Design Online Right
Rob Riggs left a comfortable programming and systems analysis role at a clothing manufacturer in 2004, at around 29 years old, because he wanted to see people actually using what he built. The internet was emerging as a platform, and he saw web development as the perfect opportunity to build functional, user-facing applications rather than backend systems no one interacted with directly.
He started Design Online Right as a solo operation, doing everything himself. That first year, he made $5,000 in total revenue. But Rob quickly realized the solo model wouldn't scale and made a deliberate choice to hire people better than himself to replace him in various roles. This philosophy of building systems and teams became central to his growth strategy.
Rob's traction came almost entirely through relationships and referrals. "90 percent of our work is referral based," he explained. Rather than chase every prospect, he strategically targeted marketing agencies who had strong design and strategy in-house but lacked technical resources to implement their concepts online. He attended relevant associations and had consistent meetings with potential clients, letting quality work generate word-of-mouth.
By 2015, the agency had 12 employees and hit $1.2M in revenue. Their pricing ranged from $6-8k for lower-tier brochure sites to five figures per month for retainer work with heavy development. Rob maintained a 30% net margin—about $400k in profit after paying himself a modest $36k salary. Rather than pull that cash out, he reinvested in the business and made his first home purchase. He deliberately turned away lower-budget clients who didn't fit their model, instead creating systems that allowed junior team members to handle smaller projects efficiently.
Heading into 2016, Rob projected 15-20% growth, targeting roughly $1.4-1.5M in revenue. His focus remained on small business owners and nonprofits, helping them use technology to improve revenue and operational efficiency. He published content regularly via his website to establish thought leadership, and continued betting on relationships as his primary growth engine. At 40 years old, married, and with a long-term vision, Rob had built a profitable, sustainable agency that valued quality work over rapid scaling.
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