Hi!
My real name is Daljeet Singh but everyone calls me DJ – even my parents. So please feel free to call me that too.
It’s nice to meet you.
I’m of the opinion that the person you bring to ‘work’ (whatever that looks like for you) should still be recognisably ‘you’.
So, when I work with you I’m not going to be some weird ‘professional’ that my boyfriend wouldn’t recognise.
That is to say, I work hard and have a professional commitment to doing work of a high standard. I just don’t conform to the idea that who we are personally is unsuitable for professional work. I hope this page gives you some insight into who I actually am.
If this looks like way too much reading for you – don’t worry. You can skip down to the form to tell me a bit about your business and I’ll be in touch to arrange a call and I can tell you all about myself then.
I ask you to please bring the real you along too. I don’t want to get to know your ‘work self’ – I want to meet YOU.
The short answer is: Earth.
The long answer is… (I’ve rehearsed this a LOT)
I was born in Singapore. 
Moved to Wellington, New Zealand when I was a baby, where I am a citizen. 
Then moved to Brunei when I was 9. 
Then moved to Hong Kong when I was 14, where my parents still live, and I have the right to work. 
Then moved to Melbourne, Australia for University. 
And then moved to the UK in 2013 to work on a startup with a friend (more on that in a bit) 
And now I just can’t leave!
And to the “but where are you really from” question – my ethnicity is Indian, but my mother was born and raised in Singapore, while my dad was born and raised in Malaysia, so culturally more South East Asian than Indian but obviously raised in the mash of cultures you see above!
I start with this question because, as you might be able to tell now, it forms a big part of my identity. I’m what they call a Third Culture Kid, a citizen of everywhere and nowhere.
I feel that many of the principles which I am imbuing into Rainbow Dragon Digital either stem from or have been reinforced by this upbringing.
If you just want the gist of it, here’s the bullet point version 👉🏾
If you just want the gist of it, here’s the bullet point version 👇🏾
If you’ve got a bit of time and feel like hearing the full story in all its glory, it’s down here 👇🏾
I studied a double-degree in Science and Arts, majoring in physics, creative writing and archaeology at University – clearly knew what I wanted to do!
But the truth was, I only really wanted to study writing – I wanted to be a writer since I was 9. When I discovered that copywriting was a profession, I decided I didn’t really want to become an astrophysicist and instead became a freelance writer, with the biggest chunks of my work being SEO copywriting with Meri Harli at Fat Cake Media, and writing blog posts for Geeks Are Sexy.
I also started working on a startup with my friend, Krissa Ludvigsen (who lived in London at the time), and her uncle Mark Strickland. It was a social network for travellers we called Friends of Friends Travel (and later PPL Travel). This was where I cut my teeth as Head of Marketing, jumping right into the deep end!
We were really successful in terms of users and following – but we made a critical mistake of seeing ourselves as a travel company when we were in fact a tech company. And our tech was awful. Since we were coming from marketing and agency backgrounds – and rather fresh to the world of work – we were a bit naive.
After many bumps and bruises and moves and shakes, we eventually lost passion for the project and decided to pursue other interests. We definitely came away with a lot of learnings about running a startup and it was a crucible for accelerating our expertise in our careers.
I then got the job that I had for six and a half years, working as the Marketing Manager for a world-leading business coach, Shweta Jhajharia (she has been ranked in the World’s Top 30 Coaching Professionals by Global Gurus for 3 years running). I also worked in the language training companies (Simon & Simon International and Language Services Direct) she acquired over the last few years through her private equity company, Growth Idea.
I learnt a lot over those six and a half years, not only working with the companies they owned directly, but also the clients of the business coaching side of things. As a tech geek I got my hands stuck into to as much marketing technology as I could, and I absorbed all the business strategies and techniques that Shweta was teaching. It allowed me to put marketing into the context of running and growing a business. I became the marketing specialist in the company and ran a number of trainings and ad hoc 1-2-1 sessions for the clients as well.
In 2017, I started another business called Dragged Around London in my spare time with my friends Graeme Chetcuti and Elliott Chesney. We provide drag queen (or king)-led unique experiences such as walking tours, bus tours, reading stories to children and customised entertainment at parties. This is my baby and I spent lots of late nights building the content and infrastructure for this. We strive to create a community-driven organisation that supports drag artists directly in creating new things – and being paid properly for it.
Just before the COVID-19 lockdown happened, I decided I needed to carve out time to give Dragged Around London the attention it deserved. I decided to resign from my job, so I could take up other opportunities that would free up time to work on the business.
As the lockdown came in, some of my initial plans collapsed, but this allowed me to more seriously consider making freelancing my main gig.
When I did, I realised that this was actually the best way to use the skills I have acquired over the years to contribute to a better future for the world.
And Rainbow Dragon Digital was born.
The logo is based on a tattoo on my arm, originally designed with the help of Sooz at Fifth Dimension Tattoo & Piercing. The symbol means a lot to me – I was born in 1988, the year of the dragon. And in Chinese culture, the year of the dragon is always lucky, and the number 8 is lucky – so it’s a super lucky year to be born in. That’s why it’s shaped as a number 8, and the orb the dragon holds symbolises the world that the dragon protects in Chinese mythology.
I also have enormous earlobes – another lucky feature in Chinese culture. Spending my teenage years in Hong Kong (and it ever remaining one of my many homes), I superstitiously feel like much of my luck has been acquired from this culture.
I feel so grateful to the enormous luck and privilege that has taken me to where I am, so I wanted to create a reminder of that gratitude with a tattoo.
The rainbow part is not only because of my (loud and proud) queerness, but also because rainbows symbolise happiness, love, togetherness, community, and diversity. I have loved colour and rainbows since I could first speak, and I definitely needed it permanently woven into the fabric of my being.
And since I had created this symbol so meaningful to myself that I tattooed it on my skin, it only seemed appropriate to use as the name under which to practice marketing following my personal principles.
If you think it sounds like I might be able to lend you my sword, then take a read of my principles and check that we are aligned.
If so, then fill in the form and let me know what you need!
If you’ve read my principles and you think we are aligned, fill in the form and let me know what you need!
I’ve been less active lately, but have projects that are bubbling under the surface. If you’re keen to hear about what emerges, drop your email below and I’ll let you konw what I’ve been cooking up!
