home. Edited everything with pre-made presets. Delivered by morning.
And I was like… wait.
WHAT IF I COULD DO THAT?
What if I consolidated my workflow and delivered a website in one day?
Wild? Yes.
Impossible? Let’s find out.
I told my husband the plan.
He thought I was a little unhinged.
So I did what any bold, creative girlie would do…
I opened Instagram and posted this on Stories:
“I’m looking for 4 clients who need a soul-aligned website delivered in ONE day.
Offering a beta round for 50% off.
DM me VIP if interested.”
I sold every single one.
Charged $1,600 each.
And the experiment began.
What I knew for sure?
If this was gonna work, I needed to solve the 3 things that stall every project:
Clients not sending assets or photos
Website copy being “in progress”
Missing logins and tech info (Showit, Flodesk, Kajabi, etc)
Domain transfer delays
So I literally rebuilt my entire onboarding system.
I made it non-negotiable that I’d have everything I needed before Day One.
That included:
Brand photos and as always requested, b-role videos
Website copy (or would outsource)
Logins for every single platform they need integration with
Domain access
By 10am the day-of, I could roll into our branding session (which is now taught inside both Design Your Day Rate and Wealthy Web Designer) and then dive into build mode.
Was I nervous? Girl.
I was pooping my pants.
But I did it.
Then I did it again.
And again.
And again.
That one offer?
It changed everything.
In my very first year offering day rates, I brought in $400,000.
And that was five years ago.
Since then, the offer has only grown.
It’s still my most in-demand service. Clients literally line up for it.
Now I’ve expanded into Website in a Week too, but Day Rates?
That’s the heartbeat. That’s what built my entire foundation.
They gave me:
Creative freedom
Crystal-clear boundaries with clients
Insane pay
My life back
And the best part?
Clients are obsessed!!
It’s super fast for them while still being transformative.
And it actually gets done.
Once you experience it, you’ll never want to go back to drawn-out timelines and never-ending edits.
Listen to this podcast episode breaking this method down even further on the Wealthy Web Designer Podcast!
So... can you do it?
Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes.
If you want the full system I use, down to the templates, scripts, onboarding flows, and timing, I teach it all inside Design Your Day Rate.
It’s my complete blueprint for turning one day of your time into thousands of dollars.
Imagine this:
You open your laptop at 10am with your iced coffee.
You design, build, deliver… and you’re done by dinner.
And you just made $3K, $5K, $10K in a day.
That’s not a pipe dream.
That’s what day rates made possible for me.
And I want the same for you.
Final note:
This isn’t just about speed.
It’s about freedom.
About building a business that works for your life, not the other way around.
And I swear… once you do it once?
You’ll never go back.
Your future self will thank you.
xo,
Becca
P.S. If you’re curious about Design Your Day Rate, here’s the link to learn more. If you already know it’s for you? Run, don’t walk. You can use the code SUBSTACK for 15% off today.