Stuck at acquisition (biz of helping SMB build their online presence)
Hi, friends,
I left Big Tech a year ago to build a business which ideally can bring some societal value to this world and serve as passive income to my family.
I spent 10+ years as a software engineer and tech lead at big tech. Last year I walked away from that world to start a boutique agency camel software service https://www.camelsoftwareservice.com/, focused on helping SMB businesses with web/mobile apps, digital marketing (mainly Google Ads + SEO), third party integrations, and IT consulting.
The core thesis: small businesses deserve access to enterprise-grade technical talent, not just cookie-cutter website builders or offshore shops that ghost them after delivery. I'm trying to fill that gap — staying lean so I can stay affordable without cutting corners.
Here's where I'm at:
- First client was a local realtor launching a flat fee agency. Built their web presence + ran their ad strategy. Their leads tripled. A huge win for them. I am very happy for my client.
- Still early stage. Working on growing a repeatable client pipeline.
- My biggest challenge right now is distribution, referrals are warm but slow, and paid acquisition for a B2B service business is tricky.
Questions I'm genuinely wrestling with:
- Is "enterprise quality talent for small biz" a compelling enough differentiator, or does it sound like every other agency's pitch?
- For those who've scaled a service business, what acquisition channels actually worked for you beyond referrals?
- Any red flags in the model I should be thinking about?
Not here to sell anything, just looking for real talk from people who've been through it. Happy to share more about what's working and what isn't. Happy to pay a consulting fee if you are an experienced builder can give me some tips.