The growth opportunity hiding in plain sight

A design founder I know spent 10 years helping his second hire develop confidence in sales meetings.

Ten years.
This wasn’t about talent—both designers were incredibly skilled. It was about recognizing the opportunity to expand beyond pure craft into business partnership.
Many designers excel at the creative and technical aspects of their work. They’re detail-oriented, user-focused, and produce beautiful solutions. But often there’s untapped potential in the relationship and business strategy side of design.

The traditional path emphasizes:

Building technical expertise to establish credibility
Developing a strong portfolio to win projects
Learning business vocabulary to sound professional
Speaking up more to demonstrate leadership
Having answers ready for every question

The insight that transforms everything

While these skills matter, they are just the foundation. The real growth opportunity lies elsewhere.

I discovered this while teaching design. A student presented her midterm work and couldn’t stop talking—nervous, filling every silence with words. Despite her talent, everyone could sense her discomfort.

That’s when it clicked: silence is also presence. The most confident people are comfortable with quiet moments. A designer who asks one thoughtful, well-timed question often creates more impact than someone who talks nonstop.

While these skills matter, they are just the foundation. The real growth opportunity lies elsewhere.

I discovered this while teaching design. A student presented her midterm work and couldn’t stop talking—nervous, filling every silence with words. Despite her talent, everyone could sense her discomfort.

That’s when it clicked: silence is also presence. The most confident people are comfortable with quiet moments. A designer who asks one thoughtful, well-timed question often creates more impact than someone who talks nonstop.