WebDev Success

Develop Brilliantly

Emily Journey

Rookie mistakes every freelance website developer makes

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small green sprout
You can do it!

One of my coaching clients showed up with a list of questions to go over during our coaching session. I could tell from her list that we had moved past the practical nuts and bolts of building a website for a customer. She wanted to know about the inside operation and growth of her website development business.

“What if I’m not good at making a website look nice? You know…the design part?”

“How do you get people to pay you thousands of dollars for a website when they can get one for a few hundred dollars from Fiverr?”

“How can I get someone to trust me with a large project when my portfolio is wimpy?”

I recognized exactly what she was talking about because early in my website development career, I struggled with the same things. [Read more…] about Rookie mistakes every freelance website developer makes

How to make your website user friendly

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Yale School of Art website
The Yale School of Art website at www.art.yale.edu

I told my friend Nancy about my blog. She’s in her seventies and can barely use email. I told her about my plan to change the website development industry with my writing and coaching.

“Tell them to quit being mean to old people!” she said.

She went on to complain about not being able to read the font on websites. Too light. Too small.

“Just because you know I am supposed to click on something doesn’t mean that I know I’m supposed to click on something!”

I said, “Yeah! That sounds like a problem with the user experience. When things aren’t designed well, that creates cognitive fatigue.”

I got a kick out of using a phrase I had just learned: cognitive fatigue.

Nancy immediately responded with a raised voice, “NO! It creates murderous rage! And, we old people, if we knew where these developers lived, we’d HOBBLE over there with our walkers and beat them to death with our canes!” [Read more…] about How to make your website user friendly

Do I need a photo of myself on my website?

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Rachel on the job
Our V.P. at work.

I coach people who want to become website developers. When they ask me “Do I need a photo of myself on my website?” I always answer, “Yes, of course!” and “Without your photo on your website, you’re at a sales disadvantage.”
That’s when I hear something like, “Really? I really have to?” or “I don’t know. I’ll think about it. I don’t like photos of myself.”

[Read more…] about Do I need a photo of myself on my website?

Leaps of faith and moments of desperation

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Empty offices
Empty offices at Emily Journey & Associates

Throughout my career, I’ve taken leaps of faith and taken action in moments of desperation. Both have produced remarkable results.

I used to be a social worker. I spent so much time and money to embark on a career that I didn’t like. . . I kept going in social work for 5 YEARS because I didn’t feel entitled to admit the truth: I didn’t find social work satisfying and I wanted more for myself.

Finally, I took a leap of faith and said goodbye to my clients and my social work career.

I wish I could tell you I bounced right into the work I love. I didn’t.
Instead, I bounced around a few jobs, projects, and failed business ideas.

Then, I got desperate. [Read more…] about Leaps of faith and moments of desperation

How to know when you are wrong

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Emily with face mask
Yesterday was rough. It started with an anxious conversation in my own head about whether the Surgeon General was lying to us about the effectiveness of face masks.

Did the shortage of medical grade face masks justify lying about their effectiveness?

That was enough stress before 8 AM to get me amped up for the day.

I decided to wear a face mask to bring groceries to my elderly mother. A real-deal, medical grade, anti-viral, properly worn face mask.

If you know me, then you’re not surprised to hear I have a couple of these stowed away in my linen closet for air travel during cold and flu season.
So, there I am, at the grocery store checkout. Looking stupid. Face mask and all. A fellow shopper, also wearing a face mask, commented,
“People are giving us strange looks.” [Read more…] about How to know when you are wrong

Learning WordPress changed my life

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Learn WordPress

I’ve been questioning my decisions about things that I never imagined I would need to question. Suddenly, just going out my front door seems complicated.

I am reminded…

Every decision we make has consequences.

I own an agency that I started in 2012 when I was unemployed and 42 years old.

Behind me was my experience as a social worker, retail shop owner, textbook salesperson, and vending machine sales manager. [Read more…] about Learning WordPress changed my life

Build a business that can weather a storm. Why you need to look at more than profit and loss.

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ducklings following mama
Get your ducks in a row.

I used to measure my business success and financial health by looking at my checking account balance. If it was above a certain amount, then I was OK. Otherwise, I felt nervous.

That meant I felt nervous a lot. But this approach to measurement worked for me for a couple of years.
I didn’t even know what a bookkeeper did. Then, I met with a member of my networking group who offered bookkeeping services. She explained to me that an organized monthly record of my sales and expenses would be important if I were ever audited by the IRS.  [Read more…] about Build a business that can weather a storm. Why you need to look at more than profit and loss.

Should you give discounts to nonprofit organizations?

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Confident Feathers
How to get confident about your pricing.

As my company grows, so do the requests for nonprofit discounts. If you are in the business of digital content creation, then you probably get a lot of requests for free and discounted services.

At my agency, requests for discounts based upon nonprofit status are always met with “no”. We even get ahead of this question by answering it in advance on our FAQ page.

I’m confident about that decision, but I didn’t always feel confident saying “no.”

The first time I heard the words, “Do you provide a discount for nonprofits?” I thought, “Why on earth would I do that?”  Then, I wondered, “Am I supposed to be giving nonprofits discount pricing?”  [Read more…] about Should you give discounts to nonprofit organizations?

Communication! Now with 50% fewer fingers

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rough draft
Rough draft.

I had shoulder surgery last week. My left arm is in a sling and I am limited to using only my right hand. Before the surgery, I knew I would be using a sling for four weeks.

As the CEO of a website consulting agency, I’m typing on my computer all the time. I thought, “It will be no big deal. I will be 50% slower at typing on my computer.”

Big discovery: typing with 50% fewer fingers is not 50% slower. It’s 90% slower.

I’ve had to brush up on my communication coping skills. For example, take this blog post you’re reading. [Read more…] about Communication! Now with 50% fewer fingers

Be willing to sell

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pick me signs

I returned to my office this week to find a resume waiting on my desk.

It’s one of the best resumes I’ve ever reviewed. It makes me wonder, “Why does this person want to work for me?” and, “Why isn’t this person working for themselves?”

In fact, this person does cite experience as a Freelance Website Developer. Why did they quit doing that? Do they have two heads?

So, of course I immediately email this person to let them know I will definitely be contacting them when I have an opening.

Because, you know, I want to meet the person with two heads. [Read more…] about Be willing to sell

How I get the big stuff done

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Stack of post-it notes
I check my email too often.

I crave the opportunity to provide and receive instant answers. Instead of chipping away at larger projects, I look for the quick reinforcement I get from resolving the smaller issues of the day.

Even so, I am probably the most productive person I know… I achieve big hairy goals and small daily goals.

First, the small daily goals. On any given day, I easily empty my email inbox. I use a specific method to manage my emails, calendar, and tasks. Using this method, the inbox clears, and I’m rarely uncertain about what I should be doing next.

Now, to the big, hairy goals. Even though I have a system that works great for daily time management, it’s not very helpful when I insert a task such as: move heaven and earth. [Read more…] about How I get the big stuff done

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