Really excited to do this!
Here's a little bit about my career:
I dropped out of college to build a design studio with 20+ people for 4 years before leaving that to start another studio.
I’ve worked across most major startups in Bangalore (not including brand names here for anonymity)
I’ve worked across brand identity design, UX/UI, social media marketing, ad films, animation/motion graphics, and 3D
Happy to answer questions about design, freelancing, starting an agency/studio, the design industry, etc.
How did you sustain till you made your first sale?
I took the safe way, and recommend this to everyone.
I had a stable job and started my agency on the side. This meant working very late into the night for months. Only once we had two retainer clients, did I feel safe enough to quit my job.
So sustenance wasn't really an issue.
Thanks for replying. It must've been hard to do a full time job with less sleep alongside this. How did you deal with burnouts?
What was the road to get to working with large startups? Did you start off with Upwork/Fiverr? Or ever have to rely on them during your journey?
I worked at a great startup before starting my studio. Most of the people who worked there ended up moving to much bigger companies. Most of them were happy to introduce me since they liked my work. That's how I got to work with large startups.
I have tried Upwork and Fiverr, but much later into my career. It was so late that I couldn't justify the time and effort that it would require to land a client there (you need testimonials/reviews to build a strong profile, might have to take on lesser paying jobs just to get those ratings).
If I had to start all over again, I would definitely give fiverr/upwork a proper shot. But it doesn't make sense today.
(Also, I read somewhere that platfoms like fiverr/upwork is a race to the bottom where clients filter based on lowest price. If that really is the truth, I don't want to compete there either)
Very cool I think this journey from building credibility to then going agency route makes most sense
All answers were really excellent. Will forward most of it to nephews and nieces who want to go into design.
Point 4. CTC is essentially what is your net take home.
How much revenue have you made (lifetime)?
Haven't calculated tbh, but less than 15Cr
15Cr is the point I would stop calculating as well :p
Hi, thanks for doing this Wanted to ask, what led you to create your own studio vs. being a design lead at a startup/company? What was the thought process when you made the switch?
TIA!
I worked as a graphic designer at a startup before starting a studio. Even though I had a great boss and a stellar team, most "good" work would get outsourced to agencies even though we had the skillset to do it.
While I saw growth in terms of money working at another company, growth in terms of good projects was missing. That's why I decided to switch.
Hope this helps!
Great answer.
I have no questions here but I'm loving the answers you're providing here. Cheers! 🥂
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