Polly Dhaliwal + Candid Studios
Creative founders reclaim clarity, confidence, and momentum with product-first thinking and honest support
Candid Studios finds its creative
flow with Life in Product's strategic guidance
As a growing creative studio with big ideas and a small team, Candid Studios needed clarity on where to focus, and the confidence to move forward. Polly Dhaliwal brought just that. With sharp strategic insight and a calm, human-first approach, she helped the Candid team streamline their operations, refine their growth priorities, and feel excited about building again.
About Candid Studios
Candid Studios is a UK-based creative agency known for producing emotionally resonant, visually stunning content across film, design, and brand storytelling. Founded by a team of women creatives, Candid has worked with bold, purpose-led brands like Bumble, Uber, British Airways to tell stories that matter, all with soul, colour, and authenticity.
The Challenge for Candid Studios
As founders wearing many hats, the team at Candid Studios faced a familiar challenge: too many options, too little clarity. The business was growing, but not in a focused or scalable way. Workflow felt chaotic. Sales cycles were inconsistent. And beneath it all, imposter syndrome made it hard to trust their instincts, or know whether they were even on the right track.
Candid needed a clear, grounded strategy and the kind of support that felt constructive, not critical.
How We Helped Candid Studios
Polly Dhaliwal, working alongside collaborator Lorna, stepped in to bring strategy, structure, and a deep sense of calm to the chaos. Their approach combined high-level business planning with grounded, day-to-day operational improvements.
Together, they delivered:
- Clear workflow structures that made projects easier to manage and scale
- Targeted business advice focused on profitability, prioritisation, and positioning
- Supportive feedback loops that built confidence instead of adding pressure
- Emotional validation that made space for the real, messy human side of being a founder
The Results
“Polly and Lorna swooped in with strategy, structure, and sanity.”
The result? Less overwhelm, more focus — and a refreshed sense of momentum across the team.
Healthier pipeline and new conversions Streamlined internal processes Renewed clarity on what matters most Improved team confidence and creative headspace
“You helped us actually streamline our workflow in a way that made everything feel way less chaotic and way more doable.”
What’s Next
Candid Studios continues to grow with a clearer sense of direction and a more sustainable approach to business. While the dream of bringing Polly on in a part-time role isn’t possible just yet, the impact of her support lives on in every client pitch, project workflow, and creative decision.
“Would 100% recommend you both – your combo of big-picture thinking and practical, actionable advice is such a rare (and magical) mix.”
Work with Polly
Polly works with founders and creative teams to bring clarity, calm, and commercial strategy into the creative process. Whether you’re building a business from scratch or reshaping how you grow, she’s a sounding board, strategist, and team whisperer rolled into one.