How We Built A 6 Figure Web Design Agency
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
Hi my name’s Rhami and I run Arch Web Design, we’re a website agency that helps SaaS Companies and Mission-Driven Businesses!
I know those are 2 VERY different niches, so let me explain…
We started out 4 years ago as a website agency that helps SaaS Companies build amazing, high-converting websites and so far we’ve built over 200 SaaS websites.
We’ve helped companies like Hugo 2X their revenue and get acquired by Calendly, Beacon increase sales by 52%, and lots more.
However I personally felt unfulfilled and felt like God was calling us to do more.
In 2024, we started helping out Mission-Driven Companies (think nonprofits, social impact biz, or anyone that values people over profits) because we truly wanted to help amplify the impact that these companies are making in the world.
And we wanted to be more heart-centered in everything we do, so that we can help as many people as possible! So I figured if we can amplify the impact that mission-driven companies are making, then this could help thousands if not millions of people around the world.
We were able to go from 0 to 6 figures in our first year and are hoping to get to 7 figures in 2025!
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
I always knew I wanted to start a business that gave me the flexibility to travel the world, make my own hours and make an impact.
But for the longest time I didn’t know how…I worked for years in the corporate world as a UX designer, and while I enjoyed the work I always hated the environment, rules and lack of innovation. But I didn’t have the guts to make the leap and start working for myself just yet.
That all changed when I turned 30…I went through a big break-up and that gave me the push I needed to finally quit my job, start traveling the world and work for myself!
For the first 4 years I struggled financially because I had no clue what I was doing. But after a lot of time spent learning about marketing, branding, sales, etc I had finally figured out how to get clients and that’s when Arch Web Design was born!
Take us through the process of building the first version of your product.
Our big breakthrough came when I became SUPER FOCUSED. The first 4 years as a freelancer I took on basically any project that would pay me, and that was exhausting plus I wasn’t getting amazing results for my clients always.
When I decided to focus on: what I loved + what I was good at, that’s when things started looking up.
After all, the whole reason I quit my comfortable 9-5 job and started working for myself was so that I could enjoy my life. So why would I do work that I didn’t enjoy??
I realized that I loved and was very good at building Webflow websites + I wanted to work with SaaS companies, so I focused on one service only: building awesome Webflow websites for SaaS Companies.
Describe the process of launching the business.
I bootstrapped the business from the beginning and it came about organically. I started out as a freelancer, and then in March 2020 I had more work than I could handle so that’s when I decided to make my first 2 hires: a UX designer that I had met while traveling in Morocco and a Webflow developer I met on Upwork. And that’s when the agency was born!
Those 2 hires turned out to be gems because they’re both amazing at what they do and they’re awesome people. In fact they’re both still with the agency today.
(which is a phenomenal stroke of luck, because anybody that’s dealt with hiring knows how hard it is to find superstars right away)
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
Funny enough, Upwork was the main driver of clients when we first started but we no longer use it because it makes us look more like a commodity.
The main driver of our marketing has been SEO, and I highly recommend any business to use SEO as the foundation of their marketing because it brings in organic leads that are specifically searching for you. This means they’re much easier to sell to vs cold outreach. On top of that, this creates a steady flow of leads over time and is like a snowball: the longer you work at it, the bigger it gets.
Using data and tools like SEMRush you can research the keywords you need to go after (by factoring in how competitive it is to rank for that KW + search volume) then create awesome content that will provide real value to your readers.
We’ve also been experimenting with running paid ads and cold email campaigns and have been able to bring in a steady stream of leads here.
With paid ads, we’ve found the most important thing is to have a great VSL with a solid, authentic offer. No more Hormozi-style offers, people want you to be genuine and I’m sure you do too.
With cold email campaigns, the most important thing is sending to a list of the right people which can be hard to find but tools like Clay and Apollo can help here.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
We’ve been profitable since day 1 luckily, but 2023 was a bit of an outlier for us revenue/profit-wise.
We took some big risks including acquiring a small agency, which didn’t pan out for various reasons but we learned a lot from it and will be even stronger in 2024. Because of this, our revenue/profits in 2023 were less than 2022 (marking the first year we didn’t grow in these metrics).
2020: low 6 figures
2021: mid 6 figures
2022: high 6 figures
2023: high 6 figures
2024: high 6 figures
As you can see we have yet to break through that 7 figure barrier and I believe I know why. I’ve been so focused on revenue and making money vs putting all of our efforts into providing the most value possible. Don’t get me wrong, the websites we make have always been top-notch, but my focus as a CEO has been revenue vs impact. With that shift I believe we will finally break through that ceiling + be able to make a huge impact.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
A few key lessons I’ve learned:
1) Hire for culture and attitude, not just competence. The soft skills are much more important than I ever realized so make sure to value them properly.
With that said, technical skills are important too. I always use a testing phase when hiring new people: either give them a test they can complete prior to hiring them (based on the specific role) or implement a probation period to make sure they’re a good fit. We do this because some people are very good at interviews but may not be the best fit.
2) Mitigate Risk: make sure your contracts include terms to help you mitigate risks as much as possible including:
a. Clients: we never deliver the final work until we’ve been paid (we typically use a 50% upfront/50% upon completion payment structure); also make sure to include terms should your clients want to back out of the project early. Luckily this is rare for us, but it has happened a few times.
b. Employees: include terms that make them less likely to leave within a few months of being hired - i. Twice I’ve had new hires leave early (one did so in week 2, another in month 2) which is what lead me to implement this.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
The main tools we use are:
- Weflow: Our development platform
- Figma: Design tool
- Slack: Internal communication
- Email/Zoom: Client/external communication
- High Level: CRM
- Smartlead: Cold Email Outreach
- Notion: Documentation (ie SOP database)
- Asana: Project Management Tool
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
Business books: Built To Sell (taught me how to productize a service, make my business easier to run by systematizing everything, and more valuable to potential buyers), Buy Back Your Time (taught me specific tips on how to be a better CEO, and how to manage my time/energy more efficiently)
Personal books: Proof of Heaven (helped me believe in something greater)
TV shows: Shark Tank always helps me get creative when I’m in need of a spark
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
FOCUS is the key. Offer ONE product/service to ONE specific ICP and just focus on that. Trust me, selling one thing is hard enough so don’t make it harder on yourself by trying to sell more than that when you’re first starting out.
As a business owner there will always be a million options/shiny objects to go after, but try to keep things as simple as possible for yourself and focus on the things that will make you money.
I know this because I spent the better part of 2023 trying to expand into different markets and offer new services and it was very hard. We tried a ton of different marketing strategies and added unneeded complexity. 2024 is a return to form for us, we’re focused on delivering the best damn SaaS websites on the planet and that’s it.
Moreso I’m personally focused on how to make more sales and that comes down to 2 simple things: double-down on the marketing strategies that have worked for us + take more sales calls.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
SEO/Paid Ads Marketer: someone who knows and LOVES to do SEO and paid ads. Initially this will be to run our own SEO and paid ads campaigns.
- Position will be part-time to start with potential for full-time if they do a great job.
- Email [email protected] if you’re interested.
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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