Ray DelVecchio's Blog, page 12

I Lost My First Monthly Website Client

I’m not ultra-aggressive with sales because I have a handful of clients that will continue to pay me monthly for YEARS. They are my solid income base.

On top of that, I have no employees and created a well-defined process for generating solid leads when I have the capacity to add new clients.

But yesterday, I experienced a first.

It was the first time a monthly client cancelled all services with me!

I wrote more about this experience (and why I’m not worried) within the private Web Design Business Plan Member forum.

And I’m happy to announce that I’m re-opening membership FULL-TIME for the foreseeable future.

My goal in 2019 is to help as many people like you start freelancing and make reliable money with your WordPress skills.

LEARN MORE: Web Design Business Plan Membership (8 Training Modules + Much More)

I just posted several more thoughts to the “Client Advice” forum including:

How Important is a Portfolio Website to Your Client?Where to Build a Client Website Before LaunchHigh-End Skills vs. Great Customer ServiceAccepting Payments from Clients as a Freelancer

Join the Business Plan Membership today, and get access to all the training you need to make your first dollar with web design, plus a community to support you and answer questions along the way!

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Your Friends & Family Will Steal Your Time if You Don’t Protect It!

I’m as guilty of wasting time as anyone. It seems to be a rampant trait of humans who aren’t accomplishing what they want. Simultaneously, we believe we are unlucky because we don’t have enough time.

The reality is the ONLY thing that is fixed between two people is time. You don’t have the same knowledge, you don’t have the same skills, you don’t have the same experiences, you don’t have the same social network, and you haven’t lived the same life.

But you both have 24 hours and 7 days a week.

When you are freelancing and working from home, you’ll notice two things.

1) Scheduling Your Day is Hard

You may overlook the simplicity of going to work and having an itinerary set for you. When you are building a freelance business, you have to be intentional and focused on the right things.

I’ve talked with many of you who feel this overwhelm and don’t know your next move. It’s paralysis by analysis.

Sticking to a schedule has been my toughest obstacle to running a business. It seems that when I schedule too much in advance, I get unexpected client requests, come up with new ideas that redirect my focus or get behind with admin tasks.

I’m still working hard to overcome this weakness.

2) DO NOT Expect Others to Respect Your Time

We’re about to get real. This is by far my biggest pet peeve, despite the fact that I don’t actually allow it to anger me externally… 

When you work from home, your family and friends with jobs think you are available at all times.

Let me give you numerous examples, as recent as just yesterday.

You will be asked to watch someone’s baby or dogYou will be asked to sign for packagesYou will be asked to hang out for the cable guy to show upYou will be asked to help someone moveYou will be asked to pick someone up from a tripYou will be asked to take someone to the airportYou will be asked, “Why don’t you answer your phone when I call?”You will be asked, “Why did it take you 2 hours to respond to my text?”You will be asked, “Can you call me back?” with zero context when you know the conversation will result in zero productivityYou will be asked, “Hey, you’re good with websites, can you help me as a friend?” which is code for freeYou will be asked, “Why didn’t you come to our event?”You will be asked, “Can you mentor me 1-on-1?”

People operate off their own agendas and will put absolutely no consideration or thought into your time demands outside of their request.

They will make you feel guilty for saying “no”.

EXAMPLE: One of my good friends always calls me when he gets out of work. Why? Because he is stuck in traffic and bored. I’ve told him at least 20x to text me because I often do yard work around this time. He still calls. At this point I don’t answer based on principle alone, lol.

They are 100% wrong. And you are not going to convince them they’re wrong. So don’t get mad when they don’t change. Understand you are working with higher order values to find your own path to success.

P.S. Feel stuck at your job? Freelancing with web design is your exit strategy! 

LEARN MORE: Web Design Business Plan Membership

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Get to Know Your Freelancing Competition

Last Friday, my client asked me to come to their office because they were meeting with an advertising sales rep from Dex Media.

Companies like Dex Media are your main competitors, NOT creative digital agencies!

My client wanted me there because they don’t understand the pros/cons of Dex’s sales pitch, especially when it comes to online advertising.

Here’s what their package included:

1/2 page print advertisement in the Yellow PagesOnline listing management (powered by Yext)Phone tracking # to see how many calls they get

They operate under a yearly contract. I told my client I could do 90% of what Dex offers without the commitment.

TOTAL COST: $475 / month ($5,700 / year)

Sadly, the business owner moved forward with Dex because he still believes in print advertising.

However, not all was lost. I discussed with them ideas for the website along with Facebook ads and email marketing. There is a great chance I’m still going to get an increase on my monthly payment, too.

Plus, now I’m motivated to prove my work is better than theirs. Dex Media outsources everything. They provide ZERO creativity.

Important Lessons:

You need to get past your fears. Dex is nothing special and they make a ton of money. It’s time to get yours!You gotta be patient and play the long game. Not every decision goes your way. Persistence wins. Action wins. Ideas win.You need to be more than web design. A website is a hub, but getting eyeballs to the website is what takes you to the next levelYou don’t need technical expertise to sell. Dex’s sales rep was not web savvy.

Enrollment is now open to join our membership community which will put you on the fast track to freelancing success. 

LEARN MORE: Web Design Business Plan Membership

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Spend Your Money on the RIGHT Things

Through operating my own web design business and observing how clients run their business, my thoughts have changed drastically regarding the “recipe for success”.

Perhaps the biggest mental transformation is around money and how to spend it properly.

YOUR HOMEWORK: Review your budget – how much do you spend on things that contribute nothing to your growth? This includes:

Restaurant & bar tabsEntertainment (Netflix, cable, video games)Designer clothingShiny toys

These things aren’t just emptying your wallet, they waste your time, which is infinitely more valuable than the money.

INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE: Join the Web Design Business Plan Membership Today!

In our highly politicized world (especially social media), you’ll see the envy of people who achieve financial freedom. They actually believe business owners do nothing while cashing blank checks weekly.

This narrative is completely false.

My most successful clients work more hours to EARN that money. They never stop thinking about their business.

My most successful clients aren’t afraid to spend money to achieve progress faster. All of them spend on things that will grow their business and eliminate things that won’t.

My most successful clients spend on things that have no immediate benefitbecause they know it could massively help them 1-year down the road (like creating a great company website).

My LEAST successful clients make a decent living but simply aren’t willing to dedicate the time, energy or money to grow their business to the next level.

You know what this translates to? They aren’t willing to LEARN new things.

They stay stuck in the “worker” mindset and don’t step up a level to the “business owner” mindset.

Business owners must look into the future, create the long-term vision, set goals, measure progress, determine the acceptable standards, and then hold themselves accountable when things fail (which is a given).

If you desire financial success, you must be willing to (1) spend on the right things and (2) do the work.

If you are broke, it’s even more important to use credit wisely. There is such a thing as “good debt”. It’s money spent that earns you more in the future.

College is turning into the WORST kind of debt, I’ll discuss that in another blog post…

Here’s a zero-risk investment to make more money freelancing:

Join the Web Design Business Plan membership today!

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College vs. Building Your Business

Did you go to college (putting you in debt) and now can’t find a good job? I feel for you.

At a cost upwards of $60,000/year, the average investment is likely between $100,000 – $250,000 per person.

How sure were you at age 18 of what you wanted to do for the rest of your life to make that type of financial commitment?

I barely knew at age 25. The only reason I went to grad school was that I had no clue about the type of job to pursue. College is designed to churn out employees, but technology is disrupting ALL big institutions.

Today, you get the equivalent of a college education online for a fraction of the cost. The curriculum is up to you.

Tell me if you think this is a better investment…

Assume the low-end, and use the $100,000 we spend on 4 years of college.

Instead, take $10,000 and invest that in a business idea for 1 year, each of the next 10 years.

This accomplishes several things:

Allows you to pursue & develop your real interestsGives you money to spend on education, advertising, outsourcingGives you the runway to build momentum (and income)Gives you the leeway to leave a bad business idea behindTeaches you how a REAL business worksCompounds your business skills every yearIncreases your chances of success each attemptBetter opportunity to achieve financial freedom vs. a job

This is the education of the future, in my humble opinion.

The big exceptions are the STEM fields, where a university has resources that an individual cannot obtain. Ironically, I was a member of this group (engineering) and worked with several expensive toys including a scanning electron microscope which costs roughly $1 million. Can’t put that in the spare bedroom as a hobbyist!

I didn’t know my future, but I was certain of what to avoid – an ordinary 9-5 job.

Luckily, I didn’t pay out-of-pocket for either my undergrad or graduate degrees, because I selected the colleges that gave me the most money instead of choosing the most prestigious (and expensive).

Even if that’s not the case for you, working for yourself is the best investment in your future. It can provide the freedom you desire to get away from the cubicle life forever.

Learn more about a zero-risk investment to start your freelancing journey: Join the Web Design Business Plan membership today!

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99% of People Don’t Do This (& It’s a BIG Mistake)

My 3 favorite sources of learning are podcasts, books, and videos.

Years ago, I was only interested in tactics. What is the best tool? How do I tweak the design? How do I automate this?

A major shift occurred when I started following people that have similar values and principles. This gave me a broader perspective of how to approach my business, even if the lessons learned weren’t directly from a skill such as web design.

Check out the chart below of “Influence Level vs. the # of Mentors”. People who jump around from person-to-person (the bottom chart) never get a clear vision. However, when you pick people who are like you, but at a higher level, you can imitate them and also use their personal recommendations to find your lower-level mentors.

Here’s the thing 99% of people miss – you gain ENORMOUS value from re-visiting your favorite content over and over again. Most people will let a book collect dust after they finish it.

There are some podcast episodes I’ve listened to 10x because every time I go back there is something I missed the first time. There is a new wrinkle I can put into action. This happens because our circumstances change over time, and we need different advice today than what we were looking for 6 months ago.

I love the Kindle because I have the ability to re-read all my notes from the most impactful books. These PDF notes are available to you as a bonus within the premium membership!

My top “virtual mentors” include:

Tim FerrissJocko WillinkJames Altucher

WHY: They value simplicity, minimalism, discipline, creativity, effectiveness, efficiency. All things that are directly related to success working for yourself.

My #1 motivation is to connect in the same way with subscribers like you and pass on the knowledge.

Get the step-by-step blueprint to make money with web design freelancing!

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Unexpected $500 Bonus from a Web Design Client

An interesting string of events went down that I know you’ll appreciate.

I was installing a private forum on this website for paid members to have discussions so we can all learn from each other.

RELATED: Web Design Business Plan Membership

While customizing CSS, I got an urgent text at 7 PM from a client that has been with me for years.

He has 5 websites (mixed between his hosting and mine). I’ve designed them all, the only exception is an HTML website that we “cloned” to operate with WordPress and ensure it was mobile-friendly. That was originally created by a freelancer in Italy using Adobe Dreamweaver.

I HATE his hosting company so a while back, we transferred one of his smaller websites away from them to HostGator web hosting, who I’ve trusted for 10 years.

Unfortunately, this website was down for days!

Here’s what happened:

He called the WRONG hosting company because he forgot about the web host switchThey still reviewed the domain and told him it was probably hackedThey told him WordPress is not a secure platformHe texted me frantic and worried about his entire business

Given his frame of mind, I immediately looked into the problem and knew they were wrong.

THE PROBLEM: HostGator invoiced him in September and it was unpaid. He recently moved and his billing address change caused his CC to be declined. He gets all notification emails about billing and missed them. No hackers or security flaws. Just a temporarily suspended account.

We got on the phone, paid up, and his website was running within 10 minutes.

Then, unexpectedly, we talked for another 15 minutes about his business and how well things have been going.

He told me to send him an invoice for $500 as a bonus for good work and fixing this issue so quickly!

FREE Download: 15 Tools To Start Your Web Design Business

Your information will not be shared or sold, period.

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Why Specializing Matters with Web Design Freelancing

One of the more common web design freelancing questions I get is, “why should I specialize in one type of business?”

I learned this from my first client and you should understand the benefits…

1) Easier Sales Conversations

This became so clear to me in the last month after speaking with two prospective clients. My preferred “niche” is local home service.

One of the questions I’ll ask is, “where have you spent money on advertising/marketing in the past year?”

The answer largely depends on the business industry. One guy told me he spent on Angie’s List ads and they didn’t work out. The other guy told me he used HomeAdvisor Pro, a lead generation service.

Here’s the thing – I fully understand how both of these companies operate. Because of this, I was able to articulate the pros/cons of each, and other approaches they might want to take.

2) Less Competition

How many companies offer digital marketing to everyone? The answer – a shitload.

How many companies offer digital marketing for Italian restaurants? Not surprisingly, a lot less.

What is more appealing to an Italian restaurant owner? You know the answer!

3) Charge More

When you specialize, you offer a more customized service. If you bring results to one business owner, you can approach the next business owner within this industry and share them. Your unique solution allows you to charge a premium price.

FREE Download: 15 Tools To Start Your Web Design Business

Your information will not be shared or sold, period.

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When to Upgrade Your Web Hosting

I recently discussed with you how a personal website got a boost in Google, which then crashed client websites during the traffic surge.

In the last few days, I transferred the website to NEW web hosting – my first not on HostGator for many years! This has nothing to do with their level of service, and more because I want to try out a new hosting company since it’s been a while.

I chose “Managed WordPress” hosting and compared 4 companies: Kinsta, SiteGround, WP Engine, & Pantheon.

I found them all in an article about fast web hosts. Speed was my #1 concern since the high traffic was negatively affecting all my websites on the same account.

I settled on Kinsta, here are my notes during the research and transfer process:

1) Kinsta has a BANNED list of backup and cache plugins for WordPress (including 2 that I had installed). There is also a “must-use” plugin developed by them which handles caching on their servers.

2) With the starter plan ($30/month), it was up to me to migrate the website. Better plans include free migration.

3) I migrated with BackupBuddy, which thankfully worked despite being a banned plugin! They recommend the free plugin, Duplicator – watch my full tutorial on how to migrate a website with Duplicator:

RELATED: How to Move WordPress Website to a New Host

4) They include a free CDN for the best performance, and it’s much faster out-of-the-box than a generic shared web host.

5) They DO NOT include email hosting, I used a free-to-paid service, Mailgun, to forward ray@domain.com to my Gmail (where I handle all emails in one spot).

6) On HostGator VPS optimized with W3 Total Cache, my website page speed was 2 seconds. Now with Kinsta and their CDN, it’s at 1.2 seconds… nice improvement!

It will now be able to handle traffic surges, and my hosting is diversified so there isn’t one point of failure anymore.

That’s the trade-off – ease of management (one account) vs. less chance of problems (distributed accounts across hosts).

As always, situations like these lead you to learn new things that you probably never wanted to know, or thought would be useful.

FREE Download: 15 Tools To Start Your Web Design Business

Your information will not be shared or sold, period.

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Your Tipping Point to Success in Freelancing

You’ve heard it before: “80% of success is showing up”.

Here’s the thing, showing up EVERY DAY is hard. It seems easy. But why don’t people do it?

The reason is humans lose focus once motivation fades. Unproductive habits and self-doubts return.

It’s easy to believe you’re going to find the magic formula that allows you to quit your job tomorrow.

The reality is it will take you months or years to get where you want to be if you’re starting today with freelancing.

Only 3 things move you forward:

VisionPassionDiscipline

The good news is progress isn’t linear. Life is exponential. Here’s a visual of your progress over time.

SLOG & GRIND: As you hit hundreds of stumbling blocks along the way, you build your database of “workarounds”.

APPLY WHAT WORKS: The puzzle pieces come together and the big picture emerges.

In between, there is a tipping point (the dotted line). You can’t predict it. It’s different for everyone. As you get close, you start to feel it’s coming, even if the results aren’t quite there.

Then, when you solve the current problem, 10 new problems emerge.

This cyclical process never stops.

YOUR GOAL: Stack together positive days, manage your time wisely, and keep building momentum!

FREE Download: 15 Tools To Start Your Web Design Business

Your information will not be shared or sold, period.

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