Story

I started StreamShark in 2016 after getting rejected from several entry-level jobs. I was left with no option but to start my own business. I spent 8–10 hours every day teaching myself how to design through YouTube tutorials, free courses, and podcasts. I made a basic website using Wix and contacted a streamer, asking if I could design their channel in exchange for promotion on their social media. From there, I received my first paying customer!

Once upon a time, organic reach on Instagram used to be really good, and I took advantage of this by posting every day. As demand grew and the complexity of customers' requests began to exceed my capabilities, I decided to make my first hire. This meant I was able to take on more clients and provide different services.

Today, I have a directive role within the business. This involves managing several designers on a daily basis, including animators, illustrators, and graphic designers.

The success of StreamShark can be linked to a few key factors which I will describe below.

Art Style

Our art style is very different from the majority of the competition. However, it is still general enough to attract more than a tiny percentage of the industry. This can sometimes be the case when a design style is too niche.

Conversion rate

The website has a high conversion rate due to its clear CTAs and value proposition.

SEO

I created a freemium-style SEO strategy by making multiple pages containing free assets for streamers to use. As these pages ranked on Google, I added thousands of leads, which eventually turned into paid orders. I could retarget these customers with ads and add them to our email marketing list. All of the extra clicks help our overall SEO ranking as well.

Reputation

The reputation of the business is solid due to excellent customer service and product quality. Word of mouth spreads quickly within the Twitch universe.

Repeat customers

Repeat customers. This is not usually a metric that design agencies will bother with. We are not a SaaS business. However, many customers have returned to us after 2 or 3 years looking for a rebrand. Instead of looking elsewhere, they come back to us because of their excellent initial experience.

Operations

One of the most important factors that cannot be ignored is how I operate the business. The team I have recruited are phenomenal at their jobs. Working from various timezones is not an issue due to the policies we have in place. No pointless weekly meetings and no designated hours. A mixture of freedom and efficiency. As long as the work gets done on time and to a high standard, everyone is happy.

Clients

I have worked with a variety of clients. Ranging from superstar athletes and huge social media personalities to brand new streamers. Attracting customers from all over the world is not an easy task, especially with so much competition.

Experience

My journey with StreamShark has given me invaluable experience within the design and business worlds. Running an agency has taught me how to recruit talent, get hands-on with design, manage clients, make sales, and optimise the user experience.

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