How to run your startup from your phone
Today’s aspiring entrepreneurs aren’t waiting for VC funding, web designers, brand consultants, or even office space to make their dreams a reality. They’re launching businesses on their own from their bedrooms, at farmers markets, and even via Instagram DMs. With apps like Adobe Express, it’s never been easier to look like a brand before you technically are one.
More than half of Gen Z say they want to start their own business, and for good reason: 78% of them view entrepreneurship as the most accessible career path. And they’re not alone. Over a third of all Americans, including 70% of Gen Z, already have a side gig. And with 62% of small business owners doing most of their work from a smart device, it’s no surprise that the rise of the side hustle has been matched by an increase in mobile-first design tools.
Whether you’re screen-printing T-shirts or selling custom candles on Etsy, your business lives or dies by first impressions — both the social psychology kind and the digital marketing version. Most consumers still say they need to trust a brand before buying from it.
Polished branding is no longer a finishing touch — it’s your opening move. That’s where Adobe Express steps in. With free logo design tools, templates for social media marketing, and intuitive workflows, it’s one of the best apps for small business branding. It’s helping a new generation of founders turn their ideas into full-fledged brands — no design expertise required.
Learn how to start a side hustle or startup from your phone using the Adobe Express app and these time- and energy-saving hacks.
Use templates as brand-building tools
You don’t need a huge team to build a brand. With the right tools, you can go from “I have an idea” to “I have a logo, color palette, and Instagram presence” before your matcha latte gets cold.
Templates for social media marketing and branding are the secret sauce, especially when you’re juggling 15 other things. Studies show that visual consistency can boost brand recognition by up to 80%, and that’s a game-changer when you’re trying to build trust fast. That’s why more Gen Z entrepreneurs are skipping blank canvases and diving into the Adobe Express brand template library.
For solopreneurs wondering how to gain instant credibility, design templates are key. They can help fast-track your brand to looking like you’ve been in business for years — even if today is day one. With prebuilt options for everything from logos and business cards to Instagram highlight covers, all with coordinated color palettes and stylish fonts, you’ll give off the impression that you’ve got it together while building your empire from the couch.
Adobe Express also makes it easy to design once and publish everywhere. With just a few taps, you can create polished, branded content for Instagram, Etsy, email newsletters, and more. And if picking colors makes your eyes cross, don’t worry — Express offers smart color suggestions to make sure your vibe comes correct.
Simplify social and print content
Branding a business isn’t just about having a good logo. Social media presence needs to be on point, too. Adobe Express can help, giving you everything from one-click resizing for every platform to the ability to schedule posts. You can plan a week’s worth of content, make it look amazing, and post it — all from the app on your phone. It might look like this: Create your Instagram post, resize it for TikTok, pin it to Pinterest, and schedule it for later — all before your lunch break ends.
But don’t sleep on the offline hustle, either. Inspiration comes from both screens and sidewalks. Plenty of solopreneurs like food vendors and hair stylists still need real-world assets. Express makes it easy to whip up print-ready flyers, menus, packaging stickers, QR codes, and much more. Whether you’re at a pop-up market or promoting your next event, you can look legit without the designer price tag.
Get pro-level results with AI-powered creation
If your product photos were taken on your kitchen table next to a cat and a cup of coffee, well, you’re not alone. That’s exactly why AI-powered tools like Remove Background and Generate Text Effect in Adobe Express are game-changers for solopreneurs who want polished visuals immediately.
Clean up your background with the background removal tool and erase clutter in a single tap. Add eye-catching promo text for instant flair. Insert an object into an image by describing what you want to see with a simple prompt. Adobe Express can even auto-extract a color palette from your photos and apply it across all your designs to keep your brand colors perfectly consistent.
For example, let’s say a creator is launching a homemade skincare line from her kitchen table. She knows how to make solid products, but has zero design experience. With Adobe Express, she can create a logo, make flyers, build templates for social media, and even crank out product labels — all from her phone. Now, she can sell on Etsy and build a loyal following on Instagram. Her secret weapon is smart design, which gave her professional cachet from day one.
Sync and collaborate on your terms
When you’re running a side hustle between work shifts, other side jobs, or your kids’ soccer practices, flexibility is a must. Adobe Express makes sure your ideas aren’t trapped on one device. You can start a design on your phone during a lunch break, polish it on your laptop that evening, tweak it on a tablet, and publish it from any of those devices, thanks to seamless mobile sync.
For anyone figuring out how to start a business from your phone, that kind of flexibility is super helpful. This mobile-to-desktop flow is perfect for multitasking solopreneurs who are managing family life, client calls, and pop-up preparation all in the same day. You don’t need a studio. You need a workflow that works wherever you do.
You can also collaborate with vendors, employees, or contractors on your phone. With Express, it’s easy to share projects, update content, and stay aligned with your team. Forget about taking a million screenshots or sending “Can you send me the latest version?” texts.
Whether you’re designing flyers, refining product posts, or experimenting with ideas for creatives, Adobe Express is built to support the real-life rhythm of running a business in your spare time (and making it look good while you do it).
Go from side hustle to startup with high-quality design
In a world where attention spans are short and branding is everything, looking polished from day one is the only option. It’s how you earn trust and make that first sale — and it’s how that first sale opens the floodgates to exponential sales.
So whether you’re testing out side-gig ideas, launching a brand, or making standout posts with templates for social media marketing, you’ll want to do it on your own — with style, speed, and confidence.
Get started on your business with Adobe Express and turn your side hustle into something bigger.