Saksham’s journey from creating YouTube videos at 11 to founding DotPlot Media and leading a team is redefining what young entrepreneurship looks like in India
In an era where most teenagers are focused on college entrance exams and career counselling, Saksham has already built what many seasoned professionals aspire to achieve. At just 18 years old, this Mumbai-based entrepreneur runs DotPlot Media, a data-driven creative agency now commanding multi-lakh monthly revenue. More remarkably, he’s doing it while leading a team of professionals – a feat that would challenge business veterans twice his age.
But Saksham’s story isn’t one of overnight success or lucky breaks. It’s a seven-year journey that began with a curious 11-year-old, a basic computer, and an insatiable desire to create.
The Spark That Started It All
Growing up in Mumbai, Saksham discovered a fascination with digital content creation at an age when most children were still learning to navigate the internet. At 11, while peers were engrossed in video games, Saksham was behind the camera, shooting videos and experimenting with editing software. What started as creating tech videos and vlogs for YouTube quickly evolved into something more – a genuine love affair with visual storytelling.
“I remember spending hours learning how to edit videos, watching tutorials, and trying to understand what made content engaging,” Saksham recalls. “It wasn’t about becoming famous or making money back then. It was pure curiosity.“
That curiosity would prove to be the foundation of everything that followed. Through countless hours of self-taught skills in shooting and video editing, Saksham developed what many professionals spend years in school trying to acquire: a natural eye for visual content and an instinctive understanding of what captures audience attention.
₹50 That Changed Everything
At 14, Saksham earned the first rupee of professional income – ₹50 for a single thumbnail design. It wasn’t much by any standard, but it represented something far more valuable than money: validation. Someone, somewhere, was willing to pay for the skills Saksham had spent years developing.
“That first payment was a turning point,” Saksham explains. “It proved that what I loved doing could actually become a career. From that moment, I started taking freelancing seriously.”
What followed was a period of intense growth and learning. Saksham took on freelance projects, building a portfolio one client at a time, refining skills with every assignment, and learning the business side of creativity – client communication, deadline management, and the delicate art of pricing one’s work appropriately.
But Saksham knew that to build something significant, he needed exposure to how established businesses operated. He secured a marketing internship at Tiger Yaki, where he worked closely with Karan Sharma, the company’s ex-co-founder. Sharma became a mentor, offering insights into marketing strategy and business operations that no classroom could provide. Saksham also completed a marketing operations internship at Level Supermind, further sharpening his understanding of how professional marketing teams function at scale.
“Those internships were invaluable,” Saksham reflects. “I learned how real businesses think about marketing – not just creating content, but understanding the strategy behind it. That’s what I brought into DotPlot Media.”
From Freelancer to Founder and Team Leader
The transition from solo freelancer to agency founder came as a natural evolution. By 18, Saksham had accumulated enough experience, connections, and confidence to take the leap. DotPlot Media was born – not in a boardroom with investors, but from the same determination that drove those first YouTube videos years earlier.
Today, DotPlot Media operates as a full-service creative agency with a distinct edge: a data-driven approach that bridges the gap between creativity and analytics. Unlike traditional agencies that rely on guesswork, Saksham and his team back every creative decision with insights and performance data. The agency serves clients across diverse sectors – sports, healthcare, food and beverage, luxury, and real estate- offering social media management, content creation, brand strategy, and performance marketing.
Perhaps most impressive is that Saksham now leads a team of professionals, handling everything from client strategy to creative execution. Managing people, delegating responsibilities, and maintaining quality across multiple client accounts —these are challenges that would test any seasoned manager, let alone an 18-year-old.
“Success for me isn’t just about revenue—though that matters for sustainability. It’s about building systems that deliver consistent results, the brands we help grow, and the impact we create in the digital space.”
Navigating the Challenges
The journey hasn’t been without obstacles. Being a teenage entrepreneur and team leader in India’s competitive digital landscape comes with unique challenges. Clients sometimes hesitate to trust someone so young with their brand’s digital presence. Managing a team requires a different skill set than creating content. The pressure to prove that age is just a number never fully disappears.
“There were moments of doubt,” Saksham admits. “But I learned that the best response to skepticism is results. When you deliver consistently, age becomes irrelevant. Your work speaks louder than your birth certificate.”
This philosophy has guided Saksham through every challenge – from managing client expectations to scaling operations, from building team culture to navigating the ever-changing algorithms of social media platforms.
Looking Ahead
With DotPlot Media now a multi-lakh monthly operation, Saksham’s vision extends far beyond current achievements. Plans include expanding the team, growing the client roster, and strengthening the agency’s reputation as a data-driven creative powerhouse in the Indian market.
“The digital marketing landscape in India is exploding,” Saksham observes. “There’s enormous opportunity for agencies that truly understand the intersection of creativity and data, of storytelling and strategy. Most agencies do one or the other—we do both. That’s where we’re positioning ourselves.”
A Message to Young Dreamers
For the countless young Indians watching from the sidelines, wondering if they too could turn their passions into profitable ventures, Saksham offers straightforward advice: start now.
“Don’t wait for the perfect moment or the perfect plan. I started with nothing but curiosity and a willingness to learn. Every skill I have today was self-taught, developed through practice and persistence. The tools are available to everyone – YouTube tutorials, online courses, free software. What matters is the commitment to keep going even when progress feels slow.”
As India’s startup ecosystem continues to evolve, stories like Saksham’s serve as powerful reminders that entrepreneurship knows no age limit. From those first ₹50 thumbnails to building a multi-lakh agency with a team behind him, the trajectory is clear: with passion, persistence, and a willingness to start small, remarkable things are possible.
And for Saksham, at just 18, this is only the beginning.
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