Running a Design Agency Out of LOFT: Meghna's Three-Year Journey

Meghna Desai started working at LOFT in early 2023. At the time, she was a solo brand designer doing freelance work for small businesses in Nagpur. She took a monthly individual desk membership at LOFT 2 in Abhyankar Nagar because her home setup had stopped feeling professional.

Three years later, she leads a seven-person brand design agency called Studio Tint. Her entire team works out of LOFT.

The Accidental Agency

Meghna is clear that she did not plan to start an agency. She planned to do better work as a freelancer.

"LOFT changed my professional trajectory in a way I did not anticipate. I was sitting next to founders who were building real businesses. They asked real questions. They expected professional answers. That raised the standard of my work faster than any course I could have taken."

Within a year of joining LOFT, she had more work than she could handle alone. She brought in a second designer. Then a project manager. Then two more.

Growing at LOFT

The team's workspace history at LOFT mirrors the growth of the business. Individual desks to start. Then a four-seater cabin when the team hit four people. A six-seater when the fifth and sixth hires came. They are now in a custom arrangement that LOFT's team helped configure.

"We have never had to worry about the workspace slowing down the team's growth. LOFT has always had an option for where we were at."

What She Would Tell Other Creatives in Nagpur

"Creative professionals in Nagpur assume coworking spaces are for tech people and startups. They are wrong. The most valuable thing a designer can do is spend time around people who are building things. The insight you get from just listening to a founder talk about their business is irreplaceable. You cannot get that at home."

Studio Tint has now worked with more than thirty businesses in Nagpur, several of which were introduced through LOFT.