03/22/2018
IF you think struggling away by yourself, trying to create your website is the 'cheapest' and 'smartest' thing to do when you're bootstrapping, think again.
I've seen soo many women STRUGGLE for months trying to DIY their website ... because they believe it's the smartest option. Because they believe the only alternative is paying someone a whole lotta $$$ to do it for them.
Now, if they'd said they're doing to LEARN. To learn the backed of their business, to learn how to copy write, to learn how to create landing pages, to learn how it all comes together... then that's a totally thing. But heck, even if you're doing it to learn, the struggle is totally optional!!
So, let's bust some website myths shall we.
1. Creating my website all by myself is the cheapest / smartest way to do things while I'm bootstrapping
If you're new to the tech, let's break down the number of hours it'll likely take you
1 hr - install wordpress
5 hrs - research themes
5 hrs - research plugins
10 hrs - research domain name, hosting
10 hrs - agonize about your branding
10 hrs - staring at computer screen trying to write copy for each page
1 hr - throwing together "something" for your copy and hoping it works
10 hrs -researching possible page layouts
10 hrs - struggling with your theme to create your home page just the way you want it
10 hrs - fretting over your About page
10 hrs - Agonizing about your WorkWithMe page
3 hrs - whipping together a praise, contact & blog page.
30 hrs - learning Canva, messing around with images, trying to get them to sit right on your pages.
3 hrs - writing your first blog post
10 hrs - messing with the 'small' stuff like your logo, your fonts
That's about 130 hours!!!!
And I've been pretty conservative here. My own first business website in 2010 took me TWICE as long!! I know - pretty embarrassing huh!?! AND that's when I'd already been blogging on WordPress for 2 years - so yes, I "knew" the tech!
So let's say you're just starting out in business and you charge clients about $20/hr.
=> Your website already cost you a whooping $2600 !!!!!
If you'd spent even half of that time doing the real work BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS instead of just building your website ---- what kinda difference do you think it'd make to your business, to clients who's life you could've transformed, to your bank account, to your confidence?
---------------------------------------------------------------
2. But I want to learn... so I have to do it all by myself.
Yes, you could always learn it all by yourself. There are a ton of free articles and videos. But the real question to ask - is do you have all the FREE time in the world?
Do you grow your own wheat and cotton and veggies and wood and harvest all your own water and generate all the electricity you need? You may grow some of them - but you don't try to do it all do you? (honestly, I'd like to live off grid some day... but till then....)
IF you're a woman starting a business, chances are you're already stretched pretty thin with mom duty, a full time job/business, housework, family stuff and the likes.
There are smarter ways of learning.
1. Outsource the stuff you'll only need one time. You can get someone on Fiverr to do the installs for you for $10. Or you can get any of the lovely web devs on this group to do it for you for a Or you can get my website in a box for $97. Just like you buy bread from the super market and sometimes even precut veggies or ready to cook meals! Use your resources smartly.
2. Learn the stuff you're going to need over and over again. You know, just the way you learnt to drive a car...because, heck, you wanna get around town on your own and not depend on the dad/husband/friend/bus/uber.
3. Learn from someone who knows what they're talking about and can help shorten the learning curve for you. Did you just step into a car, read some manuals, and start driving? I hope not!!! You learnt it with someone who a) you trusted b) already knew how to drive c) could teach you without blowing a nerve! The same thing holds for your website!!
Don't try to do it all alone.
It isn't the cheapest or the smartest option.
Get the right kind of help - to optimize your learning.
God knows you've got enough on your plate!!!
