Are you a creative type looking to design the perfect website to showcase your work? Like to travel, but don’t think you have the time or resources to build something beautiful? Well, look no further than Portfoliobox, a company specifically designed for creative professionals such as photographers, designers, architects, makeup artists, models and more. With a variety of templates and user-friendly tools, even a busy traveler can find time to build their dream online portfolio with just a few clicks from anywhere in the world.
The Creative Evolution
RewardExpert had the opportunity to speak with both Founder and CEO Gustav Degerman and Marketing and Customer Relations Manager, Ainsley Yeung of Portfoliobox. In terms of reaching customers worldwide, Degerman said, “I am very proud of the fact that we are running a profitable business with paying customers in 160 countries. People from almost everywhere are using a tool that I, Hamid and my colleagues have built.”
Degerman and Hamid Abouei, co-founder of Portfoliobox, started their business in 2010 as a website builder for wedding websites. However, in 2012, the company evolved into an advanced website builder for creative professionals. Yeung stated, “We realized that such a tool could not only fit the weddings market, but also photographers, designers, architects and other creative people.”
Helping Creatives Become Creative
So what makes Portfoliobox stand out from the many online website builders? Yeung explained, “Our competitors also offer user-friendly tools like ours, but the main difference is our product doesn’t use stagnant templates. Our users can choose from a wide range of templates for each page type they create, and in that way, they combine them into a truly unique website.” She says there can be tens of thousands of different combinations. “This is especially important for creative professionals, since they would like to have a website that truly reflects their personality, as well as creativity.”
Degerman noted. “As we started to really understand the needs of our customers, we wanted to build a tool that was perfect for them. That desire transformed into the mission we have today: We want to make a tool that is very easy to use, but the website that our customers build should be extraordinary.”
Updating Your Site Anytime, Anywhere
Portfoliobox has more than 500,000 users around the world. “You can use our tool from any computer or cell phone with an internet connection,” said Degerman. Earlier this year, the company also launched a mobile app that makes updating the website even easier. “Our users can take a snapshot with their mobile phone and upload it to their blog via our app with just a few clicks,” noted Yeung. Some other special features of the online website builder include:
- Built-in support for smartphones and tablets – online portfolios look good on all devices
- Social media connections – these tools are built-in, in addition to search engine optimization
- A domain name is included in the Pro account – the website also loads quickly, as Portfoliobox has servers worldwide
In addition, Portfoliobox offers a service called Find Creatives, which is a “completely free platform for creatives to showcase their work,” explained Yeung. “People can browse the profiles on the platform and hire the creatives directly.” She says it differs from other services that are similar because “all profiles are geo-tagged.” As a result, “this feature makes it a lot easier for people to find the right person for a project or collaboration.”
Literally a Portfolio in a Box
Getting started on Portfoliobox is easy. No coding or technical knowledge is necessary. “Portfoliobox has all you need to create a functional, well-designed and unique professional website. Users can easily turn their online portfolio into a business opportunity,” Yeung said.
The company offers both free and Pro accounts, which are helpful for the frequent traveler, or anyone who wants to keep their professional website up-to-date with fresh content. As part of their university initiative, Portfoliobox offers their Pro account free to students around the world.
The company is headquartered in Sweden, which is a “mature environment for entrepreneurs,” stated Yeung. “Unlike other countries, we focus more on problem-solving investments rather than money-making investments.” She said having a small domestic market “makes business owners think globally, even from the very beginning of a business.”
Degerman thought of Portfoliobox as a “fun venture” at first, but after being in business for a few years, he is reaching for more. “I hope that we will continue to grow our brand among the creatives around the world.”