As a designer, one of the things I create often are materials for marketing funnels. (A marketing funnel is all the steps or stages your prospective client or user takes on their buyer journey through conversion). Recently I launched a new funnel for Elena Brower for her Essential Practice Cleanse. Want to follow along? You […]
Where’s your easy button – how can you simplify and streamline?
I’m at a point in my life where I need things to be as easy and stress-free as possible. That’s why in every project, I’m always thinking about how I can simplify and streamline. How can it be simple? How can I eliminate confusion? What can I remove and still make it work? How can […]
The lurking danger of the (over) confident consultant
Ever gotten a “helpful” email from a so-called “expert” telling you that you need to change something on your site? Or maybe you hired someone you thought knew what they were doing…but instead they screwed everything up? These “helpful folks” are more than happy to share their suggestions about your site. Most of the time, […]
New client red flags – how to avoid crazy projects
In several of the online designer groups I’m in, I see a lot of complaints about working with bad clients. Or complaints about how long they have to work with someone. Or asking for canned scripts for how to break up with clients. Why are so many people getting to that state of desperation? Why […]
Tips from a designer on building a creative business
I’ve officially made it 40 turns around the sun. So I made a list of 40 lessons I’ve learned running this business. May it help you with your own creative business. And I’d love to hear your rules of the road – feel free to hit reply and let me know what rules you live […]
How to avoid burnout – practical tips for creatives
Are you so over everything to do with your business? You think everyone else has it all figured out and you’re silently suffering. You’re “living the dream” of running your own business and you’re hating it. Maybe you’ve got plenty of clients and you’re making money – but you’re just not inspired anymore. Or maybe […]
In defense of running a service-based businesses
Sometimes it can feel as though everyone but you is making an app, an online course or building a membership site (and totally raking it in). Maybe you’re at a loss as to how you can create something like this for your business. Or maybe those options just aren’t the right fit for you. There […]
The sunk cost fallacy
Years ago I found best travel shoe ever. Black slip-on sneakers perfect for dealing with TSA lines. But Puma stopped making them about 5 years ago. I’ve scoured ebay and hunted deadstock. Put my name on waitlists and searched sketchy random sites in vain. Recently my final backup pair got a hole in the sole. […]
How to attract and retain high quality web design clients
One of my guilty vices is following various members of the Kardashian clan on instagram. There. I finally admitted it out loud. But you know what? They play the the marketing game almost better than anyone else – and they know how power and influence can make or break a brand. Recently I was scrolling […]
3 easy ways to up website speed, ease and security
Why putting this off is costing you… I’ve been putting off a few changes that I KNEW would make a huge difference in my business. And they are the very first things I recommend to new clients. It was just “easier” to keep things as they were rather than deal with any hassles. I have […]
Lessons from 10 years of running a solo design business
10 years ago this week I flew the coop. I left my job as a software developer and started my own business. Not gonna lie, there’s been a LOT of ups and downs. And some things haven’t changed. I still work at home. I still work barefoot. And I still do my best work really […]
24 hour rebrand ambush: behind the scenes of a website overhaul
I call it iron chef web design. When you need to get a new site up as fast as possible. Last weekend the small gym that my husband and I go was featured in a large local event that attracts thousands of potential clients. But they knew their current site wasn’t doing them any favors. […]
Why you shouldn’t build a big online course right now
I’m calling it – this is the year of the online course. It seems like everyone’s got a course (or in the process of making one…) So why shouldn’t you? I hear it from people all the time – they want to build a huge online course because they see the gurus do it. They […]
Behind the scenes – creating and launching online products
I’m always encouraging everyone I know to start thinking (and creating) products to sell online. From e-books to online courses and membership sites, online education is a huge (and still vastly underserved) marketplace. It doesn’t matter if you’re a yoga teacher, web designer or still figuring out what you want to do – creating your […]
How to create trigger pop-ups for your website
Everyone wants to know what’s working these days to get more email subscribers. I’m a huge fan of letting people make their own choices – that’s why I love the flexibility and control of the manual click-to-popup optin box. In this Minima tutorial requested from my readers, I show you exactly how I created unique […]
The art of getting great photos
A great photo can do so much to make your brand stand out – and make your personal branding memorable. One of my favorite methods of making sites feel fresh and different is to use custom photography. Wherever possible I try to avoid using stock photos – nothing worse than using the same old tired […]
passive income and promoting your evergreen products
Passive income. The holy grail of online businesses. Products, courses and offers that make you money while you sleep. I’m here to tell you that there’s real work behind generating passive income! This week’s Minima question comes courtesy of one of my readers, Lucy. “Can you share how you launched your book and how you […]
The five things you need to test right now
Here’s the problem. You have a site, but you never visit it (or maybe you don’t keep it up to date) – so you don’t know that anything is wrong until other people tell you! Here’s how you can avoid the 5 biggest site mistakes I see all the time. 1. Contact form doesn’t work […]
9 lessons in 9 years running a design business
I never thought when I started my business that I’d still be working for myself (and still loving what I do). I’m so honored to work with amazing clients and challenging projects that make a difference in this world. I’ve collected 9 tips from some of my hardest lessons – I’d love to hear from […]
What to do when you think you’re not good enough
I’ve been mentoring and talking with designers for the last few years – and when I survey my audience about what they struggle with most in their business, three answers pop up the most. The most common responses? the fear that they don’t know enough the fear that they’re not credible enough to promote (and […]
Lessons learned from raising 30k in 30 hours
A reader wrote in saying that he didn’t have money for marketing. But guess what – you don’t need to spend a lot to market yourself! The local non-profit I help with recently participated in an amazing citywide fundraising campaign. There wasn’t a huge budget to spend on marketing and promotion – but at the […]
How to make your stock photos look “not so stock”
Looking to make your site stand out from the crowd? Using stock photos can often make your site feel generic. In this special photoshop Minima Tutorial, I’ll show you how you can use filters and actions to create gorgeous, unique graphics for your custom site. Products used in this tutorial All of the effects, fonts […]
How do you get more design clients – especially if you’re just starting out?
I’ve been getting this question a lot lately in my one-on-one designer consultations. Maybe you’re new to design or maybe you started out like me – having worked for someone else for years, you’ve got no idea how to generate leads and get new clients. When you’re just starting out, everything about your business can […]
The art of the followup
Want to know why some designers are consistently busy and others can’t seem to get enough work? What’s the secret to a never-ending a stream of new clients and consistent cash flow? Explore the art of the follow-up. How many times have you gone into a store and not purchased anything. Did the clerk or […]