Working for myself

What Working for myself does

Working for myself is the personal freelance business of Emily Ann Stone, a solo product designer and developer operating under her own legal name with no corporate entity, no employees, and no external funding. The operating model is direct client acquisition for one-time project-based engagements covering digital product design, UX/UI design, web development, photography, and creative consulting, distributed through a personal portfolio website (emilyannstone.com) and informal network referrals.

The underlying technology stack is standard creative and front-end tooling: Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver) for design work, and HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and Vue.js for implementation. Notable deliverables documented include a scalable timeline redesign at Scenery that preceded Adobe's acquisition of that company, a Figma design system at Crosstown LA built around a Google News Initiative grant, and concept work for Hot Wheels/Mattel. The portfolio also showcases personal creative projects in fine arts, pottery, and game design.

The business is currently in an inactive phase. Emily is on a documented career break to pursue self-directed study and personal growth, with no active freelance pipeline, no publicly disclosed pricing, and no published engagement mechanisms. Historical revenue (if any) was derived from individual SMB clients across fashion, beauty, athletics, and media, plus prior full-time employment income at companies including Apple, QOMPLX, and Scenery, none of which flows through this entity.

Name

Working for myself

Legal name

Emily Ann Stone

Website

https://emilyannstone.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Emily Ann Stone is a solo freelance product designer and developer offering UX/UI design, web development, photography, and creative consulting to small businesses and technology companies, currently on a career break.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freelance Creative Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Product design services
• Freelance photography services
• User experience design
• Web development services
• Brand identity design

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Freelance Design and Photography: One-time project-based work including product, fashion, portrait, athletic, and corporate photography; UX/UI consulting; website design and development; branding and illustration work.
2. Full-time Employment: Previously employed full-time at Scenery (Product Designer), QOMPLX (Head of Design), Apple (Interface Design Intern), Los Angeles Times (Creative Technologist Intern), and Crosstown LA (team leadership).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Working for myself is the informal freelance business of Emily Ann Stone, a self-employed designer and developer. She offers freelance design, UX/UI, product design, photography (product, fashion, portrait, athletic, corporate), web development, branding, and illustration work on a project-by-project basis. Currently, the business is on a career break while Emily evaluates her next full-time opportunity.

Product overview

Emily Ann Stone is an independent designer and developer offering freelance services in digital product design, UX/UI design, web development, photography, and creative consulting. The portfolio showcases her professional work history and personal creative projects, rather than representing a product company with commercial offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freelance Product Design and UX/UI Services End-to-end product design and UX/UI services delivered on a freelance basis, including user research, problem identification, design system creation, high-fidelity mockups, and collaboration with engineering teams. Targeted at technology companies and product-led organizations seeking design talent.
• Freelance Photography Services Project-based photography services covering product, fashion, portrait, athletic, and corporate photography for small businesses and brands needing visual marketing assets.
• Freelance Web Development and Branding Services Website design and development, branding, and digital illustration services for small businesses and brands needing an online presence or visual brand identity.
• Emily Ann Stone Portfolio Website A personal portfolio website at emilyannstone.com that showcases design projects, professional experience, and personal creative work including photography, fine arts, pottery, and game design. Functions as the primary marketing and lead-generation channel for the freelance business.

Quantifiable outcome

• Redesigned video editor timeline that prepared product for acquisition by Adobe
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AdobeminorOthers · 1 January 2024Scenery, the real-time collaborative video editing company Emily worked for as sole product designer, was acquired by Adobe. Emily's timeline redesign helped make the product feel more modern and market-ready.
• Mattel (Hot Wheels)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Five-month consulting partnership with Hot Wheels design team to develop new design strategies for capturing children ages 8+. Emily worked on concept and detailed design strategy for proposed solution including 3D printed prototypes and go-to-market strategy.
• XQ InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Semester-long partnership to rethink high school experience. Emily and team developed a year-long high school course that uses design thinking and project-based work to build creative confidence.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• 99designs: Design-specific freelance platform connecting clients with graphic designers, web designers, and other creatives via contests and direct hire. Directly comparable as a marketplace for freelance design work where Emily could source clients or face competition from other listed designers.

Broad incumbents

• Upwork: Large freelance marketplace spanning design, development, writing, and other professional services. Comparable as a competing channel for freelance design work where Emily could source clients or compete against a global pool of designers.
• Fiverr: Global freelance marketplace covering design, development, and creative services. Comparable as a competing channel for freelance design work, with broad reach but generally lower price points than Emily's premium positioning targets.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy offering UX/product design, strategy, and creative services across industries. Comparable as a provider of high-end product and experience design work, though IDEO operates at vastly larger scale with many designers rather than as a solo freelancer.
• Toptal: Freelance talent platform connecting clients with pre-vetted designers, developers, and other creative professionals. Comparable as both an enabler and competitor for top-tier freelance design work and represents the kind of platform Emily could leverage or compete against.
• Pentagram: Independent design firm offering brand identity, graphic design, and digital design services. Comparable as a provider of high-end design services across graphic, brand, and digital domains, though Pentagram operates as a partnership of senior designers rather than a solo practitioner.

Emerging players

• ManyPixels: Design subscription service offering unlimited graphic design requests for a flat monthly fee. Comparable as a competing source of design services for the SMB clients Emily targets, but operates on a subscription/scaled team model rather than solo freelance.
• Awesomic: Design subscription platform matching startups and SMBs with vetted designers for ongoing work. Comparable as a competing delivery model for freelance design services targeting small business clients.

Others

• Behance: Adobe-owned creative portfolio platform where designers showcase work and connect with clients. Comparable as an enabling portfolio platform that supplements Emily's personal site for visibility and lead generation.
• Dribbble: Designer community and portfolio platform with a freelance job board. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem where Emily could showcase work and source freelance opportunities, complementing her personal portfolio website.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sonder-photography

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Working for myself