fwd: twenty four x seven (In person + Online)
You are doing great work for cheap clients and calling it experience.
Cheap clients do not just pay less. They train you to accept rushed timelines, fuzzy briefs, unlimited iterations, and disrespect disguised as feedback. Slowly, you start believing this is what the market is. It is not. It is simply the market you accidentally positioned yourself in.
The longer you stay there, the harder it gets to escape. Your portfolio starts reflecting low ticket work. Your confidence starts reflecting low ticket treatment. Then when a serious client finally shows up, you either underquote, overpromise, or freeze on the call.
This is not a talent problem. This is a business perception problem. And perception is built through positioning, recall, and trust.
In India, referrals still win. Nielsen has reported that recommendations from people you know are the most trusted channel, roughly 88 to 92 percent.
When freelancers do not build recall in their network, they try to replace it with cold outreach. Even good cold email typically gets single digit replies, one 2025 benchmark puts average reply rates around 5.8 percent.
So the month becomes a gamble. Gamble months create panic. Panic creates discounting. Discounting attracts cheaper clients. That is the loop.
Gurugram fwd: twenty-four x seven is an invitation out of that loop. Not motivation. A system built for Indian realities.
You will learn
• Positioning that makes better clients pick you fast, even without big brand logos
• How to package your services into clear offers clients can understand and compare
• How to create recall and referral triggers in your first circle and beyond
• Call flow, pricing, and proposal structure that reduce negotiation and scope creep
Mentors Detail:
Prashant Gupta
With 15+ years of leading Beryl and working with 1,500+ clients globally, Prashant understands how design translates into business outcomes. His experience mentoring designers and advising MSMEs makes him uniquely placed to decode pricing, positioning, and client decision-making.
Akshat Raghava
An RISD alumnus with 17+ years across design practice, education, and studio leadership, Akshat understands how design decisions translate into business value. His experience running design ventures and mentoring professionals enables him to speak clearly on how designis evaluated, priced, and sustained in businesses.
Parth Parikh
A Domus Academy Milan graduate and founder of Design Clinic India, Parth brings a business-first perspective to design execution. Having worked closely with clients and led projects end-to-end, he understands how design is evaluated for impact, value, and return, and why some designers are chosen while others are not.
A special Guest appearance
Investment
Valentine Special
₹2099
Currently priced at ₹1399, from originally priced at ₹2499
Inclusive of certificate, merchandise, and refreshment.
** Fwd has always been about giving back to the designer community, and this February we are extending that giving to a larger cause. Net proceeds from meetup will go towards breast cancer treatment and care.
Venue
Hybrid: Online and Avancos Coffee Co, Electronic City Phase-4, Udyog Vihar, Sector 18, Gurugram, Haryana, 122008
Seats are limited to 100.
Once capacity is reached, registrations close.
If you are serious about your work, your growth, and your future as an independent creative, this is where you need to be.
If you are planning to go to corporate, or if any one of your designer crew is a salaried designers they should check out Gurugram fwd: nine to five https://luma.com/97cda3tt