By far, the biggest resistance I face when teaching students in my course, or in my consulting work, is with niching. "If I niche, I'm turning customers away!" "If I niche, I'm limiting myself!" "If I niche, it's going to be boring!" I know, I know, I've heard it all. And yet, once I get my students to niche, they get MORE clients than they did previously. It's the most counter-intuitive thing, and yet that's how it works. So why does niching actually result in MORE … [Read more...] about Do you REALLY have to niche?
Blog – Articles for web designers
Why you’re attracting cheap clients
Do you ever how some web designers are able to attract those high-paying clients and create consistently high income, month after month, while the only clients who seem to want to hire you are those cheap clients who are always penny-pinchers with a serious case of scope-creep? It's not that other designers necessarily have better design or development skills. It's not that the websites they're making are more complex. It's not even that they have more experience than you. It's … [Read more...] about Why you’re attracting cheap clients
3 Mistakes you’re making with your mockups
I used to dread sending website mockups to clients. I knew there would be changes. And changes, and changes. Every time I sent a mockup I held my breath. And every time I saw the client had responded it to it… I held it longer. I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to start an endless revision cycle until my hair turned gray and I needed a walker. Because it happened every time. Until, I changed the way I presented my work. For the first few years of my business, I did … [Read more...] about 3 Mistakes you’re making with your mockups
How to create more consistent income
As a freelance web designer, income can be very unstable and inconsistent. One month, you feel like Scrooge McDuck, with a huge amount of cash coming in--but the next? Your income drops way down, or maybe you don't make anything at all. Some months you might even lose money! This is really common, so if it's happening to you, know that you're not alone. Everyone goes through this stress at some point. Fortunately, there are ways you can create more consistent income in your web design … [Read more...] about How to create more consistent income
How to price web design services and make money!
Pricing is hard. Figuring out what people will pay, and what you need to make, and closing any gaps in between can be tricky. A lot of designers get hung up on how to price web design services. But you can do it! I like to to use a combination of gut feeling and math. Pricing needs to feel right, but also make sense financially. What feels right? When you think of your services, and all the value you're providing, what feels right to you? Does your new website package feel right at … [Read more...] about How to price web design services and make money!
CaboPress 2018 Recap
Spending a week in the pool talking business? Yes. Two weeks ago I was in Cabo San Lucas at CaboPress soaking up some serious business knowledge (and sun). I went last year and it was a great experience, so when I had the opportunity to attend again, I jumped on it. Last year, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this year I had a pretty good idea. I was attending with the goal of discussing some upcoming changes to my business and getting insight from others on the best way to make these … [Read more...] about CaboPress 2018 Recap
