You know how in every business podcast, someone says “branding is everything”? But Dhaval Bhansali actually lived that line. From being an engineering student who loved drama club, to running a successful digital marketing business, his journey shows what happens when creativity meets pure hustle.
On this business podcast, Dhaval laughs about how what his father studied, what he studied, and what his daughter studies – it’s all the same syllabus. “Nothing really changed,” he says. “We still teach people what to remember, not how to think.”
That’s where his story begins. He was never the guy meant for coding or circuits. He loved storytelling, stage plays, and expressing ideas. That drama background unknowingly became his foundation for brand storytelling. Slowly, he realised brands are like people. They need a story, a voice, and a personality. This is not some theory from a textbook. This is real stuff from years of grinding, learning clients, and late nights figuring out how to start an agency from zero rupees.
Branding vs Marketing The Long vs The Quick Game
In the business podcast, Dhaval explains one thing again and again branding is long-term, marketing is short-term.
Branding builds identity, while marketing brings quick sales. Most people mix them up, and that’s where they fail. He says, “Branding is like growing a tree. You can’t rush it.”
Branding needs years of patience, understanding your customer deeply, doing market research, and keeping one consistent story across everything. But marketing? That’s more like fuel you burn it for instant visibility and traffic.
In his digital marketing business, he saw many founders make the same mistake chasing followers and ignoring foundation. A logo isn’t a brand. A campaign isn’t a brand. A brand is that emotion someone feels when they hear your name. And Dhaval’s agency, Crewtangle, was built around that exact principle.
From Freelance Chaos to Agency Growth
The Early Hustle
Before running a company, Dhaval was just a freelancer doing small gigs YouTube videos, logo designs, social media posts, whatever paid the bills. He shared in the business podcast how he had no clue about how to start an agency he just wanted to create. But passion slowly became profession when brands started trusting him.
The Big Breakthrough
His turning point came with a big project for Tata CL. That one campaign changed everything. From there, he realised scale is not just about more clients, it’s about better systems. Suddenly, he had to manage people, meetings, deadlines, payments, everything. That’s when his small freelance journey turned into a real digital marketing business.
Team Building & Culture
Dhaval also talks about how culture makes or breaks agencies. He didn’t want a place where people just work for salary. He wanted a space where people enjoy creating stories. “Our clients don’t just buy services; they buy our energy,” he says. Now, Crewtangle handles big brands, but still keeps that startup hunger alive.
5 Big Lessons from Dhaval’s Agency Journey
Here are some straight, no-filter lessons Dhaval shared from his years of running a digital marketing business. These are not motivational quotes these are scars from real experiences.
- Branding takes time. Don’t expect results in 3 months. It takes years to build recall.
- Find your niche. The agency market is overcrowded. Choose your lane and own it.
- Cash flow > Creativity. A smart founder watches the money closely. Creativity needs stability to grow.
- Strong founder bond matters. Most startups collapse not because of product failure but because founders stop talking.
- Keep reinventing. Trends change, tools change, audiences change. Adapt or fade out.
Why Every Brand Is Like a Human
Dhaval says in the business podcast, “Every brand has a personality like a person.” And he means it literally. A brand has moods, values, fears, and goals.
In his agency, they spend weeks studying customer behavior before even designing a logo or writing a line of copy. He gives a funny but sharp example “If your brand was a person, would people want to hang out with it?” That’s the difference between selling and storytelling. A digital marketing business may bring you clicks, but branding brings you trust.
He also mentions how rebranding happens for many reasons maybe new geography, new product line, or new leadership. He points to Amazon as the best example: same brand feel, but flexible enough to adapt every time.
And yes, he admits building a brand is sometimes frustrating. But when people finally recognise your work years later, that’s the reward.
The Indian Startup Reality – and How to Survive It
In one of the most honest parts of the business podcast, Dhaval talks about what no one usually admits the harsh side of running a digital marketing business in India.
Payments delay. Clients change briefs 20 times. Competition undercuts you. And people often don’t understand the difference between “designing a post” and “building a brand.”
He says survival in this space needs three strong pillars
- Founder Trust: If co-founders fight, everything collapses.
- Cash Flow Discipline: Keep track of every rupee.
- Innovation: Always bring something new before the client asks.
That’s how he kept Crewtangle growing when others vanished. He also gives advice on how to start an agency — “Don’t start for glamour. Start because you can’t sleep without creating something.”
That line hits different, because it’s true. The digital agency space looks fancy on Instagram, but behind it is a lot of sweat, rejections, and delayed payments.
The Future of Branding in India
As Dhaval wraps up the business podcast, he looks ahead at what’s next. He believes that in the coming decade, branding will become the main pillar of the digital marketing business. Not just ads or campaigns but full-fledged brand stories built across years.
He also says startups should focus on depth, not hype. Stop copying Western agencies; start creating Indian brand identities that connect emotionally.
And to all the new entrepreneurs wondering how to start an agency, his message is clear “Start small. Stay real. Be consistent. Don’t run after fancy clients; run after meaningful stories.” That’s how he built Crewtangle, one story at a time.
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Conclusion
The episode is more than just another business podcast; it’s a mirror for anyone dreaming to run a digital marketing business in India. Dhaval Bhansali’s story is raw, unfiltered, and full of lessons that textbooks will never teach.
From his theatre roots to his Tata campaign, from freelancer days to agency founder, the man proves one thing your story can be your brand.
And maybe that’s the real secret of how to start an agency you don’t wait for the right time. You just start, learn, fall, rise again, and tell your story louder each time.
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