"I Built a $24,000/Month Shopify Agency: Here's How"
Behind the Scenes of a UK Shopify Agency's Growth Journey
In Todayโs Newsletter:
"I Built a $24,000/Month Shopify Agency: Here's How"
๐ย Pro:ย Unlock Your Hidden Asset โ Freelancer Connections as a Product Ecosystem
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"I Built a $24,000/Month Shopify Agency: Here's How"
Picture this: a global crisis hits, and the world grinds to a halt. In these moments, where uncertainty looms large, a digital entrepreneur named Oliver Green finds a rare opportunity.
His story isn't just about navigating through tumultuous times; it's about seizing the moment, adapting with agility, and learning with a purpose.
Welcome to the remarkable journey of Create Circus, where challenges become stepping stones to success and where learning and innovation are at the core of transformation.
From Pandemic Pivot to Profit: The Birth of a Digital Agency
Meet Oliver Green, a digital entrepreneur with a flair for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. His journey began with two businesses, Carpe Diem Rome Tours and Create Circus Agency, but it's the story of Create Circus that captures the essence of innovation and perseverance. Create Circus, a UK-based Shopify development agency, stands out as a beacon of high-quality e-commerce store creation.
Oliver's foray into Create Circus emerged from his rich experience in building a successful Shopify business. As the pandemic receded, leaving behind a landscape ripe for digital exploration, Oliver seized the opportunity. He started by building e-commerce stores for clients as a freelancer (๐ Speaking of freelancers โ donโt miss the โYour Hidden Asset โ Freelancer Connectionsโ tactic at the end of this post!), a venture that quickly evolved into the birth of Create Circus. The agency was born out of a desire to fill a critical gap in the market โ the need for standout branding and quality in online stores.
The agency's mission was clear: to offer more than just standard online storefronts. They began crafting custom-built templates and designs, elevating the online shopping experience into something unique and memorable for each client. This approach wasn't just about aesthetics; it was about setting a new standard in digital commerce.
Create Circus's growth is a reflection of Oliver's vision. From its humble beginnings, the agency now reports a monthly turnover of approximately $24,000. The team is a dynamic mix of talent, including two full-time project managers, three full-time developers, and two freelance designers and copywriters.
Initially focused on creating new stores, Create Circus has since expanded its horizons. They now offer a range of services, including SEO and SEM, to retainer clients. But the innovation doesn't stop there. Oliver and his team are currently exploring Tik Tok marketing, aiming to develop a dedicated service in this area.
Navigating New Horizons: Oliver's Leap from Tourism to E-Commerce
Before the world was engulfed by the pandemic, Oliver's professional life was deeply rooted in the tourism industry. However, as COVID-19 brought global travel to a standstill, he found himself at a crossroads. With the tourism sector in limbo, Oliver was compelled to pivot, to find a new path in an uncertain world. This necessity became the catalyst for an unexpected journey into e-commerce and digital marketing.
During the lockdown, Oliver immersed himself in the intricacies of building a Shopify branded business. He delved into the nuances of marketing and e-commerce, embracing the challenge with a resilience forged by circumstance. This wasn't Oliver's first attempt at entrepreneurship or adopting a nomadic lifestyle, but previous endeavors hadn't taken root. This time, however, was different. With limited options, he felt a sense of urgency, a drive to push through the barriers that had held him back before.
The birth of Create Circus was a turning point. This venture wasn't just a business; it was a gateway to freedom and a support system for his other entrepreneurial pursuits.
Financially, Oliver was on solid ground when he started Create Circus. The foresight and prudence of his 20s had led to wise investments and savings. This financial cushion allowed him to channel a portion of his resources into launching his brands. Remarkably, the initial investment to get Create Circus off the ground was less than $2,500 USD.
Building a Team, Cultivating Culture: The People Behind Create Circus's Success
At the core of Create Circus's success lies its people. Oliver places immense value on his team, particularly highlighting the contributions of Alina and Diliara, his project managers, whose expertise and dedication have been instrumental in the company's growth. This focus on people extends beyond his staff to encompass all aspects of the business โ brand, culture, and customer service.
Financing the startup was a blend of personal savings and credit. The challenges were manifold, as Oliver balanced two part-time jobs amidst a tourism industry silenced by the pandemic. Initially, Oliver shouldered the workload alone, focusing on basic edits and changes for clients, with projects typically priced between $300 and $500. His primary aim during these early stages was to establish social proof and maintain a stellar reputation through excellent reviews.
A strategic move in Oliver's journey was his decision to sign up for an American Express cashback card. This card was not just a financial tool; it was a strategic asset, enabling him to earn cashback on expenses ranging from freelancer payments to salaries and equipment purchases.
Oliver also delved into researching ways to maximize potential income. He recognized that his clients often needed affiliate schemes for hosting, domain names, and software/apps, and he positioned Create Circus to meet these needs effectively.
Managing cash flow in a startup is a delicate balance, especially when the ambition is to grow and scale. Oliver understood that continuous investment in branding, identity, and development was essential to ensure the maximization of returns. This holistic approach to business development, combining financial acumen with a focus on people and service, laid the foundation for Create Circus's success in the competitive world of digital commerce.
Digital Footprints to Lasting Impressions: Mastering Customer Acquisition and Retention
The path to attracting and retaining customers for Create Circus has been a multifaceted journey, combining digital strategies with personal connections and continuous learning. Oliver and his team discovered early on that broadening their digital footprint was crucial. They registered the agency on various directories and freelancing websites, including Fiverr, People per Hour, and Upwork, which played a significant role in building a loyal customer base (๐ Check out the Unlock Freelancer Connections tactic at the end!).
However, it wasn't just about being present on multiple platforms; it was also about creating value and engagement. With the revenue generated, Create Circus invested heavily in its digital presence, particularly through a blog that soon became a hub for over 2000 monthly readers. This blog, ranking on the first page for multiple search terms, became a resource for clients and others interested in e-commerce. The team smartly focused on sharing knowledge about tasks they don't directly sell, like basic Shopify adjustments, thus avoiding conflicts of interest and building trust.
Newsletter subscriptions further helped in keeping the audience engaged and returning for more insights. Despite its growth, the blog is seen as a work in progress, consistently evolving to better serve its readers.
In a significant move to enhance their digital presence, Create Circus is undertaking a complete website redesign. This redesign aims to optimize the conversion of their increasing web traffic.
Another strategy that has proved fruitful is networking. Attending local business events and globally recognized conferences like the Web Summit in Lisbon has opened doors to new clients and opportunities for personal introductions.
The secret sauce for retaining customers at Create Circus lies in their hands-on approach and excellent communication. The team's ability to build personal relationships with clients ensures that customers not only return for additional services but also refer the agency to others. This approach has led to a cycle of recurring business and referrals.
Oliver also emphasizes the importance of investing in tools and knowledge. He suggests swapping out a monthly dinner for a subscription to tools like Ahrefs, SemRush, or Shopify, underscoring the belief that such sacrifices and persistence are crucial for long-term gains.
This blend of digital strategies, personal engagement, continuous learning, and effective tools has been the cornerstone of Create Circus's approach to attracting and retaining a diverse and satisfied clientele.
Strategic Pricing and Future Plans: Navigating the Road Ahead for Create Circus
Create Circus, under Oliver's leadership, is currently on a promising trajectory. Despite a slow start, they are experiencing an upward trend, evidenced by increasing organic rankings and a growing collection of five-star reviews.
A key focus for the team has been a reassessment of their pricing strategy. Recognizing the disparity between the high quality of their work and their relatively low prices compared to other agencies, they are devising a plan to increase both the value and the cost of their services. This shift is aimed at aligning their pricing more closely with the industry standards and the value they provide.
Looking to the future, the launch of their new website marks the beginning of an aggressive growth phase. Accompanying this launch will be a targeted Google advertising campaign aimed at acquiring new clients. Furthermore, they plan to offer ongoing retainer services, including SEO, marketing, and launch advice. The goal is to have these retainer services cover the business's running costs, providing a stable financial base and allowing the team more freedom to innovate and grow.
Currently, the majority of their customer acquisition (about 70%) comes from freelance platforms, with the rest being direct or referral. Most of their income (95%) is generated from new store builds and projects, with a small portion (5%) coming from retainers. Sometime soon, they aim to balance their customer acquisition sources more evenly between organic and marketplace channels and shift their income model to include a larger portion of retainers.
In terms of marketing, they have a budget of $10,000 set aside, with an additional savings of $2,000 to $3,000 per month earmarked for this purpose. After witnessing successful advertising campaigns on TikTok for Carpe Diem Rome, they are exploring how to create appealing ads for a younger audience in the service industry.
The blog remains a cornerstone of Create Circus's strategy. With ambitions to become the second-largest source of Shopify reading material globally, they are focused on continuous improvement and expansion. While acknowledging the challenges ahead, the team is energized by their current results and remains committed to their growth strategy.
Overall, the future for Create Circus looks promising, with plans for expansion, a stronger focus on retainer services, and a commitment to becoming a leading voice in the Shopify community.
The Toolbox for Success: How Create Circus Leverages Digital Resources
Create Circus leverages a suite of digital tools and platforms to streamline its operations, enhance its services, and manage its growth effectively. Each tool serves a specific purpose, aligning with the company's goals and processes.
Shopify Partner and Expert Accounts: These are central to Create Circus's operations, given their focus on developing Shopify stores. These accounts provide them with the necessary resources, support, and insights to build and optimize e-commerce sites effectively.
Fiverr Pro: This platform is utilized for sales, business growth, and development. It's a key channel for acquiring new clients and expanding their reach in the freelance marketplace.
PS. Donโt miss our pro section at the end: ๐ Unlock Your Hidden Asset โ Freelancer Connections as a Product EcosystemNotion: This tool is integral to their day-to-day activities, serving as an organizational hub. Notion helps them manage projects, track progress, and collaborate efficiently within the team.
Zapier: This automation tool streamlines various processes such as lead generation, social media management, and scheduling bookings or calls. By automating these tasks, the team can focus more on high-value activities.
Figma and Pixelmator Pro: For the design aspect of their projects, Create Circus relies on Figma for its user interface and user experience design capabilities, and Pixelmator Pro for image editing and graphic design.
Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop: These Adobe tools are staples in the digital design world, used for more advanced photo editing and graphic design tasks.
SEO Tools - Ahrefs and Screaming Frog: For SEO, Create Circus prefers Ahrefs for its comprehensive suite of SEO tools and Screaming Frog for its website crawling capabilities, which are essential for effective SEO strategy and implementation.
Freelance Work - Onlinejobs and Upwork: When the need arises for occasional freelance assistance, including administrative and virtual assistant services, they turn to platforms like Onlinejobs and Upwork. These sites provide access to a wide range of skilled freelancers who can support various aspects of their operations.
By integrating these tools into their workflow, Create Circus has been able to maintain efficiency, foster collaboration, and sustain growth, all while delivering high-quality services to their clients.
Continuous Learning as a Business Mantra: The Educational Foundation of Create Circus
Create Circus's success story is anchored in a steadfast commitment to learning and strategic resource use. This approach, championed by Oliver, the driving force behind the UK-based Shopify development agency, has been pivotal in shaping their business journey.
The team at Create Circus singles out Udemy as a key resource in their developmental arsenal. Their engagement with this online platform is proactive and comprehensive. Regularly delving into a wide range of courses, the team commits to mastering several topics each month. The learning process doesn't stop at course completion. Every insight and piece of knowledge is diligently recorded and organized in Notion, complete with a detailed table of contents. This methodical approach ensures that their learning is not only absorbed but also readily accessible for practical application.
Oliver offers straightforward advice for budding entrepreneurs: keep learning. He emphasizes the importance of continually developing skills vital to any business's growth, such as SEO, marketing, and leadership. This focus on skill enhancement has not only been beneficial for his personal development but has also significantly contributed to the growth of Create Circus.
He also advises rethinking how one spends downtime. For Oliver, engaging in educational activities on platforms like Udemy is far more beneficial than leisure activities like watching TV. This philosophy is further reflected in his approach to note-taking. By meticulously documenting and organizing learnings in Notion, Oliver ensures that these insights are always at hand and can be effectively applied to business strategies.
Oliver's guidance for new entrepreneurs is to start their ventures with awareness that maintaining momentum is the real challenge. He suggests using tools that track progress and help manage growth, highlighting the importance of adapting strategies to suit the business's evolving needs.
On financial decisions, Oliver advises prioritizing investments in tools and services that can directly contribute to business growth, such as Ahrefs, SemRush, or a Shopify subscription. He views these choices as critical sacrifices necessary for long-term success.
Taking breaks is another key strategy Oliver underscores. Despite the allure of continuous work during peak business times, he stresses the need to pause, assess, and restructure to ensure sustainable business growth.
Oliver also highlights the importance of staying current with trends. He suggests not just focusing on platforms like TikTok but exploring the various business opportunities they present, such as niche SEO sites and influencer marketing.
Lastly, Oliver emphasizes the significance of audience engagement. He believes that success is heavily influenced by how effectively one connects with their audience, whether through social media, personal websites, or community advertising.
In summary, Create Circus's narrative is one of strategic learning, wise resource allocation, and adaptability in the competitive digital marketplace.
Reflect, Share, and Subscribe: The Enduring Legacy of Create Circus's Journey
As we draw the curtains on Oliver's inspiring journey with Create Circus, we invite you to reflect on the lessons and insights gleaned from their story. If you found inspiration in this tale of innovation, resilience, and strategic growth, we encourage you to share it with your network. Let others discover how challenges can be transformed into opportunities for growth and success.
Moreover, if you value such insightful stories and wish to support our ongoing efforts to bring them to light, consider subscribing to our paid service. Your support enables us to continue uncovering and sharing these impactful narratives. Together, let's keep learning and growing in the ever-dynamic world of entrepreneurship and digital innovation.