Fiverr Studios | Should I setup my studio?

[gig_freak]

I was recently contacted by Fiverr that I have the option to create a studio. One of their representatives sent me a link from a webinar that I haven’t watched yet.

Personally, I do like to create a studio. However, it’s really hard for me to brainstorm my business name, hire talent for my studio. It is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of thinking and to be honest, it isn’t quite easy to hire great talent.

What do you guys think? Which are the pros and which are the cons? If you had the opportunity, would you create a studio? And why not?

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Note: I am not looking for Meksels to join my studio. The idea of this thread is to discuss some pros/cons and share experiences.

[frank_d]

If your initial response is that this entire process feels cumbersome maybe that’s your answer right there.

Creating a studio is definitely not for everyone. I myself have been going through the motions for the past two months and only just decided to make the move.

If you want my 2 cents, making a move into the studio space means you can enjoy Fiverr’s promotions towards a new feature whilst having almost 0 competition, offering you a great head start.

However, making a studio is not as simple as finding great talent and finding a great name.

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

But take your time to figure it out as at the end of the day it’s your brand name that’s on the line.

P.S. in my case I decided to partner with an award winning animation studio to offer a brand new service that is 100% unique on this platform.

[gig_freak]

If your initial response is that this entire process feels cumbersome maybe that’s your answer right there.

Creating a studio is definitely not for everyone. I myself have been going through the motions for the past two months and only just decided to make the move.

If you want my 2 cents, making a move into the studio space means you can enjoy Fiverr’s promotions towards a new feature whilst having almost 0 competition, offering you a great head start.

However, making a studio is not as simple as finding great talent and finding a great name.

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

But take your time to figure it out as at the end of the day it’s your brand name that’s on the line.

P.S. in my case I decided to partner with an award winning animation studio to offer a brand new service that is 100% unique on this platform.

@frank_d - I like your new profile picture, you seem a bit older! (Joke)

I do agree with most of what you have said. Especially this part:

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

That’s what’s bugging me, along with how to name my studio, the logo, who to add to my team. There are many variables.

The main issue why I didn’t make my move is that I am super-limited with time due to college and many other things going on in my professional life.

For example, in your business niche having a studio gig makes more sense than in my niche. As I currently do just social media covers and some material for printing.

I didn’t even take my time to read what are the responsibilities, what could I offer and etc.

[frank_d]

@frank_d - I like your new profile picture, you seem a bit older! (Joke)

I do agree with most of what you have said. Especially this part:

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

That’s what’s bugging me, along with how to name my studio, the logo, who to add to my team. There are many variables.

The main issue why I didn’t make my move is that I am super-limited with time due to college and many other things going on in my professional life.

For example, in your business niche having a studio gig makes more sense than in my niche. As I currently do just social media covers and some material for printing.

I didn’t even take my time to read what are the responsibilities, what could I offer and etc.

Well I completely understand where you are coming from, but let me just say that you shouldn’t let your niche limit your mindset.

You could create a studio gig and team up with me and we could offer a complete SM service like you setting up a page, creating graphics and me creating and running animated video ads.

This is just an example of how two completely different niche markets -at least in your mind- may have more overlap than you initially perceive.

[mariashtelle1]

If your initial response is that this entire process feels cumbersome maybe that’s your answer right there.

Creating a studio is definitely not for everyone. I myself have been going through the motions for the past two months and only just decided to make the move.

If you want my 2 cents, making a move into the studio space means you can enjoy Fiverr’s promotions towards a new feature whilst having almost 0 competition, offering you a great head start.

However, making a studio is not as simple as finding great talent and finding a great name.

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

But take your time to figure it out as at the end of the day it’s your brand name that’s on the line.

P.S. in my case I decided to partner with an award winning animation studio to offer a brand new service that is 100% unique on this platform.

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

I saw some studi gigs with 2 graphic designers with one creating a logo and another one business cards. And that was the whole offer. Never understood what was the point of that if one graphic designer can create and logo and business cards without any hassle.

[frank_d]

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

I saw some studi gigs with 2 graphic designers with one creating a logo and another one business cards. And that was the whole offer. Never understood what was the point of that if one graphic designer can create and logo and business cards without any hassle.

Yeah that would be like if I created a studio and offered animation and hired someone to do the vo.

That’s pretty shortsighted

[gig_freak]

You need to bring something of value or offer far greater scale than your current capacity, in order for a studio to make sense.

I saw some studi gigs with 2 graphic designers with one creating a logo and another one business cards. And that was the whole offer. Never understood what was the point of that if one graphic designer can create and logo and business cards without any hassle.

Yep, that’s a smart idea and one of the best ways to see this thing. I need to do more thinking.

saw some studio gigs with 2 graphic designers with one creating a logo and another one business cards. And that was the whole offer. Never understood what was the point of that if one graphic designer can create and logo and business cards without any hassle.

That’s what I am talking about. A studio should be multi-disciplinary. At least in my thoughts, it should be almost like a fully-fledged marketing agency (or at least creative agency).

There is a lot of potential if you know how to tap into this.

[frank_d]

Hey here’s an idea: why not @mariashtelle1 and you @gig_freak and myself start discussing a possible future collaboration?

[gig_freak]

Hey here’s an idea: why not @mariashtelle1 and you @gig_freak and myself start discussing a possible future collaboration?

Yeah, we can start a private thread. It won’t hurt, all of us are great sellers and professionals in what we do, so I don’t see a reason against discussing this.

[humanissocial]

Yep, that’s a smart idea and one of the best ways to see this thing. I need to do more thinking.

saw some studio gigs with 2 graphic designers with one creating a logo and another one business cards. And that was the whole offer. Never understood what was the point of that if one graphic designer can create and logo and business cards without any hassle.

That’s what I am talking about. A studio should be multi-disciplinary. At least in my thoughts, it should be almost like a fully-fledged marketing agency (or at least creative agency).

There is a lot of potential if you know how to tap into this.

I agree. It should be for truly mixed skills.

Collaborations create extra work and project management. That’s only worth it if you’re truly combining different types of value that one person likely wouldn’t have all on their own.

[frank_d]

I agree. It should be for truly mixed skills.

Collaborations create extra work and project management. That’s only worth it if you’re truly combining different types of value that one person likely wouldn’t have all on their own.

The core logic behind Fiverr’s feature -aside from playing catch up with UW- is to offer a one stop shop solution to buyers.

Reduce friction and get even more $$$ in one swoop by offering lots of things for one buyer in one place vs having them search and interview multiple sellers.

So the reason why it’s not taking off just yet is because Fiverr has not guided its most prominent sellers into how to set up a service that makes sense to prospects.

Everyone is either missing the bigger picture or are overwhelmed by the possibilities and responsibilities of it all.

[humanissocial]

The core logic behind Fiverr’s feature -aside from playing catch up with UW- is to offer a one stop shop solution to buyers.

Reduce friction and get even more $$$ in one swoop by offering lots of things for one buyer in one place vs having them search and interview multiple sellers.

So the reason why it’s not taking off just yet is because Fiverr has not guided its most prominent sellers into how to set up a service that makes sense to prospects.

Everyone is either missing the bigger picture or are overwhelmed by the possibilities and responsibilities of it all.

It seems they’re a bit misguided about who they ask to do Studios. If you don’t have an agency mindset and project management insight to begin with, this is going to go awry. It seems they’re basically trying to get people to make a Studio for the sake of it versus approaching people who would actually get the full value of this program for both their sales and for the value of clients.

If you don’t have an agency understanding mindset, this simply isn’t valuable. It’s shortsighted for them to approach people based on prominence if that’s what they’re really doing. Prominence as a one-person show doesn’t mean you’re a good fit to run a small agency.

[frank_d]

It seems they’re a bit misguided about who they ask to do Studios. If you don’t have an agency mindset and project management insight to begin with, this is going to go awry. It seems they’re basically trying to get people to make a Studio for the sake of it versus approaching people who would actually get the full value of this program for both their sales and for the value of clients.

If you don’t have an agency understanding mindset, this simply isn’t valuable. It’s shortsighted for them to approach people based on prominence if that’s what they’re really doing. Prominence as a one-person show doesn’t mean you’re a good fit to run a small agency.

Well I am not sure what the criteria were initially but I see lots of people having the “lead” status that shouldn’t have.

[humanissocial]

Well I am not sure what the criteria were initially but I see lots of people having the “lead” status that shouldn’t have.

I have, too. I don’t think I’d want to join a Studio if invited as a freelancer unless there was some way for me to ascertain their suitability to run such a thing. When collaborations are disorganized or roles are not appropriate, it’s such a nightmare and you end up making less money because of all the logistical issues and stress you have to deal with.

[gig_freak]

@humanissocial - Yes, the project management part is something that I forgot to mention. I agree with both you and Frank, that many people have the “lead” status and they don’t deserve it.

I work as a project manager for a publisher, and meeting the deadlines, communicating between our multiple teams and have everything run in sync is a difficult process, that requires a lot of time to learn. Hence, why I think that not everyone can be a lead. Project management skills are a must.

For example, some meksells might create a studio and just create bad name for Fiverr (and all of us honest people working here).

[eoinfinnegan]

I think the studio idea is a great one. In my time on Fiverr I have had a variety of approaches to working with other sellers, none of which were particularly easy to manage.

1. I take an order from a buyer and then hire other sellers to do parts of the order. This can mean me spending a lot of money and then waiting 3-4 weeks before I get paid on those - not ideal and the possibility of a chargeback could be a nightmare for me where I would be losing time and also what I had spent. It also means charging an additional 20% to buyers as Fiverr gets their cut twice.
2. Asking a buyer to add me to their business account so I can place orders on their behalf and deal with sellers directly. This worked relatively well but Fiverr were so panicked about it when I asked. Took a lot of convincing and explaining the rationale before they finally agreed.
3. Telling the buyer what to order and telling the seller to deal with me directly. This is not great for the seller because I am giving them instructions but someone else is rating them. It did work well when I did it as I knew the buyers well and the sellers knew me.

Anyway, none of these solutions were ideal but buyers were more than happy to work with me in whatever way was suggested so the idea can work. As Frank said above, there is an opportunity for leads to get ahead here if they can figure out a useful solution. I think the idea of social media set up with content and management could be an idea that could work. That type of thing can even be an ongoing/repeat gig which could be nice.

[youssefkamel]

Isn’t running a studio on Fiverr is similar to having your own digital agency? If i had the opportunity, i would certainly love to give it a shot. I at least think it might be similar to how my experience went with running my own web design agency. It did take a lot of effort, but it was totally worth it at the end.

The thing is, running an agency or creating a studio on Fiverr might not fit everyone. It’s so much hassle to go through as you just pointed out. But for someone like me who’s so obsessed with being 24/7 busy with work stuff and dealing with all the hassle a business has to offer, i find running a business so interesting. It’s certainly difficult, and that’s why not everyone is doing it. But if you find interest in something like this, just go for it.

You know, since i work in the web design field, i would like to share this with you.
Most of my clients whom i have worked with in the past 3 years either as a freelancer or through my agency, none of them had a professional social media presence. I don’t really want to write a percentage since it might be incorrect, but we could say from 80 to 87%. And by a professional social media presence, i simply mean having a Facebook page for example with a good cover & picture designed, written content, which is actually meaningful, and the page is up to date.

So perhaps if i had the opportunity to have a studio, i might be thinking about something like this:

• A full website creation service
• Social media page setup.
• Logo design.
• Graphic design service (Illustrations, icons and all that stuff a site might need.)
• Website content writing.
• SEO

And i think this might be a perfect bundle to consider. The services i have just mentioned above is what i believe a customer will need when ordering a website creation service. Since most of them lack some of the mentioned points, having all these services in a bundle would be such a useful thing to offer.

So all in all, i would say go for it freaky! It might turn out smoothly and you’ll have a lucrative business, or it might be a fail (which we all hope not) but at least you’ll get to experience the whole studio thing!

Good luck! :hugs:

[cyaxrex]

I was recently contacted by Fiverr that I have the option to create a studio. One of their representatives sent me a link from a webinar that I haven’t watched yet.

Personally, I do like to create a studio. However, it’s really hard for me to brainstorm my business name, hire talent for my studio. It is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of thinking and to be honest, it isn’t quite easy to hire great talent.

What do you guys think? Which are the pros and which are the cons? If you had the opportunity, would you create a studio? And why not?

---

Note: I am not looking for Meksels to join my studio. The idea of this thread is to discuss some pros/cons and share experiences.

However, it’s really hard for me to brainstorm my business name, hire talent for my studio. It is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of thinking and to be honest, it isn’t quite easy to hire great talent.

If you consider that hard work, just imagine what it will be like managing your studio team. :roll_eyes:

Something to think about…

[gig_freak]

Isn’t running a studio on Fiverr is similar to having your own digital agency? If i had the opportunity, i would certainly love to give it a shot. I at least think it might be similar to how my experience went with running my own web design agency. It did take a lot of effort, but it was totally worth it at the end.

The thing is, running an agency or creating a studio on Fiverr might not fit everyone. It’s so much hassle to go through as you just pointed out. But for someone like me who’s so obsessed with being 24/7 busy with work stuff and dealing with all the hassle a business has to offer, i find running a business so interesting. It’s certainly difficult, and that’s why not everyone is doing it. But if you find interest in something like this, just go for it.

You know, since i work in the web design field, i would like to share this with you.

Most of my clients whom i have worked with in the past 3 years either as a freelancer or through my agency, none of them had a professional social media presence. I don’t really want to write a percentage since it might be incorrect, but we could say from 80 to 87%. And by a professional social media presence, i simply mean having a Facebook page for example with a good cover & picture designed, written content, which is actually meaningful, and the page is up to date.

So perhaps if i had the opportunity to have a studio, i might be thinking about something like this:

• A full website creation service
• Social media page setup.
• Logo design.
• Graphic design service (Illustrations, icons and all that stuff a site might need.)
• Website content writing.
• SEO

And i think this might be a perfect bundle to consider. The services i have just mentioned above is what i believe a customer will need when ordering a website creation service. Since most of them lack some of the mentioned points, having all these services in a bundle would be such a useful thing to offer.

So all in all, i would say go for it freaky! It might turn out smoothly and you’ll have a lucrative business, or it might be a fail (which we all hope not) but at least you’ll get to experience the whole studio thing!

Good luck! :hugs:

So all in all, i would say go for it freaky! It might turn out smoothly and you’ll have a lucrative business, or it might be a fail (which we all hope not) but at least you’ll get to experience the whole studio thing!

Thank you, Joe! 🚀

If you consider that hard work, just imagine what it will be like managing your studio team

It’s easy to brainstorm a business name, said the copywriter. 😂

Joke aside, personally, for me starting the business is the hardest part of this.

I do think that it will be hard to manage the team if everyone is in different time zones. Plus, Fiverr doesn’t allow outside communication. And I see Quip and Slack being quite handy in managing remote workers and creative teams.

Certainly, it is a feature that requires more tweaking and fine tuning before it’s ready to work.