From Rs.0 to Rs.1 Crore: How This Entrepreneur Built a Digital Startup from Home

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In an age where startup culture is often defined by funding rounds, co-working spaces, and pitch decks, Himanshu Arora quietly built a digital business from his home, reaching an annual revenue of ₹1 crore without investors, hype, or even a formal office.

The founder of Creators Network, a digital marketing and content agency, and now the tech platform BookYourCreator, Himanshu’s story is one of consistency over chaos, substance over sizzle.

It didn’t begin with a master plan. There was, however, a long-term  vision. It’s still evolving, but the direction has always been clear.

When Himanshu Arora started out, he didn’t even know how to post a story on Instagram. There was no roadmap, no mentor, and certainly no grand launch. 

Learning Before Leading

In 2020, while most of the world grappled with job losses, Himanshu voluntarily quit his job in Mumbai to build something of his own. The first step? Learning the ropes. “I hustled myself as a content creator just to understand how social media worked,” he says. He started by handling Creators Network’s own content, later launching an original YouTube series titled Bharat Ek Khoj, producing 22 episodes. That series became his intensive, self-made crash course in digital content.

His first real break came through an event agency, where he combined his prior experience as an event manager with his newfound digital skills. He helped conceptualise digital campaigns, such as inviting fan pages and influencers to promote Dhanush’s debut OTT film Jagame Thandhiram on Netflix.

Building Creators Network

Creators Network didn’t begin with scale in mind. “We were never chasing big retainers. We just wanted to create good work and deliver it well,” Himanshu explains. Initially, the agency pitched to major Indian brands and bagged a few. But by 2022, it became evident that the competition was cutthroat and budgets were tight.

“The kind of quality I wanted to deliver wasn’t sustainable at the pricing Indian brands expected from a new agency,” he recalls. So he shifted focus to the international market, particularly B2B clients. Competing with global agencies actually became easier. “Our perceived ‘expensive’ pricing in India became a value proposition abroad.”

Operating entirely remotely, Himanshu built a functional & a cohesive team, spread across different cities of India. The agency didn’t scale aggressively, and by design, it remains a boutique operation.

“We don’t want to be the biggest agency. We want to be the one clients remember and trust.”

The BookYourCreator Pivot

While influencer marketing seemed to be the agency’s sweet spot, 2023 made it clear that the ecosystem was broken. “There were too many gaps, lack of transparency, unverified representation, chaos in execution. It didn’t suit our working style,” Himanshu shares. This frustration sparked the idea for BookYourCreator, a platform aimed at solving those problems.

“We knew what needed fixing because we’d lived the chaos ourselves. That’s what gave BookYourCreator its clarity.”

Even as BookYourCreator took shape, Creators Network continued to serve select clients and deliver high-quality campaigns. Not massive in number, but meaningful in impact.

The Culture Factor

What truly sets Creators Network apart, beyond campaigns or revenue, is its culture.

“We’ve built a space that encourages diversity, inclusivity, ownership, and growth. Everyone here gets to do work they’re proud of,” Himanshu says.

“You rarely get the chance to take an idea from 0 to 1, to build it from scratch and actually watch it come alive. Coming from a large-scale agency background, I was used to starting ideas and never seeing where they went. Here, it’s different. You see it through, whether it soars or stumbles, and that’s incredibly gratifying.”

Naomi Mukerji, Brand Director Creators Network

“I came from a banking and sales background, took a digital marketing course without expecting much,  and it ended up changing everything. I started as an intern at Creators Network, where I learned what it truly means to lead and take ownership. That journey brought me to the role of Brand Manager. What I found here wasn’t just a job, it was direction, growth, and the space to become who I wanted to be.”

Priyanka Sahai, Brand Manager Creators Network

“Growth, trust, and purpose, that’s what makes work here feel like so much more than just a job. At my last workplace, returning to office meant relocating cities. And honestly, I wasn’t ready to turn my life upside down just to clock in.
At Creators Network, it’s different. They don’t hire based on your pin code,  they hire for your potential.
With their support, I’ve gone from second-guessing myself to confidently leading the way. And that kind of growth? It stays with you.”

Shelly Jain, Creative Lead Creators Network

“I don’t think many workplaces offer the kind of clarity I’ve found here. Himanshu not only sees my potential but also understands my journey, and pushes me to grow every day. Despite not knowing how to code, I’m leading tech projects and thriving in them. Himanshu keeps telling me that I will take over as CTO one day, I’m honestly counting down the days.”

Aashif Shaikh, SEO & Website Lead Creators Network

The Impact We’ve Made

The agency may be small, but its impact has earned big appreciation:

Sandrina Sommer, Head of Marketing, Liberty International Tourism Group:

“A big THANK YOU from my side to Himanshu and the Creators Network Team! You managed to stay creative with all the content and spontaneous ideas I’ve sent to you even with this crazy timezone difference. I’m super happy with the outcome!”

Kajal Kejriwal, Entrepreneurs Organization – Delhi:

“The work done was awesome and the hard work put in by Creators Network was incredible. The biggest factor was they never said NO, came up with great solutions and converted my vision into reality.”

Prashant Yadav, CEO, Liberty India DMC:

“Himanshu and the entirety of the team at Creators Network have conspicuously augmented our online presence. Our brand’s engagement and visibility have undergone a remarkable ascent. We are genuinely elated with the extraordinary results they’ve attained.”

The Road Ahead

Without spending on ads or doing heavy business development, the agency reached the ₹1CR annual revenue mark, thanks to a consistent stream of retained clients, project campaigns, and a low-cost, high-output model. Crossing ₹1 crore in annual revenue didn’t happen overnight. It happened through consistent delivery, hard pivots, and a culture that favours values over vanity.

Today, Creators Network runs as a lean, high-performing remote team, with BookYourCreator steadily gaining traction across agencies and brands. And through it all, Himanshu continues to work from his home office, augmented growth, mentoring his team, and quietly rewriting what sustainable digital entrepreneurship can look like.

He’s not chasing unicorn status. He’s not pitching to VCs.

But he’s built something that works. That pays people fairly. That delivers consistently.

And in today’s volatile startup world, that might just be the bigger flex.