Design System University

One year ago today, I launched @designsystemu. It’s been a rollercoaster of a year. Here are some lessons I’ve learned along the way. I don’t know that I had many stated expectations at launch, but, in hindsight, I think I viewed it as a small business with a small footprint at best that could make a little bit of extra income for me. Boy, did I misjudge this one. The thing I’m most proud of is that almost 7,000 people have taken a course at DSU. 7,000! One of the things I was curious about after shutting down my agency @superfriendlyco was whether I’d be able to share what I’ve learned at a larger scale than the dozen or so clients we worked with every year. The answer seems to be a resounding yes! I was also pretty down on myself for starting a new business that was going to be smaller than one I started 12 years ago. Surely I’m smarter and wiser now and able to be more successful than past Dan, right? I was already resigned to thinking that startups are hard—especially in this economy—and I needed to start very small and hopeful grow from there over time. After looking through my numbers, it turns out that @designsystemu made as much revenue in its first year as @superfriendlyco did in its first year, almost to the dollar! It actually feels better this time around, because I was expecting it to be much less. I’m pleasantly surprised and very proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish over this first year. This gives me a lot of energy to hit it hard over the next year and take it to the next level. As a thank you for any support you might have played in it from taking a course, participating in an event, sharing a tweet, or even just following along, here’s a 50% off coupon for our newest “Design Systems 101” course: designsystem.university/cour… Use code HAPPYBIRTHDAYDSU at checkout for 50% off. It’s only good until midnight tonight (Eastern time), so act fast! Thanks for a great first year!