BEYOND Design: The Business & Mindset Podcast for Designers & Creatives

Nelett Loubser - Creative Entrepreneur Since 2010 - Designer, Creative Business & Mindset Mentor

BEYOND Design is a podcast for designers, freelancers, and creatives who want honest conversations about the creative process, mindset shifts, self-doubt, burnout, pricing, confidence, and building a creative business that feels good to run. Hosted by me, Nelett Loubser, I share real stories, lessons from the design industry, and the business and emotional side of creative work that people do not always talk about. Because design is only one part of it — the rest is mindset, boundaries, growth, and learning how to build a creative career and life that works for you.

  1. 5d ago

    How to Price Freelance Design Work — Without Undercharging

    Send us Fan Mail If the money conversation makes your stomach drop, this one's for you. After 25 years as a designer, I'm sharing exactly how I price my work — not by the hour, but by the value it creates — and the brave questions to ask before you ever say a number. Here's what we get into: Why you're not bad at money — you're just scared of the conversationThe phone call that told me I was "hurting the industry" by charging too littleWhy having a baby made me switch from hourly to project-based pricingWhat value-based pricing actually means, and how to explain your worthChris Do's "price the client, not the job" — the exact questions to ask every timeMy real steps: your private floor, one project price, three options, deposits in stagesWhy you should never drop your price (cut the scope instead)Design days — the fun, slightly glamorous way to chargeThe one thing nobody teaches us at design school: communicationPrefer to read it? The full written version — every step, laid out — is in the show notes on my site: Shownotes and all the tools are here. If it helped, leave a review and subscribe. It's how another designer finds this and feels a little less alone in it. Want the tools? I'm building the Studio Desk and the Beyond Design membership to take the guesswork out of pricing for good. Get on the waitlist: https://kunshuis.com/membership I'm Nelett — designer of 25 years, here to show you that freelancing and design isn't difficult. It's small things, done right, consistently. Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

  2. Jul 22

    Designer Burnout: I Didn't Leave Design, I Left What It Cost Me

    Send us Fan Mail I've been in design for more than twenty years, and for most of them I genuinely believed the chaos was just the job. The 4pm "can you quickly change this," the laptop that came on holiday "just in case," the edits I once did on the side of a road while my family waited in the car. It felt normal. Until Covid stopped the world and my body finally exhaled — and I had to ask why it took a global crisis to give me permission to breathe. This episode is the honest version of why I stepped back from design work. Not because I stopped loving it (I didn't), but because I left the way it was quietly costing me my life — the underpricing, the always-being-available, the freelance guilt that sits on both chairs at once. If you're a designer or freelancer running on "ek moet net gou," this one's for you. We talk burnout, boundaries, pricing, and why "no" is a whole sentence. 📝 Full show notes, plus everything I couldn't fit in the episode → kunshuis.com  Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

  3. Jun 25

    Freelance Designer Loneliness: Why Community Beats Another Course

    Send us Fan Mail Nobody talks about the real loneliness of freelancing. Not the Pinterest version — laptop, coffee, living the dream. The real version. Where you read the same client email five times and wonder if you're being difficult, or if you should just drop your price because shame, you need the work. In this episode, I want to talk about something most designers carry quietly: the weight of doing everything alone. The pricing decisions, the client conversations, the small wins nobody celebrates with you, and the hard days nobody sees. Because here's the truth — you can be talented and still need people. You can run your own business and still need someone to say, "Breathe. You're not crazy. This is normal." We talk about why community matters more than information right now, what real creative support actually looks like (hint: it's not 284 unread messages in a WhatsApp group), and why independence has been made to look a little too glamorous in the freelance world. This one is honest. It's real. And if you've been feeling lonely in your creative business lately, I think you need to hear it. 👉 Read the full show notes and find the links mentioned in this episode here. Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

  4. Jun 17

    Will AI Replace Graphic Designers? Here's the Truth After 25 Years in the Industry

    Send us Fan Mail AI is everywhere right now — in design, branding, content, websites, logos and almost every creative conversation. And here is my honest take: I love AI. It helps me think, organise, clean up admin and move faster where faster helps. But AI is not my replacement. In this episode of BEYOND Design, I talk about AI in graphic design, human-centric creativity, and why designers still matter in an AI-saturated market. Because when everyone can make something look good, the designer who can think, guide, feel and bring real life into the work will stand out. SHOWNOTES + VIDEO: https://kunshuis.com/2026/06/17/ai-is-my-assistant/ Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

  5. Apr 28

    How to Set Up Your Freelance Design Business

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of BEYOND Design, I’m talking about the part of freelancing we often avoid in the beginning — setting up the basic foundation of your freelance design business. Not the fancy website. Not the perfect brand. Not seventeen apps and a dramatic business plan. Just the simple things that make you feel more legit, more organised, and less all over the place when a client finally asks, “Can you send me a quote?” We’ll talk about the four basics every freelance designer needs: admin, client basics, simple tools, and a clear online presence. Because sometimes the reason your business feels messy is not because you are not talented enough. It is because the structure behind the work is not holding you yet. I also share a simple 7-day get set up plan to help you start putting the right things in place without overthinking everything. You do not need to build the whole business in one day. You just need somewhere solid to stand. Read the full shownotes and 7-day checklist here Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

  6. Apr 8

    Business Side of Design: Talent Gets You Hired — This Keeps You Booked.

    Send us Fan Mail The 80/20 Truth: Design talent might get you hired once… but it’s the other 80% that keeps you booked. In this episode we talk about the part of freelancing nobody posts about: boundaries, client communication, systems, confidence — and even that thing I call “email apnea” (when your inbox makes you hold your breath like it’s about to ruin your day). You’ll leave with one practical takeaway: five non-negotiables for how you work, so clients don’t run your life. Full show notes (and steal the non-negotiables list) Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

  7. Mar 12

    How I Started Kunshuis (And I’d Do It All Again Today)

    Send us Fan Mail This is the most requested episode I get: how I started Kunshuis. I’m taking you back to 2009/2010 — the spare-bedroom days, after-hours work, the awkward phone calls, the “Eish… I hope this works” moments… and the simple things I did that still matter today. In this episode, I share what I did first to get clients, why I didn’t niche (and why I don’t regret it), the small habits that made me feel like a proper professional, and how human connection became the lifeline of my business. If you’re starting out, starting again, or you’re craving a calmer way to build your freelance life… this one’s for you.  🖤 Get the full show notes (plus links + resources) here Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

  8. Mar 6

    Working From Home Without Losing Your Mind

    Send us Fan Mail Working from home sounds like the dream… until it’s week two and you’re sitting in the same spot again, feeling flat, distracted, and a bit alone. In this episode, I share the real story of how KunsHuis started (dining-room desk, pay-as-you-go internet, all of it) — and what actually helped me climb out of that early working-from-home slump. We’re talking dedicated space, routine, boundaries, staying connected, and the small things that make freelancing sustainable. → Show notes, 🖤, and links mentioned are waiting for you:  https://kunshuis.com/2026/03/06/working-from-home/ Support the show Thanks for listening to BEYOND Design ✨ If this episode spoke to you, here are a few ways to keep the conversation going: Website & Resources → kunshuis.com Shop creative tools → The Kunshuis Collective Show notes & blogs → kunshuis.com/blog Free support for creatives: 21-Day Creative Reset ChallengeDownload: Asking Better Questions (Client Guide) 🖤 My favourite tools for life + business: The Playbook Planner — your creative sidekick for focus + flowThe Playbook Desk — a Notion-powered space to run your freelance business with easeLet’s connect & stay inspired: 📸 Instagram Join the Beyond Design Room on Facebook Because design is only 20%… the rest is life. Thanks for being here, friend. You’re not alone in this journey—let’s design it together.

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About

BEYOND Design is a podcast for designers, freelancers, and creatives who want honest conversations about the creative process, mindset shifts, self-doubt, burnout, pricing, confidence, and building a creative business that feels good to run. Hosted by me, Nelett Loubser, I share real stories, lessons from the design industry, and the business and emotional side of creative work that people do not always talk about. Because design is only one part of it — the rest is mindset, boundaries, growth, and learning how to build a creative career and life that works for you.

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