The business in one offer
Who it serves
Founders and sales leaders at companies of 10 to 100 people who have a deck for investors, partners or major customers that looks amateur next to competitors. They usually have a meeting date and a rough deck, and will pay for a fast, clean redesign rather than hire an agency.
What to sell first
A deck redesign: up to 20 slides rebuilt in the client's brand colors and fonts, charts recreated from supplied data, icons and image placement, and a master template with five layouts. One kickoff call and one revision round within five working days. Excluded: writing new copy, financial modeling, original illustrations, video, and presenting the deck.
A slide count and template structure make the quote easy, and the client keeps an editable master for future updates. You can deliver quickly by reusing your layout system while making each deck fit its brand.
What could it cost to start?
This is an original example budget for the limited pilot described above. It is not a researched market average or a complete quote for every location.
| Item to price | Example allowance |
|---|---|
| Presentation software and icon library, three months | $120.00 |
| Stock image subscription, three months | $90.00 |
| Portfolio website with before-and-after examples | $180.00 |
| NDA and service agreement review | $300.00 |
| Professional liability insurance quote allowance | $350.00 |
| Example total | $1,040.00 |
What this assumes—and excludes
Assumes you already own a computer and know the major presentation programs well. Excludes office rent, font purchases for clients, owner pay, and local license fees. Software and legal prices vary; get your own quotes.
Collect actual supplier, insurance and local-authority information. Add a reserve for delays and unexpected costs; the example total is not a funding recommendation.
How the unit economics work
At an assumed $1,500.00 per deck redesign and $30.00 in direct costs, contribution is $1,470.00 before monthly fixed costs, owner pay and taxes. With 18 all-in working hours per unit, that is $81.67 per delivery hour before those deductions. These inputs illustrate the arithmetic; they do not establish a market price or expected earnings.
The example also allows $100.00 in monthly fixed costs. Include unpaid acquisition and administrative time when deciding whether the offer is worthwhile.
Try your own numbers
These are editable planning assumptions, not prices we have verified. Calculations stay in your browser.
Operating result = (price − direct cost) × units − monthly fixed costs. Before owner pay, taxes, financing and startup recovery. At these inputs, delivery requires 180 hours per month, plus any work not included in your per-unit estimate. Sales volume is a scenario, not a forecast.
How to find the first customers
Test a small offer before scaling traffic. Record the source of each enquiry, whether it fits the offer, and whether the buyer pays.
- Redesign five slides from a public company presentation as a sample and show the before and after on your site, labeled as a concept, not client work.
- Ask startup accelerators or coworking managers whether you can run a short session on slide clarity for their members, and bring a one-page offer for those who want help.
- Connect with pitch coaches and fundraising consultants who see weak decks all the time and might refer clients. Agree in writing on any referral fees and disclose them to clients.
- Track every inquiry by source and meeting deadline. If many come in too close to the deadline, offer a rush fee rather than turning work away.
What to validate before spending more
- Redesign one real deck for a pilot client and time each step from kickoff to revision. If 20 slides take more than 20 hours, simplify your template or adjust the price.
- Ask two founders which slides they find hardest to design, such as market charts or roadmaps, and build reusable layouts for those first.
- Have your NDA and service agreement reviewed so confidential financial information is protected and you can show non-confidential work in your portfolio.
- Confirm whether your state taxes design services and keep invoices and payment records organized from the first job.
The operational catch
Clients often send numbers and charts that change after you rebuild them, sometimes the night before a pitch. Each update looks like a quick fix but can break layouts. Ask for final data before design starts, charge for changes after delivery, and keep linked charts so updates are faster when they cannot be avoided.
A practical way to fund the first step
Charge 50 percent up front and the balance on delivery. Use free icon and image sources with commercial licenses for the first decks, and add paid libraries only after you see repeat demand.
Separate cash already available from money still to earn. Count only proceeds after direct expenses, and do not spend customer funds needed to fulfill their existing orders.
Questions before you start
Should I rewrite the content too?
Only if you can do it well and charge for it. Offer a separate storytelling session or copy edit so clients know the difference between design and content changes.
Which software should I deliver in?
Deliver in the program the client uses daily. A beautiful deck they cannot edit is a problem, so check their software before quoting.
How do I handle confidential financial data?
Sign an NDA, store files securely, and delete them after a set period unless the client asks you to keep them. Never upload confidential decks to public tools without consent.
Source-backed checks
These references support the specific checks below. They do not endorse this business idea or substantiate the example prices, costs or demand.
SBA encourages small businesses to strengthen cybersecurity, including protecting customer data and training staff on safe practices. U.S. Small Business Administration: Strengthen your cybersecurity.
The FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ explains that material connections, such as payments for referrals, should be clearly disclosed. Federal Trade Commission: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking.
- Strengthen your cybersecurityU.S. Small Business Administration · Reference checked September 8, 2026
- FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are AskingFederal Trade Commission · Reference checked September 8, 2026
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