The force behind Shanaya Fernandes’ aspirations has always been the pursuit of financial freedom. To her, freedom means having control over her time and the ability to shape her life without restrictions. This vision of autonomy, coupled with a strong belief in women’s financial independence, propels her forward. Shanaya never imagined herself in a conventional job, instead, she dedicates long hours and relentless effort to achieve her dreams.
Born and raised in Mumbai in a business family, Shanaya faced a challenging time when her family lost their business during the pandemic. Taking on the responsibility, she started from scratch and built her career independently. Through her efforts, she discovered her niche in performance marketing and has grown from there. "It’s never easy coming from a middle-class family with big dreams. With no network, no capital, and no mentor, it’s just you, figuring things out as you go." she notes.
The concept for The Creative Orbit emerged after She spent time freelancing to learn the essentials. Initially, she focused on social media marketing, but it didn’t really resonate with her. Realizing her true interest lay in data-driven results and sales generation, she shifted her focus to performance marketing. This pivot led to the creation of The Creative Orbit, an end-to-end service agency that stands out for handling the entire process from start to finish.
One of the most significant challenges Shanaya faced was acquiring clients in India’s hyper-competitive market. Her journey was far from easy, with the practicalities of building a business proving much harder than anticipated. Establishing systems was crucial to scaling her business. She places a lot of emphasis on building personal branding and has plans to work on it soon. The Creative Orbit specializes in helping D2C brands grow by running targeted ads on platforms like Amazon, Meta, and Google. The agency’s uniqueness lies in its holistic approach—not just running ads, but also converting leads into actual sales.
Her achievements include working with notable clients like Mukesh Chhabra and generating significant revenue, including over 30 lakhs for international clients. Being featured by Dailyhunt and her personal milestones, such as running the Tata Full Marathon and completing 1,000 km as a runner, are sources of pride. In business, her greatest accomplishments include creating financial freedom for herself, growing a LinkedIn following of 2,000, and mastering a broad range of skills from graphic design to web development and ad management.
She envisions scaling the business further and eventually branching into product-based ventures. Having gained deep insights into thriving industries, she plans to leverage that knowledge to expand into markets with strong potential.
A firm believer in the power of AI, Shanaya sees it as a tool to take over menial tasks, allowing her team to focus on creative work. This forward-thinking approach ensures her company to remain at the forefront of innovation, consistently delivering cutting-edge solutions for clients.
She is also deeply committed to making a positive impact on her community and industry. Aware of the challenges faced by Gen Z in securing jobs, she plans to offer free courses to equip them with essential skills for earning a living.
"Get things done immediately, don’t let the coffee get stale. Move fast and act fast. If you don’t know how to do something, say yes first and figure it out later." She stresses the importance of mastering sales and marketing, regardless of one’s field, as these skills are invaluable in achieving success.
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