Have you ever wondered how you can record and sell your own guided audio meditations? Maybe you have an idea to record your own affirmations and programs for your clients – or you want give away recording as your freebie opt-in offer to help you generate leads. A yogi teacher friend recently posted that her […]
How to get paid to teach your class online (even if you have no budget)
So you want to take your teaching online – and you need to do it fast. I’m here to guide you through the process so you can get up and running as simply and as fast as possible – even if you have almost no budget. Note: there’s about a million and a half ways […]
Why I switched from the chimp: Mailchimp vs ConvertKit (Kit)
When I got started with my service-based business, I wasn’t super focused on growing my list (big regret on my part!) and my newsletter requirements were pretty simple – I just needed one simple signup form with one opt-in offering. But as I started offering more products and courses, I knew I needed to focus […]
What to consider when planning a website renovation
Looking to overhaul your website? Or maybe you’re in the process of rebranding your goods and services? Here are a few things to keep in mind when planning the next version of your site. Give yourself plenty of time to plan and execute A large website overhaul can take months (especially if there’s a lot […]
How to find, organize and repurpose your content
When I do strategic planning work with clients, I find that often they have NO idea just how much content they’ve already created over the years. So we’re going to dig deep to find those content nuggets you can rinse and reuse and take an accounting of what you’ve already created. Where to find your […]
How to build amazing websites that are easy to update
Should you update your own website? Why I train my clients to edit their own site Why you have to consider the future when rebranding your site How to use a page builder to create dynamic pages Quick video on how I use these tools to create and edit sites Quick tool roundup Please note […]
10 tips to running successful in-person live events
Have you considered adding live events to your online business? I recently ran my first ever in-person mini conference event in my hometown of Richmond. I had attendees from New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania and even as far away as California come to share a very special day with me. After a day (or […]
The Guac Metric – 7 ways to increase your revenue so you can always get the guac
Somethings are universal. Like Chipotle It doesn’t matter if you’re vegan, paleo or keto. It’s a place pretty much everyone can agree on (unless you’re intermittent fasting…) A few weeks ago, I was sharing some tacos with a friend who just launched her fitness studio and is struggling to make ends meet. As we unwrapped […]
Designing a cohesive marketing campaign
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 […]
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 […]