Make More Money: Chart Your Course to a Thriving Design Business

Field Guide

Self-paced videos

Quest

Live group coaching

Vanguard

$1M+ community

get the money maker map

for agency owners earning $100K+

The system that takes you from stuck to $1m

Quest is the live group coaching program for design agency owners who are tired of guessing. A route from $100k to $1M, a guide who’s run it, and a crew of peers on the journey beside you every week.

Apply to join

Most days, you’re guessing.

You started with skills and a sense of direction. Do good work, find good clients, build a business that pays for the life you want.

For a while, it worked. You found clients. You made money. You kept going.

Now the path is fuzzy. You don’t want to keep going the same way you have been, but you don’t know if it’s too risky to take a big leap either. You can’t tell if the blocker is you, or time, or something else you can’t name yet.

Most weeks, you’re improvising.

You’re trying to figure out what to charge. Maybe you’re pricing by hours and pages and how long the work will take. Maybe you’re pricing on what you charged your last client. Either way, you’re not pricing on what the work is actually worth to the client, because nobody ever showed you how to do that.

When a real opportunity shows up, you take a guess. Sometimes you go too high and lose the deal. Sometimes you go too low and watch the client say yes too fast. Either way, you walk away wondering what just happened.

You’re trying to figure out what your business is actually selling. You know it’s not just deliverables, but the language for what’s underneath the deliverables hasn’t shown up yet, and so you keep selling the deliverables anyway.

You’re trying to figure out who to say yes to. The wrong-fit client comes in with a real budget and a fast yes, and your answer is I’ll find a way to make it work, even though you know there’s no plan behind those words. It’s just a wish.

You’re trying to figure out what to focus on next. You mentally committed to a certain amount of outreach a week, but then you got really busy with deliverable work and got overwhelmed and fed up and felt like you wasted a lot of time. The week never holds the shape you keep hoping it will.

You’re making decisions in your business and second-guessing yourself a lot. All the time. The AI conversation is making you second-guess everything else, too.

You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re carrying a business that grew faster than the systems underneath it. Endurance got you this far. Endurance won’t get you to the next part.

There’s a solution. A way to run your business with clarity, consistency, and calm. Most agency owners haven’t seen it because nobody’s ever drawn it for them.

That’s what Quest is.

Most days, you’re guessing.

You started with skills and a sense of direction. Do good work, find good clients, build a business that pays for the life you want.

For a while, it worked. You found clients. You made money. You kept going.

Most weeks, you’re improvising.

You’re making decisions in your business and second-guessing yourself a lot. All the time. The AI conversation is making you second-guess everything else, too.

You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re carrying a business that grew faster than the systems underneath it. Endurance got you this far. Endurance won’t get you to the next part.

There’s a solution. A way to run your business with clarity, consistency, and calm. Most agency owners haven’t seen it because nobody’s ever drawn it for them.

That’s what Quest is.

Most days, you’re guessing.

You started with skills and a sense of direction. Do good work, find good clients, build a business that pays for the life you want.

For a while, it worked. You found clients. You made money. You kept going.

Most weeks, you’re improvising.

You’re making decisions in your business and second-guessing yourself a lot. All the time. The AI conversation is making you second-guess everything else, too.

You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re carrying a business that grew faster than the systems underneath it. Endurance got you this far. Endurance won’t get you to the next part.

There’s a solution. A way to run your business with clarity, consistency, and calm. Most agency owners haven’t seen it because nobody’s ever drawn it for them.

That’s what Quest is.

Most days, you’re guessing.

You started with skills and a sense of direction. Do good work, find good clients, build a business that pays for the life you want.

For a while, it worked. You found clients. You made money. You kept going.

Most weeks, you’re improvising.

You’re making decisions in your business and second-guessing yourself a lot. All the time. The AI conversation is making you second-guess everything else, too.

You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re carrying a business that grew faster than the systems underneath it. Endurance got you this far. Endurance won’t get you to the next part.

There’s a solution. A way to run your business with clarity, consistency, and calm. Most agency owners haven’t seen it because nobody’s ever drawn it for them.

That’s what Quest is.

meet your coach

I’m Dan Mall

I built the program I wish I had.

From 2004 to 2012, I worked a full-time job and also freelanced on the side.

From 2012 to 2022, I ran my own digital agency. I was the only full-time employee and built a network of 700 contractors. Then I sold it in 2024.

Here’s my real revenue trajectory over that time:

From 2004 to 2012, I worked a full-time job and also freelanced on the side.

From 2012 to 2022, I ran my own digital agency. I was the only full-time employee and built a network of 700 contractors. Then I sold it in 2024.

Here’s my real revenue trajectory over that time:

From 2004 to 2012, I worked a full-time job and also freelanced on the side.

From 2012 to 2022, I ran my own digital agency. I was the only full-time employee and built a network of 700 contractors. Then I sold it in 2024.

Here’s my real revenue trajectory over that time:

Annual Salary

Annual

Salary

Annual Salary

Business Revenue

2004

$9,600

2005

$19,200

2006

$33,600

2007

$56,000

2008

$62,500

2009

$70,000

2010

$86,250

2011

$90,000

2012

$231,480

$416,636

2013

$295,970

$613,826

2014

$267,331

$384,638

2015

$199,775

$334,175

2016

$207,050

$841,438

2017

$242,368

$1,098,084

2018

$131,900

$846,623

2019

$285,886

$1,197,715

2020

$381,058

$2,938,409

2021

$415,326

$896,127

As you can see, that’s not an “up-and-to-the-right” chart. I’ve had years where I nearly tripled revenue and years where I watched it drop by half. Through all of it, I’ve learned what actually moves the number and what’s just busywork.

I can trace it all back to one moment in 2011, the year before I opened my agency.

The $7,000 check

I had a full-time job and also freelanced during my nights and weekends. I made $90,000/year as a design director at a digital creative agency. The extra projects I took on were for fun, to learn new things, or to make a little extra money. I was lucky to be booked out for 6 months.

One day, a friend referred me to Esther (not her real name). She was an entrepreneur with a big idea for a brand-new website. When we talked, I thought her project would take six months. Given my existing work pipeline, that meant I’d be busy almost the whole year, and I didn’t want to be locked down that long. And what if I said yes, turned down other projects, and then Esther changed her mind before we even started?

So I gave her my “go away” price. You know the one: that’s when you give a number so high you think the client will say no. Just to be sure, I made it even less appealing. (I know I could’ve politely declined, but I didn’t yet know how to say “no” to a good project.)

I emailed Esther a “Save the Date” contract—and even sent along an addressed invoice with payment details to go along with it:

You agree to pay a one-time, additional, nonrefundable fee of $7,000. This ensures that the October date will be held for your project.

Esther never responded.

Five days later, I received a check for $7,000 in the mail.

I learned an important lesson that day: people will pay for things they value, no matter how wildly out of reach you might think it is.

It changed the way I thought about pricing. It broke my brain. I couldn’t calculate an hourly or weekly rate for this. I wasn’t even spending any time on this, and I was still getting paid. There was no math here; I couldn’t figure this out on a spreadsheet. It was emotional, irrational, and perplexing. That lesson became the way I priced every project after that.

But the revenue is only half the story. Here’s the more important part.

Esther never responded.

Five days later, I received a check for $7,000 in the mail.

I learned an important lesson that day: people will pay for things they value, no matter how wildly out of reach you might think it is.

But the revenue is only half the story. Here’s the more important part.

Esther never responded.

Five days later, I received a check for $7,000 in the mail.

I learned an important lesson that day: people will pay for things they value, no matter how wildly out of reach you might think it is.

But the revenue is only half the story. Here’s the more important part.

I got to work with my dream clients.

When my daughters were 5 years old and 3 years old, my wife and I took them for a month-long trip to travel to South Africa, Italy, Portugal, and the U.K. We called it our “Mall World Tour.” My kids—now 13 and 11—still love to talk about it today.

I live in a great neighborhood. I travel a few times a year to eat at Michelin-star restaurants and take photos of the beautiful world. I play basketball every week. I collect and wear limited-edition sneakers. I’ve designed a profitable business that allows me live the life I want to live.

I want to show you how to do the same.

The Old Man of Storr, photographed by me during a road trip through Scotland with my kids

Warming up for the weekly game

The best dish I’ve ever eaten in my life: Royal Toast at Royal Sushi in Philadelphia.

Air Jordan 1 Bordeaux with custom charms

My backyard

There is a system

the money maker map

The Money Maker Map is the backbone of everything inside Quest. Every coaching session and accountability check-in traces back to it. It’s a 33-step route across seven phases. Each phase answers a specific question agency owners get stuck on in the order they actually have to be answered.

Baselines

You can’t plan a route without knowing where you’re starting. Establish how much you need to make, how much you’re making now, and the gap between them.

cash reserve

Most agencies fail because they run out of money before they figure out what they’re really selling. Build enough cushion to make every decision after it without panic.

positioning

A reputation with the right customers is what makes everything else possible. Build without cash pressure distorting the hard and important work.

proof

A great positioning statement isn’t enough on its own. Generates the external evidence that makes it believable to people who don’t already know you.

Pricing

This is where most agencies leave the most money on the table. Sell your full-priced offer to the people who actually need it.

Scale

Once your offers are selling at full price, create the playbooks, hires, and leverage that let the business run without you in every room.

Expansion

With the business no longer fragile to its founder, open up the options to grow it, sell, chill, distribute profits, or build the next thing.

Quest is a live, group coaching program for design agency owners doing $100K+ who want to grow to $1M without burning out.

apply to join

the program includes

Weekly, live, group coaching

Learn together each week. Hear from others, share your own wins and struggles, and get real help that turns plans into action.

On-demand video training via the Field Guide

Complimentary access to the Field Guide, an on‑demand training library on pricing, offers, lead gen, and ops specifically for design studios.

Rich

An outreach & revenue bot system that provides personalized onboarding, daily check-ins, and phase-based accountability so you know what to focus on—and what to ignore—every day.

Access to a vibrant Slack community

Share wins, ask for help, and keep each other on track. It feels like having your own team, even—especially—if you work alone.

Monthly guest speakers

Each month, you’ll learn from guest experts who cover topics outside the core curriculum that are highly valuable. You’ll also often get exclusive discounts on their programs or services.

First-come, first-served office hours

Have a tough question or preparing for a big pitch? Book a 1:1 time directly with Dan during office hours. Get clear, get unstuck, and feel confident moving forward.

The DanBot™

You’ll get direct access to a large language model, trained on two decades of Dan’s writing, speaking, and ideas. Ask questions, pull up examples, and get instant, personalized guidance at any time.

watch a snippet of a previous live session

What changes once you’re inside Quest

01 You go from operator to CEO

Benten was spending most of his time executing inside his business. Quest changed that. He removed himself from operations entirely, stepped into a true CEO role, and built a studio that runs without him.

“Last year we did $710k in revenue. this year we’re on track to break $1 million.”

— Benten Woodring, NOOON Studio

02 You find your people

There’s a version of this program you could describe in numbers, and Mo has them. He hasn’t charged under five figures since joining, often multiple. He delegates better, manages his energy better, earns more.

But the thing he kept coming back to was harder to quantify: that this community matches the ambition of what you’re trying to build.

Quest isn’t just a place to vent or commiserate. It’s a place to be pushed toward the life you already said you wanted.

But the thing he kept coming back to was harder to quantify: that this community matches the ambition of what you’re trying to build.

Quest isn’t just a place to vent or commiserate. It’s a place to be pushed toward the life you already said you wanted.

But the thing he kept coming back to was harder to quantify: that this community matches the ambition of what you’re trying to build.

Quest isn’t just a place to vent or commiserate. It’s a place to be pushed toward the life you already said you wanted.

“If you have a vision for the creative life you want to lead and live, this is the place and These are your people.”

— Mo Thiam, Hello Momo

03 You learn the theory behind the tactics

Most programs hand you a playbook and send you off. Quest goes a layer deeper into why the tactics work, where they came from, and how to adapt them when the situation changes.

Celeste didn’t just pick up new moves. She picked up a new way of evaluating any move. She restructured how she runs sales calls and builds proposals. Both were a challenge to change, and both made her better.

Most programs hand you a playbook and send you off. Quest goes a layer deeper into why the tactics work, where they came from, and how to adapt them when the situation changes.

“[Quest] definitely helped me grow and see my business in a new light.”

— Celeste Fabros, Euflora

“The thing racking my brain the hardest for months was covered in the very first coaching call.”

George Treviranus

founder, Right warp

“Using the approaches I learned here, I bumped a current client retainer up by 66%!”

Galo Naranjo

founder, motusmade

04 Every session ends with an action

Every session produces something tangible: a diagram, a filled-in script, a spreadsheet you can open Monday morning and actually work from. The ideas don’t stay in the room. They come home with you as tools.

Gabby came in wanting growth. She got frameworks she could apply to her business the same week she learned them.

“Whether it’s a diagram, a script, or an Excel sheet, dan always comes up with practical tools and homework for us to do.”

— Gabby Merite, Figures & Figures

05 You go from thinking about next week to thinking ten years out

When Joey started his agency, he was focused on the next day. Maybe the next week. That’s how most agency owners operate; not because they’re short-sighted, but because the day-to-day never lets up long enough to look further.

He’s now thinking two, five, ten years ahead. He can see how the work he’s already done positions him for clients he wasn’t even considering before. He wakes up more excited about his business than ever before.

“I was really only focused on the next day or the next week. Now I feel like I’m finally thinking two, five, or ten years ahead… something I’ve never done before.”

— Joey Banks, Baseline Design

“I’m in a club with people just like me. These are the conversations I need.”

Karis Chandler

founder, Karistotle

“What a wonderful program this has been. I genuinely love being a part of it. It’s been amazing to see where everyone is in their entrepreneurial journeys. I’m picking up a lot of things I can apply to my own company too.”

TJ Pitre

CEO, southleft

06 You close deals you couldn’t have closed before

Matias came in stuck between doing the work and finding the work: no consistent pipeline, no predictable cash flow. Within a month and a half of joining, he closed a single project worth more than 10× what he paid to be in the program.

“What you get is way more than what you pay for.”

— Matias Gonzalez, Leidox

07 Your mindset around money changes (and so does everything else)

Josh didn’t come in just looking for tactics. He came in looking for a shift. The kind that doesn’t just change what you do, but how you see the whole game. Quest delivered that. And once the mindset moved, the results followed.

The conversations are high quality. The people are worth learning from. But the thing that changed his business changing his thinking first.

“When I’m able to level up my mindset, it just changes the whole game in terms of making more money.”

— Josh Loh, The Digital Third

Uncharted doesn’t mean unreachable.

The unknown isn’t the risk. It’s the invitation.

The unknown isn’t the risk.

It’s the invitation.

apply to join

56.2500° S, 66.5000º W

39.9526º N, 75.1652º W

What changes once you’re inside Quest

01 You go from operator to CEO

“Last year we did $710k in revenue. this year we’re on track to break $1 million.”

— Benten Woodring, NOOON Studio

02 You find your people

But the thing he kept coming back to was harder to quantify: that this community matches the ambition of what you’re trying to build.

Quest isn’t just a place to vent or commiserate. It’s a place to be pushed toward the life you already said you wanted.

“If you have a vision for the creative life you want to lead and live, this is the place and These are your people.”

— Mo Thiam, Hello Momo

03 You learn the theory behind the tactics

Most programs hand you a playbook and send you off. Quest goes a layer deeper into why the tactics work, where they came from, and how to adapt them when the situation changes.

“[Quest] definitely helped me grow and see my business in a new light.”

— Celeste Fabros, Euflora

“The thing racking my brain the hardest for months was covered in the very first coaching call.”

George Treviranus

founder, Right warp

“Using the approaches I learned here, I bumped a current client retainer up by 66%!”

Galo Naranjo

founder, motusmade

04 Every session ends with an action

Gabby came in wanting growth. She got frameworks she could apply to her business the same week she learned them.

“Whether it’s a diagram, a script, or an Excel sheet, dan always comes up with practical tools and homework for us to do.”

— Gabby Merite, Figures & Figures

05 You go from thinking about next week to thinking ten years out

“I was really only focused on the next day or the next week. Now I feel like I’m finally thinking two, five, or ten years ahead… something I’ve never done before.”

— Joey Banks, Baseline Design

“I’m in a club with people just like me. These are the conversations I need.”

Karis Chandler

founder, Karistotle

TJ Pitre

CEO, southleft

06 You close deals you couldn’t have closed before

“What you get is way more than what you pay for.”

— Matias Gonzalez, Leidox

07 Your mindset around money changes (and so does everything else)

The conversations are high quality. The people are worth learning from. But the thing that changed his business changing his thinking first.

“When I’m able to level up my mindset, it just changes the whole game in terms of making more money.”

— Josh Loh, The Digital Third