From Zero to Hero: How I Landed My First Client and Kickstarted My Design Subscription Agency
Hey IndieHackers fam! 🚀
I'm thrilled to share a little success story that just unfolded in the journey of my subscription-based design agency Pentaclay. It's a story of determination, late-night hustles, and the power of social media connections. Here goes nothing:
🌐 The Digital Quest:
After trying my hand at Twitter, emailing my previous clients, LinkedIn company page, and Facebook page, and even dipping my toes into the TikTok craze, I finally struck gold. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but I persisted, knowing that the right opportunity was just around the corner.
🚀 First Contact:
Out of the blue, a prospect contacted me on LinkedIn a month ago. We jumped into an intro call. However the client hesitated to subscribe for 30 days, he wanted a 15-day subscription to test the service first. The excitement was real. This enthusiastic client was ready to dive into the creative journey with my agency, and they signed up for a trial worth $1090. The feeling of landing that first client is indescribable.
💡 Lessons Learned:
-
Persistence Pays Off: It's easy to get disheartened, but persistence is key. Keep pushing, keep creating, and keep engaging.
-
Utilize Every Platform: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Explore every platform that aligns with your audience, and don't be afraid to test the waters.
-
Build Genuine Connections: Networking isn't just about numbers; it's about building real connections. Engage in conversations, share your experiences, and be authentic.
-
Trial and Error: The first attempt might not always yield results, but it sets the stage for learning and improvement. Embrace the journey, failures, and all.
Feel free to drop your own success stories or tips below! Let's continue inspiring and supporting each other on this incredible entrepreneurial journey.
That's amazing! I've recently passed $10k MMR with https://devmason.io
Your site looks pretty tight indeed.
That's great. I really liked your website.
How are you getting clients? Let us know. Thanks
I like this point
Persistence Pays Off: It's easy to get disheartened, but persistence is key. Keep pushing, keep creating, and keep engaging.
Persistence is the hard thing to do
Yeah, consistency, direction and persistence is the key. ❤️
Persistence and avoiding the burnout that comes with persistence so that you can focus on building genuine connections is so key.
Too many people get trapped in the "numbers game" of business, which inevitably leads to chasing more numbers!
Great write up
Thanks for your feedback. Best wishes.
I do have a question for you. You website seemed to have shown several testimonials however you claim to have only single client for now so how is it possible?
@jay_b answered well for this.
The thing is I've been designing for almost a decade now. I've worked with plenty of clients, full time jobs, part time jobs and so on.
As a solopreneur I can add them in my website right? 😊
Sure, makes sense.
Thank you.
My guess is that those are clients @pentaclay has worked with in general. Lots of folks who start consulting-style businesses do this. If you have the relevant prior experience, I get why it makes sense to wrap it into your new business, although some folks may find it questionable.
Appreciate your response and yes it makes sense.
Thanks for clarifying. Much appreciate.
Congrats man! This is huge - it's a grind, 24/7, so every win is to be celebrated! Utilize LinkedIn - its powerful...
We just crossed over $55K in MRR - I own a DaaS (design as a subscription) agency too, it's called Spring Studio!
Thanks a lot.
May I ask when you started your DaaS journey? Also, are your primary client sources from LinkedIn?
How are you sourcing clients?
End of the year last year, about 1 year ago but officially kicked off January of this year.
Not all from LI, it's a mixture of cold outreach (targeted), ads and LinkedIn. Any outreach we have has extended (numerous sequences and touch points) campaigns.
congrats on reaching the milestone! Your story aptly illustrates the value of tenacity and flexibility in the context of entrepreneurship.
Thank you. There's no escape but to work consistently.
Starting with determination and a solid plan, I networked relentlessly, showcasing my skills and vision. One breakthrough moment secured my first client, igniting my design subscription agency. Persistence, strategic marketing, and delivering excellence paved the way from zero to hero.
Yes, that's true. But it's only the first client, in order to sustain this module I'll need to have 5 clients on average every month.
The road ahead will be tougher.
Congratulations! How was the process at arriving at a monthly price that you felt was sustainable (while still attractive to clients)?
Thank you.
Before jumping into the pricing section you need to elevate the client's interest to work with you. It can be with your landing page, portfolio, testimonial, or a 15-minute call.
Let's talk about pricing, suppose you need to hire a full-time designer and you're from the UK and the US, you need to pay more than $5000 a month even for 2-3 years of experience. Plus, you need to provide benefits.
If you're considering hiring remotely from ASIA, nowadays you won't find an experienced designer below $2000, Most hiring remote designers start from $2500-$3000 a month.
Plus, hiring full-time might take months to onboard a talented designer, and if you find out he/she is not suitable for you, you can't fire him within 3-6 months in most cases. Now calculate the financial loss.
Considering hiring a freelancer? Suppose you need a logo, a business card, a 12-page website, and some marketing materials like Facebook posts, Linkedin posts, etc.
Now you need to look for freelancers, might need to hire 2 freelancers, and need to estimate each item's price separately. Now calculate the total price it will be more than $2500.
Why subscription business is better?
Now tell me is my pricing high? 👇
Just to clarify, I never thought your pricing was too high (in case it was unclear). I was just curious about strategies to determine pricing.
That all makes a lot of sense.
Thanks mate. No worries, lot of the folks might have the same question in mind, so I made a brief explanation.
I see a lot of successful subscription based design agencies lately
Whats your thoughts on the subscription model for copywriting?
I've thought about adding copywriting services to our offering but ultimately we decided not to deviate from design. Our customers do occasionally ask if we provide copywriting services so I do think there is value there.
That will be super nice. I found a couple of copywriting and SEO agencies on subscription though.
With copywriting can you add social media content writing too?
Or start with Social Media Content Writing with subscription based, you might be flooded with subscriber.
Yeah, it seems to be a popular thing right now. Maybe because of designjoy? Im trying to double down on the perfect service offering for the readers of growtharchive.xyz
I visited the website.
I'm a bit confused. Why did you say " Get Roasted" in the CTA? I thought It's about roasting landing page.
Your story is ver inspiring. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, will continue to share my journey.
In case anyone wondering, my Design Subscription for a single month starts from $2490. So for the 15-day trial package, I offered the client $1090.
Till the end of November, I'm running a discount campaign for a 14-day trial package only for $490.
🌍 Visit https://www.pentaclay.com
This is awesome, productized services is something I'm looking to explore with my creative business!
Go ahead, and share your story along the way. 👍
Awesome to hear your trial worked, and Linkedin worked as the source :)
I've added it to ProductizedHQ, hopefully we can drive your second customer soon! 🚀
Best of luck as you scale!
Thanks mate. I'm seeing lots of success from X. I would love another client.