In this episode, Zach talks to Joana Galvão about Gif Design Studios.
Joana Galvão is the co-founder of an award-winning design agency Gif Design Studios and a leading business coach for ambitious creatives who want to take the shortcut.
Based in Porto, Portugal, his agency specializes in brand identities and conversion-obsessed design and serves industry leaders in 17 countries across five continents.
His coaching program, Ambitious reserved creativeshelps freelancers land full-length dream projects, 6-figures and beyond, without burnout.
Joana speaks internationally on entrepreneurship and the power of design and creativity. Her work has been featured in Guardian UK magazine, Brand Brilliance and Digital Arts.
Get Joana’s email templates mentioned in the episode at: https://theambitiouscreatives.com/emailscripts/
- 12:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. — Zach hosts the “Your Freelancing” podcast and his guest, Joana from Gift Design Studios, discussing topics like agency finances, profitability, and networking.
- 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. — Zach reads Joanna’s bio highlighting her experience in brand design, coaching, speaking engagements, and awards.
- 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. — The goal of the interview is revealed: to compare running an agency to a business based on product, networking skills, and understanding the challenges of running a small agency.
- 6:00 – 8:00 — Joana shares specific financial details about her agency, including revenue, expenses, and team size.
- 8:00 – 10:00 — Joana recalls a past conversation with Zach, discussing her financial anxieties and how he made her re-evaluate her life goals and money management.
- 10:00 – 12:00 — Joana shares her amazement when she first heard that someone had $100,000 in the bank before they turned 30. She explains how money gives her peace of mind. Zach discusses an interview in which Joana mentioned “profit first” and asks about her financial journey.
- 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. — Joana talks about the importance of regularly reviewing books, understanding expenses, and making adjustments as needed. She mentions initially operating on a low profit margin and re-evaluating expenses such as events and flights.
- 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. — The discussion turns to pricing strategies, personnel costs and the Portuguese tax system. Zach tries to understand Joana’s income structure.
- 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. — Joana explains her salary, mentioning that it is not fixed and that she sometimes receives additional amounts for certain expenses. Zach wants to understand his lifestyle and compare his sources of income.
- 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. — Zach expresses his intention to compare income sources: running an agency, a product-based business, and being a solo freelancer. It prepares Joana to think about the pros and cons of each.
- 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. — Joana reflects on her busy schedule and interruptions, while Zach mentions a time tracking exercise he discussed with her. Joana also addresses a personal question regarding her daughter’s health.
- 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m. — Zach and Joana discuss the structure and roles within his agency. Joana explains her role, that of her husband, and presents the roles and responsibilities of the team members.
- 24:00 – 26:00 — They dig deeper into the type of projects they handle, with Joana providing insight into their branding and web design work. She shares time allocations and project rates.
- 26:00 – 28:00 — Zach and Joana discuss the agency’s client acquisition methods. Joana mentions how clients are discovering her agency, noting an increase in clients finding her through web design credits.
- 28:00 – 30:00 — Joana expands on her networking approach, emphasizing relationship building and finding common ground as a strategy for connecting with influential people. She also shares the story of a conference in the Philippines.
- 30:00 – 32:00 — Zach and Joana discuss finding speakers before networking events and Joana’s preference to prepare.
- 32:00 – 34:00 — Joana explains the organic nature of her research process, highlighting her connection with Chris Ducker in a tweet.
- 34:00 – 36:00 — Joana talks about her experience being invited to an event in London and how it led to other networking opportunities.
- 36:00 – 38:00 — Discussion on finding common ground and a deeper understanding of Joana’s networking framework: alignment, volume and depth of relationships.
- 38:00 – 40:00 — Joana introduces a tool called “Decks” for relationship management and highlights the value of in-person events for deeper connections.
- 40:00 – 42:00 — Joana discusses maintaining relationships solely online and compares it to offline connections, mentioning the depth of interaction over a short period of time.
- 42:00 – 44:00 — Zach discusses the difficulty of networking with prominent people online due to their busy schedules and social media demands.
- 44:00 – 46:00 — Joana shares how she built a relationship with a potential client by consistently engaging with her newsletters and later offering free support.
- 46:00 – 48:00 — Joana explains her experience volunteering for the same client, strengthening the relationship, which led to other opportunities.
- 48:00 – 50:00 – Zach and Joana discuss the organic nature of networking, compare it to dating, and emphasize the importance of authentic connections and expanding networks.
- 50:00 – 52:00 — Zach and Joana discuss the importance of nurturing existing relationships to build new ones.
- 52:00 – 54:00 – Joana emphasizes the effectiveness of thoughtful presentations and how they set the stage for meaningful conversations.
- 54:00 – 56:00 — Joana explains how her active participation in paid classes and events attracted her clients and helped build her reputation.
- 56:00 – 58:00 — Joana talks about the value of paying for access to exclusive networking opportunities, or even trading your services to attend expensive events.
- 58:00 – 1:00 p.m. — Zach asks about networking for niche industries, and Joana suggests attending industry-specific events and leveraging personal contacts.
- 1:00:00 – 1:02:00 — Joana discusses her email outreach technique, emphasizing the importance of personalization and research.
- 1:02:00 – 1:04:00 — Joana emphasizes the importance of making the agency feel complimented and valued, while Zach interrupts to discuss the sounds of thunder in the background.
- 1:04:00 – 1:06:00 — Joana shares a funny story about people using her email template on her. She emphasizes the importance of a strong presentation of the portfolio and mutual interests of clients.
- 1:06:00 – 1:08:00 — Zach and Joana dive into the role of portfolio quality, and the conversation moves to the topic of business networking.
- 1:08:00 – 1:10:00 — Joana gives advice on networking, with an emphasis on patience and making meaningful connections. The discussion shifts to Joana’s previous job before her current company.
- 1:10:00 – 1:12:00 — Joana discusses her company’s rapid growth schedule in 2014, including hiring employees and moving into office space.
- 1:12:00 – 1:14:00 — Joana and Zach discuss the origins of Joana’s work, her relationships, and the beginnings of her professional journey.
- 1:14:00 – 1:16:00 — Joana reflects on her intense work pace, drive and enthusiasm in the early stages of the business, as well as her initial lack of long-term vision.
- 1:16:00 – 1:18:00 — Joana leans into her decisions based on spontaneous opportunities and enthusiasm without understanding their long-term implications.
- 1:18:00 – 1:20:00 — Zach compares Joana’s initial grueling agency experience with her current profitable experience, prompting Joana to think about the problems at her first agency.
- 1:20:00 – 1:22:00 — Joana discusses the challenges of managing too many team members, the importance of putting profit first, and how to say “yes » to every opportunity has affected his business.
- 1:22:00 – 1:24:00 — Joana explains her company’s focus on WordPress development, catering to a niche audience, and the value of tracking your time to shape your ideal work week .
- 1:24:00 – 1:26:00 — Joana and Zach talk about putting profit first, refining service offerings, and raising prices for more profitability.
- 1:26:00 – 1:28:00 — Joana shares her approach to calculating operational costs and ensuring the profitability of their projects.
- 1:28:00 – 1:30:00 — The conversation ends with a discussion of project buffer planning and how Joana has intentionally refined her service offering.
- 1:30:00 – 1:32:00 — Joana talks about her shift in focus to tangible product design and the networking opportunity with estheticians.
- 1:32:00 – 1:34:23 — Zach and Joana discuss previous interviews, resources available on Joana’s website, and the importance of networking.