Co-founded a marketing agency, serving 200+ clients. Secured a $250K acquisition in 2022.
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Back in my second year at the University of Central Lancashire, I teamed up with my childhood mate Abhinav and classmate Kevin to start Approachables—a product-led marketing agency that kicked off in the uni’s Propeller Hub incubator. We had big dreams, a tiny budget, and a whole lotta hustle. With the hub’s mentors and workspace, we grew over four years, working with 200+ clients, from e-commerce brands hitting $750K in New Year sales to a legacy rice mill pulling off a $2M digital shift. We pushed hard, boosting client revenue by 60%, upping lead conversions by 35%, and cutting costs by 40%. Some wins I’m proper proud of? Scaling a SaaS client from $0 to $300K ARR in 18 months with laser-sharp campaigns and doubling an e-commerce brand’s holiday sales with quirky hand-sketched ads.
What made it wild was working with some big players—can’t name ‘em ‘cause of NDAs, but let me paint the picture. We teamed up with a huge TV channel in India, creating campaigns that got folks buzzing with pop-up events and old-school infographics that turned heads. Then there was a major sports league in India—think fast-paced action—where we helped with jersey designing and the big event launch, making sure fans felt the hype online. We also worked with a famous streaming platform’s love-and-drama show, teaming up with influencers over Instagram to get everyone talking about the juicy episodes. And this well-known restaurant chain, super trendy, trusted us to spice up their Covid menu code—think funky visuals and sneaky street marketing that had their tables packed in no time. Plus, we helped two startups from a popular Indian investment show, giving ‘em pitch visuals and strategies that turned their TV spotlight into real-deal sales.
We even started a podcast to chat about marketing tips and client stories, but then COVID hit, and we had to stop—such a bummer!
Our efforts delivered strong results: we increased client revenue by 60%, improved lead conversion rates by 35%, and reduced acquisition costs by 40%, consistently exceeding KPIs. Notable achievements included scaling a SaaS client from $0 to $300K ARR in 18 months through targeted campaigns and doubling an e-commerce bike brand’s seasonal revenue with innovative, hand-sketched ad designs.
We built a custom analytics tool with Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Mixpanel to keep things data-driven, but we also got creative—pop-up events, retro-style infographics, you name it. Balancing that creativity with hard numbers taught me how to think quick, a skill I’m carrying into my MS in AI in Business at Simon Business School. Approachables was my crash course in making things happen, and I’m ready to bring that fire to product management—let’s see what’s next!
Our team expanded to 11 members, with the core being myself as the strategy lead, Kelvin as our systems specialist, and Abhinav as our creative director. After four impactful years, Approachables concluded with a $250K acquisition in 2022 by a respected marketing agency in Mumbai. Kelvin transitioned to a role at a technology unicorn, while Abhinav joined me in launching our next venture, CloudApproach. The experience refined my skills in product management and consulting, which I am eager to apply in future opportunities.
To learn more about my entrepreneurial journey, please explore my project, CloudApproach.
