From freelancer to the CEO of design studio: The Story of Shakhram Gulyamov

Our main hero - Shakhram Gulyamov is 27 years old and was born and grew up in Samarkand. Shakhram has been working in the field of architecture and interior design for about 6 years. Currently, he is the CEO of Samarkand Design Studio which has been operating for almost a year, and he simultaneously works as a freelancer at DOM Design company, which is one of the largest design studios in Russia.

“I must have come to this sphere when I was young. I had a strong interest in drawing and understood a computer quite well. I have tried myself in many different areas and I do consider that every person should try himself everywhere. Every professional must love what he is doing, otherwise his interest in his profession may fade over the years. In order to be successful in the future, you have to choose the sphere which is interesting for you,” Shakhram Gulyamov says.

Beginning of the journey

In 2015, Shakhram applied to the Samarkand Architectural Institute, where he took a practical entrance exam in painting. Everything started there.

“There were 3D visual projects on the walls of the institute that attracted me. Painting on the one hand and computer graphics on the other. Currently, these two interests coincide: I am a 3D artist studying 3ds Max, AutoCAD, Photoshop, Marvelous Designer, Lumion and other related programs. Thus, with the help of these programs I present my ideas to clients,” Shakhram says.

Shakhram thinks that in the 21st century, with the development of information technology, it is possible to run even large companies with the help of the Internet.

“Freelancing is like a boat in a big ocean,” Shakhram stated.

From his point of view, one of the benefits of freelancing is that freelancers can move their services from a small pool to a large ocean. This means that freelancers have a golden chance to enter the foreign market from any city, while sitting at home. In its turn, this will save their time, money, and enable them to earn large amount of money, both from home and from any part of the world.

About freelance income

Our hero claims that the annual income for all freelancers varies. In fact, experienced freelancers earn enough to live in comfort. Their average annual income ranges from $7 to $12,000
Problems of freelancers

Once Shakhram received a large design project but took an incomplete technical requirement. Consequently, the client did not like his work at all and he had to do-over everything. It happened because he did not have a specific technical requirement and did not know the customer's vision. Since then, in the first place he takes a clear TR (technical requirement) from each client.

“I would not say that freelancers encounter big problems in everyday life. However, bad internet connection can be one of them. It is crucial for a freelancer to have a good access to the internet. Sometimes I also face some problems with the internet. It is exceedingly difficult to upload large projects and work normally if you have a bad Internet connection,” Shakhram confessed.

Payment for the completed task

Shakhram explained that payment can be done remotely using a bank card or transferring it directly to freelance platforms. After completing the task, the site itself automatically transfers the particular amount of money to your account.

Freelancing or office work?

Shakhram firmly chooses freelancing, as it saves time and enables him to make his own work schedule.

“You are not given a chance to do all of these in an office. There is a strict framework that makes you feel obedient,” Shakhram says.

The formula of success

“We all know that opportunities abroad are great, and you are paid more there. Being a professional at a prominent level and meeting the requirements of foreign clients play a significant role. What do you think needs to be done to achieve this? You need to choose a sphere you are interested in, study it thoroughly and provide small services at a professional level, as well as create your own portfolio, for example, on Facebook and, of course, know a foreign language,” Shakhram said.

Shakhram admits that he has many successful projects. He believes success can be defined by the factor whether your client is satisfied or not. If the client is satisfied, you have done a great job.

At a current time, Shakhram, among other things, teaches design courses and tries to unleash the potential of young generation, awakens in them taste and their own style. He teaches interior design, advanced qualification courses for interior designers and 3D modeling. Shakhram teaches both online and offline. He also has his own Youtube channel, where he uploads his tutorial videos. Soon he will start teaching design individually at the IT Park branch in Samarkand.

How to get an order?

Shakhram thinks that in order to become a demanded freelancer, firstly, you need to be a professional in your field and have a good portfolio, without which you will not have weight and be seriously considered by customers,. The second crucial point is the ability to communicate with customers. Without this skill, the client will not trust you. Effective communication = trust, and this in turn increases the chance of getting an order by 80%. The remaining 20% is the quality of your portfolio.

Two ways to learn design according to Shakhram's version

1. Free: on your own with the help of the Internet, but it takes a lot of time. It took Shakhram 6 years.

2. Paid: attend to courses of professionals. It saves your time, and, in the future, you know whom to refer for advice.

The list of free freelance platforms by Shakhram:

- freelancer.com;

- lwor.ru;

- upwork.com;

- fl.ru;

- freelancehunt.com.

Taking everything into consideration, we must admit that freelancing has become a good alternative to traditional office work, and, in the future, it will only improve its position in the global labor market.

Link to Shakhram’s YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCcj3zz9TOiJy1IL-u_4OcOg

Shakhram's Instagram, where you can personally ask him questions: @shakhram.designer