Phase 1 | image editor + part-time product designer

SelfMade started out as a mobile photo editing service. Users, mostly influencers at the time, submitted images which were routed to professional image specialists (at the beginning, this was just me!), and got back an on-brand, improved version of their image for them to share on social.

To support this workflow, we built out the ticket page which held all of the user’s visual preferences, along with the original image and workflow tools for the image specialist to clock in, submit their edit, and double-check their work.

Phase 2 | product designer 

We realized that while one-off editing is a cool service, it’s hard to get right. So we moved into Instagram planning — a series of photos, all edited to brand, along with copy, hashtags, and locations. Our target audience shifted to small businesses, rather than influencers.

With that came our internal planner builder, where account managers could curate planner content, working with editors and copywriters within the platform, to create 14 days worth of posts. That planner would be delivered to our clients for approval via our iOS app.

Phase 3 | product designer 

With this new “marketing for the microbrand” idea off to the races, we began to dabble in more marketing solutions such as Facebook Ads management and email marketing. The need for a client-facing web-app was apparent. 

To start, we designed a simple login system, planner dashboard, and image upload page. This quickly expanded into a complete marketing home base for our users.

Phase 4 | product designer + product manager

When the need to grow our client base arose (alongside our marketing goal of increasing brand awareness), the product team came up with the concept of Collabs - a totally free platform for small businesses to discover each other, learn how they could collaborate, and do so using our collaboration tools.

We grew this platform from 0 to 2.5k users over 3 months and then continued to build out a guided group Instagram Giveaway tool and automated recommendation system. We later won an award for the concept!

Phase 5 | lead product manager + designer

In early 2020, SelfMade made the difficult decision to pivot the entire business to a tech enabled white glove marketing service. The team was downsized drastically, and I eventually became the sole non-technical product person, owning all elements of product management and both visual and product design.

We worked hard to adapt the business to the ever changing climate and needs of our clients by updating our brand, designing and deploying changes to our marketing site, and offering new services and plans to try and grow the business. SelfMade eventually became profitable for the first time in its history.

I’ve very proud to have been the first employee at SelfMade, and to have grown from the first image specialist all the way to lead product manager. The experience I gained from image management and training, to developing my product skills, to helping grow a start-up has been immensely rewarding.

While I’ve since moved on, SelfMade is still evolving — you can check out what they’re up to at selfmade.co