04: Freelance vs Building a Brand Studio // Nikita Walia (Founder & CEO of BLANK)
Aug 31, 2023
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Nikita Walia, Founder & CEO of BLANK, discusses her transition from freelancing to building her own brand studio, her evolving idea of a dream client, finding clients, and creating an operating system for life. They also touch on the challenges of conforming to societal career expectations, the importance of networking and building relationships in the creative industry, overcoming fear, and the power of personal growth in building a business.
Nikita Wallia shares her journey of transitioning into freelancing, highlighting the need for change and pursuit of purpose.
She emphasizes the importance of creating an operating system for your life, including setting boundaries and knowing your values to attract aligned clients.
Deep dives
Transitioning from a Dissatisfying Job to Freelancing
In this podcast episode, Nikita Wallia discusses her decision to quit her job and pursue freelancing. Feeling dissatisfied and searching for meaning and purpose, she recognized the need for a change and took the leap into freelancing. She shares her journey of transitioning into freelancing, building her own brand studio, and the challenges and obstacles she faced.
Building an Independent Brand Studio
Nikita Wallia talks about her experience building an independent brand studio. She discusses the process of finding clients, creating a value system as a business, and evolving from project-based work to focusing on branding. She shares insights about cultivating relationships with clients and creating a work-life harmony within her studio.
The Importance of Mindset and Boundaries in Freelancing
The podcast explores the significance of mindset and setting boundaries in the freelance journey. Nikita Wallia highlights the importance of creating an operating system for your life, including maintaining physical and mental health, setting boundaries around work, and knowing your own values to attract aligned clients.
Continuous Growth and Learning in Freelancing
Nikita Wallia emphasizes the importance of continuous growth and learning as a freelancer. She discusses the value of investing in personal and professional development, such as taking courses or seeking coaching, to constantly evolve and bring more value to clients. She also advocates for maintaining a curious and growth-oriented mindset in order to stay motivated and fulfilled in the freelance journey.
In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Nikita Walia, founder & CEO of BLANK - a strategy-first creative company, internet culture aficionado, obsessed with her Spanish greyhound, and an advocate for logging out.
With an educational background in media theory, Nikita started her career as a social strategist in the agency world, she then realized that she did not quite love the environments that she was in and decided to freelance, which led her to build her own brand studio.
We talked about what led her to freelance, and then build an independent brand studio, how her idea of a “dream client” has shifted throughout the years, her process of finding clients, creating an operating system for your life, and more!
I also want to give you a trigger warning that this episode contains a bit of content about self-harm that may be alarming to some listeners.
This is Nikita Walia for 5to9.
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