I got my first $999 client for my subscription design business - here's what I did

[bijoyuhuji]

Hy Everyone,

I started a subscription design agency in Jan 2023 leaving my full time job and being a developer and designer by profession, I had 0 sales or marketing skills.

Methods I tried

I tried the following things but nothing worked:

1. Linkedin
2. X
3. Indie Hackers
4. Approached YC companies which were recently funded
5. Approached Startups that just started in last 1 year and received funding
6. Approached various marketing agencies to partner with them, for outsourced design partner
7. Companies hiring for UI/UX designer on contract position
8. Fetched Lead contact and email through apollo -> Hired a cold calling guy on fiverr -> Asked him to call everyone on the list (after the service I felt I got scammed)

I didn’t go with the Ads as I didn’t have much savings remanning. Also, I think ads don’t do any good to business unless you spend a lot through a good strategy

Got my first project gig

After trying different ways for a couple of months, my friend referred me to one of his client who is looking to build his website. When I met the client he told me his budget was $300. Even-though I knew the value of my skills, I took to the project to start some revenue.

More project gig and first client acquisition

Second client: $300 (friend referral)

Third Client: $400(Coworking space I go to)

Fourth Client: $480 (Coworking Space I go to)

The third client got really impressed by our service and post support which led them to buy our design subscription.

Things I am trying

Although, one client is not enough but atleast we got the kickstart.Following things I am trying in parallel:

1. Trying different marketing strategies to find what works.
2. Tried hardcore sales -> Cold Calling ( I came to conclusion it is not for me)
3. Started taking communication classes ( Being an introvert and for my business. It’s the must. highly recommended for someone who falls in the category)
4. Linkedin valuable content generation
5. X Valuable content generation

Things I will try in future

In future, I might deploy my own sales team for cold calling, cold emailing and social media marketing but at the moment I plan to find 4-5 clients who subscribe to my agency subscription.

My key learnings:

1. Starting a business is easy but getting a client is 100 times harder
2. If you are new to business, don’t let single lead get out of your hand. You don’t know who they may refer.
3. Take the work even if it doesn’t pay according to the value you provide, it helps pay the bills.
4. Getting organic clients is hard.

 

[niq1983]

@bijoyuhuji I’m going to say something that all entrepreneurs need to hear.

Your skill at your craft mean nothing if you can’t sell.

The exact opposite also applies, you can be bad at something and still make more money than a lot of people (look at Katy Perry, can’t sing great but will shit a number 1 single tomorrow!).

 

[lamphuongnghi152]

@niq1983

Your skill at your craft mean nothing if you can’t sell.

This is so damn true!

 

[itisi]

@bijoyuhuji Kudos. You are progressing well. Progress is key.

 

[popdave4011]

@bijoyuhuji What is your design subscription offer?

 

[bijoyuhuji]

@popdave4011 I have 3 subscriptions.

Monthly: $999/mo
Quarterly: $899/mo
Yearly: $849/mo

 

[ryanjrhodes]

@bijoyuhuji That's how much it costs, which is part of the offer. What does one get when they say "yes" and pay?

 

[tonyluc2021]

@bijoyuhuji Had a question, what does subscription design agency actually means?

 

[bijoyuhuji]

@tonyluc2021 Instead of client paying per project basis they pay a monthly subscription and can request as unlimited services.

Think of it as SAAS mixed with service

 

[shoeshavetongues]

@bijoyuhuji $1000 for unlimited projects in a month?! :O Congrats on getting it, it's a good step but it should be a step to more. A month long unlimited retainer should also be a months worth of salary.

 

[lovewithoutforgiveness]

@tonyluc2021 Curious as well

 

[jon1234]

@bijoyuhuji Take my advice or don't.

First, sounds like you're charging way too low. $400 for a job? You should be making that in a day or two. You either need to charge more for the small projects you're doing, or focus on getting bigger projects.

Second, focus on business goals, not "design." You can charge 5 times as much if you position your service as marketing or product development instead of design. Design is a cost, but marketing is an investment.

If clients think they'll get an ROI on your service, you'll do much better.

 

[zzyzzx12]

@jon1234 Yeah, no real client will trust $400 or even a thousand a month. It will feel cheap

 

[bijoyuhuji]

@jon1234 Yes, I can charge more and I will but, in future. My main goal is to build some credibility.

Once that is done and I start generating organic leads then definitely I will increase the prices.

 

[patim22]

@bijoyuhuji Starting a business is easy but getting a client is 100 times harder

THIS is the TRUTH

 

[lucky9]

@bijoyuhuji Hey, I specialize in cold email campaigns and prospecting strategies. Feel free to PM me.

 

[jesusfan1]

@lucky9 What does "cold email campaign" mean?

If you mean sending emails to those who never ask for them, how do you do this?

Every email company now forbids sending emails to those who don't ask for them - you have to be permission-based.

Please expand your explanation.

 

[lucky9]

@jesusfan1 Happy to. This article from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) lists all the compliance requirements for cold, transactional and relationship emails. Also, see this article from LinkedIn that breaks down cold emailing as well.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business#:~:text=Yes%2C%20and%20the%20FTC%20has,Act%20that%20governs%20these%20messages

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/legalities-cold-emails-what-businesses-need-know-nixon-abonita/

 

[jesusfan1]

@lucky9 Thanks, this is great. I've looked for something online like this but never have been able to find anything like this. Cool.

That said:

A. Each separate email in violation of the law is subject to penalties of up to $50,120

That's pretty scary and if you're a small company, it's like, fuck that, why take a risk. That's what I think myself.

1. Monitor what others are doing on your behalf. The law makes clear that even if you hire another company to handle your email marketing, you can’t contract away your legal responsibility to comply with the law. Both the company whose product is promoted in the message and the company that actually sends the message may be held legally responsible.

Double scary. Only do it cold emails in-house is the moral of this part.

 

[lucky9]

@jesusfan1 No problem. Definitely a good link to hold on to.

And yes, it’s a hefty penalty. So many people just don’t read the laws and also blast out as many cold emails as possible to random potential clients. The key is to really narrow in a specific list and drip over time.

Warming up an email address is also crucial for not landing in spam. For my personal cold campaigns, I never email more than 15-25 prospects at a time. I also scrape them by hand instead of using a list from a provider like Zoominfo to make sure the leads are solid and won’t bounce upon sending an email.

I also follow up with a LinkedIn request and a subsequent phone call if possible.