We were lucky to catch up with Caitlin Rice recently and have shared our conversation below.

Caitlin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Yes, I’ve been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it wasn’t an overnight success. It took a mix of strategy, risk-taking, and a deep belief that I could build something that aligned with my values while also paying the bills.

I started my career working in the nonprofit world, running digital communications for statewide ballot initiatives and progressive campaigns. I loved the work, but I kept burning the candle at both ends yet struggled to pay my bills and save anything for the future (hello student loans). So, I took up second gigs (building websites and dog sitting). It wasn’t until two months before my daughter was born that I realized I needed to do something where I had more time, more flexibility, and more financial security.

So I took the leap. I left my job and went full-time into my side hustle – website design and digital strategy.

Those early days were ROUGH. I was saying yes to everything, working crazy hours, and seriously undercharging for my work. I’d build websites, write social copy, design graphics, manage email campaigns – whatever my clients needed. While I was proud of the work, I was burning out fast.

The real turning point came when I got crystal clear about my positioning. I stopped trying to be everything to everyone and focused specifically on creating websites for progressive organizations. Once I niched down and owned my unique value (understanding movement work from the inside), everything changed.

A few major milestones made a difference:

– Building a solid referral network. My first few clients came from people who had worked with me in the nonprofit space. Word of mouth has always been my biggest driver.
– Raising my prices. I was drastically undercharging at the start. When I finally shifted my mindset and charged based on value instead of time, my income stabilized.
– Investing in systems. I used to juggle everything manually—client communication, contracts, invoicing, design feedback. The moment I set up streamlined workflows, I saved myself so much time and stress.
– Diversifying my income streams. Beyond client work, I am now developing digital products and workshops to create more financial stability and allow me to help more people without trading time for money.

Looking back, I wish I had understood sooner that my expertise had real value and to not succumb to imposter syndrome. The biggest shift wasn’t just in my skills but in my confidence to charge appropriately for the transformation I was providing to clients. Many creative professionals undervalue their work, especially when they’re passionate about it or when they’re serving mission-driven organizations. I’m getting better, but I still undercharge at times.

Could I have sped up the process? Probably. If I had better confidence in my pricing from day one, or if I had niched down sooner to focus specifically on changemakers, I might have gotten to a sustainable income faster. Finding that perfect intersection between what I was passionate about, what I was skilled at, and what people actually needed was the game-changer. But honestly, every step—even the messy ones—helped me build a business that feels deeply aligned with what I want.

Now, I get to do work I love, with clients I believe in, and still have the flexibility to structure my days around what matters most to me. It’s not always easy—there are slow months and busy months, tough decisions that I often have to make on my own, and the occasional why did I sign up for this? moment. But I wouldn’t trade the freedom for anything. The freedom to create work that makes a difference while also making a living is worth every challenge along the way.

Caitlin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I help nonprofits, coalitions, and campaigns fix their frustrating websites and turn them into something they’re actually proud to share.

Before starting my own thing, I spent years in the nonprofit world handling digital communications for various campaigns in California and Colorado. I worked on everything from fighting to raise the minimum wage to (believe it or not) removing actual slavery language from our state constitution.

During that time, I kept running into the same problem over and over. These amazing organizations with crucial missions were stuck with websites that were hard to navigate, had bugs, or not easy to update.

I figured I could do something about that. I started building websites specifically for nonprofits and movement organizations.

I’m not just a designer who happened to work with nonprofits. I’ve been in the shoes. I’ve stayed up late scheduling emails before a big action, frantically updated websites and sending emails during breaking campaign news, and tried to explain complicated policy in ways that actually get people to take action.

I don’t do cookie-cutter templates or generic websites. Every organization I work with gets something built specifically for their community, based on their organization’s goals. That comes from actually understanding nonprofit and organizing work from the inside.

I’m beyond proud of seeing organizations win campaigns using websites we’ve collaborated on. Getting emails from directors who finally feel confident sending supporters to their site and watching small groups grow their movements with digital tools that actually work for them.

I’m also proud of building Rooted Impact into a real, sustainable business. Going from constantly undercharging and overworking to creating a six-figure creative career on my own terms while staying true to my values and providing an affordable service for those who normally can’t afford a decent website feels pretty damn good. Now, I’m focusing on keeping this momentum going. At the end of the day, I am in the social justice nonprofit space for my family, my community, and future generations. This work is hard and finding the resilience at times is tough. But, there is clarity in realizing there is no other path — no other way than to do good work with good people.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the most significant pivots I’ve made in my business was stepping away from content strategy and social media management, even after investing considerably in both areas. I spent SO much time (and money!) trying to make content strategy and social media management work as core services. I literally invested in this fancy certification program thinking “This is it! This is how I’ll scale!”

The certification was actually great – I learned a ton. But here’s the truth I wasn’t admitting to myself: I was totally chasing money instead of following what I actually wanted to build. Classic shiny object syndrome.

The turning point came when I realized that despite the time and financial investment I’d made, these services weren’t bringing me fulfillment. Yes, they were working for my clients and that was probably the hardest thing to let go of (it still is if I’m honest).

But, I did the scary thing. I dropped the services. It’s too early to tell what will happen but I have clarity and a sense of relief I haven’t felt in awhile. Was it terrifying to narrow my focus? Yep. Do I worry about turning away revenue? Absolutely. But the relief I felt once I made the decision told me everything I needed to know.

Just because you’ve already poured time and money into something doesn’t mean you need to keep going. Sunk costs are real, but clarity about what you actually want to build? That’s worth way more in the long run.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Amy Porterfield has had a significant influence in my business journey and I’ve found a lot of additional resources from listening to her podcast. Donald Miller’s storybrand has also helped.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rootedimpact.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootedimpactco/