How to start and grow a Digital Marketing Agency? | Avi Arya | Kewal Kishan

Foreign hi everyone.

Welcome to MSME Growth Series. Today we have India's first digital marketer, someone who started a digital marketing agency in year 2005. He has learned from Gary Vee, Grant, Cardone and Denlock. And today in this podcast he is going to bring all his learning for all my viewers. So welcome Avi Arya thank you Keval.

Thank you for having me.

So Avi, you have started your journey as a digital marketer and how big is your company now? Can you tell us?

So we are about 75 people right now going on to be about 100 and we've been doing this for 15 plus years. So yeah, it's been a big journey and a long ride. And through this podcast I want to share with your viewers on how every freelancer can become an agency owner Much faster and easier with easier processes than I followed.

So guys, there are 26 million freelancers in India right now and they are desperately trying to create an agency. So Avi, what do you think? What are the steps which are required for a freelancer to start any kind of agency? For example, if somebody is a designer, how can you open an agency? If somebody is good at Facebook ad, how can you hire people and scale his business? And how big is your business? How much revenue have you made in one year?

So the thing is a very good question so I'll answer this one by one. So we're a niche agency. We work only with hotels conscious decision. So for a niche agency, maximum we've touched is $4 million a year for a how freelancers can I also believe in it every Thursday. When I was growing up we used to have a Gita teacher coming home her Thursday. They say the comparison is the joy. Is the is the thief of joy the same Jesus happening today with freelancers? Freelancer, designer, Facebook ad expert Very good Number one agency. You need to make a list of the top five agencies that you want to work with. But you have to see the people who you look up to. Personalized Video Banaki Beijo or video banana Research Karo Kisser Manadeka agency or Voic Shoe company or make is project May Apki Madhat Karaktam Uski Teen Point Research Kirk Video Banao videos why would somebody say no Research Khadi Apna Brand key or ski Subsebadi Pain point Friction free offer Most probably people will say yes. Step number one Step number two Always mantra Stay close to the sun Son Hoga Supervisory Abo Manager Yavo Owner Heat or light? Heat is pressure Boss Kpas Rogue Boss so Heat Light project third step entrepreneur all over the world or entrepreneurship. But the thing is a job. Cameron Herald second in command. I love that book. If you're the second, third, fourth in command, you will make more money than most of your friends are making as founders. And you still don't have the pressure of the founder. Some people like option to see first name basis. You give me your services in exchange I'll give you. That's a balance.

So you're saying that digital marketing agency start firstly you work in a company experience on how an agency not any company. And now you exit and you start your own business. How to hire employees. For example, if I ask you, you have a 7070 employees.

Multiple times, right? So you have to continuously have conversation with the May interview. 80% people will not come up. Very good shortlist. The Karnata process minus Oga Dusa Oga Mary Life moving parts. Excellent.

Here the secret is for hiring employees in agency. They should have some fire. They should have a reason to do a job. Right? Couple of employees. Specifically startup marketing agency graphic agency. You know, they might end up pitching but budget or a pricing issue brand. How to break it.

When you tell people they will buy your confidence. Similarly, when you get married to a girl or a boy, how confident that the company may be. Mera proposal people buy your confidence.

This is the mantra of today's podcast. If you want to start an agency. When you're going to customers telling about your proposal, discussing the requirement. Confidence plays the biggest part. If you're not confident about your service, if you're not confident about the results which you're going to deliver, you'll not get the kind of pricing that you want from the client.

This is where I'm going. Or Rose Doubt meditation say Gita say gym Jaki Jesse Today I am feeling underconfident. It's not allowed. You cannot play with people's confidence. If you're like.

There'S a law called law of lid which says that out of 1 to 10 the owner is at 8, employees cannot cross 6. But a 12 owner is at 6 will never cross 4. Okay, so Agarapko employees productivity double. Then your employees will try to touch your level. But they can never cross your level because they are working under you.

And similarly so you have to continuously see it. So you get the good players. Good players come for vision and confidence and for a little bit money. So start with any one service and say how I'm going to change it. For example, real estate agents apartments, right? So if you're closest to the money he wants to say owner. So you have to see what can.

You do for your client effort reduce.

Exactly right. The most difficult thing for a human being to do is to think. He's not going to think for you. You have to think and say sir, what is happening? Then he will say okay. How he doesn't care. Facebook ad Nobody cares.

Basically you need to sell the results.

You have to sell the results that the result the closest picture you showed to him in a presentation or in a verbal format.

How do you acquire hotel chain clients and what do you deliver? What is your selling?

So the thing is hotels you are here to sell more rooms, more fnb, more banquets for a hotel or card to sell more rooms, more estate position happy hour or weekend comparative study to increase 10% occupancy or restaurant.

This is the answer to all the people who are struggling with price because they are selling the features, feeling the.

Features and they're selling. You go to the lowest common price. When I don't invest then I don't pay attention to client up pay attention.

Chat GPT is taking away the jobs of content writers. So we see in the headlines AI is coming so people are losing their jobs. What are your views on it?

Present or future? Use that tool better than anybody else can use it, improvise it and show to your boss. Top bullet points, smart points thinking very better idea stories. You're the best content writer in the World Thinking Top 10 Ideas to Sell a hotel with Raju Hirani type storytelling. Enter storytelling Next up storytelling like Gary Vee.

You need to be inclusive. You need to use these tools to become more productive rather than getting fearful.

Of it's like it's like cell phone know phone numbers come on like use.

That to do more to do more like automation.

Like automation. So yeah same way.

So I've seen your photos with Gary Vee, Grant Cardone Danlok. So I'm big fan of all of them. In fact you know three years back I became a big fan of Dan Lok. I used to see at least two videos per day and I learned how to sell from Dan Lok. He's pro at it. So just tell us about all three people.

How do you meet them?

What did you learn from them?

So the thing is or the thing is Mesi Sangat mehram I cannot be in the same all of that so many approaches Manika Gary, BK Video Banana Gary Balata Metham and India my team go phone Kia or Manebola Kari team Kara Christmas Katara guys Jahabi Jarona train May bus May what do you think to IG service Agana? You know Gary V Would you like him to come to? Oh yeah, I love Gary bro. Bring him, bring him or Hamnoski manager Kobeja Loga Kataya amazing appointment fix karate let's do it that way. But weakness he is acknowledging in front of the world so he's got people who are way better than him who are able to do that. Second so you feel like the most important person in the world. How to make people feel important. Let's do the interview. Yes interview Inner circle pull ups push ups body strong he looks fit and all of that 90%.

Are you serious?

Will be a friend of mine Brand Nibanate Speed K Many Ajana.

Pallet Vision.

He did what he said 3 days, 5 days, 7 days. He's done it right? Or promise but you make big promises to yourself.

When somebody wants to start an agency family support Kipa important.

You feel automatically better Ye cheese Bahani Osakti Jack Canfield give my mastermind program or Unko my mansakta you're number one coach in the world first coaches mastermind program Unsa better Koheni Sakta computer Kjo input opportunities yes Ecosystem Dubai may different opportunities different low but stay close to the router devices router Hamari parents device router signal Jada information download signal better Chatta but stay close to the family stay close to the router because agency owners proposal with teen lakh per month Bejo client Kesini Dega.

Especially agency owner proposal.

Number one point domain on how you can pick an industry and add value to them Challenges Char teens challenges how do you know? Mera business detail make as a kariya agadikta second page say second page boss third part may have scobata third page 40 lakhs. Yes second competition or abhi kabulega automatically. Yeah how can I be so cheap? So I'll go back and discuss with my team that I just wanted to see next project and we'll get back to you.

Okay.

Second Karija mind May or yah Apki Harojita Joe Agency owners Abhijo Karami Japaru Profit or loss difference.

Or pele challenges competition or unko Kitna profit realize and then you make them wait for the price to reveal which you're going to charge. Awesome. So all the freelancers who are listening to this podcast this is another mantra given by legend digital marketer. Awesome. So after one week then after one.

Week again you have to be a video call 80 90% is the worst thing you can do for your agency video caller decision maker you will be able to say yes or no.

Just 10% of it Variable Maximum Revenue 1 year Achieve how much have you?

4 million Maximum Cross 4 million USD Yes 24 crores of the value 60k subs 21 lakh 20 lakh rupees a month retainer so Agency India 20 lakh rupees a month retain or website 33 lakh rupees or Abhib Agrab India websites Daventry Hotel Royal Orchid Fern India top hotel websites I think.

Peaceless with the prices that are revealed which Indian customers.

Are paying and I challenge I challenge all digital marketers.

Projected value which they are not getting so the opportunity cost you have made them realize which they are losing.

See you know the thing is opportunity cost value value spin pricing as working in my with my dad in the small hotel business because he has understood the pulse that is why I stick to one industry.

So you should focus.

On one niche See India largest agency owner to many on Kibatko Hamish.

Having said that upscale Karpa multi million dollars.

Yeah yes but though teen income stream.

Internet moguls which is a digital marketing agency it's one of the biggest agency.

In India it's one of the biggest.

Agency niche specifically brand and then we have Avi Arya one of the brand above 1 lakh followers on Instagram and thousands of followers on YouTube and others important personal branding company branding because clarity.

Very good question dependency or depend personal brand most of the business comes oh Aviya Internet movements.

Twitter Instagram.

Who is.

The creator of Microsoft.

Software Banabanaki billionaires millionaires Microsoft follower logo rags to riches success stories Internet hotel industry or brand job Menasika Gharthi and Kirk brand is not k mess up Kesamna Brand is I was the best paymaster best but timely payments right Vendor treatment.

Last question how do you scale an agency Starting you should work in an agency before thinking of opening one how to hire you know the people should have hunger and but how do you scale it? How do you you told us how to get first client second client housing proposal but hazar clients as an agency owner or as a freelancer can he or she make 10 lakh per in.

A month A Kadmiki number of clients Badao AKA retainer per client Vohi choose Kanajata Biskarod per month Mehra Sab India net profit may Abraja focus Karo Akro fake founder Akira Kafi Mujadakta Pandrabis Crowd Kibad 3.0 team. That is our new 3.0 third version 3.0 team. And this is going to be the team which I'm empowering, nurturing to be able to take to the next level. So all of these people will become my, you know, my, my, my growth partners so that they will take the agency to the next level and then high personally under 0% share. I will teach you how to grow.

Because you need to lead by example of clients.

It is the best thing to do. Why will I not give you 10 lakhs a month? Who cares? What's the problem? And people can. So that's what I am now going towards for scaling. And in fact I can close it especially hospitality industry guaranteed. And we share the profits. So I can become partners with 1,000 agency owners. That's my plan for tomorrow to scale.

So what is the future of freelancers in India?

Instagram. That is 80, 90% of the 20 million. First day, first show up. You will become a number one fan. You will never become a player. But if you don't mind being a spec, that's fine. But people like you and me, we need to play. We want people to know us. Instagram channels make successful small business expert Banajata Follow Karnai subscribe to Cable's channel on YouTube subscribe on Instagram subscribe on LinkedIn level one level two to level three mindset business clients Automation.

Initial years I was really hungry for knowledge. I was like where can I pay money and get those learnings which somebody has learned over a decade. So I never.

So that is the attitude that set you apart. A lot of people have the same thing as you, but so I always.

Say that when you pay, you pay attention. The more you pay to an expert, you will be more serious towards getting 10x value out of it.

Exactly.

I think.

So.

Avi, what do you think? Who should be the next speaker on this podcast?

School or college? Is my brother. So Siddharth Kagarab. So we always say he's a brother from another mother. So Siddharth should definitely be the next guy over here. But just I love that guy. I'm 46 years old. Pattern or trends? Observe.

Thank you for all the wishes. So this was Avi Arya who was guiding all the freelancers on how to start an agency, how to scale it, what mistakes you're going to make on your journey, which he has also made and he has scaled it to, you know, a $4 million per year business. And I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Share it with your family, with your friends, with other freelancers who are struggling right now and who want to really grow. Because as Avi says, if you really want to grow, you need to cut out the distraction, and you need to focus on adding value in people's life. And for that, you need to firstly learn on how to add value. So it's time, guys, for you to learn and upgrade yourself. Because I always believe the more you learn, the more you can earn. So with that, let's wrap up today's podcast. Thank you so much, Avi.

Thank you, Keval. Lovely being here.