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 […]
How to get more work for your design business
Every week I get emails from designers looking to get more clients. And almost everyone fits in one of two scenarios: 1. FEAST OR FAMINE CYCLE: Maybe you’ve been totally booked (and overwhelmed with work) for months and haven’t done outreach or marketing in ages. But now your projects have ended and you’re in freakout […]
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 […]
What to do if you don’t have any new projects lined up
Recently I’ve had a few amazing designers reach out to me in a panic – they’ve been knee deep in client work the past few months but don’t have anything booked for the rest of the year. Has this happened to you? Hunkered down in client work, launching projects for other people – when you […]
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 […]