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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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Photos can make or break your digital project. 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 photo you see on every other site! Instead I recommend that clients […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Recently an old work colleague reached out to me – after several years of super high profitability doing niche-specific work, his core client suddenly stopped getting new projects .. and as a result, so did he. After years of not connecting with others, now he was trying to re-engage with his network to get new […]

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 […]