Brand & Squarespace Website Designer Krishna Solanki
About this episode…
BRAND & SQUARESPACE WEBSITE DESIGNER KRISHNA SOLANKI
Krishna was always freelance on the side of other jobs, eventually going full self-employed in 2019.
Now with the support of a mentor, a community and mastermind group she’s growing her business into an agency.
A lot going on, a lot happening fast. But then she loves life ‘100 miles per hour’.
Read the highlights in the next tab.
BUILDING A NETWORK
Krishna built her freelance business while working full and part time elsewhere. But she spent time online getting known, meeting people virtually and eventually in person too.
“Online networking was a really big thing for me when I was part-time working. Speaking to people on Facebook, sharing snippets of work on Instagram.
Meeting these people online, just talking about what I do, sharing advice about how to design stuff, that's how it kind of really kicked off..”
GETTING A MENTOR
Having a mentor has made a huge difference to Krishna. Having advice, a sounding board, support and being introduced to their network has brought her leads. But to get a mentor in the first place? Well, if you don’t ask, you don’t get…
“So I'm a massive fan of Kelly Molson at Rubber Cheese agency. Girl crush. I used to follow her on Instagram and it was something that she'd shared about asking someone that she admired when she was at some kind of a networking event for a mentor. And I was like, oh my God, if she can do this, I can do this. I'm just gonna ask her.
Kelly’ got so much knowledge. And she's so sharing in everything that she does anyway. So if I could kind of even gain like a little bit of that, then I'm one step ahead of where I am now.
Having someone who can just push you in the right direction a little bit, because sometimes that's all you need. You just need someone to have a little bit of trust in you, support you and just tell you that it's gonna be alright, just go for it.”
FIGURING OUT PAYMENT TERMS
With Kelly as a mentor, one of the things Krishna discussed was getting the final payment from a client - some great advice came back…
“I was struggling with getting that final invoice being paid. At that time I think I was doing something like 20% deposit, 30% before the project actually starts in terms of design or development and then 50% at the end. And that's quite a lot, if you think of how much is remaining at the end.
And she was like, well, have you thought about changing the terms? Have you thought about doing it in a different way? So you've got like 30, 30, 30, and then 10 at the end, because then if there's something remaining, it's only a 10%, it doesn't actually hold your cash flow up…”
CHANGING TO AN AGENCY MODEL
Krishna has now joined a mastermind for new agency owners as she shifts her business. It came from the realisation that there was opportunity to grow…
“How many times can I keep booking in advance, booking in advance? And it got to like six, seven months. And I was thinking, right, something's gotta change here. Either my prices are too low because I'm so far in advance or I should be taking people on and doing things at a quicker pace…”
POWER OF BLOGGING
Krishna had great success by having a regular blogging habit in her business. It gave her lots to point to or repurpose on social media. Now, she’s hired a VA to bring much of it back to life once more…
“I've got way over 150 blog articles that I've written over the years. I used to write one article a week about Squarespace design, branding, setting up a business…
Blogging is actually a really good marketing tool because it not only showcases your expertise, it kind of helps you to understand things and shares the value.”
“Just do it.
If you don't take the step, you don't know.
I try and tell myself that every day: just do it, just get on with it.
Brand & Web Designer Krishna Solanki
More from KRISHNA SOLANKI
Krishna Solanki Designs website
Krishna on Instagram
More from Steve Folland
Transcript of the Being Freelance podcast with Steve Folland and Freelance Brand & Squarespace Website Designer Krishna Solanki
Steve Folland:
How about we get started hearing how you got started being freelance.
Krishna Solanki:
So back in the day, which makes me feel really, really old. Came out of uni, decided that what I was learning was irrelevant and decided to train myself as a front end coder. So design/developer. So that's my background. I'm actually a front end coder / website designer. Trained myself in HTML, CSS. I think it was back in 2005. So really, really knocking along now. Anyway, loved it, decided that I was gonna just become a freelance website designer and then completely crapped it cause I had no clients. Got really scared.
Krishna Solanki:
Realised I actually do need to find clients. So found myself a job instead of looking for clients. Trained myself up, working inhouse as a designer, over many, many, many different positions. But never as a designer in an agency. And that really got to me because I was like, why can I not get this agency job? Causewith agencies, they have lots of different things going across their desk. And it was like the high speed and the rate of being able to do all the different projects. That really was a buzz for me, which is crazy. Some people like the slow life, I like the high life - everything has to go and a hundred miles per hour. I don't know how to chill.
Krishna Solanki:
So worked in-house as a designer at loads of different places, ended up at a startup where we kind of did website design, branding, design, iconography, print, collateral conference design, mobile apps, all elements of design. I loved it because it was like everything I could have done. I learned there. And then obviously life goes on, settle down in Cambridge. And I used to commute into London, which is the big change in where the career changed. And bought a house, started a family, realise that I wanna go back into work because I go dolally when I'm not working. So I'm one of those weird people that actually wakes up and loves going to work. So yeah, decided gonna go back into work, went to work for a company part time. Absolutely hated it because I ended up doing ungodly hours from like between 9 30, 2 30 couldn't climb the career ladder - realised I was putting in all my effort, all of everything and still not really achieving very much.
Krishna Solanki:
So I thought right, let me set up the business. And that was part-time. So young family, working part-time, set up the business didn't really sleep because my children are like mutant aliens that don't sleep. Got over that and then at that point I was kind of online networking with a lot of local businesses in Cambridge. So no one actually saw me, they just kind of recognised me from a profile picture and it would be like on Facebook, in all the different groups or on Instagram. And that was about it. And that happened for four years until we had the second kid and then when the second one went into nursery, that's when I was like, right. I've had enough of working part-time and actually my position as an in-house designer, they actually sold the business and were like, can you come into London and work five days a week, nine to five?
Krishna Solanki:
So I was like, well that's really not gonna happen. I have two children. So I thought, right, there's no time like the present, let's just go with this. I've got a good client list. I've got all the knowledge, I've got my website up and running. Let's just go for it. And set up the agency properly, went full time with it about three years ago. I say agency, back then it was still just me. Now, it's like me and a couple of freelancers that I work with and we are transitioning into an agency. So we're going through this weird change of I'm hopefully gonna grow in scale in the next six months. And that's where we're at.
Steve Folland:
Wow. Okay. Well I'm looking forward to hearing about this whole agency thing because that's relatively new. So it was about 2019 then that you went freelance, but were you freelancing while you were part-time at that company? It sounded like you were.
Krishna Solanki:
Yeah. I've always been a freelancer anyway. Even when I was working full time before the kids and before the family, I'd always done stuff in the ungodly hour. I just don't watch TV. It's really weird. I'm one of those people that just does not, I can't watch TV.
Steve Folland:
Which is perfect for running a side business, but makes you rubbish on a pub quiz when the TV round comes.
Krishna Solanki:
Absolutely.
Steve Folland:
So actually you were a freelancer, you were running your freelance business on the side of others jobs for quite a few years then.
Krishna Solanki:
Yeah, absolutely. Ever since I left university, I was always doing something on the side. As a freelancer. I wasn't serious about that at that point though, it was just the ad hoc project that would come along.
Steve Folland:
So how were you getting those freelance clients? You mentioned online networking.
Krishna Solanki:
Yeah. So online networking was a really big thing for me when I was part-time working because at that time I just wanted to do a lot more of my own stuff. So I would sit on Facebook. Actually just speaking to people online on Facebook and then realising that I was enjoying sitting on Instagram and sharing snippets of work - that really worked cause it's a very visual platform. And then the thing with me is I don't realise that sometimes there are actually people out there watching and listening, so I just share stuff and it just goes down quite well apparently. And that's how it kind of started. So meeting these people online, just talking about what I do, sharing advice about how to design stuff, that's how it kind of really kicked off.
Krishna Solanki:
And Cambridge is like one of those really nice places where it doesn't take very long to kind of build your network because everyone does know everyone. And also when I was working part-time as well and working on the business part-time I would make a point of going to a networking event once a week in the evenings. So it was quite challenging because my husband used to come back from work in London. We would literally high five each other and I would run out the door. But it was good - the work life balance worked and I was just full of energy, full of beans, crazy beans, but I'd just make it out and I'd see people. And they'd obviously recognise me from my profile picture. I used to love going out and meeting people and don't get me wrong. I am introverted, but there is something about when you go out somewhere and there's that little bit of fear that I have that I'm like, 'oh my God, I can't go out and do something'. And then I'm like, 'yeah I can, I can totally do this'. I kind of have a weird conversation with myself in my head and I just push myself to go and do it. And that's how it started.
Krishna Solanki:
The other thing was when I was sitting on Instagram, I know Steve, that you know Kelly Molson at the agency Rubber Cheese? So I'm a massive fan. Girl crush. And I used to follow her on Instagram and it was something that she'd shared about asking someone that she admired when she was at some kind of a networking event or something for a mentor. And I was like, oh my God, if she can do this, I can do this. So within that weird moment of like, I'm just gonna ask her. So I sent her a little message saying, 'I really admire everything you do in your agency. I would love to learn from you. Can you help me out?' It was just as simple as that. And she was like, yeah, sure. And that was it. I was sweating buckets after that. <Laugh>
Steve Folland:
Wow. So you reached out to her as a sort of mentor.
Krishna Solanki:
Absolutely.
Steve Folland:
So what was that relationship like or that experience? What happened? What did you get out of it?
Krishna Solanki:
It was really scary. Cause I thought, why would she want to actually mentor someone that she doesn't wanna know? Who's just been sitting here stalking her online, on Instagram for the best part of six months, if not longer, just because I love the agency and the vibe and everything she's done. And just wanting to learn everything basically. So when I reached out, she said, yeah, sure. So we set up a couple of meetings and I explained to her where I was in the business. Cause I'm a quite a process driven designer. So for people who don't know what that means: it is basically there needs to be a process with everything. So whether it's an onboarding process, I've got that. If it's an off boarding, I've got that. If it's the whole project, I've got that. So when I'm explaining things to Kelly saying, this is how I run the business, she's like, this is really amazing.
Krishna Solanki:
And then there were times when I'd kind of not even thought about something. So for example, when I was struggling with getting that final invoice being paid, I was like, how do I do this? At that time I think I was doing something like 20% deposit, 30% before the project actually starts in terms of design or development and then 50% at the end. And that's quite a lot, if you think of how much is remaining at the end. And she was like, well, have you thought about changing the terms? Have you thought about doing it in a different way? So you've got like 30, 30, 30, and then 10 at the end, because then if there's something remaining, it's only a 10%, it doesn't actually hold your cash flow up.
Krishna Solanki:
And I was like, that is a really good idea. So it was things like that, that she's helped me a lot with. And obviously she introduced me to quite a few people in her network who needed website design and stuff like that. So one of my very, very early clients who I remember working with was from Sue Keogh, from Sookio - a digital marketing agency in Cambridge. She's amazing as well. And I didn't know that she was on Squarespace at the time. So I also admired her because of her business model and the way she runs her agency. And we'd been up for a couple of awards at the same time, but I was so afraid of her and her business because she was so much bigger than me that I just didn't have any guts inside me to kind of say hello or do anything.
Krishna Solanki:
It was almost the case of why would I be talking to someone who I admire, who is so far ahead in their journey? It's all imposter syndrome. It was all in my head, completely all in my head. So Kelly introduced me to Sue and we redesigned their website while I was on maternity leave. And she was a brilliant client because back then pre pandemic, I would literally sit there with my little one in the epram next to me, talking through website designs and like the concept and explaining why it should be like this. And that was really good.
Steve Folland:
I love the impact reaching out to that one first person made. Just taking that step.
Krishna Solanki:
Yeah. I think that's it. That is the key thing, because if you don't make the step, you don't take the step. You've just got no opportunity. And actually one of the things I really admire is when people reach out, because unless you reach out - one, you're never gonna learn, you're never gonna know. And two - it becomes really difficult to kind of find talent, for example. So and I'm one of those people actually that if you're trying to do something, you've gotta do it the right way. So either you teach yourself or you learn from someone who's already done something like that. And the only way you're gonna learn from someone else is if you ask the questions, you kind of probe, but with best intentions. So that was all it was when I got in touch with Kelly, cause I was like, she's got so much knowledge.
Krishna Solanki:
I know she has. And she's so sharing in everything that she does anyway. So if I could kind of even gain like a little bit of that, then I'm one step ahead of where I am now. And that's what it was. So it was just a continual thing of just learning and kind of developing and growing, even at my own slow pace because I'm not a risk taker. And that's one of the things I really wish was different. I wish I was a risk taker because if I was, I think I probably would've started the journey in being freelance or opening up the agency years ago. And I probably would've been way ahead of myself. But then you gotta think about everything that happens, happens for a reason, which I strongly do believe - it leads you to the path that you're in at the moment... Going a bit hippy dippy here.
Steve Folland:
Hey, I'm here for the woo,
Krishna Solanki:
But it is all of that. So if you don't take the step, you don't know. So that's probably one of the things I would give my younger self advice on. Just do it. I try and tell myself that every day, just do it, just get on with it. Which is why like, when things come through, even if I don't know the answer and I don't know how to do it, I'll probably panic... And then I'll be like, yes, let's just go for it. Let's just do it because why not? What's there to lose? There isn't - you're only gonna gain something. You're only gonna learn. But if you don't know how to do something, things like Google and YouTube really do exist for a reason, you can do everything with both, both those two and having someone who can just push you in the right direction a little bit, because sometimes that's all you need. You just need someone to have a little bit of trust in you support you and just tell you that it's gonna be alright, just go for it.
Steve Folland:
So you started getting clients through online networking and then referrals. And sounds like you must have been busy enough then when you went full time freelance?
Krishna Solanki:
Yeah, absolutely. So back then, and even more recently, I've been fully booked for about a minimum three to six months in advance. And that was great because obviously, like I said, I'm quite process driven. So I knew exactly when each project would start, when it would overlap when it would complete, when the next pay-cheque would come through, when that invoice was due, I could plan it. I could see it all in the next six months ahead. And it was at that point when I was like, well, how many times can I keep kind of booking in advance, booking in advance? And it got to like six, seven months. And I was thinking, right, something's gotta change here. Either my prices are too low because I'm so far in advance or I should be taking people on and doing things at a quicker pace. And it was at that point when I was thinking, right, let's try and let's just try and see what I can do.
Krishna Solanki:
What's the next challenge I can kind of overcome in the business. And at that time I upped my rates and at the same time, I started getting inquiries that were a little bit more bespoke for website design for Squarespace. And they were actually from agencies. So at the same time was trying to learn about the next challenges and next steps in the business that I can take. I was introduced again by Kelly to the Agencynomics community. And I joined that in January, the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Krishna Solanki:
So in January I joined that and then I got kicked out, not knowing why. So I was like, this is annoying. I need to know what's going on here. Why have I just been kicked out? Don't get it. I reached out to them. I was like, 'Hey, I'm only here to learn. I don't understand. Like, what's the big deal I've been in here for about a week now I'm kicked out'. Turns out it was because I was a one woman band and they only do members who run agencies of three plus - but they've changed that model now. And also the person I was kind of speaking to happens to be the founder of the community. So I didn't really even realise I was just chatting to someone who's quite high in the game. Realized at the same time that the website's on Squarespace, I was like, right, you guys really need to change 'these things'.
Krishna Solanki:
I haven't even even been to the back end of the site, but I can tell you, just looking at the front that there's a handful of stuff that you could easily just change in like half an hour and you guys will be good. It's more professional looking. And he was like, oh, thanks. We'll take that on board. And then just let me back into the community. Cause I was like, I'm just here to learn. There's nothing malicious. I just wanna kind of learn <laugh>. Yeah. So I got back in, started mingling, doing some more online networking, just kind of talking. And I'll be honest. It was really challenging because it was the same time the pandemic hit. And it was also the same time I was thinking, hang on, I wanna grow and scale the business. So they have these mastermind groups.
Krishna Solanki:
So they let me join this mastermind group, but I am so early on in this journey, like one woman band versus 3, 5, 10, 50 women/men agencies. I was like, I can't even see myself sitting in the same room as these people, because my challenge is different to their challenges. They're trying to get to like £1 million, £5 million. I haven't even hit like anything substantial in that amount. So I was like, let's calm myself down a little bit here. Anyway, long story short - the pandemic hit, everything took a hit, ended up homeschooling Head Of Distraction, which is my eight year old.
Steve Folland:
<Laugh> I love that you give them titles like that.
Krishna Solanki:
Honestly. So Head of Distraction, homeschooled her and we had Head of Destruction who is genuinely like a Tasmanian devil. Walk into a room and honestly, she just spins and it's like, everything's just in disarray. So it was just really difficult to kind of think about the agency, continue working homeschooling. My husband's was kind of stuck to the nine to five, Monday to Friday, but we'd made a balance during the pandemic. So he would work from eight to a four. I would do 6AM because my children literally just do not sleep. So from six til four, it was me doing pretty much like the breakfast, the lunches, the keeping them entertaine, homeschooling...
Krishna Solanki:
Four o'clock came. I would be like 'high five. You handle 'em now - I'm not looking at them any longer. I've had enough'. And then from about 4.30 to literally midnight, I would work in the business. I would continue doing all of work, doing like the designing, doing the marketing, doing the leads, all of it. And somehow I don't know how we worked it out, but it worked. It kind of did continue growing during the pandemic. I know there are a lot of businesses that unfortunately didn't make it and they did struggle. But I did find that because people had more time to think about what they were doing. They wanted to set up on their own or they wanted to co-found a business or an agency or something they kind of came through. So it was almost like I had lots of clients who wanted to set up with their branding, needed to brainstorm my ideas, turn that into a visual concept, use that on the website.
Krishna Solanki:
And that's how we kind of got through the pandemic. And then by the end of the pandemic, I was like, oh my God, I can't believe I've just done all of this stuff. We've all been through this mad mess. And it's working. Everyone seems to have probably got more greyer and got more wrinkly. I know I have. It was challenging. And then when they went back into school and into nursery, it was like, how on earth have I got all these hours? And I can do all the things I need to again and keep going. So we got back onto that train, carried on going, keep doing the same thing.
Krishna Solanki:
And then it was the agency owner from Agencynomics - the community owner, the founder. He was like, okay, we really need our website to be redesigned. So I was like, great, let's go. I was like, let's start in January because that's my availability. And he was like, why? I need it by November? And I was like, okay, this is scary. How am I gonna fit this in? Somehow I just did fit it all in. And then I was talking to him and saying to him, like, I just wanna grow. I just need to grow. I need more people because I don't, I can't be pushing all my clients back three to six months saying just wait for me. Although that wait time is good because it gives them time to kind of think about all the things that they need to provide me.
Krishna Solanki:
So copy, conten,t images, all of that gets done first. Then we kind of hit the ground running after we've had a strategy session, design sign off and it's a smooth process. And obviously if you are actually saying, you want it now, that means you've gotta give me the content. Now I need the content yesterday for me to start the design tomorrow. Do you have that? Oh no, we don't have that... So I was like, okay, let's take it a step back. We'll do the wire framing first. Then we do the design and then we'll go from there. Still turns out that he was like, right, you still need more people on board. You still need to take more people on board. Cause you've got all this work, you are growing. And I was like: tell me how this happens. Cause I don't understand. I genuinely don't understand what the process is. And it turns out that that's given him a brainwave to set up a new mastermind group for their community. And that's what I've joined earlier this year to help me grow and scale into the agency that I have the vision for. If that makes sense.
Steve Folland:
Crikey.
Krishna Solanki:
Quite a ramble. I know <laugh>
Steve Folland:
We need to dig deeper into this 'growing' and becoming an agency vision. Where does that come from inside you? Is it: I don't want to turn, work away? The work is there, I enjoy doing it. Therefore I need to find a way to do that by bringing on more people. Is it a financial thing? Is it a social thing? What do you think it is?
Krishna Solanki:
It's all of the above <laugh> it honestly is. I think from not actually having worked in an agency, not having had that background, not being degree educated in it... That really burnt. And I think that's what it is, because I was thinking, I don't see why you have to have a degree education to be able to work in an agency. It doesn't work like that because as long as you can do the work, at the end of the day, you're still showing the same skill set as someone who has done that. And I did, and for me, because I don't have that degree education in it and I've taught myself everything. I think that that shows a little bit more fire in my belly into knowing what I wanna do. So one of the things I actively look at is not just, I don't actually look at the background of the designers who, who I look to work with.
Krishna Solanki:
I actually think that being self taught is... It's a steeper learning curve, but you get more out of it than actually being taught how to click a button and put something in a particular way. There's a lot of psychology behind design as well. So as long as you understand the psychology behind it, I think that it works. You don't necessarily need to have a degree. And that's what it is. That plus - financially. Yeah. I mean, let's be honest. I think that's probably is a factor because I do want it all. I do want to have the work life balance. I wanna raise a family. I wanna just have nice holidays and not think about anything and just be a bit stress free. And if that comes with being a little bit more financially stable, then yeah. Obviously I will work hard for that.
Steve Folland:
How did you know then as you sort of transitioned from doing it all and being a solo business to starting to build an agency, how do you know who to bring on? Are you replicating tasks that you do?
Krishna Solanki:
Really good question. And this is one of the things I'm learning at the moment. Obviously one - you do have to let go when you are the person who does everything. You have to find that person who you think you can let go to. So the first person I've hired is a VA. So she does all the stuff I hate doing - all the stuff I don't want to do. We started off with the newsletter. She kind of refined all that, went through everything on the newsletter. Cause I do have one, it's died a slow death at the minute. It doesn't really exist. But it's on the list to kind of get that revamped.
Krishna Solanki:
She also then sorted out all of the things that I don't have time to do. So when I went through the rebrand and redesign of my own website, I've got way over 150 blog articles that I've written over the years. So I used to write one article a week about Squarespace design, branding, setting up a business. There's lots of stuff out there on my blog at the minute, that's got so much knowledge. I really should repurpose all of that and bring it back again. She's helping me do stuff like that. So she was the first person I kind of leaned to is definitely good to have on board. And the second person is a designer. So all of my projects at the minute when I'm running short of time or if I've got so many things on that, I know that I can outsource - she's the person I'd give that to.
Krishna Solanki:
So she started doing a lot more work for me and I'm hoping that she might be the person that I can bring on board as a part-time employee going forward. I also do have a developer, so she has her own business and is in America, but she's brilliant. And again, she's the kind of person that I'm hoping to bring on board as I grow as well. So I'm actively looking for designers and developers, Squarespace developers, I can actually bring on board at any point because I can see the business is gonna grow and I can see that I am gonna need those hands on. So it's those people. And then I think it's gonna be a project manager, someone who can kind of manage it because I am process driven. I do have project management and I use Asana and it works perfectly for where I am at the minute.
Krishna Solanki:
And I think that it's a great tool, but it obviously has that learning curve. So someone who knows how to juggle all the projects, knows when to chase stuff up, if it needs chasing and managing things. So I can step away from that and I can go into lead generation and marketing, cuz actually I'm really enjoying that side of things. I love designing. I love developing. That's like my core. But at the same time, there's just something that comes with actually going out and talking to people and bringing in more projects. I love that bit as well.
Steve Folland:
Sounds like you love it all.
Krishna Solanki:
I do, which is really challenging. What bit do I give up first? <Laugh> If you can get head space knowing that someone else is gonna be able to do it, because some things you don't have to do yourself. As long as it gets done, it gets done. And that's what's ke,y because that just gives you that time to do something else, figure something else out. And I think that's probably one of the things I procrastinated on. I took ages and ages, cause I'm not a risk taker. Took me ages to figure out that if she can do it, then just let her do it. It doesn't matter how it gets done. It's done and I can move on from knowing it's done.
Steve Folland:
You mentioned your blog. I've been aware that you have so much stuff on your blog, which I've also seen on Instagram split into really helpful posts, which position you as a Squarespace expert in particular. How have you fitted that in over the years? It seems to be an important thing.
Krishna Solanki:
It is, it is an important thing. And actually, that's how I started. When I found that I had a lot more free time, I would research stuff. I would learn stuff for myself. I would share that - I would just write it down. I've just written everything down. I've always been good at kind of writing my thoughts down - it's like a business diary. And actually, I used to get a lot of questions asked, which would be the same thing. Like what tips... or what can I do to improve my website? I realised that I should just write it down. I should just put it down somewhere. And that's what I did. And I also used to blog for some web design magazines back in the day. And I interviewed loads of designers, which were quite popular as well. So that was quite fun and actually reaching out to them and hearing about their journey and learning that blogging is actually a really good marketing tool because it not only showcases your expertise, it kind of helps you to understand things and shares the value. That's kind of already naturally sitting in your head, so to speak - it's there. And then as social media got bigger, it was easier to kind of say, hang on, let me share this.
Krishna Solanki:
I can put it on Instagram and say I've shared it and I've got it there. And when I go to do some networking, I can say, Hey, I've got this here, take a look. And then it turned into like people were saying, can you come and do a talk - we've got like a networking event. So I was like, yeah, sure - scares me because obviously I am not good with standing in a room full of people and talking, but I loved it. Again, it's a case of like just learning about all the things or sharing all the things I already have in my head or already know and just making it readily available to people who might not know that. And that's where it all kind of began. And then I realised, well, you know, just allocating a time slot to it.
Krishna Solanki:
So it used to be I'd take one day in the week, I would literally just sit there and write the article and write my key points about what I was gonna write. Maybe it was the title and then it would be if it was a, you know, five tips to share, I'd write those tips out and then I'd go back either later on in the day or another day and fill it out and say, these are the tips. And then I'd go back and add in some images. Cuz the thing with me is when I try and write something in one go, sometimes it just doesn't work. The creative juices just do not flow. So just kind of knocking a little bit out and actually writing quite a few different articles in the same day.
Krishna Solanki:
So I'd have like a brainstorming session and say, hang on today, I'm gonna write a business article. I'm gonna write branding design and a Squarespace. I'd write the titles out. Then I'd kind of do a little of a research. Think about what I actually wanted those articles to entail, realise is that of value to the people who would wanna read that, fill it all out. And then somehow I would just in the one week be able to write out the article, write out create the graphic for it, prep it, put it on my website and then just have it scheduled, ready to go. And I would be a couple of weeks in advance doing that as well. So it was like every week there'd be a new article and I'd have everything written out and I would have all the marketing associated for that one article written out in my notes as well. So it's a copy and paste... and this is why I think I didn't sleep because I was constantly doing stuff.
Steve Folland:
<Laugh> I was gonna say, you've said a couple of times that 'somehow I did it'. And I thought, well it sounds like a combination of being really organised, loving your processes so that you stay on track, but also that 100 miles an hour life that you mentioned as well. The fact that you love doing it.
Krishna Solanki:
Yeah. Cause as silly as it sounds like, even if I was doing the school run and I know you've done this, I know you've sat in the car and you've recorded stuff and caught up on stuff and that's exactly what I used to. So if I'm walking, then I would have podcasts in my ears about what I'm trying to write about. Or I'm learning stuff. As I'm walking along, listening to a podcast about branding or design or something, how to set the agency up or how to learn something in business next steps. And that's all going into my head. So as I'm walking there, I'm processing it. And by the time I've got there, I've already got it in my head. The things that I wanna write about in my next article. So then for me it's a case of like, what I should have done is probably put it in a voice memo, but <laugh> what I was doing was writing it in my notes.
Krishna Solanki:
And notes then sync with my app, the app then syncs... And when I come back at my desk, I've already got it written out. Then it's case of just re pumping it out a little bit. And then things like when I'm sitting at gymnastics or sitting at Kung Fu with the kids, they're doing their class, I'm just sitting there on my phone or with my iPad and just doing just the other bits around work. It's not design because I can only design when I'm actually at my Mac. And that's one of the things I find a bit challenging. I can't even design on my MacBook, which is really weird. I only can design on my iMac. So I kind of sit here and do that any other time when it comes to work, it's probably just on my phone or my iPad, but that's doing the research, doing the writing, doing all the background stuff.
Krishna Solanki:
But I don't switch off. My brain doesn't switch off. I've tried the slower lifestyle. I've tried to kind of chill and be a bit more conscious about taking 'me time'. And it's just not me. It doesn't work. I find that I freak out. I freak out when I've got time to not think about work because, I'll be like, oh my God, I'm so chill. And actually what happens is if I'm chilled, I always get ill. So when we wen on holiday recently, I actually switched off. We were in Spain and I didn't sit on social and I was so calm and so relaxed... that I got ill for the best part of five days when we were away for seven. Pointless. And then by the time I'd come back, I'd worked up a panic that I was like, oh my God, I've just been switched off for like seven days that I've got to now catch up on all the things. So I just function better when I'm not switched off. Basically I need to be on all the time.
Steve Folland:
I wanted to ask you about awards as well. Cause you mentioned those
Krishna Solanki:
They're great. They're great for giving you credibility or giving you that elevation in the industry. So it works, but at the same time, I'm a bit skeptical about them because I do think that there's an element of it's who you know, rather than what you know, in certain awards. And that grinds on me a little bit, because you could work, work, work, work, work, and still not win. But I don't think that the winning is obviously the be all and end all. If that makes sense, I do love attending them. Cause I think they're great for just being able to get dressed up and going out and having a good time and mingling with people and all that good stuff. But I also think that there's an element of like, do I need this?
Krishna Solanki:
I think it helps with the business. Yes. Gives you the credibility, showcases that you're actually out there and obviously helps with winning bigger projects. But at the same time, everyone's an award winning designer. Everyone's an award winning development agency. It's just a case of how much do you push it? So I've kind of stripped that off the website now because it makes me feel a bit pompous <laugh>. For me, unless your clients are saying exactly how they feel and what the results are... I don't feel like I have to continuously keep saying, I'm an award winning this, this, this, and this, because there are so many great agencies, so many great businesses. And I don't think that they always get the credibility they deserve because they haven't necessarily won an award. Am I waffling?
Steve Folland:
<Laugh> no, no, no. So actually, it's now got to a point where it feels more like doing the work and showing the work and showing yourself is worth more than the award.
Krishna Solanki:
Yeah. I definitely think that because I mean, it's gonna sound really stupid. I mean, I've got an award up on the shelf behind me for website of the year that my client won a couple years ago and I love it. And it gave me such a great buzz. And I went to Duxford airport. We sat underneath the Concord having dinner and I was like, this is amazing. It's just another level of buzz that you get from it. But unless you can keep up with that... continuously keep up with being able to market winning those big projects, entering yourself into those awards or being nominated for those awards, which takes quite a lot of effort. I don't think it's a bad thing. You should definitely do it. I also don't think it's a good thing because it can kind of distract you and you can live off of the high of something that you've won four years ago and kind of roll on it.
Krishna Solanki:
You've gotta have that consistency. You've gotta keep that consistency up. If you've got the vision to kind of keep going forward and going higher and higher and higher. And that's what's key. So yeah, winning awards is great. And obviously <laugh>, I'll be the first one to be standing on the stage going 'Yes!! I've won!' At the same time, it's like, I do kind of feel a bit, I dunno. I think work needs to be shown in what I'm doing and the client saying that they've had great return on investment and stuff like that.
Steve Folland:
Krishna, if you could tell your younger self one thing about being freelance, what would that be?
Krishna Solanki:
It would be just do it. Don't over think it - just say yes, go for it. Don't worry. It will all work out.
Steve Folland:
Krishna, thank you so much. And all the best being freelance!
Krishna Solanki:
Thank you. It's been a pleasure.
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