Why & How I Started a Digital Marketing Agency at 29

Starting a digital marketing agency wasn’t something I planned years in advance—it was the result of a series of challenges, opportunities, and lessons along the way. 

After moving from Germany to the UK, I quickly realized that the corporate career path I’d been preparing for wasn’t the right fit for me. Between frequent relocations and work that felt uninspiring, I knew I needed something different. 

Starting my first agency, Leadcube, taught me the value of experimenting and adapting. Initially focused on social media marketing, we eventually pivoted to SEO consulting and link-building. These experiences, combined with the lessons I learned from co-founding a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business, solidified my passion for helping companies grow through digital strategies. 

In my latest venture LinkPanda which I started in 2024, we specialize in link-building for SaaS companies—a niche we’ve mastered after years of trial and error in developing our software-as-a-service business.

In this article, I’ll take you through the key steps of the entire journey, covering the various businesses and ideas I worked on including the decisions that led me to create a successful digital marketing agency. Let’s dive into the why and how behind my journey and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Why I started a digital marketing agency

An early realization

Yeah, so, at the time, it wasn’t like I had any big plan or anything. It was just that I needed to do something different. I didn’t really think it through, like, “Oh, I’m moving to the UK with a long-term plan in mind.” It was more spontaneous.

I had been studying business administration in Germany through a corporate study program. Basically, it’s where you work and study simultaneously, and the company pays you. I did that for two years. 

The idea was that after the program, the company would keep you on, and you'd kind of just slide into this corporate career. At the time, I didn’t know much about business or work, and honestly, it sounded good. But as I got deeper into it, I realized it wasn’t for me.

I was paid during my work-study program, but it was a pretty small amount. I mean, I was working, so they paid me every month, but nothing significant.

Another thing was that during the program, I had to move around a lot within Germany. The structure of the course required three months at the university and three months working at different company offices. 

It was exciting at first, but after a while, it became super stressful and honestly just annoying—having to find new apartments constantly and relocate every few months.

But the bigger reason for the change was that I couldn’t see a future for myself in that corporate path. So, I started looking for ways to finish my studies differently. 

That’s when I discovered I could transfer my credits and complete my degree in the UK. It felt like an interesting option because I love a good challenge, and moving to a new country seemed like exactly that.

A desire for a meaningful challenge 

I liked the idea of studying in English. And, yeah, I guess the challenge of doing that was a big motivation for me. It felt like stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new, which really appealed to me.

Also, I think I was at a point in my life where I wanted to push myself and see what I was capable of. 

Moving to the UK to study in a completely different environment felt like the kind of challenge that could help me grow—not just academically, but personally as well. It was about proving to myself that I could adapt and thrive in a new culture while pursuing my goals.

A need to be motivated from within

Yeah, so, I think it all comes down to, like, who I am as a person. I need something like this—starting my own business—to feel motivated. I guess that’s kind of the simple answer, right? It’s just the way I’m wired.

When you talk to people who run their own businesses, you probably hear this a lot—that they just feel like they have to do it. It’s what feels the most enjoyable and rewarding for them. And honestly, that’s how it is for me, too. 

It wasn’t about not wanting to study in Germany or work a full-time job—it was more about finding something that really drives me. Starting my own business in the UK gave me that purpose and sense of fulfillment.

A chance encounter

Yeah, so, I can still remember the first time I ever heard about entrepreneurship. I was 18, in the last year of school, and I watched this random YouTube video. It was, like, a CNN interview with a moderator talking to some founders. 

Before that, I’d never really thought about starting or running my own business. But that video sparked something in me. Looking back now, it’s interesting how people often have a specific moment when an idea just clicks for them. For me, that was it—the first time I even considered entrepreneurship.

Even when I was studying in Germany, the idea of running my own business was always kind of there, in the back of my mind. During that time, I started experimenting with online marketing and learning about search engine optimization (SEO). It felt like a natural progression—I was dipping my toes into it, figuring things out as I went.

As I got closer to finishing my studies, the idea became much more present, like something I couldn’t ignore anymore. 

By then, a couple of years had passed since I first got into SEO, and a few months after graduating from university in the UK, I just felt like it was time. I was like, "Yeah, now I have to do it. I’ve been thinking about this for so long, so I just need to take the leap." And that’s how it all started.

The rebel with a cause

Yeah, that's true. I’m definitely not someone who can just follow a set path blindly. For me, it’s actually harder to work on something simple or boring than it is to tackle a challenging task. 

I’d say I get bored really quickly, and what motivates me isn’t just achieving one specific thing—it’s the process of growth. It’s about moving forward, making progress, and being a little better every year. That’s what keeps me going.

Of course, there are certain tasks I don’t enjoy at all or am not good at. For example, anything related to development or coding—I’m not a developer, and I don’t have those technical skills. The funny thing is, I co-founded a SaaS brand. 

But honestly, I leave the technical stuff to the team, and I focus on marketing, which is more my strength. Delegating those tasks allows me to focus on what I enjoy and where I can make the most impact.

What are some of the businesses you’ve started before?

Leadcube, my first digital marketing agency

Yeah, so Leadcube was my first digital marketing agency, which I started back in 2017 with a business partner.

At the time, I was really new to business—I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do, but I knew I didn’t want a traditional job. I just wanted to do my own thing. It was a bit of a rough start, honestly, figuring everything out on my own.

We began by offering social media marketing services, focusing on things like Twitter content strategies and content marketing for other platforms. 

Over time, we expanded into SEO, which, looking back, is funny because SEO has always been my main thing. But initially, we didn’t think of offering it. Eventually, our services shifted from social media to include SEO delivery and consulting.

One of the most exciting parts of Leadcube was working on SEO consulting projects with startups, particularly from the US. These were super niche, creative tech startups in industries I hadn’t even heard of before. 

My role wasn’t necessarily about delivering SEO services but more about mapping out comprehensive strategies for them. It was such a great learning experience and really helped me grow.

Ultimately, though, Leadcube was kind of a trial-and-error journey. We kept experimenting and doing different things, but we didn’t have a fully clear business model. 

I eventually decided to move on and focus on lead generation for my SaaS business. Even though I stopped Leadcube, it was such a formative experience and taught me a lot about running a business.

LeadGen App

So, the transition from SEO consultancy to a SaaS business came about because of a chance encounter. I met my colleague, who’s the main founder of LeadGen App, in a co-working space. He had built the software initially just for his own agency—a tool to create online forms to solve a specific use case he had.

We ended up spending a lot of time together in the office, and at some point, we thought, “Why not open this up and offer it to the market?” It wasn’t something he had planned to turn into a business, but it just made sense as we talked about it. 

Like with Leadcube, it was very much a case of figuring things out as we went along. We brainstormed ideas about what we could sell and do, and eventually, we decided on this. That’s how LeadGen App was born—it was a collaborative, organic process that just grew from there.

LinkPanda, the latest venture

Yeah, so, with LinkPanda, it’s kind of like coming back to my SEO roots. But honestly, I’ve always been deeply involved in SEO, even while running the SaaS business. It’s always been a big part of what I do. You were asking about motivation, right?

This all started during my time running the SaaS business when we began receiving a huge number of emails from people wanting to guest post on our website or get link mentions. 

We’d get hundreds of emails every week from people asking to be featured on our website. Eventually, this turned into its own business within the LeadGen App team, where we started offering guest posts and link mentions as a service on our site.

Over time, we got really good at it. We started expanding and adding other websites to our portfolio, offering the same kind of services there. It’s one of those cases where the marketshowed us what it wanted, and we just responded to that demand. 

It felt like the right thing to do—like going back to what I’ve always been passionate about, SEO. So, yeah, that’s how LinkPanda came to be. It’s a natural progression and a great example of adapting to opportunities as they come.

How do you actually start and run a digital marketing agency

Licenses

Yeah, so the great thing about starting a digital marketing agency, especially in the SEO space, is that you don’t really need any licenses or permits. That’s one of the beauties of working in online businesses. You can just get started without having to worry about government approvals or formalities.

Me at a co-working space in the UK.

For example, I have a friend in the UK who’s in real estate, and he’s a letting agent. He has to deal with tons of licenses and paperwork just to run his business. But in our field, there isn’t anything comparable to that, which makes it so much easier to get started.

The only thing that might come up, especially in Europe, is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s something you have to be aware of, but it’s not like you need to apply for anything specific. 

It’s more about understanding the rules and making sure you comply with them. Beyond that, there’s really no barrier—just start and figure things out as you go. That’s what makes digital marketing such an accessible space to step into.

Navigating business laws

Yeah, GDPR does affect how we handle things, especially with the SaaS business. For example, when people use our app to create online forms, they’re often collecting data—like, imagine 100 leads coming through a form. 

We have to provide secure ways to store that data, keep it safe, and even delete it when needed. It’s definitely a big factor in the SaaS world, given the nature of the tools we work with.

It also impacts how we approach email marketing. In the EU, for instance, you have to be really careful about who you’re contacting. You can send campaigns to business emails, but personal emails are off-limits unless you have proper permissions. 

It’s different from the US, where, as far as I know, the rules are a lot more flexible. So, yeah, when it comes to running email campaigns or anything related to data, you just have to be cautious and make sure you’re operating within the legal framework. It’s all about being compliant while still delivering results.

Managing fixed and variable costs for a digital marketing agency

When it comes to costs like subscriptions for marketing tools, they’re definitely something you’d look into as you grow. We use tools like Ahrefs, dashboard tools, accounting software, and project management platforms like ClickUp.

We used to use Trello before switching. These tools are helpful, but I wouldn’t say they’re must-haves right from the start. You can absolutely begin with a lean setup and limit your costs by focusing on simpler tasks, like fixing a client’s website or handling their technical SEO.

The good thing is that these tools are flexible. Most of them are subscription-based, so they’re variable costs that you pay monthly. It’s manageable, and you can add them as your business scales and you want to operate at a higher level.

Now, staff costs are a different story. For our SaaS business and LinkPanda, HR costs are the biggest expense. Right now, we have about 5 people in the SaaS business and another 7 in the agency business, so those are definitely more fixed costs. But there’s also flexibility, especially for our sales team.

We have a commission model that works really well for us. Each salesperson has a monthly sales quota, and when they hit it, their commission is much higher compared to when they fall slightly below. 

For instance, if their quota is $5,000 and they hit it, they earn a better commission than if they bring in, say, $4,800. This model not only helps manage costs but also keeps the sales team motivated. It’s been a very effective approach for us.

The importance of a business plan

At the beginning, I’d say it’s really about just going all in and taking action. So yeah, you asked whether we had a plan, right? Honestly, it wasn’t a deliberate, well-thought-out thing at first. 

With LinkPanda, for example, we had the domain for about a year before we even figured out a proper model. It’s still a very young business, and a lot of how we got here has been a natural progression, just figuring things out as we went.

Hey! That’s me at Ahrefs Evolve in Singapore!

Talking to others, and attending big events like the SEO conference in Singapore—it all gives me confidence that this is the right direction to pursue. 

The SaaS business has been great, but it’s also super challenging. Keeping up with building features is tough, and that’s why I feel LinkPanda allows me to provide more direct value to companies in a way that really fits.

As for business plans, I’ve never actually written one for any of the businesses I’ve started. Sure, I’ve done marketing plans and things like that, but never from day one. I just dived in and started. 

And honestly, I’d recommend that to other founders too. It’s better to take action than to wait for the perfect plan. Plans can come later as you learn and grow. Now, I’m thinking of planning things out more thoroughly, but that’s something that develops along the way—it doesn’t have to be perfect at the start.

Pick An Area Of Specialization 

Yeah, we chose to specialize in SaaS link building for a few reasons. It’s something I’ve been doing for the past six or seven years with LeadGen App, our SaaS business, so we’ve gained a lot of experience in that space. 

Over the years, we’ve tried so many different things—beyond SEO, we’ve done email marketing, a bit of ads, and other strategies—but SEO has consistently delivered the best results for us.

One of our biggest successes was a few years ago when we increased our SEO traffic by 300% in just six months using international SEO. We launched other language versions, and it worked incredibly well. That’s just one example of how effective these strategies can be when tailored to the unique needs of SaaS businesses.

SaaS companies have specific requirements, like focusing on signing up new users and analyzing user metrics, which go beyond just tracking traffic. 

These are the kinds of insights we’ve learned, and now it feels like the right time to share them with other founders. It’s been a journey of figuring out what the market needs and then aligning our services to meet those demands. Specializing in SaaS links feels like the natural next step for us.

Marketing Your Digital Marketing Agency

Yeah, so, for LinkPanda, we’re still figuring out the perfect marketing strategy, but right now, we’re very sales-driven. Honestly, we don’t have a marketing problem because we already have more than enough leads coming in. 

For instance, over the past year, we’ve done more than 1,000 link deals. It’s a lot of transactions, and many customers are smaller ones who purchase just one link, but it still adds up to a significant volume.

Networking at Ahrefs Evolve. Source: Ahrefs.

The real challenge for us isn’t generating interest; it’s managing it—staying on top of our inboxes and responding to all the inquiries. After attending a recent SEO conference, I came back to a flood of messages and LinkedIn contacts, which made catching up on work quite tricky.

In terms of a marketing strategy, we’re focused on three key pillars: SEO, LinkedIn, and email marketing. SEO has always been our bread and butter, and it remains central to how we attract customers. 

For LinkedIn, I want to explore more account-based marketing, where we identify the right companies, email them, and build personal relationships. I’m also considering doing more LinkedIn content, like posts or even videos.

Email marketing is another major part of our approach. We’ve developed a two-fold process: one for reaching out to existing customers, like those who’ve purchased links from us before, and another for cold outreach to link-building agencies or SaaS brands. 

For cold leads, we use tools like FindThatLead.com, where we scrape data from Google, gather relevant URLs, and extract email addresses. But, honestly, the best results often come from warmer leads—people we’ve met in person or have some prior connection with. It’s all about building strong relationships while reaching the right audience.

Building a strong team

Yeah, building a strong team has been such an important part of what we do. I’ve been really fortunate to have strong support from my co-founder and our team, who are based in Kashmir, India. They do an amazing job sourcing talent, and honestly, I’m not even fully involved in the details of how they do it, but I’ve observed a few things.

Me with my LeadGen App Co-Founder Waseem Bashir.

One of the main strategies they use is collaborating closely with universities. They organize roadshows at universities about every six months, which helps us connect directly with young talent. 

They also run local newspaper ads, which, to my surprise, still work really well. On top of that, they use a mix of online ads, like Facebook ads, and make great use of LinkedIn’s hiring features. We get a lot of messages and inquiries through LinkedIn.

What’s been especially effective is the in-person outreach. By attending universities and engaging with students directly, they’ve built a strong pipeline of candidates. This combination of traditional methods like newspaper ads and modern approaches like LinkedIn has really helped us build a solid team. It’s a mix of strategies that has worked really well for us.

Reflections on the Journey: Building an Agency from the Ground Up

Reflecting on my journey, I’ve realized that starting a digital marketing agency wasn’t about having all the answers—it was about taking action, adapting, and learning along the way. From experimenting with social media and SEO in Leadcube to co-founding a SaaS business and specializing in link-building with LinkPanda, every step taught me something valuable. 

Each challenge pushed me closer to understanding what I’m passionate about and how I can create value for others. The path wasn’t linear, and there were moments of doubt, but those experiences shaped the agency I run today.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you don’t need to wait for the perfect plan to get started. Opportunities often come from unexpected places, and success is less about perfection and more about persistence. 

Whether you’re building a team, choosing a niche, or navigating market demands, the key is to remain flexible and open to growth. Starting a digital marketing agency has been a challenging but deeply rewarding journey, and I hope my story inspires others to take that first step toward creating something meaningful.