Launchers - Build A Successful Web Design Business

It wasn't until I completely removed these bad habits from my life that my lofty dreams began to materialize into reality. I'm willing to bet that you're hooked on at least 3 or 4 of these bad habits right now. Some of you may even be trapped with all 6 of them. And I personally guarantee that if you commit to removing all of these bad habits from your life, starting today, your life will quite literally be transformed. Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

My fellow web designers out there know all too well that clients love to ask every question under the sun before choosing you to build their website. So let me ask you something... Why aren't you doing the same thing? Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

I’m not even joking when I say that, out of all of the questions I receive about running a web design business, about 70% center around the “web design process”. I’m going to give you the web design process that I personally follow with each of my clients. It is by no means the definitive process for all web designers, and I’m sure there are many out there who would disagree with me. But it works for me. And it helped me scale RapidWebLaunch into a successful web design agency. Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

New York City, winter 2015. New York had just had their warmest Christmas in history, with temperatures rising all the way up to 72F.  There I was, chilling in a swanky blues bar in Manhattan, sipping on a delicious bourbon. I was about to get a Famous reminder on what real happiness is. And, more importantly, what it ISN'T. Sign up for Launchers here! Read the blog post here Watch the video here

I recently found myself in the waiting room of a physiotherapist, hoping to find a solution to some troublesome neck woes. In the center of this waiting room, hanging on the wall directly in front of me, they had a large TV playing a set of 10 or so commercials on repeat. One of them in particular caught my eye... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the blog post here Watch the video here

For those of you who have been following along with me over the past few years, you'll know that I've been singing Weebly's praises for quite some time. Weebly empowered me to get my goal of building my own web design business out of my dreams and onto the keyboard. I will always be grateful for that. But time and unforeseen circumstances can change a lot. Especially in business. In the blink of an eye, something can go from empowering your business to hindering it. This is what happened with my relationship with Weebly... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here (coming soon) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/launchers/message

While most web designers have the luxury of living a commute-free lifestyle, and working from home in their PJ's and Captain America slippers, many still enjoy listening to podcasts while doing other mundane activities like working out, cleaning or doing the dishes. Web designers like me! The following are the 5 web design podcasts I listen to in such situations, and what I feel to be the best podcasts for web designers. (other than this one OBVIOUSLY) Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

User experience (or UX), in the broader sense of the term, is pretty self-explanatory. It is the experience a visitor/user/customer has when using your product/service/tool. When it comes to web design, we will be discussing the experience a user has when navigating your website. SPOILER ALERT: It literally means life or death for your website. Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

I hate doing sales. Always have too. It was my least  favorite part about working on the family business with my dad and, if  I’m being honest, it’s the least favorite aspect of running my own web  design business today. But sales is essential. So if you want to build a successful web design business, you need to learn to love it. What helps me to learn to love things that I instinctively hate? Get really good at it... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

Work/life balance is a common term used by startups and big corporations alike. Employers use it to show potential hires that they are the progressive, modern, forward-thinking type of business you’d want to be a part of. You know, the ones that are totally cool with you ditching the 9-5 grind. Potential candidates use it to show they’re not interested in working for the overbearing, punch-in/punch-out, old-fashioned companies of yesteryear. Especially those dang millennials, who demand freedom and individual accountability. The problem is, the definition of a good work/life balance varies widely depending on who you talk to... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

Web design is an incredibly crowded industry. If you have a small business, you likely receive dozens of emails and phone calls every month from someone trying to sell you web design. Mostly from India or Bangladesh… How would I get myself noticed as a COMPLETELY new web designer? How would I get any clients? Here are 3 things to know when starting your own web design business... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

Building a website is merely the first step to building a killer online presence. The real work takes place afterwords. And for some reason, many web designers are choosing not to get involved in this valuable work. Why they make that choice is beyond me. But I'm here to (hopefully) change their mind. Making real passive income with your web design business is possible. You don't have to use shady business tactics or cheap sales gimmicks to get it either. And your web design clients will get a ton of value from it. It is a true win for everyone involved. And I'm going to show you how. Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here (coming soon)

I recently simplified and detoxed my smartphone. I deleted apps, turned off notifications, and created a search-powered interface. (this also happens to be my most popular video ever, by far) Deleting these six phone apps has made the largest impact on my health, focus and productivity.  What makes these apps perfectly primed for deletion is the fact that you don’t have to stop using them completely. These apps all have a web version that is just as good of an experience, and sometimes even better. If you want to regain your focus and productivity, and improve your  overall mood and well-being, you need to delete these six phone apps  first. Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

Along with all of the good things smartphones accomplish comes a  whole list of nasty byproducts. Addiction, depression, laziness, low  self-worth, bullying, abuse… the list goes on. I recently tried an experiment with my phone. I wanted to see if reducing the time spent on my phone directly correlates with improved productivity and overall happiness. Here’s how I did it, and what I learned from the experience. Sign up for Launchers! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

Learning web design is simpler and faster than ever. That doesn't mean it won't take a lot of work. It just means that it's a lot easier than it used to be. Every other web design blog will tell you to do things like learn coding, programming and server management. Or they'll tell you it's too late to become a web designer and instead we should prepare to bow to our AI-powered robot overlords. I'm not going to tell you any of that nonsense. Instead, I'm going to share a simple 5-step process with you. This process will get you prepped and ready to start your own web design business in no time at all. Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

The blog reading experience sucks. The majority of blogs are terrible. They ignore the needs and desires of their readers, force antiquated "marketing" strategies and obsess over nothing more than making a cheap buck. These so-called bloggers have tainted the art of blogging. If you're about to start a blog, or have started one recently, please learn from these people. More specifically, learn what not to do. You have a massive opportunity to disrupt the blogosphere and gain tons of readers and followers simply by putting the readers' experience above all else. (I know, what a novel idea right?) These are the 10 biggest blogging mistakes that will make you look like an amateur... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here (coming soon)

There are lots of things I’m terrible at, but I’ve always been good  with my money. I manage my budget closely, and make sure to have financial goals to strive for. So when I found myself with a large amount of credit card debt, I was beyond frustrated. My dad and I ran a family business for nearly 10 years. Unfortunately, it came time to shut the business down, and my dad and I both found ourselves suddenly unemployed.  And because we had spent the final months of our little business trying so hard to save it, we also had no money. All I had was my credit card... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

It happens nearly every week. As I scroll through my social media feeds, and swipe through an endless lineup of stories, that all-too-familiar green and white coffee cup pops into view. Starbucks has done it again... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

Every time I logged off of another Facebook session, and felt completely indifferent to the time I had just wasted, I justified why I did it. Facebook was still useful because: (1) My customers and leads hang out there, so I can engage with them and grow my business. (2) I can connect with like-minded individuals and learn from them. (3) I still had some family and friends on there that I can’t reach through any other method. (conveniently, at least) (4) How can I have an online-based business that isn’t on Facebook? I’d look like an idiot. So here we have four reasons for me to continue to use Facebook. The reasons I used as a crutch for a poor argument. I had to break these reasons down one by one. If I couldn’t justify my continued use of Facebook with just one of these reasons, then the answer would be much clearer... Sign up for Launchers here! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here

What do you do when your business is so successful, everyone starts copying you? How do you fight off all of the copycats and wannabes? You make you part of your product. As a web designer running your own agency, you can have a powerful and positive impact on your business. Your skills, passions and personality can set you apart from all other web designers out there. And you can also inspire the exact opposite effect, torpedoing your web design business with terrible planning and lazy execution.  These are 10 of the biggest complaints web design leads have when dealing with web designers. Sign up for Launchers! Read the full blog post here Watch the YouTube video here