In the center of The Netherlands, a small freelance venture has grown into a successful global agency with 55 team members from over 15 nationalities. This is Michael’s journey from student freelancer to the head of a full-service digital powerhouse, El Niño.
Michael started his entrepreneurial journey as a freelance web developer while studying in The Netherlands. His initial goal was simple: fund his education and gain practical business experience alongside his technical studies. Little did he know that this side hustle would evolve into a flourishing enterprise…
#1. Pivoting to a global agency in uncertain times
El Nino’s evolution is a story of embracing change and seizing opportunities. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the company didn’t just adapt; it transformed. Michael explains,
“During COVID, we had to embrace remote work, which we did by offering people the option to work from anywhere in the world. Also, accepting non-Dutch applicants and changing our main language of communication from Dutch to English has helped us grow as a company and has also enriched our culture with people from different backgrounds and stories.”
This pivot towards expansion not only ensured the company’s survival but propelled it to new heights, fostering a rich, multicultural environment that fuels innovation and creativity.
And don’t think it’s all work but no fun—Michael proudly states that his most significant achievement is
“Creating a very nice team of people that work nicely together but also undertake activities outside the company because of shared hobbies and interests.”
This human-centric approach, combined with technological prowess, sets El Niño apart in the competitive world of digital agencies.
#2. Commitment to team growth
At the heart of El Niño’s success lies a commitment to transparency and empowerment. The company shares real-time financial information with all employees, ensuring everyone is aligned with the business’s goals. Such an open approach extends to their team structure, with Michael noting his best strategy for fostering collaboration as
“Good and clear communication. Creating squads/teams that are autonomous and with enough freedom to make their own choices, create their own culture and rules, and come up with ideas to improve collaboration and the quality of work.”
El Niño’s projects range from custom web applications and mobile apps to e-commerce platforms and cutting-edge data science solutions. This versatility, coupled with their focus on technological advancement, positions them at the forefront of the digital development landscape.
The team at El Nino remains committed to learning and improvement as the company continues to grow. The company’s adoption of Paymo, the all-in-one project management tool, exemplifies this ethos. Michael highlights the impact of Paymo on their daily workflows:
“Way less time required to generate and send invoices. Easy integration with other applications and a good API that we use to generate our real-time statistics.”
Paymo simplifies invoicing to help you get paid faster with cost-effective billing tools. It’s best suited for digital invoicing and project management for creative agencies, architecture firms, consultants, and software companies—remote or hybrid. But don’t stop at invoicing—Paymo’s affordable solution lets you manage projects, track time, and plan resources all in one place, offering a complete work management suite at a fraction of the cost. Paymo’s ease of use and reliability set it apart from the competition. Paymo “was simple and efficient and offered the most important features we needed: invoicing and time entries.
#3. Blueprint with a vision
My vision has always been to work on technologically advanced projects, helping our partners and people learn along the way to create even better products each time.
El Niño’s journey from a one-person operation to a thriving international agency is an inspiring blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs in the digital space. By fostering a culture of collaboration, embracing diversity, and leveraging technology, they’ve not only weathered challenges but emerged stronger and more dynamic. One key lesson from Michael that encapsulates proactivity, empathy, and leadership is short but effective:
Always be humble, and allow others to come up with ideas they’ll implement themselves…. And make sure you create dashboards that help you get an overview of the progress of your business and your projects.
Get that overview of your budget, resource allocation, and time with Paymo:
Start tracking your work time now!
Alexandra Martin
Author
Drawing from a background in cognitive linguistics and armed with 10+ years of content writing experience, Alexandra Martin combines her expertise with a newfound interest in productivity and project management. In her spare time, she dabbles in all things creative.
Laurențiu Bancu
Editor
Laurențiu started his marketing journey over 18 years ago and now leads a marketing team. He has extensive experience in work and project management, and content strategy. When not working, he’s probably playing board games or binge-watching mini-series.
