Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I think we're entering a world where the market for fractional design is about to explode…
So this week's episode is with one of my favorite people in the industry, Gabe Valdivia (https://x.com/gabrielvaldivia) .
We're going to explore his independent journey → how he made the jump, how he's evolved the practice in year two, and all of the lessons he's learned along the way.
Some highlights:
- Gabe’s three-phase client model
- How to sell a client on fractional design
- Gabe’s rules of thumb for pricing himself
- How Gabe’s new apprenticeship program works
- How Gabe vibe-coded his personal Freelance OS
- How he has redefined success from year 1 to year 2
- Gabe’s journey to figure out how to position himself as an independent
- + a *lot* more
- Charlie Sutton (linkedin.com/in/charliesutton/?originalSubdomain=au) who he worked with on VR team at Facebook
- Team Human book by Douglas Rushkoff (https://www.teamhuman.fm/book)
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:26 How Gabe's independent model works
5:30 Gabe's new apprenticeship program
7:49 How Gabe defines success
12:45 Why Gabe decided to go independent
17:40 Figuring out how to position himself as a candidate
22:06 Gabe's strategies for pricing
25:43 How to sell someone on fractional design
31:09 How Gabe handles the logistics of working with multiple clients
34:50 Vibe coding your own toolstacks
45:36 Other impacts of being independent
Dive is where the best designers never stop learning 🤿
🌐 dive.club
🐦 twitter.com/joindiveclub
Now you can join advanced courses taught by the top designers to help you take a huge leap forward in your career 💪
I think we're entering a world where the market for fractional design is about to explode…
So this week's episode is with one of my favorite people in the industry, Gabe Valdivia (https://x.com/gabrielvaldivia) .
We're going to explore his independent journey → how he made the jump, how he's evolved the practice in year two, and all of the lessons he's learned along the way.
Some highlights:
- Gabe’s three-phase client model
- How to sell a client on fractional design
- Gabe’s rules of thumb for pricing himself
- How Gabe’s new apprenticeship program works
- How Gabe vibe-coded his personal Freelance OS
- How he has redefined success from year 1 to year 2
- Gabe’s journey to figure out how to position himself as an independent
- + a *lot* more
- Charlie Sutton (linkedin.com/in/charliesutton/?originalSubdomain=au) who he worked with on VR team at Facebook
- Team Human book by Douglas Rushkoff (https://www.teamhuman.fm/book)
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:26 How Gabe's independent model works
5:30 Gabe's new apprenticeship program
7:49 How Gabe defines success
12:45 Why Gabe decided to go independent
17:40 Figuring out how to position himself as a candidate
22:06 Gabe's strategies for pricing
25:43 How to sell someone on fractional design
31:09 How Gabe handles the logistics of working with multiple clients
34:50 Vibe coding your own toolstacks
45:36 Other impacts of being independent
Dive is where the best designers never stop learning 🤿
🌐 dive.club
🐦 twitter.com/joindiveclub
Now you can join advanced courses taught by the top designers to help you take a huge leap forward in your career 💪
