The Agency Era (Part 2)
In Part 1, I shared how I went from editing text files in Notepad to building responsive layouts. With the fundamentals of HTML and CSS under my belt, I was ready to scale. The next phase wasn’t just about code; it was about tooling, workflow, and eventually, business.
🎨 The Webflow Pivot
As I looked for ways to speed up development, I tested the usual suspects: WordPress and Wix. They were fine, but they felt restrictive. Then I found Webflow.
Webflow was different. It offered a visual interface that mapped directly to CSS properties (Flexbox, Grid, etc.), but its killer feature was Code Export. It gave me the speed of a site builder without locking me into a walled garden. I could design visually, export the clean HTML/CSS, and host it wherever I wanted. It became the bridge between design and development I had been looking for.
🚀 Launching the Agency
Armed with a pro-level workflow, I took the plunge and started my own web design and development agency.
🛠️ The Stack
To deliver professional work, I needed a professional pipeline. My toolkit evolved into a modern “Jamstack-lite” setup:
- 🎨 Design/Build: Webflow (for visual development)
- 📝 Editor: VS Code (for fine-tuning exported code)
- 📨 Forms: Formspree (handling backend form submissions on static sites)
- 🐙 Version Control: GitHub
⚡ The Netlify Shift
Initially, I used SiteGround, but around 2018, I discovered Netlify. It was a game-changer. The seamless Git integration, free SSL, and global CDN made traditional hosting feel archaic. I migrated my workflow entirely to Netlify, ensuring my client sites were fast, secure, and easy to update.
💼 The Client Roster
My first client was an Engineering & Construction company specializing in pre-engineered buildings—a serious project that tested my new stack. It was a success.
Referrals started trickling in. I landed a Fly Ash distributor, followed by a diverse mix of clients: two NGOs, a real estate firm, a manufacturer, travel agencies, and even an astrologer and a temple. The portfolio was growing, and so was the complexity of the requests.
🛒 Entering E-commerce
Soon, clients started asking for “Buy Now” buttons. I needed to move from static brochures to dynamic e-commerce, but I didn’t want to abandon my static site workflow.
I evaluated Shopify, CS-Cart, and SnipCart, but landed on Ecwid. It allowed me to inject a full-featured shopping cart into my existing static sites via a simple script. Crucially, it had excellent support for Indian payment gateways and logistics, which was non-negotiable for my local clients.
🤖 Automation & Integration
As the businesses I supported grew, they needed their websites to do more. I started connecting their sites to other SaaS tools using Zapier and Integromat (now Make).
This allowed me to build automated workflows—like sending a lead from a contact form directly to a CRM or triggering a Slack alert when a purchase was made. I wasn’t just building websites anymore; I was building business systems.
🛑 The Halt
From 2016 to 2020, the agency was on a steady upward trajectory. I was learning new tech, shipping code, and getting paid to do it.
Then came early 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the world shut down. Projects were paused, budgets froze, and the uncertainty was palpable. The momentum I had built over four years came to a sudden, grinding halt.
In Part 3, I’ll cover how I navigated the lockdown, adapted my strategy, and what came next.
Disclaimer
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