You might be thinking that you’re set for life with that website of yours. But, while I’ll certainly give you credit for recognizing the importance of having an online presence for your small business, and actually doing something about it, I’m about to tell you why that’s wrong… And why it’s actually time to redesign your website … And why 2020 is the perfect time to do it. Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post (I wrote this one for Nicejob) Watch the YouTube video...
Jan 20, 2020•10 min
While we may be a full two weeks into 2020, I’m still looking back on 2019. What went well, what went wrong, and what I learned. And that includes my annual review of what books I enjoyed most this year. Here are my 9 favorite books I discovered in 2019... Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post Watch the YouTube video...
Jan 12, 2020•10 min
In what seemed like a mere blink of an eye, 2019 is just about to end. And it's time to reflect on what the swan song of the 2010's meant to me. And review how many of my goals I actually accomplished. AND ... hold myself accountable to the ones I failed to. How was your 2019? Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post Watch the YouTube video...
Dec 23, 2019•15 min
The email, as many online marketers will tell you, is the Holy Grail of online marketing . They make it sound as if all you need to gain a new customer for life is to get their permission to email them constantly. If you have someone’s email, how could they possibly ignore you, right? Wrong. Here's why. Download the eBook I mentioned Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post Watch the YouTube video (coming soon)...
Dec 18, 2019•9 min
Look, we all like to get a good deal. In fact, when we do, the first thing we do is excitedly humble-brag to the person next to us about how we got said deal. But searching for a good deal on website design is risky . This hunt for a good web design deal even leads people to type that phrase that sends a nasty shiver down my spine every time… “cheap web design” ⛄ *Brrrrr* ⛄ Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post Watch the YouTube video (coming soon)...
Nov 15, 2019•13 min
Even if you don't have an extreme goal of taking off to a foreign country, or globetrotting for years on end, being a digital nomad can give you some great opportunities to live a more comfortable life. What if you didn't have to live in a big bad city just to find suitable employment? Fighting with frustrating daily commutes, rising crime, and crying yourself to sleep thinking about how much you're spending on your closet-in-the-sky they call a condo? Sign up for Launchers Read the blog post Wa...
Oct 29, 2019•17 min
When you’re negotiating with a web design lead, hoping to make them a web design client , you’re hunting for that Commitment Yes . A lot of web designers think they need a web design contract to get that Commitment Yes. First, let's talk about what a Commitment Yes means. Then answer the question: Do web design contracts help or hurt your business? Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post Watch the YouTube video...
Oct 09, 2019•12 min
The good news is that people are landing on your website. The bad news? These same people are leaving your website almost immediately . Why? How can that be? Did the hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars you poured into your website mean nothing ? Was it all a waste? Should you just give up on web design and go back to school to learn how to repair AI-powered toasters? Easy there, tiger. Let’s walk through this one together... Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post Watch the YouTube vide...
Sep 20, 2019•22 min
Yes, we're talking about building a web design portfolio again. Because, frankly, it's super hard to do. And many of you still have questions about it. After I give you these 4 ideas for growing your web design portfolio, I’m going to leave the rest in your capable hands. 😉 Sign up for Launchers Read the blog post Watch the YouTube video...
Sep 10, 2019•11 min
After years of running my own web design agency, I’ve seen a lot of people make some crucial web design mistakes. (and refuse to learn from them) I want to keep you from making those same mistakes. By removing these 16 things from your website, you can instantly fix these mistakes and improve it today . Sign up for Launchers! Read the blog post Watch the YouTube video (coming soon)...
Sep 03, 2019•16 min
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 ...
Jul 24, 2019•14 min
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...
Jul 13, 2019•10 min
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 Launc...
Jul 03, 2019•25 min
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...
Jun 13, 2019•7 min
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...
Jun 06, 2019•9 min
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...
May 30, 2019•12 min
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 b...
May 23, 2019•9 min
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...
May 16, 2019•16 min
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...
May 09, 2019•19 min
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 ...
May 03, 2019•7 min
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...
Apr 25, 2019•7 min
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 t...
Apr 18, 2019•18 min
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 bett...
Apr 15, 2019•9 min
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...
Apr 11, 2019•7 min
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 wit...
Apr 08, 2019•19 min
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...
Apr 04, 2019•16 min
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 ha...
Apr 01, 2019•7 min
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...
Mar 28, 2019•5 min
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 t...
Mar 24, 2019•8 min
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 executio...
Mar 21, 2019•16 min
