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Jun 18, 2016 · 17m · top-founders

$150k at 26 Years Old, Now Charges $50k-300k Per ECommerce Project, EP 298: Anshey Bhatia

Nathan Latka · 8m spoken Anshay Bhatia · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews Anshay Bhatia, founder of Verbal Plus Visual, to explore how he scaled a Shopify-focused digital agency from $150,000 in initial revenue to a low-seven-figure enterprise charging up to $300,000 per project. Bhatia breaks down his hybrid retainer pricing, agency profit margins, client acquisition strategies, and key operational lessons.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 54.8% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.4 Guest teaching 1.6 Guest disagreement 0.6 Nathan pushing back 2.2
05100:0010:001:01–4:20 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Episode Teasers and Introducing Anshay Bhatia Nathan introduces Anshay and establishes his agency's domain on Shopify. Anshay explains his agency's technical work around wine compliance and direct-to-consumer platforms in a cooperative exchange.4:20–6:47 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Project Pricing Models and Retainer Structures Nathan digs into pricing structures and project versus retainer fees, accurately guessing Anshay's monthly retainer tier of $5k to $25k.6:47–9:31 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Profit Margins, Financial Reserves, and Scaling Strategy Nathan explores agency financial mechanics, questioning Anshay's philosophy of targeting team headcount growth rather than revenue targets and framing extra staff as added overhead.9:31–11:34 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Client Acquisition Channels and Ideal Customer Profile Anshay outlines his customer acquisition channels and ideal client profile, emphasizing cross-agency partnerships over outbound sales while Nathan facilitates the breakdown.11:34–15:30 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Mid-Roll Promotions and HostGator Sponsorship Nathan runs the Famous Five questions and presses Anshay on whether early-stage founders should truly specialize immediately or hustle for any available cash flow.1:01–4:20 · Guest teaching 2/10 Episode Teasers and Introducing Anshay Bhatia Nathan introduces Anshay and establishes his agency's domain on Shopify. Anshay explains his agency's technical work around wine compliance and direct-to-consumer platforms in a cooperative exchange.4:20–6:47 · Guest teaching 1/10 Project Pricing Models and Retainer Structures Nathan digs into pricing structures and project versus retainer fees, accurately guessing Anshay's monthly retainer tier of $5k to $25k.6:47–9:31 · Guest teaching 2/10 Profit Margins, Financial Reserves, and Scaling Strategy Nathan explores agency financial mechanics, questioning Anshay's philosophy of targeting team headcount growth rather than revenue targets and framing extra staff as added overhead.9:31–11:34 · Guest teaching 1/10 Client Acquisition Channels and Ideal Customer Profile Anshay outlines his customer acquisition channels and ideal client profile, emphasizing cross-agency partnerships over outbound sales while Nathan facilitates the breakdown.11:34–15:30 · Guest teaching 2/10 Mid-Roll Promotions and HostGator Sponsorship Nathan runs the Famous Five questions and presses Anshay on whether early-stage founders should truly specialize immediately or hustle for any available cash flow.1:01–4:20 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Episode Teasers and Introducing Anshay Bhatia Nathan introduces Anshay and establishes his agency's domain on Shopify. Anshay explains his agency's technical work around wine compliance and direct-to-consumer platforms in a cooperative exchange.4:20–6:47 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Project Pricing Models and Retainer Structures Nathan digs into pricing structures and project versus retainer fees, accurately guessing Anshay's monthly retainer tier of $5k to $25k.6:47–9:31 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Profit Margins, Financial Reserves, and Scaling Strategy Nathan explores agency financial mechanics, questioning Anshay's philosophy of targeting team headcount growth rather than revenue targets and framing extra staff as added overhead.9:31–11:34 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Client Acquisition Channels and Ideal Customer Profile Anshay outlines his customer acquisition channels and ideal client profile, emphasizing cross-agency partnerships over outbound sales while Nathan facilitates the breakdown.11:34–15:30 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Mid-Roll Promotions and HostGator Sponsorship Nathan runs the Famous Five questions and presses Anshay on whether early-stage founders should truly specialize immediately or hustle for any available cash flow.1:01–4:20 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Episode Teasers and Introducing Anshay Bhatia Nathan introduces Anshay and establishes his agency's domain on Shopify. Anshay explains his agency's technical work around wine compliance and direct-to-consumer platforms in a cooperative exchange.4:20–6:47 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Project Pricing Models and Retainer Structures Nathan digs into pricing structures and project versus retainer fees, accurately guessing Anshay's monthly retainer tier of $5k to $25k.6:47–9:31 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Profit Margins, Financial Reserves, and Scaling Strategy Nathan explores agency financial mechanics, questioning Anshay's philosophy of targeting team headcount growth rather than revenue targets and framing extra staff as added overhead.9:31–11:34 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Client Acquisition Channels and Ideal Customer Profile Anshay outlines his customer acquisition channels and ideal client profile, emphasizing cross-agency partnerships over outbound sales while Nathan facilitates the breakdown.11:34–15:30 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Mid-Roll Promotions and HostGator Sponsorship Nathan runs the Famous Five questions and presses Anshay on whether early-stage founders should truly specialize immediately or hustle for any available cash flow.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 73.2% · guest 26.8%0:00 · Nathan 73.2% · guest 26.8%3:00 · Nathan 24.6% · guest 75.4%3:00 · Nathan 24.6% · guest 75.4%6:00 · Nathan 56.3% · guest 43.7%6:00 · Nathan 56.3% · guest 43.7%9:00 · Nathan 35.9% · guest 64.1%9:00 · Nathan 35.9% · guest 64.1%12:00 · Nathan 58.9% · guest 41.1%12:00 · Nathan 58.9% · guest 41.1%15:00 · Nathan 91.1% · guest 8.9%15:00 · Nathan 91.1% · guest 8.9%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 15:06 Anshay defending niche focus over opportunistic cash hunting

Anshay rejects Nathan's suggestion that early-stage founders should take any job for cash, maintaining that story and focus generate better business.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 14:58 Nathan challenging retrospective founder advice

Nathan pushes back on Anshay's advice to focus early, arguing it is easy in hindsight to advise focus when early survival often requires taking any revenue.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 3:43 Pioneering wine age-verification on Shopify

Anshay informs Nathan that Shopify initially did not accommodate alcohol compliance and that his agency built the platform's first wine integration.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 5:03 Nathan nailing the monthly retainer figures

Nathan demonstrates his domain knowledge by correctly predicting Anshay's monthly retainer figures between $5,000 and $25,000 before Anshay confirms.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Episode Teasers and Introducing Anshay Bhatia 4201 Nathan introduces Anshay and establishes his agency's domain on Shopify. Anshay explains his agency's technical work around wine compliance and direct-to-consumer platforms in a cooperative exchange.
Project Pricing Models and Retainer Structures 5101 Nathan digs into pricing structures and project versus retainer fees, accurately guessing Anshay's monthly retainer tier of $5k to $25k.
Profit Margins, Financial Reserves, and Scaling Strategy 6214 Nathan explores agency financial mechanics, questioning Anshay's philosophy of targeting team headcount growth rather than revenue targets and framing extra staff as added overhead.
Client Acquisition Channels and Ideal Customer Profile 3101 Anshay outlines his customer acquisition channels and ideal client profile, emphasizing cross-agency partnerships over outbound sales while Nathan facilitates the breakdown.
Mid-Roll Promotions and HostGator Sponsorship 4224 Nathan runs the Famous Five questions and presses Anshay on whether early-stage founders should truly specialize immediately or hustle for any available cash flow.

Statements from this episode (9)

Assertion Supported
Bhatia: Verbal Plus Visual Built the First Wine Integration on Shopify
“Shopify didn't allow you to do that before, and we worked with them, and we were the first wine integration on, on their site.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 3:46
Disclosure
Bhatia: Verbal Plus Visual e-commerce projects start at $50,000
“Our average e-commerce platforms. They start at 50,000 and go up from there, depending upon what type of work they need.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 4:26
Disclosure
Bhatia: Top-Tier Agency Projects Cost $250k to $300k
“Two 50 to 300 is the high end.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 4:40
Disclosure
Bhatia: Verbal Plus Visual Retainers Range from $5,000 to $25,000 Monthly
“Exactly. That range.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 5:10
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Bhatia: Verbal Plus Visual made about $150k in first-year revenue
“First year revenue was, I believe right around a 150.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 6:11
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Bhatia: Verbal Plus Visual reached low seven figures revenue in 2015
“Low seven figures.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 6:30
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Bhatia: Verbal Plus Visual maintains net profit margins around 20%
“So, you know, we're usually between 20, around 20%.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 7:08
Insight
Bhatia: Agencies should maintain four months of operating cash reserves
“You know, agencies typically in an ideal world are keeping four months. I think anything more than four months is amazing. To be honest with you we're typically keeping three to four months.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 8:10
Disclosure
Bhatia: Verbal Plus Visual targets two to three clients per team member
“Two to three clients per each person.”
Anshay Bhatia Jun 18, 2016 ▶ 9:08
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