When my partner and I started Creato Ink, a creative agency based in Nepal, we didn’t have a big network, paid ad budget, or the willingness to send cold DMs to strangers.
But somehow, we started attracting good clients. The kind that values creativity, respects deadlines, and pays well.
Although not everyone was like that, there were a few “bad” clients, too. They didn’t care about time or respect our creativity. Some ghosted us after agreeing to sign us. One didn’t pay us even after we completed the project.
Those were lessons for us; we have handled clients and projects professionally since then. Each work adds to our experience — good or bad —and we grow from there.
Now, let’s move back to how we land high-value clients.
We have never spent a single dollar on ads or sent cold pitches. Instead, we built a trust, visibility, and storytelling system. This article breaks it down as a path that has worked for us (and might work for you too). It shows the things we do and don’t to attract our clients.
Let’s get started with the things we don’t do.
What We “Don’t” Do
❌ We Don’t Use Paid Ads
We’ve never run a Facebook ad, a Google campaign, or boosted a post. It’s not because we are against it, but because we’ve never needed to.
Our belief:
Ads amplify what’s already working. If your offer, service, or delivery isn’t solid, no amount of ad spend will fix that. We chose to first build a foundation that didn’t rely on paid traffic.
We follow the same philosophy for our clients too. We never recommend using paid ads unless it’s absolutely necessary.
So far, we are doing well.
❌ We Don’t Promote Ourselves on Social Media
Our company’s Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook pages exist, but they’re not updated regularly. We hardly post anything there — no reels, carousels, or client wins every week.
We know content is important, and we’ll get there. But so far, most of our clients have found us without seeing a single post from our social media channels.
❌ We Don’t Send Cold Emails or DMs
We’ve never messaged a stranger pitching our services, although that was the initial plan. I thought sending cold DMs and reaching out to at least 10 businesses daily would be best.
But my partner didn’t want to do so. He said that we should aim for inbound trust over outbound pressure.
So, What Do We Do to Attract High-Value Clients?
✅ We Do Excellent Work Every Single Time
This is our biggest marketing strategy: do such great work that people want to talk about it.
When a client hires us for a project, we don’t just deliver what they asked for. We try to give them something better than they imagined.
That alone brings us repeated work, long-term retainers, and the kind of reputation money can’t buy.
✅ We Rely on Referrals and Testimonials
Most of our clients come through referrals.
A founder we worked with in Australia introduced us to his team, which allowed us to work with more people. This built our network and connections, bringing us more clients.
Similarly, a local client here in Nepal referred us to someone in Singapore, who is now our client.
After each project, we ask for testimonials (the kind that future clients can read and feel something). It’s simple but powerful.
✅ We Leverage Our Personal Network
When we first started our business, we reached out to friends and people in our circle, not to pitch, but to let them know what we were building.
Surprisingly, many of them knew someone who needed branding, a website, or content. That opened doors we never expected.
Your personal network (no matter how small) is full of opportunities. You don’t need thousands of followers. You just need a few people who believe in you.
✅ We Focus on Relationships, Not Just Projects
Every client we work with gets more than deliverables. They get communication, attention, and care.
We genuinely care about their brand and business.
So, we ask about their goals beyond the project and look for ways to support them that aren’t about upselling but about adding value.
And that’s why they keep coming back.
One client recently told us,
“Working with you feels more like working with a friend than an agency. I feel more comfortable.”
That stuck with us. And that’s precisely what we’re trying to build.
Conclusion
We may not be active on social media. We don’t run ads or chase clients in their DMs.
But we’ve built a profitable, growing creative agency from Nepal through good work, authentic relationships, and a proud reputation.
If you are building your own service-based business, remember:
- You don’t have to be everywhere.
- You don’t have to shout and make a lot of noise.
- You just have to be excellent at what you do and give the best value possible to your clients.
- You must make it easy for people to talk about you by building better relationships.
- You have to keep showing up and sharing your journey.
That’s what we are doing at Creato Ink.
And so far, it’s working just fine.
—
Here’s the story of how I started my agency business with $0 investment:
How I’m Building an Agency Business From Nepal With $0 Investment
