It all started in 2017, when I left my job at a startup where I worked as a Product Manager and UX Designer. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to explore new products, meet new people, and collaborate with a variety of professionals. I felt stuck, and I knew I needed a change.
I decided to resign, free myself from all commitments, and only then begin the job search with a clean slate.
While searching, I took online courses in all kinds of fields, project management, graphic design, front-end development, and more. I met new people, looked for meetups in areas that interested me, aiming to improve my skills, expand my network, and gain tools for what I hoped would be an exciting, upgraded new job. I had no idea that this “new job” would actually become my own studio.
I discovered an entire world of freelancers on platforms like Fiverr. It fascinated me so much that I started diving deeper. I read thousands of gigs and freelancer bios, studied pricing models and service scopes. And the more I learned, the more I wanted to try it myself.
I opened a Fiverr profile with just one gig: Shopify store creation. I had heard it was a growing niche, and it was what I did best, designing to sell.
My first order came in within a few days: a Zen store selling Zen pieces, such as special stones and decoration for gardens and homes. For $100 I built a complete Shopify store for them, with a home page, product page, collection page and more custom pages, and even uploaded their products and retouched their images.
Every order that came in gave me butterflies. Vintage toys stores, pet supplies stores, and even jewelry brands reached out to me. I was so excited, they chose me! Out of the thousands of options out there, they picked me to work with. I must be doing something right.
Each new project made me want more. The thrill, the adrenaline, seeing the money come in, and being proud that I created something completely on my own, there’s no feeling like it.
Six months later, I applied to Fiverr Pro. I passed the interview and got accepted. I was over the moon.
My portfolio kept growing, I started learning what worked (and what didn’t), and I raised my prices. Soon, I was offering the same scope of work as before, but now for $2,500.
A week later, my first order at the new price came in, and I realized: everything is about to change.
It wasn’t long before my order queue was packed. It got to the point where I discovered there’s actually a button on Fiverr you need to click to reveal more hidden orders, because the screen can’t display them all at once.
As orders increased, I noticed my delivery times were stretching. It was becoming unmanageable, and I knew I didn’t want to compromise on the quality of what I was delivering.
So, I started searching for a UI/UX designer. Someone who shared my values, upheld the same high standards, and was willing to work side-by-side with me while I defined the creative direction and maintained direct client communication, something I’ve always loved. I enjoy the interaction, understanding clients’ needs, and crafting tailor-made solutions. After a lot of interviews and reading through more than 50 applications and CVs, I found a great designer who worked alongside me designing and building Shopify stores for our clients.
Over time, more designers joined. Today, we’re a team of 10 full-time employees, designers, project managers, design leads, and developers.
With this amazing team, I could finally focus on what truly matters. I kept the roles I love most: initial client calls, understanding their goals, shaping the design vision, and leading the studio’s strategy. The team grew, but a few things remained crystal clear and continue to guide us to this day, our unwavering standards and values; Creative integrity and open and warm collaboration with clients. We want every client to feel like they are part of the project, they still have control over the process and the creative direction, and we form the project together, making it something worth pride for both ends.
Our clients are partners on this journey. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way, ones I try to live by every day:
- Never give up your freedom or time for yourself. Time off doesn’t hold me back, on the contrary, it recharges me. It’s when I feel most creative, regain energy, and return passionate and refreshed, ready to give my all to current projects and attract new ones.
- Inspiration is everywhere. In nature, at the beach, in conversations with people, in new places, in culture, food, and language. You just have to learn how to sharpen your perspective to notice it.
- If something isn’t working, don’t just push harder. Take a step back, look at things from a new angle, add objectivity, and change course if needed.
- Automate everything you can. Use templates for recurring messages, such as a message for delivering a certain gig, or welcoming a new client; create FAQs for clients and team members to save time replying to repetitive questions, and define clear processes, so everyone knows the end goal and how to get there. For example, define the flow for welcoming a new client who ordered a logo design, including an onboarding message that covers everything you need to get started, what the next steps are, what they should expect, when the next delivery will be, how you'd like them to share their comments, and whether you offer other forms of communication, such as Zoom calls or leaving notes on a ClickUp interface.
And one last tip:
Believe you’re capable.
Everything you’ve ever dreamed of, you can achieve, if you want it enough.
Check out Yael’s Fiverr profile to see how she helps businesses grow through high-impact, strategic website design and development. 
