Trailblazer FM: WordPress without the drama

Computers the size of rooms helped win a war. A simple astrolabe helped explorers discovery new worlds. Countless classics were penned with ink on paper. Are we chasing the latest technology to the detriment of our own personal growth and the success of our business? Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-old-fashioned-tech-can-grow-your-digital-agency

Does your inbox own you rather than you owning it? Over the last six months I've been changing my relationship with my inboxes to get back control of my time, productivity and worklife balance. It's an ongoing battle, and one I feel I am winning. In this episode I share what I've done so far, why, and what the benefits have been. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/fighting-the-battle-of-the-inbox

Productivity is addictive and too much of a good thing can be bad for you. This week I share how I became addicted to productivity and lost sight of my why. In a refreshingly honest look at myself, I call out my ego, share changes in my life and the amazing impact it’s had on the business. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/productivity-is-not-about-doing-more/

A bad habit can be the limiting factor in your success. It could be something as simple as a tendency to procrastinate or an addiction to sugar that prevents you from being successful on your quest for happiness and growth. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-break-bad-habits/

I am quitting social media. In this episode I explore the reasons why and how I will be showing up online in the future. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/why-i-am-quitting-social-media/

Knowing how much things cost is essential to the profitability and growth of your agency. Many agency owners quote on web projects without a clear understanding of their business costs or how that relates to the project they are quoting on. Full show notes here: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-much-it-costs-to-run-a-web-design-agency/

The last 12 months have forced business owners around the world to find new ways of delivering their products and services. For many this has lead to significant savings leaning on technology to help build leaner more efficient business models. Full show notes here : https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-run-a-lean-agency/

Proprietary software can get expensive and even the biggest commercial players are not always the best. Over the last 22 years I’ve used open source software either due to my budget or my love for the open source community. Full show notes here - https://agencytrailblazer.com/open-source-software-for-web-designers/

Improved productivity is essential for any web design agency to grow and flourish. Poor communication and business workflows may be OK at the beginning but they will begin to erode the quality of your output and rob you and your team of countless hours. Full show notes here - https://agencytrailblazer.com/9-productivity-tools-for-your-web-design-agency/

Whilst 2020 has been a difficult year, there have still been things I can be grateful for. In our Christmas Special, I’d like to share with you some Christmas memories and some of the positives we’ve experienced from 2020. Full show notes here: https://agencytrailblazer.com/what-i-am-grateful-for-this-christmas-2020/

Another new year is on the horizon, so let’s look at how we set goals for our business that are achievable and satisfying. As creatives we are very driven yet so often feel we’ve not met our true potential. This internal struggle erodes the joy we have in our achievements and leaves us feeling like we need to do more. Full show notes here - https://agencytrailblazer.com/setting-goals-and-how-to-achieve-them/

There is no worse feeling than your proposal being rejected by a prospective client. All those hours spent on it can't be recovered. 😭 The excitement you may have felt about the project dashed in an instant. Full show note: https://agencytrailblazer.com/dealing-with-rejection/

Ever wondered what questions to ask during a basic website discovery? Worried you might not capture everything you need to put together a winning proposal? In this episode I share the essential questions we use for our initial website discovery. This helps us to collate enough information to create an accurate reverse brief and to establish a reasonable budget. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/what-to-ask-during-website-discovery

During the hard times, as a business owner the temptation is to chase something new. New tech, new business ideas, new markets and more. During the 2020 global pandemic, Marcy Karpowitz was able to double down and make what she does best work in significantly different times. Full show notes - https://agencytrailblazer.com/focus-on-what-you-are-good-at/

For those folks used to the office environment, life has been turned upside down. No take out coffee, no chatting at the water cooler, no podcast on the commute and no cheesy banter being thrown across the room. Seeing the virtual head and shoulders of those you've grown close to over the years is not the same as being together. Here in the UK we are going through our second nationwide lockdown. I'll be honest with you... I am finding this one really difficult. I miss my team and getting work done is often more of a challenge. Over the years of managing my mental health, I've leant heavily on some tried and true practices to keep productive despite these trying times. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-be-productive-during-lockdown

You might be doing it all wrong! Hear me out. Did your design hobby become a business because people started offering you money for your services? This is how many web design agencies were born, including my own and that is where the problem begins. In this episode I will share with you some essentials for starting right. Set up your web design business for success with firm a foundation and with a clear strategy Full show notes - https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-start-a-web-design-business

Have you found yourself responding to emails late at night before bed? Do clients email you at the weekend expecting results first thing Monday? If these or similar scenarios ring true, then you have a boundary issue that could be affecting your health, your business, and your family life. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-set-boundaries-and-why-it-is-important

With times changing so significantly in 2020 and beyond, how can you build a business that owns its market? How do you discover the right market? How can you stand out and become an authority in your industry? These are all questions our wonderful returning guest, Brent Weaver tackles as we discuss us brand-new book "Get rich in the deep end". Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/own-your-market-and-how-to-find-it/

Over the last five years we've grown a huge content library and spend countless hours writing, recording and showing up online. When it came to growing the team to help us support all that we do we suddenly realised that we had no measurement for success. How could we employ somebody when we'd have no way of measuring their effectiveness. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/are-you-wasting-time-on-social-media

With so many web agencies, what makes you unique? What is it about your business that would attract clients to you rather than the competition? Like me you may have discovered that competing on price or extra services is not compelling enough to attract the right customers. Whilst the answer may be to create customer avatars and niche down, how does that work in the real world? Full show notes - https://agencytrailblazer.com/discover-what-makes-your-agency-different/

So often our clients expect the world from us. Over time a line can be crossed and you find yourself at the beck and call providing help and support for things that are far outside your remit. What's worse is you may even be doing this free of charge in order to keep your client happy. Full show notes - https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-manage-client-expectations

Your niche is not always obvious and it can take time to develop the experience, understanding and passion for a particular demographic. I share with you two occasions where I discovered my niche and how. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-i-discovered-my-niches-story-time/

With so many online events popping up, we have so much choice. How do we select the right events to attend and how do we ensure we get the most from them? Jan has been arranging online summits for many years and shares practical advice for getting the most out of attending an online event. He also deep dives into his own processes for planning an online summit. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/getting-the-most-from-an-online-event/

There are many ways you may be working for free. Some are by choice, others are not so obvious. In this episode we explore ways you could be devaluing your service and missing out on opportunities to charge for your expertise. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-stop-working-for-free/

"How do I generate more leads"? This is a common question in our community. In most circumstances I'd suggest you don't need more leads, you need better leads and a better nurture and conversion process. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/do-you-really-need-more-leads/

You've heard the phrase "fake it till you make it"? Many agencies take this and feel they have to project an image of a large, vibrant, successful and global business that is going places. Others in the agency space try to establish themselves as authorities whilst they are struggling with the very things they teach. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/fake-it-till-you-make-it/

Back in the late 00s, my agency at the time was struggling through the global recession. Our model included print management which would leave us responsible for paying printers long before our clients paid their final invoices. Throw into the mix clients disappearing, staff cost, rent, rates etc and you can see how quickly debt can form in your business. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/managing-debt-in-your-agency

In order to build influence, generate leads and grow our agencies need to build an audience. An audience is a group of people that are aware of you and whom consume your content. As you build your platform and attract your ideal customers (your audience) you will find you begin to generate leads to your services and sales to your products. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-build-your-audience-and-why-you-need-to/

If you had to start your business from scratch, what would you do differently? What would you do again that worked? Having been in business you will have learned what works and what doesn't. These are valuable lessons that we can apply to an imaginary fresh start. Let's go on a journey of starting our business from scratch and see if there is anything from it you can use to make change in your business today.

I have burned out multiple times running my agencies. Why? Because I ignored the signs and kept pushing forward. I put deadlines, clients and my own pride before my health and mental well-being. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/signs-you-should-slow-down-and-how-to-do-it

When a new lead comes into your agency it is important to ensure the client has everything in place they need for you to be able to help them. Not every client will be a right fit and it's better to discover this before a project kicks off than when it is too late. Cathy Wassell joins us to share her process for filtering through potential clients. Full show notes - https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-filter-potential-clients

There is a lot of advice out there from experts in the field. Whilst all have merit, there is something to be said for finding what works for you and pursuing it. Grant shares how he developed a way of growing his agency using partnerships and referrals. Instead of having to attend industry events, build a personal brand or attend multiple networking meetings, he found a system that worked for him. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/building-an-agency-your-own-way

As a teenager, I knew I wanted to be in business. My world was very small being the small UK town I live in so my game plan was to serve my local community as a web designer. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-i-landed-my-first-client

I’ve been battling with my mental health many year. I’ve had a range of support including medication to keep me on track but things are still hard. Getting up in the morning is still an effort. A throw away comment from someone can still send me spiralling for days. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/running-an-agency-with-depression

We are exposed to typography on a daily basis. From signs in the treat to our computer screens. Without type, we would be unable to consume information and to act upon it. It's everywhere and it's important we get it right for our business and for our clients. A hard to read landing page can negatively impact it's performance. No thought into accessibility could hold others back. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/why-type-matters-more-than-you-think

The website is often seen as a checkbox on a long list of mundane and irrelevant marketing activities. It tends to become an online "calling card" with little to no thought on what it should actually do for the website owner. As agency owners we have an awesome opportunity to help build websites that help people achieve their objectives and we can do that from the wealth of experience we've had getting it right and learning from when we got it wrong.

Avoiding misunderstandings and ensuring you get everything down during the discovery process can be a nightmare! To help facilitate productive discovery sessions, we developed a framework that we've used on countless projects to ensure we capture as much as possible without missing the important elements. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/website-discovery-framework/

Considering taking on an intern? Meet Sam, former intern and mentor for interns at P&W a design agency based in London. Sam shares her journey, experiences and best practices when looking for an intern. She also shares with us her exciting project called "Tern Heads" a community that is revolutionising access to creative internships and junior employment. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/the-benefits-of-internships/

We all have a personal brand, even if we don't fully understand what that is or what it looks like. Through networking, through attending events and through showing up online, I've developed a personal brand that attracts the right type of clients to the businesses I am a part of. For me it was accidental and as I try to become more intentional it made sense to connect with Nicole Osborne. Nicole suggested a 5 day challenge to help unpack my personal brand more, and within minute we figured it would make sense to bring it to the community! This episode is a recording of our live stream in the Facebook group. Nicole shares the 5 stages of unleashing your personal brand stories and we extend an invite for you to come and join in the challenge from the 8th - 12th of June 2020! See you in the community! http://agencytrailblazer.com/group Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/connect-with-your-ideal-audience/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Without being a part of a mastermind I would not be where I am today, nor would I have the clarity focus and drive to push onto where I am headed. There is immense power in a small group of people, meeting regularly and holding each other accountable that can transform a business. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/how-to-create-a-peer-mastermind/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When Jemma launched her VA business last year, she was not clear on who her ideal client would be. The first few months saw a range of clients and projects. These experiences and interactions highlighted the importance of niching to a particular client time and range of services. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/attracting-the-ideal-client/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2012 my agency used multiple providers on multiple platforms. We'd created a support nightmare for ourselves and we knew we needed to change how we delivered our services. This podcast unpacks our journey into the cloud and the lessons learned along the way. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/agency-in-the-cloud/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During Agency Transformation Live 2020, we interviewed Brad Morrison on how he developed his niche over time. Having started providing services within an industry that did not seem to be as commercially viable, his agency expanded into other sectors. They eventually landed upon the service niche of care plans. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A product or service is more often than not measured by the quality of support provided. The reputation of a company can be its downfall should it provide poor after care. Yet I think there are ways that we can improve the support we get from the products that are essential to our business by changing our own attitude towards seeking help. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/getting-better-support/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are surrounded by negative messaging on the news and in social media. Global economies are being massively impacted by the pandemic, and as business owners, we may be feeling worried and concerned. I invited Nev Harris onto the show to share with us lessons we can learn from past economic crises. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/the-covid-economy/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you getting burned out on online meetings? Many agencies are seeing their meetings increase as clients and team members seek assurances and companionship. Whilst lockdown may have removed the travel burden, regular and unproductive meetings can continue to have a negative impact on your productivity, motivation and mental health. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/productive-online-meetings/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During these uncertain times, income may be much reduced. I share how to manage your personal finances, make savings and enable your money to go further. We approach this both as a business owner and as an employee. Our audience are a wide mixture of agency owners and awesome staff members, therefore I'd like to cover all bases. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/managing-your-personal-finances/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

No business has been untouched by the global pandemic of 2020. Some agency owners recognise a need in their business to pivot so they can add value to their customers, and weather these uncertain times. In this episode I will share a range of ideas to get you thinking on how you can pivot your offering. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/ideas-for-pivoting-your-agency/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The world has changed within days, and you may be concerned about your business and the future of our industry. In this episode, I share with you how we are best positioned to help build the new digital community of tomorrow. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/the-future-of-web-design/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2008 nearly the whole world fell into recession. Overnight we lost some of our biggest clients, and others drastically cut their investments with our agency. Fast forward to today. The global Pandemic is hitting the stock market, and it is predicted that another recession is round the corner for many nations. What can an agency do to survive and thrive during difficult times? In this episode I share lessons we learned from 2008, as well as a range of practical steps you can take to strengthen your business. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/surviving-a-recession/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.