Shipped & discontinued · Founder · Brand, build, content & growth · 2023–24
A freelancing platform built to solve one problem: the brutal wait for a first client. The name comes from a high five, two people connecting, which is exactly what the platform set out to do, connect freelancers to clients, fast.
In one line: New freelancers in India were waiting 7–8 months for a first client. Highfivv set out to cut that to weeks. We built the platform and the audience, but couldn't crack distribution or willingness-to-pay, and shut it down. This is what I learned.
Where it started
It started from my own experience. I wanted to freelance, set up gigs on Fiverr, and got zero inquiries. Digging into Reddit, I found the same story everywhere: new freelancers routinely wait 7–8 months to land their first client. That wait was the problem worth solving. Highfivv's whole reason to exist was to compress that timeline, from months toward weeks, and eventually days.
What I built
A working web platform built on WordPress, purchased theme customized and modified into a freelancing site with freelancer onboarding · brand identity and logo (#iFIVV) · positioning around "building a freelance community" · a full Instagram content engine (educational posts, freelancer guides, reels) grown from scratch · campaigns and offers (logo design promos, flash sales) · paid social experiments on Instagram and Facebook.
Logo
Instagram Page/ Content
Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/high.fivv/
Platform interface:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyOB_k_BRI1/
Promotion Reel:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CygBF8fvPMV/
What worked
The content engine actually performed. Individual reels pulled 1,000–1,900+ views with no real budget, and the educational angle (freelancer checklists, how-to-apply guides, design tips) found a genuine audience. The brand and visual identity were clean and consistent. Execution wasn't the failure point.
Why it didn't work