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46 Comments

6-figure Webflow agency owner at 20. AMA.

Hi everyone ๐Ÿ‘‹,

I am Rohan, the founder of https://www.rohan-malhotra.com/ and https://roflow.co/.

I became Hong Kong's first Webflow expert and one of the world's youngest Webflow Experts at 19 years old. I launched the agency in January 2021 and did close to 6 figures in the first year and am on track to surpass 6 figures this year with our MMR and one-off projects.

Ask my anything ;)

  1. 8

    What was the most successful strategy for finding clients?

    1. 9

      Starting out, it was cold emailing and reaching out to companies that I already knew and had some rapport with. I wouldnโ€™t charge much for these sites, 100 to 500 US$ and eventually when I got a big enough client base for my portfolio, with good work, then I would up my prices.

      Currently, my most successful one is referrals and Linkedin. I tend to get about 3 meetings a week about RoFlow from Linkedin and about 1 or 2 a week from a past client referring me to another company. Honestly, the best way to go about it is to produce amazing work and let that do the work. If your work is good people will want your service and no matter how much you try and sugarcoat it. If itโ€™s bad then it is going to be really hard to get a sustainable inflow of leads and clients.

      1. 4

        Do you do all the work yourself or do you have a team of developers/designers to work on it?

        1. 1

          I handle all of the Webflow stuff myself and keep a very close eye on the designing process. I have 2 designers working for me and they do 80% of the designing and I finish off with the additional 20% if stuff needs doing and I also give the final approval.

    2. 3

      Always curious to learn about this too :)

  2. 4

    Can you tell us about the type of businesses which usually avail your services?

    1. 5

      Normally it is SaaS companies and companies who already have some sort of website and are looking to build it up. I still consider this a whole new website as it really is going from 0 to 1.

      1. 1

        Interesting, I had assumed SaaS companies would usually be making website in-house using some sort of templates. Do you know if it happens due to lack of bandwidth from tech team (given continuous website updates by marketing team) or some other reason?

        1. 2

          I have some issues with companies that are established using temples. If everyone used temples then all the sites would look the same. Yes, I did say in another comment that copywriting is more important but that isnโ€™t to discredit the design. Each design has its own purpose and is made to reflect the brand values in a subconscious manner.

          I donโ€™t think it is becasue of a lack of bandwidth I think it is becasue of a lack of experience and expertise. Let's say a SaaS has a killer developer that can work fast, they could make those updates but maybe not as fast as me purely becasue they donโ€™t know how to use Webflow in the depth as an expert. Not to toot my own horn but there are a lot of companies out there who do it by themselves and it really shows with a lack of quality on their landing/marketing pages.

          1. 1

            Makes sense. Thanks for replying.

  3. 4

    Awesome effort! Is your customer acquisition mainly word of mouth?

    1. 4

      Right now itโ€™s a real mix, word of mouth and referrals are going well but also people reaching out on Linkedin and the Webflow Experts directory. For Linkedin, I still use cold connecting for companies who as in the market to hire a Webflow developer and pitch to them RoFlow and seems to be working well!

      1. 1

        Great work, Rohan!

        How do you structure your initial cold pitch?

        1. 1

          Normally it is completely blind. I start off by giving a short intro on myself and showing off a few of the issues on their current site by Loom. This tends to work well but is nothing to write home about. A structure is below :)

          [General introduction and showing them how I found their site]

          [a body with one or two issues written out in text]

          [2 lines about how I can help and a link to my portfolio and Webflow Experts page]

          [Loom video]

          The key is to provide value for them without expecting anything in return :)

      2. 1

        Following up on your LI outreach. How do you filter for companies in the market for a Webflow dev? Is this a LI Sales Navigator feature?

        1. 2

          I use the job board, use the key term "Webflow" and see what comes up on there and if we're a good match. Sometimes it's me taking a look at their site and reaching out asking if they're interested in a re-haul but I've come to realise that comes across as really scummy so, for now, it is the job board technique.

          1. 2

            Super helpful. And would you be open to sharing high-level metrics on that tactic?

            • How many pitches do you send per month?
            • Rate of conversion to signed deals?
            1. 1

              Ah Sorry Tomas, not so sure I would be open to sharing that as that is directly related to my cash flow and would prefer to keep that private for now.

              Thanks for understanding!

              1. 1

                For sure, appreciate the insights you've shared!

  4. 2

    How do you manage your time between running your agency and starting new projects?

    1. 1

      I quite enjoy all the projects I do so it doesn't feel too long. However, I have some people around to help me with tasks such as SEO and UX.

      However, it mostly just staying organised and doing tasks as soon as they come in so I'm never swamped all at once.

  5. 2

    First of all, congratulations for your commitment, it is really outstanding. I always wanted to start learning webflow but I never had time to look into it. Here are a couple of questions:

    1. How long does it take to create a new website? For example, 1 - 5 pages.
    2. Is it a full time or a part time job?
    3. Is Webflow university good enough to learn how to use the platform? Or do you recommend some other resource?

    Thank you

    1. 3
      1. 1 to 5 pages should take about 2 to 3 weeks from design to final launch. However, that is going under the assumption that it is nothing mega-complex. If itโ€™s let's say 3 pages of complete animation that has to be made from scratch along with the design it would be about 3 to 4 weeks.
      2. For me itโ€™s a full-time job, I tried a bunch of stuff before going full-time and realised this was for me so I always believe if youโ€™re going to do something, do it fully and it has worked out (so far ๐Ÿคž)
      3. I think Webflow university is good enough. I learned it by looking at how people built websites on Webflow Showcase and then going off and trying and copying it for myself bit by bit. Along with that, just building out my portfolio from scratch and then a few university lessons here and there to learn the intricacies has worked for me.
  6. 2

    Hi Rohan,

    Wow, that is really impressive. Congratulations on your success. I have a couple of questions.

    1. What percentage of your yearly revenue comes from your Roflow business, and what percentage from client work?

    2. This question is me being nosy, and I totally understand if you don't want to get into detail here! :) But here we go: does 6 figures mean between $100,000 and $999,999? That is quite a big difference :) And when you say you are on track to surpass 6 figures, that means you are going to earn more than one million dollars this year?

    3. In you opinion, is Webflow growing in popularity with bigger clients?

    Thanks a lot!

    1. 1
      1. I would say itโ€™s a split of 35% from RoFlow and 65% from one-off projects. Iโ€™m trying to get it to be a good balance of 50/50 just becasue it would be better to have more of a predictable income as compared to a spontaneous one.

      2. Not at all, I wonโ€™t go too much in-depth but it is on the lower end of six figures. Also, sorry when I meant โ€œsurpassโ€ that was relative to last year where I was close but didnโ€™t quite hit it. This year itโ€™s going to be over six figures but on the lower half/quarter.

      3. I do think so, when we look at companies that are already working with Webflow (Dell, Dropbox, etc.) there is a huge market now. With all of the new resources coming out via FinSweet and other companies it has really broadened the horizons for Webflow I think that they have a great product.

      However, this may take some time. Big Companies are hesitant to switch over. This goes back to the old saying, "if it isnโ€™t broke donโ€™t fix it" and I think that has been the case with most websites and companies. Especially here in Hong Kong, tech adoption is really slow and companies are only now learning about it and getting more comfortable with it.

      1. 2

        Thank you for your quick and thorough response, and good luck with your (quite frankly amazing) business!

  7. 2

    Why you chose webflow?

    1. 1

      To be honest, I was looking around for something a bit more fluid in terms of development. I had tried other no-code and CMS tools in the past and none really seems to do the trick for me. Then I was watching YouTube and stumbled across Webflow, gave it a shot and loved it!

  8. 2

    What's your pricing structure? The one time fee packages and recurring packages

    1. 3

      For one time fee, Iโ€™m guessing you're referring to one-off projects. For that, I built a little calculator that helps me see how much I should charge. Here is a link to that: https://www.rohan-malhotra.com/calculator. However, it is a rough ballpark figure it can depend on several things like my availability, depth of animations and all sorts that are discussed with the client beforehand to make sure we are both on the same page.

      For recurring, it is much simpler. Much like a retainer contract, companies have a predictable outflow and expectation of what they can expect per month. This way I am able to charge a price that I feel is reflective of the time and effort I put in per company and the clients get quality work. To be honest, building RoFlow has been one of the best decisions I have made becasue it has allowed me to earn a โ€œmonthly incomeโ€ that has no cap (to an extent) and keeps me going on months where one-off projects are lacklustre :)

      1. 1

        can we see the source code on the calculator? curious to how the pricing works.

        1. 1

          The current calculator is just a clone of this one with some updated JS to give out the right calculation :)

          https://webflow.com/website/weblocs-price-calculator?ref=showcase-search&searchValue=calculator

          1. 2

            I love this calculator and the concept of putting it on your website! I might borrow this :D

      2. 1

        ah, nice job on that calculator. I've meant to create one for WebGL projects, but haven't done so yet.
        It's very minimalist and efficient, very cool.
        I know it's more a conversation starter, but have you found that some clients intentionally pretend that their website will be simple, but then they keep increasing the scope?

        1. 2

          Yes, this has happened a bunch of times. I hate being that guy, but when things are going overboard I do not hesitate to speak my mind. Sure if it is something minor like โ€œwe need a new CTA sectionโ€ then that can be done for free. But if it is something like hooking up CMS to a website that originally had no CMS then I would reach out to a client, have a discussion with them and say my mind and give them an opportunity to do the same.

          Iโ€™m all about building healthy relationships with clients so itโ€™s always a good idea to do due diligence before signing them on. But to put it simply, yes this has happened and I always try and be as transparent as possible. Oftentimes, clients are more than understanding of the situation and will either say we donโ€™t need it right now or they will increase their budget. However, there will always be bad apples.

    2. 1

      This comment was deleted 2 years ago.

  9. 2

    What was your biggest unexpected challenge in your first year of business?

    1. 2

      Hands down the biggest challenge I faced was that I was learning new software, Webflow. Although I am able to code and have used other CMS tools in the past it was a new experience and it took me a good month to learn. After that, I would take on any project I could to improve, regardless of pay.

      Another one would have to be how hard it was to find clients. I tried everything; cold emailing, cold Linkedin, and applying to jobs and it was really tough. This went on for about the first 2 or 3 months and I got only 1 or 2 projects. However, over time, with me getting qualifications and building more of a name in the industry I was able to land some pretty big clients.

      1. 2

        Thanks for answering! I definitely relate to the challenge of learning Webflow. I've been using it to build my website and it took me a long time to get the hang of it ๐Ÿ˜…. There are still little things that I'm learning every day.

        I checked out your portfolio -- it looks like you've truly mastered Webflow with all the projects that you took on to improve. Congrats on your success!

        1. 1

          Thank you :) Good luck with learning it by the sounds of it you're nearly a master!

  10. 1

    wow!!! congratulations on the success! this is crazy impressive.
    Just got 2 questions for you:
    Do you offer advisory services?
    Could you share some best practises for a SaaS homepage??

    1. 3
      1. Sometimes I do. It really depends on the client and what they're looking for. Normally, I tend to work on the site directly and then provide the best options for them. So in a way, yes, but it is mostly a case of their existing site issues and how the best way to fix them would be.

      2. For SaaS it's about communication. Communicate your product clearly and use colours and font weights to adjust what you want people to know about the tool/ product or service. The most common issue I find isn't with the design, it is with the copywriting. It's best to assume that someone is going into your service completely blind and has no idea what you're doing or what makes your service the best in the business.

      However, if you think your copywriting is doing the job and it is a design issue you can check out some of the SaaS templates here, they're totally free and follow my best practices :)

      https://www.roflow.co/12-templates-12-weeks

      1. 2

        thanks for replying!! appreciate the input ;) will definitely keep that in mind whenever im writing!

  11. 1

    What kind of coding experience benefits you the most in terms of working with webflow?

    1. 1

      I think no-code is a terrible buzzword. Yes, you don't need to code, but you need to understand how code works so that the things that you do inside of Webflow make sense from an HTML point of view. An example of this would be people using headings in Webflow. Someone who doesn't understand HTML may not know that you need to put only one H1 on the site for SEO and the correct HTML structure.

      Hence, I think code is a part of Webflow but it is possible to learn Webflow with no prior coding knowledge. It's just beneficial.

  12. 1

    What's been the best customer acquisition channel for you ?

    1. 1

      Starting out, it was cold emailing and reaching out to companies that I already knew and had some rapport with. I wouldnโ€™t charge much for these sites, 100 to 500 US$ and eventually when I got a big enough client base for my portfolio, with good work, then I would up my prices.

      Currently, my most successful one is referrals and Linkedin. I tend to get about 3 meetings a week about RoFlow from Linkedin and about 1 or 2 a week from a past client referring me to another company. Honestly, the best way to go about it is to produce amazing work and let that do the work. If your work is good people will want your service and no matter how much you try and sugarcoat it. If itโ€™s bad then it is going to be really hard to get a sustainable inflow of leads and clients.

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