★★★★★ 4.9 • 2,500+ designers
You don't need to "learn business." You need a system for handling it.
A connected operating system with the communication, measurement, influence, and negotiation skills to effectively connect your work to business.
Review all of the FAQs prior to checkout. If anything isn't clear, just email us.
Trusted by design leaders at companies like Google, Apple, Zillow, and more
Does this sound familiar?
You're great at design. The business stuff is making you miserable.
"I know my recommendation is good, but my ideas keep getting shot down."
"I know design drives value, but don't have a way to show it with numbers."
"I show up to meetings where decisions have already been made without me."
"Nobody is showing me how to get better at this and I feel all alone trying to do so."
The system
7 modules. Each one built for a situation that's making you miserable.
This isn't a random collection of lessons. It's a connected system — each module builds on the last, giving you the tools for a specific type of business situation you face as a design leader.
Module 1 · 13 Lessons
Present Ideas That Get Approved
Learn the communication frameworks that management consultancies use to get billion-dollar recommendations approved.
Module 2 · 16 Lessons
Decode Your Company’s Goals and Priorities
Stop guessing what leadership wants. Learn to map what motivates them and how the company actually makes money.
Module 3 · 17 Lessons
Win Over Hesitant Stakeholders
Stakeholder “buy-in” is a myth. Learn to diagnose resistance and become the partner everyone wants to work with.
Module 4 · 16 Lessons
Prove Design Has Impact with Business Numbers
Learn Strategy Maps that show cause-and-effect between design quality and business outcomes.
Module 5 · 17 Lessons
Create Your Design Scorecard for Leadership
Demystify ROI and build a scorecard that communicates design’s value in the language of the business.
Module 6 · 9 Lessons
Navigate Pushback and Get What You Need
Learn to prepare for difficult conversations and assert yourself when you’ve been sidelined.
Module 7 · 8 Lessons
Balance Quick Wins with Long-Term Goals
Prioritization at the leadership level is about deciding what not to do. Learn frameworks for organizing work across horizons.
What changes
After this course, the business stuff stops being the thing you dread.
Before
You hope the work speaks for itself
When they ask about ROI, you freeze or get defensive
Stakeholders go around or make decisions without you
Negotiations and politics are sources of your anxiety
After
You walk into every exec review knowing what to say
You can show Design's impact in real numbers
Stakeholders want you in the room and ask your opinion
You stop dreading the political stuff
Who this is for
This course is built for designers who are done playing in the background.
You don't need to be a manager. You do need to be tired of the business stuff being the thing that holds you back.
Senior Designers Moving into Leadership
The job is about to change. You'll go from executing great design to defending budgets, navigating politics, and proving impact. This gives you the system before you need it.
Design Managers & Directors
You were promoted for your craft, but the job is now stakeholder management, ROI conversations, and cross-functional negotiation. Nobody trained you for this part.
Leaders Told to "Think Strategically"
You've heard the feedback. You've read the books. You've been to the conferences. But nobody has shown you what "thinking strategically" actually looks like in practice.
Designers love this course
It's so much more than they expected.
"This has been the most valuable resource I've had in the last 5 years. I apply every single module in my day-to-day work. It's phenomenal!"
Glau Czarnota
Design Operation Lead, ANZ
"In short, CDO School is the best money I have spent on my career."
Gene Moy
Senior Manager UX, aPriori
"Having context around metrics that relate back to desirability and viability objectives is way more helpful than being told 'go make an OKR for this thing'."
Vickie Culbertson
Interaction Designer, Google
"This is a masterclass on how to teach adults."
Isaac Steiner
Lead Product Designer, DocuSign
"I cannot recommend this enough to other designers looking to get to the next level in their career."
Ashley Pfeiffelmann
UX Director, Randstad
"This has given me the time and space to mature my perspectives. More importantly, I think I'm healing here."
Carolina Tod
Manager of UX and Product Design, Fintech Magalu
Your guide
I spent 20 years handling the business stuff. Then I turned it into a system.
I'm Ryan Rumsey. I'm the founder of CDO School and author of Business Thinking for Designers. Over 20 years as a design executive at Apple, EA, USAA, and Nestlé, I lived every one of these situations. The executive reviews that went sideways. The stakeholder negotiations I wasn't prepared for. The design ROI questions I couldn't answer.
The difference is, I spent years reverse-engineering what actually works. Not business theory — the specific frameworks, scripts, and tools that change how design leaders show up in the rooms where decisions get made. I've taught these systems to 2,500+ designers from Google, Apple, Zillow, Uber, and more.
This course is the complete system. Every framework I use. Every tool I teach. Organized into a progression that builds on itself so you're not just learning concepts — you're building an operating playbook for your actual job.
The complete system. Seven modules. Everything you need.
A self-paced course that gives you the communication, measurement, influence, and prioritization system for design leadership.
The Strategic Designer
$447
one-time payment · lifetime access
- ▸7 modules with 100+ video lessons
- ▸Practice exercises & cheat sheets
- ▸20+ frameworks & tools
- ▸Lifetime access
The CDO School Toolkit
3 courses · lifetime access
$997
3 courses · $1,341 value
Get The Strategic Designer + Design Org Strategy + Executive Communication & Influence — the complete design leadership system.
- ▸Everything in The Strategic Designer
- ▸Design Org Strategy course
- ▸Executive Communication & Influence course
Questions before enrolling? Just email me. Want to enroll your team? Inquire about group pricing.
FAQ
Common questions
I'm not a manager yet. Is this too advanced for me?
How is this different from reading Business Thinking for Designers?
I've taken other 'business for designers' courses. How is this different?
How long does the course take to complete?
Can I expense this through my company?
Do you have a Code of Conduct?
More Questions?
Email me directly: ryan[at]thecdo.school
I read everything. If you're not sure this is right for you, or if you need to understand how this fits your specific situation, just ask.
Ryan Rumsey
Founder, CDO School
