Why And How He Started A Digital Marketing Agency

Ever thought about starting your own agency but weren’t sure where to begin?

In this article, I sat down with Tin from Fuel Your Digital to talk about exactly that.

Tin shared how he went from being a teenage freelancer to running a profitable agency — and why making that shift changed everything for him.

We also got into how he built systems, grew his income, and why coaching others has become the most rewarding part of it all.

Want to hear the full story and pick up some ideas for your own path?

Here you go: 

Mention My Name, Vova Even, To Get Best Discount From Tin

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How He Decided to Launch an Agency

Vova:Tin! How did you end up choosing to start an agency?

Like, why go down that route?

What made you think, “Yeah, agency is the way to go”?

Tin: It’s actually a bit funny when I think about it.

Technically, before everything I’m doing now, I was kind of already running an agency — just not officially.

I started out as a freelancer way back in 2016 or 2017.

I was only about 16 years old at the time.

I’ll be turning 24 this year, so yeah, it feels like ages ago.

At the beginning, it was pure hustle.

I was grinding on platforms like Upwork, and even reaching out to people on Twitter (x.com).

That’s how I was getting my first clients.

Back then, my main gig was thumbnail design.

Just simple stuff.

But as time went on, I started getting better and naturally shifted into video editing.

So it was kind of like this steady progression.

From thumbnails to editing full videos — especially for entrepreneurs and creators.

I was basically just offering whatever I knew how to do, learning as I went.

That was my bread and butter at that point.

I worked with a bunch of entrepreneurs — people building personal brands, coaches, business owners — and that alone was bringing in anywhere from $500 to $1,000 a month.

For a teenager, that felt huge.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

Mention My Name, Vova Even, To Get Best Discount From Tin

Leveraging Instagram to Land His First Big Clients

Tin: In 2019, something interesting happened.

I decided to start an Instagram Page.

I wasn’t really thinking long-term — I just wanted to share value, maybe attract some attention.

But the page took off fast.

Like, it really blew up.

I hit 1000 followers in a short time.

And once that happened, I thought, “Why not use this platform to get more clients?”

So I started reaching out to people who followed the page, or who were active in the same space, and offered to help them with video editing.

That’s actually how I landed one of my first big breaks.

I signed a client who, at the time, was working with Grant Cardone.

That blew my mind.

I wasn’t working with Grant directly, but even being one step away from someone like him?

At 18 or 19 years old?

That was wild!

It made everything feel more real — like, maybe I could actually build something out of this.

So yeah, through this client, I started making around $1,000 a month consistently.

And honestly, at that time, that kind of money felt surreal.

I still remember this funny moment — I actually got a call from my bank.

They were like, “Hey, where did this thousand-dollar deposit come from?”

I guess for a student account, it looked unusual.

I panicked for a second because I didn’t really know how to explain it properly.

So I just blurted out that my relative from the US sent it to me. I didn’t know what else to say!

But that moment kind of marked the beginning of something serious for me.

Going All-In — When Freelance Became a Full-Time Hustle

Tin: I started to really commit.

That’s when freelancing turned from a side hustle into something I was going all in on.

I was in my college dorm room, just grinding every single day.

Like, full-on 10 to 12 hours a day, glued to my laptop, editing videos non-stop.

It wasn’t glamorous — but it taught me a lot about discipline, consistency, and just pushing through.

Bonus read: Characteristics Of Exceptional Students - What They Have In Common?

This was really the start of it all.

But then, as I kept working and learning, I had this realization — “Wait a second… I actually know how to do more than just edit videos.”

I already had solid experience with thumbnails from my early days.

Video editing had become second nature by then.

And on top of that, I had also picked up a bit of SEO knowledge along the way — not super advanced, but enough to know how it worked and how to apply it to content.

So I started connecting the dots.

What if I could take all of these individual skills and turn them into one complete service?

Instead of just editing a video, why not offer a complete “done-for-you” package where the client just has to record their video, send it over, and I’d take care of everything else?

That idea felt exciting.

I figured I’d give it a shot — and to my surprise, it actually worked really well.

By the end of 2018, I made my first two proper sales offering this packaged service.

And honestly, that changed everything for me.

That’s when I stopped thinking of myself as just a freelancer.

I started looking at it as a real business and began transforming it into a full-time agency.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

Mention My Name, Vova Even, To Get Best Discount From Tin

Building the Team — From Solo Founder to Partnership

Tin: Once things started picking up, I knew I couldn’t do it all alone anymore.

So the first person I hired was actually my best friend at the time.

He came on board to help out, and that was my first real step toward building a team.

Not long after that, I met Tin — my current business partner — and things started moving faster.

That was around mid-2019.

We teamed up and decided to take things seriously.

We both brought different skills to the table, and together we started scaling the agency.

And it worked.

By that point, we were bringing in around $10,000 a month.

That was a big milestone for us.

But more than the numbers, what really hit me was how different this felt compared to freelancing.

Shifting from One-Off Gigs to High-Ticket Packages

Tin: Back when I was freelancing, I was doing one-off projects, charging low-ticket rates — basically just trying to stack small wins.

But when we made the shift to offering high-ticket packages, the entire mindset changed.

It wasn’t just about doing work anymore — it was about creating real value for the kind of clients who could pay for a done-for-you solution and actually needed it.

That gave us a whole new market to work with — and honestly, that’s what helped us grow fast.

And yeah — from that point on, I’ve been on this journey ever since.

I completely transitioned from being a freelancer to becoming a business owner, or more specifically, an agency owner.

Automating Growth with YouTube and Passive-Income Systems

Tin: Now, to be honest, I don’t really work as much as I used to — at least not in the same way.

My main focus nowadays is just communicating with clients, making sure things are running smoothly.

But even so, I plan to step away soon.

The goal is to build a system where I’m not involved in day-to-day operations at all.

That said, I still like having something to work on.

I’m not the type who can sit around doing nothing.

So over the past six months or so, I’ve been putting my time into a few new projects too.

One of them is YouTube automation.

Subscribe to Tin's No Code AI Automations Channel

I’ve been building SEO-based YouTube channels — kind of like passive income projects — using the same knowledge and systems we use at the agency.

It’s all connected, and it lets me test and explore while staying sharp.

So yeah, that’s pretty much my story.

Bit longer than I planned, but hey — it’s been a ride.

Vova: That’s awesome, man.

And from what you’re saying, it sounds like you’ve got a bunch of things running side by side now.

You’ve got the agency, of course — but it looks like you’ve also added new projects.

I’m guessing that’s because you’ve got a bit more freedom now?

More time equals more cash flow, right?

Tin: Exactly. The agency is running well — it’s profitable and steady, which takes a lot of pressure off.

And with that breathing room, we’ve been able to focus on other income streams too.

One of the biggest ones right now is YouTube Automation, as I mentioned earlier.

We’ve built out SEO-driven channels that are generating good profits as well.

It’s another system-based business, so it runs pretty smoothly once it’s set up.

And on top of that, we’ve started investing in coaching.

That’s something I’m really excited about.

We now work with freelancers and agency owners to help them scale their businesses from zero up to $5K–$10K per month.

It’s a whole new layer to what we’re doing, and I honestly enjoy it a lot.

Pfft… During this conversation, Tin also talked about how to grow your agency from $10K to $100K a month. If you’re already earning five figures, this strategy is seriously worth a read: How To Scale A Digital Marketing Agency From 10k to 100k Dollars A Month

Finding Fulfillment — Why Coaching Became His Passion

Tin: Out of everything I’m doing, I’d say the coaching side of the business is what I’m most passionate about right now.

Don’t get me wrong — the agency work is great.

It’s solid, it pays well, and I’m proud of what we’ve built.

But when you’re running an agency, most of the time you’re just delivering a service.

You’re doing the work, sending it over, getting feedback.

That’s it.

You don’t always feel like you’re really making a difference in someone’s life.

But with coaching?

It’s totally different.

You’re working directly with people.

One-on-one.

You get to see the impact you’re making in real time.

Like we had this one freelancer come into our program — he was starting from absolute zero.

No clients.

No income.

And now?

He’s pulling in somewhere between $5,000 to $7,000 a month.

That’s a complete life shift — not just for him, but for me too.

Because I get to be a part of that journey.

And that feeling is way more fulfilling than just checking off a task list.

For the person on the other side — the freelancer, the beginner — it can completely change their trajectory.

But honestly, it’s life-changing for me too.

Because I get to be part of that moment where someone finally breaks through.

I get to help them, guide them, see them grow.

And there’s something really special about that.

It’s not just business — it’s personal, in the best way possible.

That’s why I keep doing what I’m doing.

Don’t miss this out: Streamlining Your Content Creation: A Review of Fuel Your Digital Services

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Conclusion

And that’s a wrap.

Hearing Tin’s journey from freelancing as a teenager to running a successful agency — and now coaching others — really shows what’s possible when you stay consistent and keep learning.

What stood out to me the most is how he turned his skills into a complete service, built systems around them, and used that to create more freedom for himself.

If you're thinking about starting your own agency or taking your freelancing up a notch, there's a lot you can pick up from this.

Oh, and if you haven’t yet, catch up on everything we talked about here: How To Grow An Agency To Over $100k Profit A Year.

This conversation is packed with honest lessons that might help you figure out your next step.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

Mention My Name, Vova Even, To Get Best Discount From Tin