WebDev Success

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Business Management

Do I need office space for my business?

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person working in office
Welcome back to the office.

I’m an old pro when it comes to using coworking office space. I was introduced to the concept of coworking early. In 2012, I was the only employee in my website development business. I could work from my home office but I wanted two things that proved difficult for a freelancer to get at the time:

A business address and cheap conference room space that didn’t look cheap.

I joined a coworking space and proceeded to use it rarely. Even so, I had discovered coworking.

With that first coworking membership, I didn’t get any office space. I couldn’t afford it and it was unnecessary. With the exception of conference room space and a business address, everything about my website development business could be achieved at my home office or the local coffee shop with free wi-fi. (Thank you Panera Bread!) [Read more…] about Do I need office space for my business?

Discussing politics in the workplace

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coffee cup with the word beginI’ve been stalling. Dragging my feet. Like you, I’ve been getting emails from companies and individual business owners making their official statement on Black Lives Matter and racism. I see these emails and statements in the media and I think, “I’m a business owner. Am I supposed to make a statement, too?”

It’s not like it’s controversial to say Black Lives Matter. When Amazon and Bank of America are on board with a movement, then do I need to chime in on the chorus?

Then I thought about my undocumented workplace policies and unspoken rules.

[Read more…] about Discussing politics in the workplace

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

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?

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

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

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

How to avoid lousy clients

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Old time sea monster
A former client did a chargeback on my company this week. I cannot stand looking at his website and seeing the work we did for him. Right there for all to see! Still, he claims we did nothing.

I’m tempted to whine about him and blather on about how unjust the chargeback process is for small businesses.

But, I won’t.

Instead, I want to talk about how I could have avoided taking on this client in the first place.

In the 8 years I’ve been delivering my services, I’ve had very few lousy clients. But, when I do get a lousy client, they wreak serious havoc. Not only have they robbed me of my profit, they have stolen my peace of mind and messed with my sanity.

In 8 years, I’ve figured out one essential element to barring the door and keeping out these potential energy drainers. [Read more…] about How to avoid lousy clients

How to become a website developer in 29 easy steps

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become a website developer
I started telling people I was a website developer and hoped they would believe me.

I started developing websites for money 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. I had recently recovered from a series of three back surgeries in three years. I needed to take frequent breaks from sitting or standing and most companies don’t take lying down on the job too well.

I couldn’t go back to full-time work.

Years of struggle with physical pain also affected how I thought about work.

Life suddenly felt very short and my time without pain felt precious. I decided to do work I really wanted to do; work that would give me what I needed to take care of myself.

I wanted to become a website developer.

Eight years later, I’ve identified four skills you need to have in order to become a great website developer:

  1. Communication skills
  2. Sales skills
  3. Project management skills
  4. Website development skills

When I started, I only had two of these skills. Communication and sales.

I did not have much going on regarding website development skills.

My first WordPress website was for my own experimentation. I had this vision that people would flock to my website to read my local business reviews. They didn’t. Here it is:

My first website
April 2011. All I had to do was upload photos. The design was already in place.

My first WordPress website for a real business was for a friend. I did it for free using the Hoon theme from Press 75. Take a look at it here:

I started telling people I was a website developer and hoped they would believe me.

It totally worked!

That’s when I really started to learn WordPress. I knew enough about WordPress to make a free website but getting paid by a customer who had expectations and their own vision…that was psyching me out.

My first paid website job was for $750. I had to Google “how to make a website proposal” which is how I found Bidsketch. I was so nervous that they would say no to my proposal! But, they said yes.

It was by far the most difficult website I’ve ever built. Here it is:

First wordpress website for pay
My first website for money. An adoptee rights nonprofit.

It was over 450 pages! My eyes hurt just thinking about the energy I put into that website. 🙂

I did lots of Googling and spent hours watching YouTube tutorials. I would get halfway into most videos before realizing they didn’t apply to my situation.

Not knowing what I was doing was stressful. My internal freak out machine was shouting, “Your customer is counting on you!” and “You’re going to have to give their money back!” and I had already spent their $450 deposit.

Get this… I didn’t even know how to make their website go live once I had completed the development. I had to hire someone to do this final step for me. Thank you Brad Dalton!

A lot of people think you have to know how to code in order to build websites. But, I didn’t know a lick of code when I started my first paid website project and I didn’t know any code when I finished it.

Instead of learning code or boning up on graphic design skills, I stuck to building one skill: creating WordPress websites. That allowed me to get better, faster, because I wasn’t wasting time trying to learn a bunch of different skills.

That’s why I gained two things from my first paid website project: confidence and practice.

My customers loved their new website.

I took my impressive new portfolio of exactly three websites and joined a networking group. I built a few more websites, learning project management and WordPress along the way.

Today, I own a website consulting agency with six people on my team and comfortable office space. Website development is now just a small part of the work we do for our clients. I’m no longer part of a networking group because people contact us everyday to ask about our services.

How did I go from struggling to building my first basic websites at my kitchen table to the place I am today?

The same way I went from knowing nothing about website development to being an in-demand website developer.

I didn’t wait until I knew everything to get started. I didn’t wait until I felt confident before risking failure.

I didn’t wait.

The only two things I really had going for me were my communication skills and my sales skills.

If I had waited until I knew everything I needed to know or felt confident enough, then I would never have started down the path which led me to where I am today.

I am still learning.

If you are thinking about breaking into website development, then stick around. Leave a comment below. I write about my own experience with becoming a website professional and growing my business.

Subscribe here to get notified of my newest articles.

When I was just getting started, I wish there had been a guide to help me along my journey. A list of the 20 Best Practices for Website Developers would have been very helpful.

Mentioned Resources

Press 75
Brad Dalton
Bidsketch
My former networking group

Best practices for website developers

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I became a website developer in 2012 when I was unemployed and 42 years old. Since then, I have been helping people and companies with their website problems. Along the way, I have made a few mistakes and learned some valuable lessons. Here is my list of best practices for website developers.

20 best practices for website developers.

1. Tell the truth.

If you don’t know how to do something, then say so. It’s really okay to not know everything. Honesty pays off in many ways. Customer loyalty is one of them.

2. Be transparent.

If you are outsourcing some or all of your project, then talk about it in your proposal.

3. Outsource some of your work

You are just not that good at everything. Your client will get a better finished product when you outsource the things you’re not good at. I outsource graphic design, branding, and advertising. I even outsource some things I am good at like copywriting because I can’t deliver copywriting quickly when I’m the one doing the writing.

4. Encourage your clients to own their digital assets.

Domain name. Hosting account. Social profiles. Do not assign yourself ownership of these important properties. Don’t ever be in the position of declining your client access to their own website files because you put them on your own server.

5. Complete projects.

Be prepared to provide a full refund if you can’t complete a project. Or, pay out of your own pocket to make sure somebody gets the work done. I’ve done both.

6. Part ways with dignity.

Make it easy to break up with you. Why would you want to hold a client and their digital property hostage? My parting words are always, “Thank you for trusting us with your business” and “We will be here if you need us in the future.”

7. Get paid faster.

Who said 50% deposit and 50% upon completion was a good idea? Not me. Instead, get a 1/3rd deposit, 1/3rd at 30 days, and the remaining 1/3rd upon project completion. This approach ensures you are paid for 2/3rds of your work fairly quickly and prevents client foot-dragging near the end of the project.

8. If your client wants a duck, then give them a duck.

Don’t force your big (expensive) ideas down your client’s throat. Your client may end up committing with reservations. They will be on high alert for all the reasons why this was a bad idea and you will be thrown under the bus.

9. Make sure they know the duck poops.

Sometimes clients have bad ideas. Help them understand why it’s a bad idea to put a slider with 18 animated slides at the top of their homepage. They will make an informed decision; they might do it anyway, but their choice won’t be a reflection of your work.

10. Pick up after yourself.

Delete the slew of unused/unneeded plugins and themes on the website.

11. Sweat the small stuff.

Take the extra time to do the work correctly. Resize large images before uploading them to the website. Avoid uploading images of 1MB or larger. Details matter.

12. Have someone else test your work before delivering your finished product.

You’ve been staring at the website for so many hours that you can’t see it anymore! Have someone you trust go through it while you watch. Have them click on every link.

13. Speak in ways you can be understood.

Take a minute to remember what it was like to learn website development. You didn’t know all of the terminology. Slow down and simplify your language for the sake of your client. It will pay off in overall better understanding on both sides.

14. Pick up the phone.

Email is not always appropriate. Especially if your client is upset or confused. Even when a client tries to have an important conversation with me via email, I will direct them to schedule a phone call with me.

15. Use instant video to explain and teach.

Instant video tools such as loom are powerful time-savers and effective in helping clients understand you. I use instant videos throughout my workday to efficiently respond to questions from my staff and clients. Answers which used to require lengthy written descriptions and annotated screenshot attachments are now a snap with instant video.

16. Be responsible for your mistakes.

If you messed up something, fix it on your own time. Don’t charge your clients for your mistakes.

17. Research and troubleshooting is a service.

Research and troubleshooting of problems is a normal part of our work. It’s not free. Help your client understand this aspect of our work as a service.

18. Build in a time-limited support period after the project launch.

Prevent the project from never ending. Make it clear how much time is available and what the cost of additional support will be.

19. Have a single point of contact at your client’s business.

Invited to the team meeting to brainstorm about the website? I will show up for this meeting just once. While I’m there, I explain why it’s important for them to have these meetings without me. A single point of contact with decision making authority is more efficient and less expensive.

20. Leave your company name off of the website footer.

Your client’s website is not your billboard–even if they do love you.

This list is pulled from a previously published post: Clowntown, we have a problem.

Clowntown, we have a problem

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Lithograph from Salem Witch Trials by George H in 1892
Website witchcraft

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been helping someone who owns a website development agency.

He brings in new business and manages all the projects for his agency. But he’s not a website developer himself. So he contracts out that work. And he’s had some really bad luck.

He hired another agency’s developer who committed to the work but produced a crap website with problems the developer couldn’t fix. They were stalled because the website was far from being ready for client viewing.

My agency friend was then stuck looking for a WordPress expert (that’s me!) who could finish the job quickly and without drama.

That’s exactly what happened.

I accomplished the tasks the original developer said were impossible. No magic tricks. I just applied my expertise and experience.
Then I handed the finished product back to the agency owner so his developer could go live with the website.
A week later, my agency friend returned with a message from the original developer’s agency.

We can’t launch the site because of her changes.

Now, based upon this response, you might be wondering if I performed some sort of witchcraft on the website. Some crazy customizations that no one but me could decipher.

But I didn’t. No custom code. No new plugins were added. I just figured out how to use the tools available within the website dashboard.

So what do you think is going on here?
Here’s what I think. [Read more…] about Clowntown, we have a problem