Verbal Plus Visual

Anshay Bhatia founded Verbal Plus Visual in 2009 at age 26 with a clear mission: to help innovative brands develop exceptional e-commerce experiences. Rather than becoming a generic consulting firm, he was laser-focused on the e-commerce space and wanted to work exclusively with brands he believed in—companies putting out great products and making a positive impact on the world. This focus became his secret weapon in a crowded market.

The first year was humble: Anshay generated $150,000 in revenue while hustle-building from the streets of New York. But he was strategic about growth. By 2015, just six years in, the agency had scaled to low seven figures in annual revenue with a lean team of 12 people (7 full-time, 5 part-time), all based in New York. Remarkably, he maintained a disciplined 20% net margin—after paying himself a salary—which he reinvested back into the business to maintain 3-4 months of operational runway.

Anshay's go-to-market strategy evolved over time. Early on, he experimented with outbound prospecting, but quickly learned that inbound was far superior. His secret was partnerships. He identified complementary service providers (PR agencies, branding firms) that served similar clients and built formal partnerships with them. These relationships became his primary customer acquisition channel. His portfolio—the visible proof of quality work—served as his number one sales tool.

Outbound prospecting generated results but at lower ROI than inbound efforts. What truly worked was deep specialization in e-commerce combined with strategic partnerships. The agency became a premier Shopify partner, even pioneering the first wine industry integration on Shopify—navigating complex compliance and age-verification requirements that other agencies couldn't handle. Project fees ranged from $50k-$300k, with retainers of $5k-$25k monthly for ongoing optimization work.

Anshay's philosophy shifted during the Five Famous Questions section: he emphasized that focus itself generates cash more effectively than chasing every opportunity. He wished his 20-year-old self had focused exclusively on e-commerce from day one rather than doing general work first, then specializing. "If you're telling a good story, people will want to work with you and the cash will come," he reflected.

By the interview (circa 2015), Verbal Plus Visual was helping clients move millions of dollars monthly through Shopify, serving brands like Uproot (wine e-commerce) and Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. The agency was moving up the Shopify partner chain, increasingly landing enterprise-tier Shopify Plus projects. Anshay's growth plan was measured: expand to 40 people within three years while maintaining profitability and raising average project minimums from $50k to $100k+. He wasn't focused on vanity growth metrics—as long as the team was profitable and quality remained high, he was satisfied.