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Its refreshing to see a startup doing well and not feeling the need to force a subscription on people. I get that SaaS can be a good business model (great, eve

Its refreshing to see a startup doing well and not feeling the need to force a subscription on people. I get that SaaS can be a good business model (great, even). On the other hand, I think subscription fatigue is real and you should think hard about your pricing. Dawson is making $15K/month on ONE TIME fees–and fees that are lower than a lot of monthly SaaS plans. I want to see more of this.

giarc 10y ago
It's hard to see a subscription model for logo designs though. It's not like you need a new logo each month.
- dawsonwhitfield 10y ago
  Funny, some designers have actually reached out asking about a subscription for their studio
  - shostack 10y ago
    That's really interesting. In a sense, you can go direct, but the product can save other designers and agencies lots of time. If the client is happy with the results does it matter how the sausage is made as long as they are paying a logo fee and not for fraudulently claimed hours worked? That time they could save is likely much more valuable than just the one time fee, and constant improvements and features for them could very well justify a nice recurring subscription fee.
- callmeed 10y ago
  http://designpickle.com/ http://designpickle.com/ http://www.thedigitaldesignco.com/graphic-design-subscription/ http://www.thedigitaldesignco.com/graphic-design-subscriptio... not exactly just logos but people seem to try and SaaSify everything.
  - jeremyw 10y ago
    I appreciate your point that some products are really not SaaS-oriented, yet try to be. But your two examples here seem exactly the kind of long-term customer relationships that benefits from SaaS. And may in fact be underutilized. These are high-touch, deep background kind of gigs, rather than impersonal service sites. I want to have an ongoing conversation about my task and I'm willing to pay a retainer++ for that privilege.
    - giarc 10y ago
      You make some great points, but I question a design firm that allows for 'unlimited' number of requests/revisions/brands.
dawsonwhitfield 10y ago
Thanks! Yeah, it's a little unnverving not knowing if you'll make any money tomorrow, but it's a simple model that fits the solution.
- williamle8300 10y ago
  Mad props to you brother. Maybe your next venture is business education?
- jaypaulynice 10y ago
  I've been trying to get my logo. My card was charged, but almost 24 hours and no logo...I emailed you like the page said but nothing...even sent a tweet...what's going on there?
achillean 10y ago
I went the same route as Logojoy with Shodan and it's worked out great. Even charging $5/ month was a non-starter for most individuals whereas a $49 one-time fee is more palatable. And despite it being a one-time fee the monthly revenue is very predictable so there isn't much uncertainty in terms of budget planning. I would highly recommend startups to consider one-time payments, especially if they're targeting individuals and not businesses.
WillPostForFood 10y ago
One time fee works well here because there is a one time cost per sale. If you are talking software as a service where there is ongoing use, and therefore ongoing costs, you better be sure that the one time price is greater than the lifetime cost of the customer.
pritianka 10y ago
I definitely agree with this. So many products force a SaaS model when it doesn't fit the business. I find it especially when spas and massage services push a yearly subscription for discounts (not even units) on services. It doesn't make any sense.
morgante 10y ago
In fairness, it is apparently his first month. So there might be a substantial drop-off in revenue next month as there is no recurring revenue from existing customers.
slackstation 10y ago
Also, making a logo is a one-time service. What value can you provide in the month after the logo is done?

giarc 10y ago

It's hard to see a subscription model for logo designs though. It's not like you need a new logo each month.

dawsonwhitfield 10y ago
Funny, some designers have actually reached out asking about a subscription for their studio
- shostack 10y ago
  That's really interesting. In a sense, you can go direct, but the product can save other designers and agencies lots of time. If the client is happy with the results does it matter how the sausage is made as long as they are paying a logo fee and not for fraudulently claimed hours worked? That time they could save is likely much more valuable than just the one time fee, and constant improvements and features for them could very well justify a nice recurring subscription fee.
callmeed 10y ago
http://designpickle.com/ http://designpickle.com/ http://www.thedigitaldesignco.com/graphic-design-subscription/ http://www.thedigitaldesignco.com/graphic-design-subscriptio... not exactly just logos but people seem to try and SaaSify everything.
- jeremyw 10y ago
  I appreciate your point that some products are really not SaaS-oriented, yet try to be. But your two examples here seem exactly the kind of long-term customer relationships that benefits from SaaS. And may in fact be underutilized. These are high-touch, deep background kind of gigs, rather than impersonal service sites. I want to have an ongoing conversation about my task and I'm willing to pay a retainer++ for that privilege.
  - giarc 10y ago
    You make some great points, but I question a design firm that allows for 'unlimited' number of requests/revisions/brands.

dawsonwhitfield 10y ago

Thanks! Yeah, it's a little unnverving not knowing if you'll make any money tomorrow, but it's a simple model that fits the solution.

williamle8300 10y ago
Mad props to you brother. Maybe your next venture is business education?
jaypaulynice 10y ago
I've been trying to get my logo. My card was charged, but almost 24 hours and no logo...I emailed you like the page said but nothing...even sent a tweet...what's going on there?

achillean 10y ago

I went the same route as Logojoy with Shodan and it's worked out great. Even charging $5/ month was a non-starter for most individuals whereas a $49 one-time fee is more palatable. And despite it being a one-time fee the monthly revenue is very predictable so there isn't much uncertainty in terms of budget planning. I would highly recommend startups to consider one-time payments, especially if they're targeting individuals and not businesses.

WillPostForFood 10y ago

One time fee works well here because there is a one time cost per sale. If you are talking software as a service where there is ongoing use, and therefore ongoing costs, you better be sure that the one time price is greater than the lifetime cost of the customer.

pritianka 10y ago

I definitely agree with this. So many products force a SaaS model when it doesn't fit the business. I find it especially when spas and massage services push a yearly subscription for discounts (not even units) on services. It doesn't make any sense.

morgante 10y ago

In fairness, it is apparently his first month. So there might be a substantial drop-off in revenue next month as there is no recurring revenue from existing customers.

slackstation 10y ago

Also, making a logo is a one-time service. What value can you provide in the month after the logo is done?