The process of designing your new website could be an absolute dream come true, or an ongoing nightmare.

Who you pick to help you along the way and build your site for you will make all the different to both the end product, and how much you enjoy the site build process.

So let's get you all educated so you're set to pick out the perfect designer who will get you website-launching and having a blast along the way!

I must say, I'm really getting to like these business recaps, I've been excitedly thinking about what I'm going to write all month long!

Let's start with the numbers, then get into what's been happening business-wise, then I'll follow up on how I did on my goals from this past month, and what I have coming up next month!

Rebecca had worked both abroad and online teaching English for a number of different schools, and now was really wanting to start up her own English lessons service and website. 

She wanted a place to send new potential clients directly, as well as be able to take payments and have students book class times, all easily online in one place.

Rebecca wants for her students to have fun while taking her classes, and so she wanted her site to be the very opposite of the typical, corporate language learning services you'll find online. Rebecca wanted to begin differentiating her lessons from all the others out there with a fun, modern design.

As you know, a few weeks back I completed my first studio reader survey and I'm oh-so-glad I did. I can't tell you how helpful your responses are to me determining where to steer this business next!

I had a rather head-smacking and hilarious revelation from tallying up the results of this survey, which I'm going to tell you all about in August's business recap (you can see July's business recap here).

So, if you want to know all about that semi-embarrassing story, be sure to subscribe to hear the story when that post goes live!

I don’t know about you, but I personally LOVE taking a behind the scenes peek at the tools and programs other online entrepreneurs are using to run their online empires. You too? Okay fab, this post is just for you then!

I recently created a Tools page, loaded with the services, courses, and books that makes this studio run on a daily basis, and guides my education and decision making.

I give a quick description for a lot of the services on the Tools page, but I also wanted to get a bit more in depth with you on a few of those tools and show you exactly how I use them. Hence, this post. (… Apparently I’m feeling very Renaissance today?)

Dara is the owner of Sequel Professional Development based out of beautiful Hawaii. Dara wasn't looking for a traditional, corporate looking website, but instead wanted something more casual, welcoming and infused with tropical vibes, incorporating her location into her online home.

Dara choose the 2 Week Website + Brand package, so we whipped up her Squarespace website, alongside an updated and modernized logo that fit her brands overall feel better, as well as business cards and social media graphics.

Recently I realized that while I've racked up a perfect 5 star review record, the testimonials I was receiving were only halfway to where I wanted them to be.

Knockout testimonials are little trust-building gems, and they can be extremely persuasive when used on sales/services pages.

Truly great testimonials help potential new clients to see how your service/product helped another in their same situation achieve the goal they're also hoping to achieve.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I just recently ran a reader survey. 

I loved hearing your responses, so if you took the survey, a big great thank you to you for completing it.

While I did recently run a time-bound survey, I actually also have had one running in the background for months.

In this post I’m going to tell you all about the good and the bad of both, as well as which I’d suggest.

So gal, I’m test driving something new! Monthly recaps in business and life you could call them really.

Here’s what led to this new idea. 

I’ve been dealing for some time with trying to find the proper solution to the question; ‘How much of myself should I share in my business?’

I love getting to peek behind-the-scenes at my fav fellow entrepreneur gals and bloggers lives. I feel like I know them so much better, and want to work with them so much more because I feel like I truly know them as people.

So you don't have a full website yet, but you want to start building your list and delivering an opt-in gift?

People often use Leadpages for this type of thing.

It’s exactly what Leadpages was built for, so it’s the obvious first choice.

But as you may have realized after a quick bit of research, Leadpages costs at minimum $25.00/month.

I’m going to introduce you to a cheaper option than Leadpages, that allows you to collect emails before you have a full site. 

Fun fact: I completed both an undergrad and Masters degree, and then went on to not use even an ounce of what I learned in either when running my own business.

That is, with 1 small exception. I had taken a class in my Masters called Survey Design & Evaluation which came in handy when I went to design my recent reader survey.

(Glad those degrees *ahem - massively expensive pieces of paper* finally came in handy 😂.)

So I've packaged up my knowledge and placed it here for you to use when you're ready to also give out a survey of your own!

Oh hey beautiful blog reader!

I've been feeling something lately and wanted to share it with y'all. Blogging for you and helping you out with your Squarespace sites is an absolute pleasure, I love doing it!

But sometimes in blog-world, the conversation feels a little one-sided. It's kinda like when you apply to 43 jobs online, submit your application online, and then it falls into a big black hole and you never hear anything back.

Amy came to me with an exact knowledge of what she was looking for.

This came as no surprise as Amy is a professional Creative Director, having worked with a couple small brands you might have heard of before 😉; Victoria's Secret, White House Black Market, Revlon, Vogue Mexico, Harper's Bazar, Target, West Elm, Bloomingdales and William-Sonoma, just to name a few.

Amy was looking for a site that gave off a chic, elevated, stylish, fashion oriented vibe and had a very clean look overall.

Okay so before I even start on this post I need to give credit where credit is due.

The 2 week website was not my idea! (Though I do love it and am so darn happy I found out about it!)

The idea came from the fab Lauren Hooker who runs Elle & Company, or more specifically her husband Jake. Jake thought of the 2 week website, Lauren implemented it and then she shared it on her blog, advocating for others to considering switching to the 2 week process.

When I get on the phone with potential clients for our initial consult call, a few common questions come up about just what is included in my packages.

95% of the time when a potential client asked if something was included my answer was ‘yes.’ 

As such, I started describing my packages as ‘all-inclusive.’ 

(Partially because my answer was almost always yes, and partially because I love vacations, and being reminded of them often).

So, as with all the client and reader questions I get, I blog about it!

So you’re thinking of joining B-School? I take it that you’re reading every B-School review online you can get your hands on? I hear yeh, that was me too.

Gal, I know. B-School is quite the business investment, so it can be a tough decision. 

To help you in your decision making I’ll be giving you an insider look at what going through B-School is like. (Because that’s what I really wanted to hear when I was considering enrolling!) 

B-School has 6 modules spaced over 8 weeks. I took notes at the end of every week to share with you in this post, to give you a feel for what each week looked like. I’ll also let you in on what was happening in the B-School Facebook group, as well as my personal business breakthroughs.

You got a new website - YAYYYY!

Virtual high five gal! Job very well done making the leap and going live with a fab new online home.

So, you spent all this time and money on your new website to make your business look legit, now you want to shout it from the rooftops? I hear yeh.

Here’s a few ideas on how to throw a virtual launch partay to let everyone know that your new website is live! 

I just wrapped up such a fun interview with the one half of the Bucketlist Bombshells, Shay Orlena Brown.

(Is doing interviews like this one my real job? Apparently yes it is. I know, sometimes I'm surprised by it too.)

Together Shay & Cassie make up the Bucketlist Bombshells. The Bucketlist Bombshells is the online destination empowering and teaching millennial women how to build a successful online service-based business that gives them the freedom to travel the world and live creatively.

When I came across the Bucketlist Bombshells on Facebook my first thought was 'no way, is that a real thing?'

Many website designers will polish up your project, get you launched and then offer the option to stick with them on what’s called a monthly retainer.

Monthly retainers have their pros and cons. 

Pro, you have the peace of mind that if your website decides to throw and temper tantrum one day and bring your online business crashing down, you’ve got someone on hand who’s job it is to fix it.

Con, designers and developers don’t come cheap, so paying $100 or more a month for a monthly retainer with a designer/developer can become a pricey business expense.

Charging premium prices is every business owners dream.

To charge crème de la crème prices however, there’s a few hurdles we need to get past first.

A few of these I can easily point you in the direction of resources and systems you can set up to prep for charging premium pricing (and I will!). A couple however will be bits you have to look internally for, and truly understand your industry to successfully complete.

I'll also share with you one commonly accepted thing people believe is necessary to charge premium prices, that really isn't required as most of us believe.