On this week’s edition of ‘The Founder’ we feature Camille Fraser, the Founder and Managing Director of Hashtag; a creative agency launched in 2014. Camille was a former Brand Manager at Dialog Axiata PLC and has also worked at UNICEF Sri Lanka and E-Services Lanka Limited. Camille is an alumna of the University of Leicester, UK and ICBT Sri Lanka. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration.

In your own words, what is Hashtag?

Hashtag is a creative agency offering a gamut of services to local and international companies. We have an ever-expanding portfolio which includes creative work done for renowned brands in Sri Lanka. We’ve had the privilege of working with blue chips, SMEs and start-ups across different industries such as Telecommunications, Banking and Financial Services, Insurance, Hospitality, Food and Beverage, Apparel and Consumer Goods, to name a few. We offer our clients an array of services such as brand strategy and development which includes brand identity creation, logo design, company profiles, advertisements and general marketing collateral. Our digital services include social media management, web design, 3D modelling and 3D rendering. We also specialize in publications and package design. Hashtag is a very flexible agency comprising of a team of friendly and vibrantly talented people who are passionate about delivering top notch work whilst constantly pushing boundaries.

What inspired you?

Firstly, all glory to God for where I am today. Having worked in Marketing for many years, I understood the immense power of branding done right. Over the years, I had gathered a lot of knowledge on the subject and I wanted to put this know-how to good use. I felt like I had a lot to share. As I was very passionate about helping brands come to life by developing their personas to stand out in their respective markets, setting up a creative agency of my own seemed a natural next step. The moment all the dots connected I took the leap and formed Hashtag.

Being an entrepreneur, what was it like facing the global pandemic? How did it affect the business?

It was tough! Setting up a remote working model was challenging at the start. Especially, because we depended a lot on face-to-face interactions for creative direction. The team always thrives when working together in close proximity, and productivity and creativity is at its peak when everyone’s at the workplace. Come lockdowns, the isolated work-from-home model took some getting used to. However, the team rallied and powered through and we managed to keep doing what we do. Thankfully, we work with clients whose industries were not too hard hit and as a result we had a continuous inflow of work and were able to stay afloat.

What has been the most frustrating thing about being a start up?

Hashtag has been around for seven years now but thinking back to when we started up, the most frustrating thing was the struggle to convince some of the bigger brands to work with us. Some companies find it hard to take a risk with a start-up and for good reason. So, we had to do some serious convincing at the beginning to get them onboard. We eventually overcame this challenge by building an impressive portfolio of work which now speaks for itself.

Explain a few marketing strategies you have implemented, and what makes them successful?

At the beginning, we focused on marketing to our close networks and incentivized our team members as well to get new clients. We also worked on building an online presence. However, for Hashtag, what has worked really well is word-of-mouth advertising and client referrals. I like to think that this is a reflection of the high quality of our work and the competitive pricing we offer. We have been fortunate to have projects from the get-go and most of our anchor clients are still working with us on a regular basis.

What motivates you to do what you do on daily basis?

My passion was to help businesses grow with better marketing. Great products and services stand to fail without strategic marketing. As much as I love working with businesses of all sizes, helping start-ups to hone their identity in the marketplace holds a special place in my heart. I feel like I can make a positive impact in people’s lives by helping clients to develop their brands and also, mentoring my staff to reach their career potential.

How did you get the initial start-up capital?

I had an anchor client onboard (who is still with us today) and planned ahead so we didn’t need much capital to start up. Therefore, we didn’t require any external investment or borrowings. At the start, we invested our profits back into the company and built it from there.

What separates Hashtag from its competitors?

The feedback that we consistently get from our clients is that our pricing is extremely competitive and that the quality of our services is extraordinary for that price. Regardless of whether it’s a blue chip or a start-up, all our clients receive the same amount of attention and we are known for our super-fast delivery timelines. Hashtag also stands out in terms of experience having worked with local and foreign brands across multiple industries. We are a very flexible agency always looking to make our clients’ lives easy and we are happy to adjust to different ways of working as we understand that each client is unique and has varied internal protocols.

What is your definition of the word “success”?

For me personally, success means doing something that I love to do, which is meaningful and makes a difference in the lives of others. If it also brings me financial freedom, that would be the cherry on top.

Was your family supportive of your new venture?

Yes, very much so. They gave me the confidence to move forward. I also had wonderful friends who rallied around me and supported my dreams.

What advice would you give other start-ups?

Do what you really want to do and make sure it’s something that makes you happy and adds meaning to your life. Explore new ideas and think creatively so that you can come up with a unique offering. Finally, commit to your dreams and don’t quit.

What do you think of the current start-up ecosystem in Sri Lanka?

Starting a business in Sri Lanka is actually not difficult. In fact, the country is ranked second in the region for ease of starting a business. Unlike back in the day, when advertising was expensive, today one has multiple digital platforms freely available on which they can promote their business. So much so that one can even stay away completely from brick-and-mortar business models. There’s also more opportunity now for seed funding. Furthermore, Incubators and accelerators are growing at an increasing pace which provides the much-needed guidance and mentoring for startups in Sri Lanka.