If you've had a quiet month and you're tempted to drop your prices, please don't. There's usually money sitting in places you haven't looked yet.

Check out my group - https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/sparks-group-mentoring/

It's a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and "is it just me?" moments.

Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie.

In this episode, I'm helping you work out a plan to make more money in your web design business right now. Some of it brings in cash quickly, and some of it builds a steadier pipeline, so web design doesn't have to be feast or famine.

We get into:

Why the website is only one part of what your client is paying for, and why you still stand firm on your prices

My payment terms, and why content deadlines stop you building next year's website at last year's prices

Why your previous clients are your quickest win, and when to ask them for a testimonial and a referral

How hosting and maintenance bring me steady monthly income, and what to offer if you design on Squarespace, Wix, Webflow or Shopify

Whether your niche is so tight that people can't find you

Why I tell web designers not to work at an hourly rate

What to charge for a power hour, and why mine often turn into website builds

How I deliver website audits, and my website glow-up

If you want more money coming in without cutting your prices, this one's for you.

Come and find out more at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk or email me at hello@websitesmadesimple.co.uk

Mentioned in this episode:

Website Designer's Contract Pack: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/website-designer-contract-pack/

My Website Clinic: https://thisdemandinglife.com/website-clinic/

Mike Cottam, WordPress specialist (white label site care): https://mike-cottam.com/

Jo Lott: https://joannalottcoaching.com/

And here's the link if you want to learn more about Neal and Podknows: https://podknows.co.uk/

Skip to the good bits:

00:00 Feast or famine? It doesn't have to be

04:18 Your quickest win: past clients

05:41 Recurring revenue from maintenance

07:47 Is your niche too tight to be found?

11:31 Price properly, and show your prices

13:08 Power hours, and what to charge

15:17 Website audits and the glow-up

Check out my new offer: https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk/sparks-group-mentoring/ It's a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and "is it just me?" moments.

If you've ever had a client say yes, pay the deposit, and then go quiet for weeks, it's rarely because you did something wrong. It's usually because they weren't quite ready to work with you.

Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie.

In this episode, I'm talking about how to attract the clients who come to you ready to buy, so you can save yourself all that back and forth. I also tell you the story of the time I was the person who wasn't ready, why I was never Hinge's ideal customer, and why it did not go well.

We get into:

Why niching means the right clients find you when they're ready, not just shopping around

The huge gap between "not quite ready" and "sign me up, here's the money"

What happens when a client pays the deposit and then goes quiet

Why I was never Hinge's ideal customer, and what that teaches us about clients who aren't ready

Why long, specific search phrases beat "web design London", and how I found a holiday cottage with ChatGPT

Three questions to ask your past clients about how they found you

How FAQs and blogs answer people's questions so you don't have to

Why you shouldn't hide your prices, and what to say about hosting, licences and renewals

Why case studies reassure the clients who are about to say yes

Why getting clear on your messaging takes patience, and why you shouldn't keep changing it

If you want clients who are ready to say yes and a lot less back and forth, this one's for you.

Come and find out more at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk or email me at hello@websitesmadesimple.co.uk

Mentioned in this episode: SEO F-ing What with Nikki Pilkington, episode 38, "Your Portfolio Page Title Is KILLING Your SEO": https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/episode/your-portfoilio-page-title-is-killing-your-seo

And here's the link if you want to learn more about Neal and Podknows: https://podknows.co.uk/

Skip to the good bits:

00:00 Why ready-to-buy clients make life easier

02:34 The gap between 'not ready' and 'sign me up'

04:16 My Hinge story: the day I wasn't the ideal customer

07:26 How your ideal clients actually search

11:03 Answer their questions before they ask

12:52 Don't hide your prices (or what's included)

16:24 Case studies that reassure

17:49 Anchor your messaging

If you're busier than ever, marketing harder than ever, and still turning over the same money year after year, it's usually not because you need a new skill.

It's because the thing holding your web design business back is you — the price you drop before the client has even spoken, the £38 jobs you're doing at £150 an hour, and the evenings you're working for free.

My Sparks group is a supportive group mentoring session for website designers and developers to bring their questions, roadblocks, ideas, and “is it just me?” moments.

Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie.

In this episode, I'm getting real about money mindset: why so many website designers get stuck at the same figure, how we quietly become the bottleneck in our own business, and what it actually takes to level up without burning out.

We get into:

Why “learn a new skill” is rarely the answer when your income has flatlined

The one thing to do the moment you've said your price: pause

What to say when a client says “that's more than I was expecting”

Why payment plans for hosting and maintenance are the recurring revenue most designers miss

Why £3,000 coming into the business is not £3,000 you've earned

How a £38-an-hour VA frees you up for £150-an-hour work

Just because you can do everything in your business doesn't mean you should

How working every evening quietly halves your hourly rate

Why letting go is how you build a business that runs without you

If you want to charge what you're worth, stop undercutting yourself, and finally get out of your own way, this one's for you.

Come and find out more at https://websitesmadesimple.co.uk or email me at hello@websitesmadesimple.co.uk

Skip to the good bits:

00:58 Inspired by the Sparks and Phoenix mentees

01:25 The money boundary

01:51 It's money mindset, not skillset

02:52 Hands up if this sounds like you

03:13 Dropping your price mid-call

04:29 Put the price out there and pause

05:36 What to say when it's more than they expected

06:27 Earning a bit more vs properly levelling up

07:04 Payment plans: the recurring revenue you're missing

07:47 Big jumps: higher prices, more sites, white labelling

08:07 Quick break

08:15 What's really stopping us is us

09:10 You quoted £3,000. That isn't your salary

10:17 Invest money to make money

10:54 The £38 VA vs the £150 hour

12:21 Just because you can doesn't mean you should

13:00 Working every night halves your hourly rate

14:10 Mentors, VAs and getting out of your own way

14:54 Letting go: a business that runs without you

15:24 Get out of your own way

15:41 Work with Holly