What’s it really like to run a design studio today in a world of niche branding, long
sales cycles, remote teams, and impatient clients?

In this refreshingly honest conversation, we speak with Harish Venkatesh, founder
of Become and Frontrunner, a studio redefining what it means to build meaningful brands in India.

Harish unpacks the decade-long journey from freelancing in college to leading a
positioning-led strategy studio reflecting on why his first project changed his life,
how rebranding became his niche, and why empathy not aesthetic is at the core
of every client relationship.

He doesn’t hold back from naming what many studios silently navigate: working
“on” the business versus “in” it, learning how to sell without a portfolio, and
redesigning not just brands, but also the clients’ clarity.

If you’re an independent creative, designer, studio head, or someone who’s ever
tried to scale a passion into a business this one will feel like a mirror.

In this episode, you will discover:

• How a ₹500 college poster turned into a 10+ year design career
• The transition from generalist studio to a brand positioning firm
• What it really means to rebrand, and why most clients don’t know their actual problem
• The power of process-led design and how it builds trust, not resistance
• Why most high-ticket projects close without a portfolio
• Lessons on client fit, emotional unlearning, and building trust through sales
• Why Harish founded Frontrunner a startup-focused brand that’s already helped raise $75M+

The mindset shift every creative needs to run a business in 2025

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