Have You Reached This Business Milestone?
I read something on Instagram recently that’s stuck with me:
“Working with a designer is a milestone in business, not a requirement.”*
Isn’t that a great way to look at professional help in your business?
When you start a small business, whether it’s a piano studio, a solo accounting firm, a fitness studio, or a brick and mortar retail shop, you’re likely on a tight budget with a short runway of funds.
You bootstrap everything: you set up your own website, you ask that friend with graphic design experience to create a logo for you, you make all the trips to Kinko’s yourself, you buy the minimum equipment and tools you need to start working with clients or customers.
Fast forward a few years: your business is established. You’ve got happy clients, you’re making money, your funding runway is no longer as short. You’re doing well at running a business!
And you’re thinking about your next phase of growth. Perhaps it includes adding a new service and expanding your client base, or maybe you’re ready to hire an employee (or several). Or you might be thinking about adding something that sells in an automated way: a course or digital products, for example.
You’re finding that you no longer have time to do everything yourself. In fact, you are probably tired of DIY-ing everything. Your website may be a bit neglected (hey, at least you have one!), your marketing efforts are lagging a little (working with existing clients is consuming more of your time), and your bookkeeping may be overwhelming you (ugh; my personal nightmare).
You’re at the point of choosing where you spend time and energy vs. where you spend money.
It can be incredibly difficult to let go of the bootstrapping mentality as a small business owner. My own struggle with this has been difficult; my default is often to look for the least expensive, fastest route to something. And, to be honest, that has rarely served me well (ask me sometime about having my piano studio logo created by an artist from one of those contest-style design services. NEVER AGAIN. ☠️)
Over the years of growing two businesses, I’ve learned to better evaluate when to invest time and energy vs. when to invest money.
The things I do on my own:
Content creation
Small design tasks (newsletters, small assets, etc.)
All communication with our clients
Managing my schedule
Marketing
The professionals we (happily) pay:
An accountant (we have two: one in the U.S. and one here in Portugal)
A brand designer (overhaul of our brand coming later this year!)
A photographer (new headshots + brand photography also coming)
A business mentorship program
Why do Jeremy and I pay for these things now rather than take care of them ourselves?
Because we’ve grown our business to a point where the cost of bootstrapping is higher than the cost of working with pros.
We can no longer afford to look DIY when it comes to our brand. We can’t afford to make accounting mistakes. I can’t afford to throw spaghetti at the wall when it comes to our growth, so a business mentorship is worth every penny to me.
We’ve reached that milestone in business where working with professionals is an essential investment in ourselves and our work.
If you’re reached this same point in your business, you probably know it.
The challenge - other than recognizing you’ve reached that point, if you’re like me 😬 - is that it still takes time to research and find the right professionals to work with.
You’ll also need to spend at least some time preparing for your work with them - whether that’s a bookkeeper who needs records from you, a web designer who will need a clear picture of your business to create your website strategy, or another professional who will need information or time from you.
It’s tremendously helpful to understand what will be needed before working with a pro on an element of your business. And when it comes to having a new website built, this is something we can help you with!
If you know you need to work with a web designer in the near future, we’ve got a handy checklist for you that will help you prepare for a great experience.
Your Pre-Website-Booking Checklist:
📝 Think about one or two main goals for your website.
This will help us (and you) create a clear strategy for your website. We want your website to be a powerful tool that helps you grow and manage your business, not just a pretty online presence (although we’ll build that at the same time!).
You may have several smaller goals, as well, and that's fine. But honing in on your top one or two priorities will ensure that your website feels clear rather than confusing.
📆 Look at your calendar.
While we will take care of the time-intensive part of organizing, designing, and building your website, you’ll need time to communicate with us and gather your website content. It’s a good idea to not schedule your website project for a season when you’re traveling non-stop or working 24/7.
If you have a calmer season in your business - such as summertime or after the holidays - that’s the perfect time to have a website built.
💳 Set your budget.
Do some research (our “dream home” website quiz is a great place to start) and plan for this investment.
Keep in mind that you may decide to add something as you’re thinking through your website strategy (like a scheduling integration or a lead magnet). If you’re able, build a small amount of flex into your budget so you end up with a website that does exactly what you need to help you meet your goals.
☎️ Schedule a call with a web designer.
The best way to figure out if a particular web designer is the right fit for you and your business is to get on the phone with them. You can share the goals you have for your website and business, ask questions about the process (or anything else), and see if you are the right fit.
When you reach the milestone of working with a professional for your new website, we’re here to make it easy.
Planning for the future?
Jump on our mailing list and you’ll get helpful website info (and get to know us a bit better) - and we’ll make it easy to reach out when you’re ready for your new website!
