6-week mentoring programme for logo & brand designers

Build a Confident, Repeatable Brand Design Business in 6 Weeks

An intensive mentoring programme for freelance logo and brand designers who want to confidently run brand identity projects that are both creatively rewarding and commercially successful. Through weekly coaching, practical lessons, real-world tools and direct 1-to-1 feedback, you’ll learn the complete process from first client enquiry to final delivery.

APPLY FOR JULY COHORT

Limited spots available each month

DESIGN LIKE A strategist rebel creative director business owner leader storyteller brand builder expert disruptor professional underdog misfit

You’re working hard, but something still isn't working

Maybe you're struggling with:

  • Inconsistent income
  • Feast or famine months
  • Too scared to raise your prices
  • No structure, no systems
  • Clients that don’t respect you
  • Low-budget projects (that drain your soul)
  • No boundaries, no balance
  • Being ghosted by clients
  • Imposter syndrome
  • Creative Burnout/Fatigue
  • Struggling to generate original concepts
  • Copying trends instead of creating them
  • Tired of posting and praying
  • Presenting your work with confidence
  • Feeling behind on Adobe tools and shortcuts
  • Don't know how to bring strategy into your design

Real mentorship

Not another course

I want to help you finally build the design business you’re proud of, the kind that gets you paid what you’re worth, attracts clients who trust your ideas, and gives you freedom to do your best work. This isn’t about hustling harder. It’s about doing things smarter, with intention, structure, and support.

This isn’t a course. This is you and me, side by side, solving the real stuff that’s been holding you and your business back.

Four years ago, I was burnt out. Overworked. Underpaid. Stuck inside a system that didn’t value creativity, and I knew I had more to give. So I left the agency world, bet on myself, and built a design studio from the ground up. Since then, I’ve worked with bold brands and brillaint people all over the world, doing the work I love most: creating brave, disruptive identities, and helping other designers rise up and do the same.

This mentorship is my way of giving back to the design community that changed my life. I’m not here to sell you another passive course. I’m here to work with you, personally, to build the creative business you know you’re capable of, one brave decision at a time.

A 6-WEEK PROGRAMME

BUILT FOR YOU

Each week you’ll unlock a new lesson, complete practical exercises, and join a live group mentoring session where we’ll put everything into practice together.

ONBOARDING & ROADMAP

Before we dive into the programme, we'll kick things off with a live onboarding session. Together, we'll identify what's currently holding you back, define your goals for the next six weeks, and make sure you know exactly where to focus your time and energy throughout the programme.

MY COMPLETE STUDIO TOOLKIT

You'll get instant access to the templates, documents and resources I use every day inside my own studio. Proposals, presentations, discovery documents, brand strategy frameworks, onboarding systems, email templates, project workflows and much more, everything you need to build your own professional toolkit.

WEEKLY VIDEO LESSONS

Each week you'll unlock a new in-depth lesson covering a different stage of the BRAVE Framework. From mindset, positioning and pricing to client onboarding, brand strategy, creative development, presentations and project delivery, you'll learn the complete system behind running premium and profitable brand identity projects.

REAL PROJECTS. REAL CLIENTS.

See exactly how real brand identity projects unfold behind the scenes. Watch genuine discovery calls, strategy sessions, presentations and client feedback, giving you a fly-on-the-wall look at how premium branding projects are run from start to finish.

LIVE GROUP MENTORING

At the end of every week we'll jump on a live mentoring call to unpack that week's lesson together. Bring your questions, your challenges and your current projects. We'll solve problems in real time, review work, share ideas and make sure you're leaving each week with clarity and momentum.

COMMUNITY & DIRECT SUPPORT

You're never left to figure things out alone. Throughout the programme you'll have direct access to me for guidance, accountability and honest feedback, while learning alongside a small group of like-minded freelance designers all working towards the same goal.

DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT

WHAT PAST STUDENTS ARE SAYING

"Before starting Fearlessly Freelance, I was charging peanuts and completely winging it."

CJ helped me rebuild my freelance business from the ground up. We started by developing a clear, repeatable design process that I now use for every client, complete with templates and assets that make everything run smoothly.

He also gave me the confidence to immediately double my prices. As someone who works full-time and freelances on the side, he helped me recognise the true value of both my time and my work. Getting to watch recordings of CJ’s real client onboarding and discovery calls was incredibly valuable and gave me practical insights I could apply straight away.

He shared years of experience on what actually works, from posts and reels to positioning myself as a professional designer.

Since completing the course, I’ve delivered multiple projects using my new process with amazing results. I’ve had logos approved without a single revision, my rates have increased even more and are accepted without any pushback, and my clients are much happier with the overall experience.

Most importantly, I’m enjoying freelancing more than ever.

After every call with CJ, I came away feeling genuinely inspired and motivated. His belief in me gave me the confidence to believe in myself. He was open about his own journey, including the challenges as well as the successes, which made everything feel achievable. I honestly feel like this course helped me skip years of trial and error. <br>

I finished it not only with a stronger freelance business, but as a more confident designer with a completely different outlook on my future.


I highly recommend this course to designers at any stage of the freelance journey. For those at the start, this course is an absolute cheat code. I can’t thank CJ enough.

-JACK GUDGIN

@JACKTYPE

"Working with Cj has been transformative for every aspect of my freelance design business."

I came to him with plenty of ambition, but I didn’t know how to progress beyond being a small-scale freelancer working primarily with local businesses.

From our very first session, Cj methodically showed me everything I needed to level up in a way that felt accessible, practical and achievable. He demystified what it takes to run high-level design projects for brands, from attracting and qualifying clients, to leading brand strategy sessions, through to delivering impactful brand identities with confidence and finesse.

Before joining Fearlessly Freelance, working on larger projects felt like a dream and completely out of reach. The programme showed me that it’s absolutely achievable with the right systems, processes and the confidence to trust your expertise. Having access to Cj’s real-world processes, templates, and behind-the-scenes client work gave me practical examples that I could immediately apply to my own projects.

One of the biggest shifts for me was in my confidence. I now feel and operate like a professional designer, whereas previously I was often plagued by self-doubt and felt like I was figuring everything out as I went. That confidence has enabled me to raise my prices, communicate more effectively with clients and approach my work with a renewed sense of purpose. I’m enjoying being a designer more now than ever before.

The weekly mentoring calls were particularly invaluable. They provided the opportunity to discuss challenges specific to my business and receive tailored advice in real time. Every call left me with new insights, practical actions and a renewed sense of momentum. 

What truly sets Cj apart is his sincere commitment to helping other designers succeed. He’s willing to get into the details with you, offer honest and constructive feedback and help you find a clear path forward no matter where you are in your journey.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Fearlessly Freelance to any freelance logo or brand designer who is tired of guessing their way through business and wants to build a design practice that feels professional, sustainable and genuinely fulfilling.

-ROWAN LEARY

@SAWBODESIGNCO

WHAT TO EXPECT ACROSS THE 6 WEEKS

Over six weeks, you’ll learn the exact systems, processes and creative workflows I use to run my own brand design studio, from first enquiry to final delivery. Every lesson is designed to help you build a freelance business that’s more confident, more professional, more profitable and far more repeatable.

Before we talk about clients, strategy or logos, we need to fix the thing that’s holding most designers back… you. We’ll tackle imposter syndrome, confidence, pricing mindset, limiting beliefs and the habits that stop you from building sustainable freelance businesses.

Together, we will cover how to confidently lead discovery calls with potential clients, ask the right questions, confidently discuss budgets without feeling awkward, create proposals that get sign-off, and onboard clients like a professional studio.

Great branding starts long before the logo. We’ll break down how to uncover meaningful and powerful insights, ask better questions, build effective brand strategies, and create creative direction that leads to stronger, more professional design work.

This week is all about creativity. You’ll learn how to move beyond obvious/boring design concepts, generate stronger, more unique ideas, refine your thinking and build visual identities with purpose and strategy, not guesswork.

Even the strongest ideas fail if you can’t communicate them to the people who matter. Together, we will go through how to build presentations that sell our ideas, minimise endless design revisions, tell compelling stories, handle feedback professionally and confidently guide clients through the creative process.

Finish every project with confidence. We’ll cover professional file delivery, brand guidelines, creating a memorable client experience, generating repeat work and building systems that make your freelance business more sustainable.

WHY ME? NOW? MENTORING?

MEET YOUR MENTOR

Hey, I’m CJ Cawley, a logo designer, brand identity specialist, and creative studio owner from the southwest of the UK. I’ve been creating bold, disruptive brand identities for over 10 years, working with clients all over the world and building a business I’m truly proud of.

But I’m not just here to design cool shit for cool people.

I’m on a mission to be a force for good in the design community, because this career saved my life. And now it’s time I gave something back.

That’s why I’m launching this mentoring program. It’s personal. It’s intimate. It’s not a course, it’s not a group chat, and it’s not some cookie-cutter coaching system. It’s you and me, working together, solving real problems in real time, with real results.

But before you decide if I’m the right mentor for you, I want to take you back to where it all started, so you know exactly who you’re learning from, what I’ve been through, and why I care so much about helping you do the thing you love most.

APPLY FOR JULY COHORT NOW

Limited spots available each month

PRE-2020

Before all this, I couldn’t even afford to eat

I wasn’t always “CJ the designer with a studio and clients around the world.” Before all this, I was a young guy with no financial support, no family safety net, and nowhere to go.

I was constantly trying to find new ways to support myself, from running tiny side hustles and failed clothing brands, to taking on the odd freelance gig while juggling studies and late shifts in a hotel. I tried everything. Most of it flopped.

In my early 20s, I worked as a chef in a hotel and lived on site whilst I studied design in university. I vividly remember numerous nights I would sneak into the hotel’s kitchen to steal food from the walk-in fridge just so I could eat.

After 4 years living like this, the hotel was put into liquidation, and I lost my job and my home in the same week. I was homeless.

Not Instagram-worthy. Not inspiring. Just survival.

2022

I couldn’t keep living someone else’s version of success

After the hotel, I spent years working in creative agencies and in-house roles, doing branding work for huge names like Costa Coffee, Yamaha, Glastonbury Festival, F1, and Heineken. But one day, I realised something painful:

I was exhausted.
I was burnt out.
I was living someone else’s version of “success.”

So I quit. I walked away from my full-time job with no backup plan and no financial cushion, just a deep craving for creative freedom.

At the time, I was living in my partner’s mum and dad’s house. I set up shop in the corner of a shared room with a desk and a dream. My bank balance was minus £1,500. No clients. No clue.

Those early freelance days were brutal. I took on any client I could find. Local businesses, mates of mates, random leads from cold emails. I was scraping by on scraps.

Then came my “big break”, a £3,000 branding project. I was buzzing… for about 48 hours.

Within two days, I realised the client was a walking red flag. Rude, unaligned, completely chaotic. But I needed the money so badly, I ignored all the signs.

Eventually, I snapped. I refunded the full amount and walked away.

No backup plan. Just my gut saying: you can’t build a business like this.

I’d burned a bridge, burned through money, and had no idea what to do next. But that moment taught me a valuable lesson: it’s not just about being a great designer or making money. Freelancing was 40% of the process. It’s about building strong relationships with the right people, a watertight process to keep me safe, and learning how to trust my gut.

2023

My first big payday turned into my first big lesson

2023

FROM BROKE TO FULLY BOOKED

With no more leads coming in and the bank account back to zero, I was close to giving up. But I kept thinking: why am I only looking locally?

The internet is massive. I just needed to figure out how to use it.

So I turned to social media, despite absolutely hating the idea. I didn’t want to put my face out there for the world to see. I didn’t want to be on video. I didn’t want to “market” myself. I felt like an idiot in the beginning. I worried about what my friends would think of me. 

But when you’ve got nothing to lose, cringe is a small price to pay.

I started posting my creative process, my design thinking, my work, even if it wasn’t perfect. And bit by bit, it started to work. I landed a project. Then another. Then a wave of leads.

In a few short years, I went from 2, 3 leads to hundreds. Since then, I’ve had over 20,000 people inquire to work with me. And it all came from showing up online, building a personal brand, being honest, and creating a space in the community that actually felt like me.

2024

I learned the hard way so you don’t have to

Every new client I landed, every failed logo idea, every ghosted invoice, every late night session, and every pricing mistake… taught me something bigger then any book or course ever could.

I learned how to communicate my creative ideas clearly to the people that matter.
I learned how to manage difficult clients and turn a negative experience into a positive.
I learned how to generate endless creative ideas regardless of the deadline.
I learned how to charge what I’m genuinely worth.
I learned how to stop being just a “designer” and become a successful business owner.

I owe it all to failing. Trying again. Falling, missing the mark. And finally, figuring it out.

Now I want to share everything I know. So you can avoid the pain, speed up the process and do the thing you love to do.

2025 - PRESENT DAY

THIS ISN'T A COURSE. IT'S A MISSION

Helping other designers build creative businesses they’re proud of is the thing that genuinely lights me up. It’s why I made templates, tools, and videos for thousands of designers. It’s why I host my podcast. It’s why I talk openly about the hard shit no one else does.

But now I want to do more. I want to go deeper.

That’s why this mentorship exists.

Not everyone has the support they need.
Not everyone has someone in their corner who gets it.
And not everyone has the time or clarity to figure this all out on their own.

I want to be that support for you. I want to help you build something real.
And if I can go to bed each night knowing I’ve helped even one designer do that, then I know I’m doing the right thing with everything I’ve built.

APPLY NOW

SO, WHO IS THIS PROGRAMME FOR?

This mentorship is for designers who are ready to go all in. To level up. To make bold moves. To finally build the creative business they’re proud of. But I want to be honest, this isn’t for everyone.

this is for YOU IF...

  • You’ve worked with clients, but now you want to level up
  • You’re tired of winging it and want a real structure that works for you and gives you freedom
  • You want to raise your prices without getting ghosted by clients time and time again
  • You’re ready to take your design business seriously and take action
  • You’re building a business, not just looking for your next gig
  • You know you’re capable of more, and you’re ready to prove it to yourself

this is NOT for YOU IF...

  • You’ve never worked with a client before
  • You just want to binge-watch some course videos or never finish it
  • You’re not ready to commit time to grow
    your business
  • You want fast results without doing the work
  • You don’t want help from someone who’s actually built what you’re trying to build
  • You’re not in a place to invest in yourself just yet, and that’s okay

SOUNDS AWESOME, BUT I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS...

This programme is designed for freelance logo and brand designers who want more confidence, structure and consistency in how they run their business. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been freelancing for years, if you’re tired of guessing your way through each brand/logo design project and want a proven system for running premium brand identity projects, this programme is for you.

This is a 6-week mentorship.

Each week, there will be an hour pre-recorded video lesson, and then we’ll jump on a 90-minute group mentoring call. Outside of that, you’ll just need time to take action on what we discussed.

Expect to spend around 3–5 hours per week building the creative business you’ve always wanted.

Life happens, I get it. If you can’t make a session, don’t panic, all sessions will be recorded and available to rewatch. But consistency is key. I’ll hold you to showing up with the same energy I bring to the table. That’s the only way this thing works.

Most online courses give you information and leave you to figure out the rest. This programme is designed around implementation. Every week you’ll learn a new part of the BRAVE Framework through a pre-recorded lesson before joining a live mentoring session where we’ll answer questions, solve problems, review work and help you apply what you’ve learned to your own business. It’s not just about watching videos, it’s about putting them into practice.

I will always be real with you, this isn’t cheap. And that’s because it’s genuinely transformative.

The full investment can be found on the application page. Places are intentionally limited to keep the mentoring sessions small, practical and interactive.

But I’ll say this: this is an investment, not a cost.

The goal here is to grow your income, confidence, and creative impact, so you walk away with a business that pays you properly, attracts the right clients, and works on your terms.

Let’s avoid that completely.

That’s why we kick things off with a free onboarding call before you commit to anything. It gives us both a chance to make sure this feels like a hell yes. I’m not here to sell you something you don’t need. I only take on mentees I know I can help, and who are ready to make the most of this.

Yes. Whether you’re stuck on pricing, positioning, finding your voice, or unlocking better creative ideas, I’ve built this to support the whole designer. You’ll get help on both the mindset and the skillset, so you can grow as a creative and as a business owner.

Yes. If you’d like more personalised support alongside the group programme, you can book additional one-to-one mentoring sessions. They’re perfect for tackling client-specific challenges, portfolio reviews or getting tailored advice on your own freelance business.

Absolutely. Great branding isn’t just about making beautiful work. Throughout the programme we’ll cover everything from creative thinking, brand strategy and presenting ideas to pricing, proposals, client communication, onboarding and project delivery. The goal is to help you become a more complete freelance brand designer, not just a better designer.

Yes. Once you’ve joined the programme you’ll keep lifetime access to all of the pre-recorded lessons, downloadable resources and templates, meaning you can revisit the material whenever you need it. The live mentoring sessions are exclusive to your cohort, but the core teaching remains yours to keep.

ARE YOU finally READY TO DO THIS?

I don’t take on many mentees at once. This isn’t some churn-and-burn program. I keep it small and personal so I can give you everything I’ve got. That means spots are limited and reserved for designers who are genuinely ready to grow.

APPLY NOW

Limited spots available each month