The common terms for those two income categories are:

Service-based income (or "Active income") - Your client work where you're trading time for money. This includes freelance projects, consulting, done-for-you services.

Product-based income (or "Passive income") - Your digital assets, affiliate commissions, subscriptions, and other revenue streams that can generate money without your direct time investment for each sale.

Some people also call them:

  • Linear income vs Scalable income
  • Trading time for money vs Leveraged income
  • Client work vs Product revenue

The key distinction is that service-based income requires your time for each dollar earned, while product-based income can scale beyond your time constraints.

Most successful freelancers aim to gradually shift more toward the product-based side since it's not capped by your available hours. Your Ghost themes are a perfect example of building that scalable income stream.

What's your current split between the two? Are you actively trying to shift the balance toward more product-based income?

Aesthetic Goods

View all
Ligre Youn
Ligre

Ligre Youn

Finest classic espresso and milk foam quality in 10 textures
(Re)Classic Wallet
Native Union

(Re)Classic Wallet

Modern, minimalist profile for an easy-to-match everyday things
StreamCam
Logitech

StreamCam

You always look your best in any lighting
BF
Sigma

BF

The beauty of a simple thing
P–1 Pepper Mill
Crust

P–1 Pepper Mill

Precision engineered for perfect seasoning.
Computer-1
Teenage Engineering

Computer-1

When I built my first PC, I seriously considered this case.
Leica Q (Typ116)
Leica

Leica Q (Typ116)

I have owned a Q since 2018. Sadly I don’t take many photos these days.
CONEDAMA
Joshua Studio

CONEDAMA

“Geometric cup-and-ball toy.” I have one at home and I practice every week.
SL250
Saint Laurent

SL250

Saint Laurent
Transparent Speaker
Transparent

Transparent Speaker

Temperature Control Mug 2
Ember

Temperature Control Mug 2

Portfolio Showcase

View all
Color exploration

Showcase One

A 30% Productivity Boost and Accelerated Growth
Showcase Three
Color exploration

Showcase Three

I needed something professional but not corporate. Naoto strikes that perfect balance. The resource sections help me showcase my expertise, and the dark mode is a nice touch for evening readers.
Showcase Two
Color exploration

Showcase Two

I needed something professional but not corporate. Naoto strikes that perfect balance. The resource sections help me showcase my expertise, and the dark mode is a nice touch for evening readers.
Showcase Four
Color exploration

Showcase Four

A 30% Productivity Boost and Accelerated Growth

As seen on

Experience

Work Experience

2022 - present, remote

Senior Product Designer at TechFlow Solutions

2019 - 2022, San Francisco, CA

UX/UI Designer at Digital Innovations Inc

2017 - 2019, San Francisco, Austin, TX

Junior Web Designe at Creative Studio Co

Education

2014-2017, Austin, TX

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Design at University of Texas at Austin

2011-2014, San Marcos, TX

Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at Texas State University

Kind words from writers

View all

“Naoto transformed my portfolio site completely. The clean layout lets my work speak for itself, and setting up different sections was surprisingly intuitive. My clients constantly compliment the site's elegance.”

Sarah Chen, Designer

“Finally, a theme that doesn't fight with my content. The typography is gorgeous and the table of contents feature makes my long articles so much more readable. Worth every penny.”

Marcus Rivera, Tech Writer

"I needed something professional but not corporate. Naoto strikes that perfect balance. The resource sections help me showcase my expertise, and the dark mode is a nice touch for evening readers."

Emma Thompson, Freelance Consultant

The timeline template is perfect for my online courses. Students love how clean and organized everything looks. Plus, the mobile experience is flawless—important since most access from phones.

David Park, Course Creator

Naoto's gallery layout showcases my photography beautifully. The minimal design doesn't compete with my images, and I can organize everything exactly how I want from the Ghost admin.

Lisa Rodriguez, Travel Blogger

Switched from a cluttered theme to Naoto and immediately saw better engagement. The homepage builder let me create exactly the story I wanted to tell. Clean, professional, and flexible.

James Mitchell, Startup Founder