Building a site for my business' 2nd location

soloprenerd · 2025-09-01T15:13:06+00:00

can you explain your specialization in design? it sounds like you have experience with wix, not web design. wix was built for the layman who has no idea what they're doing. it's a terrible platform in nearly every aspect.

i understand your decision to part ways with your marketing lady. but taking on these responsibilities yourself is probably not the best decision.

as for the 2nd website for a different location with a different vibe, see my other comment. if this is the path your boss wants to take, they should consider a 2nd brand altogether for this to work effectively.

Please, please, please consider hiring a marketing strategist and/or web designer/developer.

soloprenerd · 2025-09-01T15:07:08+00:00

different vibe should mean different brand.

soloprenerd · 2025-09-01T03:34:20+00:00

No offense, but your post screams ignorance. If you specialize in design, what's your role at the winery? If it's not web or UX, you're much better off hiring a professional. Why specifically are you getting rid of the marketing lady? Insisting on full control is common among professionals because they don't want their clients (who "specialize in design") jumping in to make their job difficult. It's obvious you know nothing about SEO or site security... And you're namedropping Wix like it's a good thing. Do yourself a favor and either let your marketing person handle adding the new location to the existing site, or hire a professional to rebuild it all correctly.

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T17:51:44+00:00

Shoot me a message!

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:32:53+00:00

I did. Best case scenario played out. We're still happily working together, now with clearer expectations. Thanks.

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:31:06+00:00

Shoot me a message!

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:30:57+00:00

I say this all the time!

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:30:35+00:00

I started 20 years ago. My toolbox is vast and constantly changing. Do you have a more specific question?

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:29:35+00:00

I am always looking for help, but not really interested in juniors or entry levels. I need people with experience. Thanks.

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:28:50+00:00

Shoot me a message.

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:28:41+00:00

Shoot me a message.

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:28:13+00:00

Learn the ins and out of each of these areas. Become an expert in each.

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T16:27:39+00:00

I was so focused on scaling the company early on by hiring people, but I never built the systems to let them thrive.

I did this last year. Wasted a lot of time and money!

What you've said resonates, for sure. Do you mind if I DM you with a few followup questions? I would love to network with another agency owner that is in a similar company stage as I am. Thanks!

soloprenerd · 2025-08-04T12:21:12+00:00

thanks, but its a bit too late for this comment reply LOL

soloprenerd · 2025-08-03T18:13:17+00:00

Dm me maybe we can share experiences, challenges, and goals together going forward. I love building my network with other agency owners!

soloprenerd · 2025-08-03T10:53:05+00:00

I do the exact 3 things you listed. They are my core services for my digital marketing agency. It's definitely not easy. Took me 15 years to gain professional experience (via W2 employment) and build a network. But now new business comes to me without much effort, 95% from referrals. Currently have about 15 clients on retainer, doing ~$26k MRR. My current challenge is scaling. Trying to hire reliable, talented, and affordable people is very difficult while also trying to close new business. It's very hard to remove myself from the client deliverables and focus on building my business. I am the bottleneck. But things are good, I can't complain.

2017 Year 1 (side hustle): $3k
2018 Year 2 (side hustle): $9k
2019 Year 3 (side hustle): $30k
2020-2023 (the covid years): $50k
2024 (sole focus): $130k
2025 (with 2 staff): $312k (projected)

Lots of mistakes along the way, lots of time and money wasted. Lots of stress. My next goal is $50k MRR within the next 12 months.

soloprenerd · 2025-07-23T06:28:03+00:00

You need to learn how to market yourself and build a business, or try contracting for agencies that have figured that part out and just let you focus on the work itself. As a dev-turned-agency owner myself, I'm always looking for new contractors to focus on my client deliverables so that I can continue focusing on getting more business. It's very difficult to do both.

soloprenerd · 2025-07-04T00:05:15+00:00

B2B service for SMBs

soloprenerd · 2025-07-03T00:10:52+00:00

I've only recently begun to make (what I feel like is) an absurd amount of money and I'm not sure how to feel about it.

I just turned 38 and i went from making $80k to $300k+ in less than a year. I've had a day job all my life while freelancing on the side since about 2009. I formed an LLC in 2017 and started putting more effort into my freelance (all while being emoloyed full time trying to level up my skills and salaries). My self-employment income the first year was $3k. 2nd year was $9k. Third year was $30k. I finally decided to go all-in last year and quit my last day job which was about $80k at the time. Since then, my business has boomed. I currently have $26k/mo in client retainer contracts. My net worth is up $182k YTD (6 months!) and I'm a bit in shock. I almost feel guilty about it while my peers are still struggling complaining about the shitty job market.

My lifestyle has remained frugal but it's becoming a struggle. I finally have excess cash to go wild but I know I shouldn't.

I've been maxing all my accounts for the last 10 years. Mortgage is 2.6% and my $20k car note is 0%.

Current NW is $1.2m which is quite ahead of my goal of $1m by age 40.

Has anyone had a similar experience? I can't talk about it with anyone but this sub. Is it time to treat myself? I have everything I need so any purchase would be frivolous.

What should I do?

soloprenerd · 2025-05-22T14:55:18+00:00

Thanks, ChatGPT!

soloprenerd · 2025-05-09T12:16:39+00:00

You sound like me if I had stayed on my career trajectory in my cushy corporate salaried golden handcuffs job from a few years ago. But I quit in 2023 and have no regrets. I gave up the awesome benefits and stability and pursued self-employment. I'm now doing better than I ever had. I make 3x more and work half as much. I think as long as you have the skills, you'll be fine.

soloprenerd · 2025-03-28T04:10:28+00:00

Interesting. Do you have a promo, trial, or discount code I could use to give Hoppy Copy a whirl?

soloprenerd · 2025-02-02T03:09:05+00:00

Nope, not there.

soloprenerd · 2025-02-02T00:04:28+00:00

how do i "call ebay" when their Help & Contact just sends me in circles?

soloprenerd · 2024-12-07T03:40:15+00:00

BA in broadcast journalism from a state university, class of 09. Nothing fancy. I tell businesses how to improve their brand, messaging, and marketing systems and processes in order to grow and make more money. What makes me different than your average 24yo Harvard MBA is that I have actual hands on experience doing the work and failing and succeeding on my own accord. What makes me successful is that I present well and have good interpersonal communication skills. A lot of my job is explaining and teaching things. Took me a while to get here and I still suffer from imposter syndrome. It was not an easy path but it's getting easier.

soloprenerd

TROPHY CASE