How This Freelancer Turned Her Powerpoint Presentations Into A Business That Brings In Millions Of Dollars

A combination of the right timing, hard work and a set of skills finely tuned to the market is a sure-shot recipe for professional success. Courtney Allen is a shining example of this. The Atlanta native from Georgia, USA went from freelancing by making slideshows to turning it into a successful business with a turnover that runs into millions. Those of us who function professionally on a computer will know that creating decks are practically an art form. They are essential for a multitude of functions and clients so an entire profession purely for presentations seems so strange, that it's almost genius. Especially when you're as good at it as Courtney seems to be.

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After graduating with a degree in graphic design in 2012, Courtney went on to work contractually to design Powerpoint presentations primarily for clients such as Cisco and Adobe. Working in the professional marketplace, like Upwork, wasn't rosy though; gaining clients and starting from scratch meant Courtney was working round the clock, even up to 80 hours a week. However, 2017 was when everything changed for Courtney.

Her business 16X9, dedicated to designing decks, was born. 16X9 aimed to take the hassle out of presentations for the clients that they work with by handling that part of the equation entirely. Their roster is a renowned one and boasts of names like Microsoft and Bloomberg. A combination of Courtney's personal body of work and that of the company has led Courtney to earn over $2 million. Not bad for a girl who was first questioned on whether her Powerpoint skills could find her a job, don't you think?

It's all because of a woman who believed in the power of her skills and honed them to find a solution to a market problem. For every person who struggles with making a presentation, there's someone with a solution, even if that means not doing it themselves. The future is bright for 16X9 as Courtney's business hopes to expand its presentation skills to various platforms while alongside educating those in the fine art of making decks. Seeing how well she's done this far, we can only expect her to go places.

Sources: CNBC, 16X9

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