Why I’m Shifting My Work to Empower Designers to Lead
Making the Case for More Designer-Led Companies to Change the World
I'm Manuel Saez, I help design entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses with emotional intelligence and practical business tactics 🌻 EQ coach, 2X-founder & award-winning designer ➜ I love fixing old motorcycles 🛵 🏍
Reading time: 5 min.
Contents:
The World Needs More Companies Founded by Designers
Why Designers Make Great Entrepreneurs
What Makes a Great Design-Led Company?
How We Can Support Design-Led Startups
The World Needs More Companies Founded by Designers
For a while now, emotional intelligence has been at the heart of my writing, particularly as it applies to helping startup founders make better decisions and lead with clarity.
But over the past year, I’ve noticed a pattern that’s hard to ignore. Many of the founders I work with are designers—individuals who aren’t just building businesses but reimagining how we live, work, and interact.
This realization has sparked a question I keep coming back to: why don’t we see more designers stepping into entrepreneurship?
Designers are uniquely equipped to lead businesses that balance creativity, empathy, and purpose. Yet, they often hesitate to take the leap.
I believe the world needs more companies founded by designers, and moving forward, I plan to focus my work on empowering them to make that leap.
This doesn’t mean abandoning emotional intelligence or the broader business lessons I’ve shared—it means narrowing the lens to support designers who want to start and grow businesses.
It’s a space I understand deeply, having led in corporate environments, founded a design consultancy, and built a startup from the ground up. I know the challenges designers face, and I believe I can help them navigate this journey.
Why Designers Make Great Entrepreneurs
Designers often approach the world with a unique perspective. While every designer is different, many share an ability to see opportunities where others see obstacles.
This mindset enables them to create thoughtful, human-centered solutions that challenge the status quo. At their best, designers solve problems with practicality, creativity, and a sense of responsibility for the long-term impact of their work.
Empathy is one of the defining strengths many designers bring to their work. They naturally step into the user’s shoes, asking, “What would make this experience better, more meaningful, or more accessible?” This perspective often results in products and services that don’t just function but resonate deeply with people.
Another hallmark of design thinking is an appreciation for beauty—not just in aesthetics but in how beauty can elevate everyday experiences.
Designers understand that how something looks and feels influences how it is perceived and valued. They strive to balance form and function, creating solutions that are both practical and inspiring.
Many designers are also inclined toward sustainability. Their training often pushes them to consider the broader impact of their work, from the materials they use to the lifecycle of their products.
Designers are uniquely positioned to align user needs with environmental and business goals, crafting solutions that benefit everyone.
Companies founded by designers don’t just sell products—they solve problems in ways that inspire and uplift. They create lasting impact through the products they bring to market and the values they embed in their organizations.
This is why I believe empowering designers to start and lead businesses is one of the most effective ways to create positive change in the world.
What Makes a Great Design-Led Company?
There are many design-led businesses I admire—Airbnb, Warby Parker, Apple, Allbirds, Figma, Behance—but no company has had a deeper impact on me than Patagonia.
When I first read Let My People Go Surfing, it felt like a personal manifesto for the kind of company I wanted to create.
Yvon Chouinard’s principles showed me that a business could balance customer needs, environmental responsibility, and financial success. It was proof that thoughtful design could guide not just products but entire organizations.
Patagonia isn’t just a business—it’s a movement. It operates on design principles that go beyond aesthetics or functionality. Every decision considers the user, the planet, and the business.
While Yvon Chouinard isn’t a designer by trade, he embodies what it means to think like one: solving problems with empathy, creativity, and a long-term perspective.
When I founded Beyond, Patagonia inspired me to believe that a company could lead with its values and thrive.
While my focus was on micromobility, the guiding question was the same: How can design improve lives while reducing harm to the planet?
That belief shaped not just our products but our entire system—from how they were used and repaired to what happened when they were no longer needed.
Design-led companies like Patagonia show us that business isn’t just about selling—it’s about solving problems holistically. The world doesn’t need more disposable products or profit-at-all-costs models. It needs businesses that lead with purpose and balance profit with the planet.
Designers are uniquely equipped to create these companies, but too often, they hesitate to start, held back by fears or self-doubt.
If you’re a designer on the fence, take this as a sign. The world needs your ideas. You don’t need to have it all figured out—you just need to begin.
How We Can Support Design-Led Startups
If we want more design-led businesses to thrive—and we should—we need to create an environment that empowers designers to take the leap and succeed.
This is a collective effort, and it requires action from both designers themselves and the communities around them. Here’s how we can foster this movement:
1. Redefine Success for Designers
Too often, success in design is narrowly defined by individual products or aesthetics. However, designers have the potential to shape entire businesses, industries, and cultures.
We need to celebrate the companies that embody great design—those that balance people, planet, and purpose. By showcasing these successes, we inspire more designers to take the leap into entrepreneurship, showing them that their work can be bigger than any single product.
2. Mentor and Guide
Starting and running a business can feel intimidating, especially for those without formal business training. Designers need mentors who can demystify entrepreneurship—helping them understand how to pitch ideas, build teams, and manage finances.
Experienced founders, business leaders, and investors can play a crucial role in offering guidance and encouragement. Mentorship isn’t just about teaching skills; it’s about helping designers see their potential as leaders.
3. Champion Design Thinking
Communities, investors, and accelerators need to recognize the value that design-led companies bring to the table. These businesses don’t just generate profit; they create meaningful, sustainable solutions to real-world problems.
By prioritizing funding, resources, and support for design-led startups, we can amplify their impact and encourage more designers to step up and build.
Closing Thoughts
Designers have a unique ability to see the world differently, solve problems creatively, and lead with empathy. The world needs more businesses built with those principles at their core, and I’m convinced that designers are uniquely equipped to rise to the challenge.
Over the past year, I’ve realized that much of my work naturally gravitates toward empowering designers to start and grow their businesses.
As I look ahead, I plan to focus my writing and coaching on this intersection of design, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship.
My goal is to help designers step into leadership with confidence, purpose, and the tools they need to succeed.
Whether you’re a designer contemplating your next move or someone in a position to support design-led ventures, your actions matter.
For designers, the first step is to believe in your capacity to lead. You don’t need to have all the answers—just the courage to begin.
For everyone else, consider how you can contribute to this movement, whether by mentoring, investing, or celebrating the success stories of design-led businesses.
Together, we can create a future where businesses don’t just make things—they make things better.
Thank you for reading. If this resonates with you, please like, share, or reach out.
Sending you good vibes 🌻
Manuel Saez