WebDev Success

Develop Brilliantly

Emily Journey

Be ready for great clients

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Beautiful chocolate cake with berries
Are you ready for this?

For years, I was hesitant to offer any sort of done-for-you search engine optimization (SEO) services.

People want to hire me to do this work because they know I am an expert in SEO. But, up until almost a year ago, I wouldn’t do it.

Instead, I limited my SEO services to a single product: a 2 ½ hour SEO training.
I had dipped my toe into the “done-for-you” SEO waters and found it frustrating.

When I did the work for them, my customers didn’t have the patience to wait three to six months to start seeing a return on their investment.

Other SEO agencies were whispering in their ears.

They had only their fragile faith in me as a defense against false information. Before long, they would be emailing me 30-page SEO reports generated by bogus companies, asking me to interpret the nonsense found within, and to explain myself. [Read more…] about Be ready for great clients

What to do with fear of failure

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Safety Cushion
Safety Cushion

I am a terrible employee.

I come in late, leave early, use company time to work on personal projects, and watch the clock. I quit before I get fired because I know it’s coming anyway.

In employee-land, I don’t fit very well. But, that didn’t stop me from trying to make myself fit.
I told myself I just needed to find the right JOB.

A job with the right amount of mental stimulation, pay, and flexibility. I had all of those things with my last employer. Still, I did all of that same bad acting and quit short of two years.

You know. Before I got fired.  [Read more…] about What to do with fear of failure

Mind your own business

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line in the road
Whether or not you can afford my services is none of my business. Your wallet, your budget, has no impact on my pricing. Oh, I can hear it now, “But, my customer isn’t willing to pay that much!”

So get new customers.

Sounds heartless. I understand why this concept is difficult for so many business owners to get. It comes down to fear. Fear of never getting another paying customer again. Fear of all of your existing clients abandoning you and not liking you. Fear of having to go back to that full-time job you just quit.

I get it.

Here are the changes I made in order to start minding my own business with confidence: [Read more…] about Mind your own business

How I started getting what I want

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Sunrise
Sunrise from the International Space Station

“Have a blessed day!” I used to cringe whenever I heard these words. They felt oppressive, like somebody trying to push their religion on me.

I had some serious baggage around religion. And I had a big chip on my shoulder that made it impossible for me to receive the goodwill behind those words.

Today, I recognize these words as a straightforward expression of goodwill. I respond with “Thank you.”

“Have a blessed day” is now a reminder of a dramatic shift in my mindset.

A shift to seeing the intentions of others as positive—not oppressive.

So, how did I go from mentally pushing away that goodwill to receiving it graciously?
I didn’t change out of the kindness of my heart. Or even out of a desire for personal improvement.
The change in my mindset began with my desire for business success. I thought that if I could just be successful in business, then improvements in personal relationships and physical health would naturally follow.

I know you’re expecting me to tell you that’s not how it happened. [Read more…] about How I started getting what I want

Manage your time like a psychopath

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Bookshelf of bad words
I took this photo at Barnes & Noble yesterday. Bookstore staff curated collection.

I was planning to write about the importance of outsourcing and delegating tasks for successful time management. But, I got bored.

I was thinking, “You can read about this stuff anywhere.”

But it did get me thinking about how time management used to be difficult for me. I struggled to follow through on commitments related to my business growth. I just kept running out of time.

I used to work with a business coach. Each week, we would have our coaching call and I would proceed not to do all of the things I said were important for me to do for my business.

I would blame circumstances and people beyond my control.

She eventually fired me.

Yes, my coach, whom I was paying, fired me.  [Read more…] about Manage your time like a psychopath