How I Scaled My Web Design Agency To $250K/Year

Aun Ali

•

Published: May 5th, 2024

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Aun Ali

Founder, Aun Digital

$20K

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

Aun Digital

aundigital.ae

from Dubai

started January 2015

$19,998

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

Discover what tools recommends to grow your business!

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Calendly

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Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?

My name is Aun Ali, my passion for technology and in-depth understanding of the ever-evolving digital landscape enticed me to build Aun Digital.

Well, my journey started when one of my friends running their cleaning service business needed a website, but they could not afford it due to the high development and maintenance costs. So, I went into the market and found that there are multiple small businesses in the UAE facing a similar problem. This fact stirred my curiosity, and I wanted to find a solution for this pain point of start-ups in the UAE.

Thereby, I took the decision to launch Aun Digital; an affordable yet highly reliable Web Design Company in the UAE. I started by setting up my headquarter in Dubai, while I set up another office in Pakistan where I hired the best talent in the region who have consistently delivered functional, responsive, and high performing websites for my clients throughout the UAE.

We don’t just offer Web Development Services, but we are a 360 Degree Digital Agency, offering services spanning digital marketing, mobile app development, UI/UX designing, and IT Resource Outsourcing; where we outsource one of our resources to the client.

Since we are still in the expansion phase, we are making somewhere in the range of $200,000 to $300,000 annually. But I don’t think money defines success, it is our high client satisfaction ratio that is a true achievement of Aun Digital. But still, here is a rough breakdown of how we generate revenue.

Number of clients: Aun Digital has about 20 regular clients per year. These clients are a mix of small businesses, startups, and medium-sized enterprises.

Average project cost: The average project cost is around $10,000 to $15,000, which is typical for web design and development services, especially for customized solutions and ongoing support

Total revenue: With 20 clients per year and an average project cost of $10,000 to $15,000, the total revenue would fall within the range of $200,000 to $300,000 annually.

What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?

I have been working in the tech industry for more than a decade, and I have worked in multiple industries in different regions including the US, UK, and Australia. But on my recent visit to UAE, I identified a critical pain point of various start-ups and SMEs in the UAE; they do not have the technical knowledge or the budget to build and launch their website or online store, which is crucial for businesses today. This eventually gave birth to the idea of Aun Digital; a digital transformation agency aspiring to drive businesses forward in the digital ecosystem of the UAE.

But with so many established players in the industry, I had to come up with a unique selling point which distinguished my firm from them. This point was affordability, we at Aun Digital offer completely affordable and reliable solutions for start-ups, because I know that finance is the main pain point of start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures globally. This was the key aspect that drove my decision to start Aun Digital.

My previous knowledge and expertise within the development and digital marketing domain helped me to launch and nurture Aun Digital, and turn it into a major force to reckon with in the UAE. I validated the idea and the service that I intended to deliver via Aun Digital thorough market research and in-depth survey which I took from some of my friends, peers, and other fellow entrepreneurs.

As far as finance is considered, I along with another one of my business partners injected a hefty sum for building and launching our company website, hiring and training staff at the Dubai, and Pakistan office, and acquisition of tools for streamlining the process throughout the firm.

Take us through the process of building the first version of your product.

Building the initial version of my website Aundigital.ae took us two months, and it looked something like this:

However, this is how my website looks now:

It was after thorough market research, long brainstorming sessions, and meetings with the development team that we finally launched a more refined and optimal version of our website. We opted for a minimalistic design and ensured that content published on our website is value-added and communicated a clear message to the users.

However, my team is consistently working to make my website more user-friendly and mobile-responsive, since 80% of conversations get initiated via mobile. This is the reason why we have integrated a chatbot on our website as well, which allows us to ensure the delivery of premium quality customer service 24/7.

Let me tell you a little more about finances.

Starting Costs:

Office Setup: Rent and setup costs for a small office space in Dubai costed us $10,000
Equipment: Computers, software licenses, and office furniture was purchased for $7,000
Website Development: Initial version of the website was launched under the budget of $8,000
Legal and Licensing Fees: Registering the business in the UAE costed us $5,000
Marketing and Branding: Initial marketing materials and branding efforts were done under the budget $6,000
Total Approximate Starting Costs: $42,000

Funding:

Personal Savings: Initial investment from the my side: $38,000
Financing from other partner: $7,000
Total Funding: $45,000

It is never too late to start fresh, you must always have a clear and detailed roadmap, and lastly, you must trust your instincts at all times.

Describe the process of launching the business.

Aun Digital basically follows a service-based business model, offering web design, development, and related services to clients. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees, recurring maintenance contracts, and fees for additional services or upgrades. And as I mentioned above it was after thorough market research and insight collection that I finally decided to launch my own digital agency.

Aun Digital's pricing structure is as per the industry standards and the typical range of services offered. For web design and development, prices can vary widely based on factors like project complexity, customization, and ongoing support. Aun Digital pricing starts from $1,000 to $20,000 for website development projects, depending on the size and requirements.

Following are the steps that were involved in the process of launching my own business:

Curate a detailed business plan.
Select the market niche I want to service.
Clearly define each service category.
Build a stringent client portfolio.
Market and network my business to boost awareness and increase the chances of converting prospects into qualified leads.
Lastly, consistently learn, adapt, and grow.

We used a multi-channel approach to market our business. We optimized our website for search engines and set up engaging social media profiles. We also listed our business in local directories and participated in industry forums.

We offered a limited-time promotional discount and actively engaged with our target audience through targeted emails and social media campaigns. We showcased our expertise, announced in groups, made a LinkedIn presence, which helped us attract our first customer and build a solid foundation for growth.

Once this whole process was done, the next phase was to find financial support. This was not a challenging task for me, as being in the industry for more than a decade, I have built strong associations with other experts and entrepreneurs. It took me less than a month to find a reliable financing partner for my business.

Therefore, the whole business is being financed by me and another one of my partners, in which I own 80% of the business and my partner owns 20% of the business. I am responsible for handling the back-end operations, while my partner handles the front-end, client meetings, and onboarding.

The biggest lessons I learned throughout the process are that it is never too late to start fresh, you must always have a clear and detailed roadmap, and lastly, you must trust your instincts at all times.

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?

My website; aundigital.ae has served as a crucial platform for both attracting and retaining a loyal customer base. My website has worked as a powerful marketing tool highlighting our core expertise, portfolio, and commitment to delivering remarkable results. As a growing digital agency, Aun Digital has worked with dozens to hundreds of customers over the years.

As for year-over-year growth, we have recorded a growth rate of 20% to 50% annually in terms of revenue and client base. This growth is further planned to be driven by factors like expanding service offerings, increasing market share, and improving customer retention strategies.

Our functional, mobile responsive, user-friendly interface and compelling content do not just communicate our firm’s USPs, but they also establish us as a reliable and trustworthy partner in the digital landscape of Dubai.

A few glimpses of our website are listed below:

Moreover, our digital marketing team through curating intuitive and engaging social media campaigns has helped in building a strong presence on social media as well. This has allowed us to build and sustain a stringent online visibility.

Furthermore, as prospects explore our digital presence, they become more aware and confident about our capabilities, which in turn has resulted in generating more qualified leads and eventually long-term business associations.

Lastly, our SEO team has worked wonders for my brand, instead of just focusing on conventional strategies our team has come up with unique and innovative strategies and tactics that have helped us rank on top in the SERPs in less than 3 months period.

Our content team has generated unique and SEO-optimized content that has helped us establish ourselves as the thought leader in the industry. To date, we have not invested in any paid campaign, and all the leads generated have been through organic sources, which is one of the main reasons why our qualified leads ratio is high.

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

Since we are still a new company and expanding, we are yet to be profitable. As mentioned above we have not invested in PPC yet, all our website traffic has come either through SEO or Social Media Marketing.

We currently receive monthly traffic of around 200 to 300 organic visitors, and around 500 direct visitors to our website. While the average engagement rate for a social media post stands at 7.5%.

Currently, 80% of our online sales are through our website while 20% of the prospects get in touch with us either via our social media handles or through PR, which I have developed after working in the industry for over a decade.

We are currently offering web design and development, digital marketing, mobile app development, and UI/UX design services. However, we plan on adding more services like IT resource outsourcing and business process automation services as well. Our core objective is to deliver 360-degree services to help businesses streamline their process and grow.

Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Since I am a human being I make mistakes as well. A somewhat similar thing happened in the case of Aun Digital. In the initial phase, I attempted to offer a diverse range of services ranging from web development to IT resource outsourcing, and business process automation, which resulted in diluting the brand positioning while also hindering scalability.

Second, a major mistake I made was overlooking the significance of strategic affiliations and networking, which led to multiple missed opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

However, I identified these shortfalls immediately, and instead of focusing on an array of services, I focused initially on web design and development. Once we established ourselves as the go-to web design company in Dubai, we then moved to digital marketing services spanning search engine optimization, social media marketing, email marketing, and conversion rate optimization.

Moreover, I focused on hiring the best talent and fostering cross-functional collaboration amongst team members, which has helped in building a strong and robust team structure.

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

Since we are a digital agency, we use multiple tools and platforms.

Some of these include:

• WordPress CMS

• Google Analytics

• Google Tag Manager

• Google Search Console

• Ahrefs

• Figma

• Adobe Photoshop

• Java Beans

What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?

Although I am not an avid reader, one book that inspired me the most and I frequently recommend to other entrepreneurs as well is Charles Duhigg’s Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity.

What makes the book more intriguing to me is the fact that it does not just outline success stories and data, but it also highlights the anecdotes essential for building a result-oriented firm and fostering a positive team culture throughout the organization. Another interesting thing about the book is that Duhigg has applied similar relentless curiosity and storytelling to explain how processes can be improved.

Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?

For entrepreneurs who are just starting I would recommend to be brave and bold, don’t be afraid to take risks. Additionally, I would recommend fostering a growth mindset and consistently educating themselves, because an entrepreneurial path is a consistently learning path. Therefore, it is best if you stay anxious, and attentive, and frequently learn and embrace new sets of skills and knowledge that could guide you in propelling your firm forward.