The Design Trust
The Design Trust is a London-based online business school, operated by Dream Plan Do Limited, that sells live cohort courses, a subscription Business Club, and a Bloomsbury-published book to individual designers, makers, artists, and creative teachers seeking to start or grow their small creative businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Design Trust does
The Design Trust is a London-based online business school for creative professionals, operated by the private limited company Dream Plan Do Limited and founded in 2011 by director Patricia van den Akker. It sells live cohort-based online courses (e.g., Manage a Part-Time Business 2026 at £79 and Smart Marketing For Creative Teachers 2026 at £195–£295), a recurring Business Club membership that supplies ongoing content, member discounts, and community accountability, and a founder-authored book published by Bloomsbury in February 2025 titled 'Teaching Creative Workshops In Person & Online.'
Course delivery relies on a private online course hub that hosts recorded workshops, presentations, and downloadable resources (worksheets, pricing tools, SEO workbooks, planning templates), with live sessions conducted over Zoom and cohort-based breakout rooms, Q&A, and accountability structures. Payment processing goes through PayPal and Stripe with installment plans available via PayPal Later and Klarna, and audience management runs on ConvertKit alongside Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel for funnel measurement. The company also operates an extensive free article library that funnels traffic into paid courses and membership.
Revenue mechanics are a mix of one-time course licences (with access until 31 December 2026), recurring subscription memberships (monthly or annual), an optional 121 coaching upsell at £295 per session, and trade book sales through Amazon, Waterstones, and independent retailers. The customer base is exclusively individual creative SMBs — designers, makers, artists, illustrators, photographers, jewellers, ceramicists, and creative teachers — primarily in the UK with cross-border payment optionality. The company is founder-led, bootstrapped, with 1–10 employees and no disclosed external investment.
The Design Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Design Trust
- Legal name
- Dream Plan Do Limited
- Website
- https://thedesigntrust.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Design Trust is a London-based online business school, operated by Dream Plan Do Limited, that sells live cohort courses, a subscription Business Club, and a Bloomsbury-published book to individual designers, makers, artists, and creative teachers seeking to start or grow their small creative businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Design Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Business Education
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Design & Maker Skills (Graphic Design, Calligraphy, Lettering) (EDAAAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)
Keywords
Where The Design Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Design Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Online Course Sales: One-time purchase courses delivered as live online workshops with recorded access. Two main courses offered in 2026: Manage a Part-Time Business at £79 and Smart Marketing For Creative Teachers at £195-295. Single license per purchase with no sharing permitted.
- Business Club Membership: Subscription-based membership providing ongoing access to business knowledge, expert advice, 15% discount on courses, and community support. Monthly or annual payment options through PayPal or Stripe.
- Book Sales: Patricia van den Akker's book 'Teaching Creative Workshops In Person & Online' published by Bloomsbury (February 2025). Sold through Amazon, Waterstones, and independent bookshops.
- 121 Coaching Sessions: Optional upgrade to Smart Marketing course includes 60-minute one-on-one strategy session with Patricia van den Akker for website, positioning, pricing, or marketing strategy advice at £295
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Manage a Part-Time Business 2026 course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Smart Marketing For Creative Teachers 2026 course - Workshop only |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Smart Marketing For Creative Teachers 2026 - Workshop + 121 Advice |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Club Membership |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
The Design Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Design Trust is an online business school for creative professionals, selling live online workshops (recorded and accessible via a private course hub), a subscription Business Club membership, downloadable worksheets and planners, and a published book. Offerings target individual designers, makers, artists, illustrators, photographers, and creative teachers seeking practical business, marketing, pricing, and productivity education through a specialist creative-business curriculum.
Product overview
The Design Trust operates as an online business school for creative professionals, offering a portfolio of educational products. The core offerings include paid online courses (Manage a Part-Time Business – 2026 and Smart Marketing For Creative Teachers – 2026) and a subscription-based Business Club membership. Free content is provided through articles and blog posts covering business growth, marketing, pricing, and creative planning topics. The company also publishes books, including 'Teaching Creative Workshops In Person & Online' by Patricia van den Akker (Bloomsbury, 2025). All products are priced in GBP with VAT included, and payment options include PayPal and Stripe with installment plans available.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Manage a Part-Time Business – 2026
- Smart Marketing For Creative Teachers – 2026
- Business Club Membership
- 121 Coaching Session with Patricia van den Akker
- Teaching Creative Workshops In Person & Online Book
Quantifiable outcome
- Participants report improved business outcomes and better work-life balance after implementing The Design Trust methodology
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Design Trust
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Design Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
The Design Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Design Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Futur: Online education platform teaching creative professionals how to run and grow design-led businesses. Directly comparable in combining business strategy, pricing, and marketing courses for creative audiences.
- Tara Sweger: Creative business coach and educator offering courses and workshops for artists and makers. Comparable as a solo-founder-led education brand serving creative professionals.
- Craft Industry Alliance: Membership and education community for craft business professionals. Directly comparable to The Design Trust's niche focus on craft and design makers, offering courses, articles, and a community for the same audience.
- Stationery Academy: Online business school for stationery and creative-product entrepreneurs. Similar niche focus on creative-product founders, with courses and mentorship aimed at growing small creative businesses.
Broad incumbents
- Skillshare: Large online learning marketplace with thousands of creative courses. Comparable as a platform serving creative professionals, but with a much broader catalog and lower price point than The Design Trust's niche business focus.
- CreativeLive: Established online education platform for creative and entrepreneurial skills. Overlaps in offering courses to creative professionals but at much broader scale and across many creative disciplines beyond craft and design.
Emerging players
- Bokeh Lane: Business education and community for creative entrepreneurs. Comparable in offering courses and resources to creative professionals building product- or service-based businesses.
- Make It Proper: Business education for makers and creative product businesses. Comparable niche targeting craft-based entrepreneurs, though smaller and more recent in the market.
- Amy Porterfield: Online marketing and business education brand for entrepreneurs. Comparable in selling courses and memberships to solo founders, but tilted toward digital marketing rather than craft/design business.
- Marie Forleo: Online business education brand with programs targeting creative entrepreneurs. Comparable in teaching business skills to creative personalities, but with a much broader audience and mainstream positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Design Trust social profiles
Digital presenceThe Design Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Design Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Design Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Design Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Design Trust
What does The Design Trust do?
The Design Trust is an online business school for creative professionals, selling live online workshops (recorded and accessible via a private course hub), a subscription Business Club membership, downloadable worksheets and planners, and a published book. Offerings target individual designers, makers, artists, illustrators, photographers, and creative teachers seeking practical business, marketing, pricing, and productivity education through a specialist creative-business curriculum.
Is The Design Trust a public or private company?
The Design Trust is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Design Trust founded?
The Design Trust was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Design Trust based?
The Design Trust is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Design Trust make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Online Course Sales are the primary driver. The others are business Club Membership, book Sales and 121 Coaching Sessions.
Who are The Design Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Futur, Tara Sweger, Craft Industry Alliance and Stationery Academy. Broad incumbents are Skillshare and CreativeLive. Emerging players are Bokeh Lane, Make It Proper, Amy Porterfield and Marie Forleo.
Does The Design Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Design Trust.
What industry is The Design Trust in?
The Design Trust's product category is Creative Business Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAGAJ, Design & Maker Skills (Graphic Design, Calligraphy, Lettering), with a secondary code of THAJAKAA, Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture). Its SIC code is 2741.