Celebrating 2 years in Business!
2 years ago, I took a massive leap and started a business. I’d always wanted to have my own business. As a kid, I wanted to be a party planner since I was the go-to for organising all the birthday’s in my family!
As I got older, I realised I had no idea what sort of business I actually wanted to run. And even with a marketing degree, I had no clue how or where to start. I knew marketing, but not all the other ins and out of running a business.
Well, it turns out you can figure out anything you set your mind to. And if you invest in a little support along the way, you'll get to where you want to go in no time!
My second year of business has been such a massive rollercoaster. I lost my Dad, Covid struck, and I burned out for almost 3 months. It’s 2020 after all – We’ve all felt overwhelmed for at least part of the year!
It’s been a massive year of growth though. I’ve learned so much about myself as an individual and as a business owner. This was the year I realised how important self-development and mindset are to growth.
Biggest Wins
Apart from the amazing clients I’ve had the opportunity to work with, these are my biggest wins for this year:
I’ve dived into WordPress again for the first time in years. I've enjoyed it a lot, but I completely understand why most of my clients prefer Squarespace. It's easier to use and doesn't need anywhere near as much ongoing maintenance! I'm now offering WordPress websites along with my beloved Squarespace
I’ve started offering Design Intensives. This is where you can hire me for a day to get through your website or graphic design checklist. These projects are a lot of fun, and I'm amazed by how much we can get through when there's real-time feedback!
I launched a group program where I’ve been diving in deep and teaching my students how to DIY a successful website. I cover strategy, branding, and copywriting, through to launching and growing your website.
I’ve invested in a fantastic membership marketing and sales support where I need it. The training in this membership is so on point! It’s really helped me to up my marketing and sales game (even with my background in marketing!)
I’ve been working with a health coach to overcome the burnout I went through. We're working on building up some healthy habits and routines currently. I’m amazed at how much more focused this has made me, and I’m more conscious about making time for self-care
Websites I’ve Worked On
I’ve had some truly amazing clients and worked on some of the best projects this year! From one page websites, to websites within other websites, to fairly straight forward sites.
I’ve tried a lot of new things, learned a lot along the way and really streamlined my processes! It’s amazing how different every project is, and I learn something new on every site I create.
Highlights from my Second Year in Business
I participated in SIX online summits this year! It's been a lot of fun challenging myself in this way! I spoke on a range of topics covering:
Blogging for business
Creating a successful personal brand
Easy updates to make to your website to book more clients
How to start DIYing your website in Squarespace
I’ve grown my Facebook group for women DIYing their websites from 200 to 750+ amazing women. I've done 27 lives in the group and completed my second challenge in there. I've also had 23 guest experts share on all things marketing, copywriting, YouTube and more!
I’ve done guest Facebook lives in at least 20 groups. I’ve linked to the lives wherever possible below if you want to check them out. The link will take you directly to the live if you’re already a member in the group. If not, you’ll be prompted to join and can watch once your membership is approved:
I recorded 2 podcast episodes this year. I spoke about growing your list through your website on the Connect & Convert podcast. I also spoke about becoming an entrepreneur on the Supported Entrepreneur podcast. These were a lot of fun to record and I’d love to do more podcasts in the next year!
I was going to present live in my networking group (FEMA Camden, for anyone interested). Due to Covid, it ended up being an online presentation, but I'd still love to do an in-person one soon!
I neglected my blog a bit this year and only actually wrote 5 blog posts. With everything going on, I didn’t feel the urge to write. I’m getting back into it though, and have since refreshed my blog home page and shared a few new posts.
Even with neglecting my own blog, I did end up doing 3 guest blog posts:
5 key Mistakes you could be making on your Website that are costing you Clients
Why you should have a Lead Magnet on your Website and how to Promote it on Pinterest (business has now closed)
I’ve changed my email list from MailChimp to MailerLite (best decision ever!) and grown my list significantly. I've done this with my free Website Audit Checklist and SEO Checklist for Squarespace. Online summits and members joining my Facebook group have also helped a lot. I learned a lot about email marketing and did a list clean where I deleted almost 200 subscribers. I also worked with the amazing Ashley DeLuca for my email marketing. She helped me review my funnels and create a consistent email marketing strategy. She's awesome if you need any help with email marketing!
I’ve started using Dubsado to manage my client workflow and it is a massive timesaver! I can now focus more on serving my clients and marketing rather than admin work. I worked with Marcy at Crossroads Virtual Solutions to set it up. I found all the moving pieces quite overwhelming and she was fantastic at taking care of it all!
A side benefit of launching my group program is learning to edit video. I never expected to ever edit video! I'm by no means as good as a pro at it, but I’m quite confident with my process now. Tech killed me during the recording, so I'll rerecord some videos before I relaunch
I've taken about 4 months off this year between my Dad passing away and burning out. Since then, I’ve stepped back significantly with what I am doing as well. It was until doing this roundup that I realised just how much I’ve actually managed to show up this year!
Great Investments I've made
I’ve made some great investments in myself and my business this year. My favourite ones are below, and you can click each to find out more.
Geeks Club, a Squarespace code membership (aff.link)
This membership saves me time troubleshooting code and figuring out new code challenges. It's worth the price and so much more! This is an affiliate link since I'm a proud supporter of Beatriz
Mummy’s Got Clients VIP Membership (now closed)
I worked 1:1 with Gemma last year, so I knew her membership would be good and it does not disappoint! Lots of marketing and sales trainings in there to help you right from when you first start your business
Day Rate Mastery (aff. link)
This program helped me to transition from doing hourly updates to design intensives. Hourly work doesn't work well for me or my clients. Design intensives are a great alternative. They're more streamlined, fun and with live feedback as I'm going, we get so much more done!
Copywriting for Creatives (aff. link)
Copywriting is not my strong point after working in corporate roles for so long. I've only joined recently, and already I’m feeling more confident with my writing and noticing a big shift
Organise & Automate
When I burned out, I realised I was taking on way too much. I was juggling a business, my toddler and working part-time. I needed to cut back, focus on what was important and streamline what I could until I can hire consistent help. Nesha’s course came at the perfect time to help me with that!
Be the Boss of Web Development (aff. link)
When diving into WordPress for the first time in years, I knew I wanted to streamline my learning. This course saved me a hell of a lot of time learning and making mistakes. It also taught me a heap of things I didn’t know that I needed to know, so now I'm a badass with Wordpress!
WP Rockstar (aff. link)
One of my accountability buddies told me about this one, and I was hooked from the moment I heard about it! I already love code and mastering new skills, and this course dives so much deeper into Wordpress!
What’s coming next for Jessica Haines Design?
I’ve been dreaming big for what the next year will hold for my business. I’m still mapping out my vision for 2021, but I’m excited to share with you what I’m planning so far!
I’ll be revamping my own website! This has been a long time coming and I’m excited to show it off once it’s done! There will be all new copy, a new look, resource pages for my clients and more! I also have a lot of fantastic blog posts planned as well.
I’ll be relaunching Create & Convert, my program teaching women how to DIY a successful website. I’m also considering running an evergreen version as well. I’m excited to make it even better with new content and bonuses as well!
I’m currently working on a new brand and website design project what I’m excited about! I'm taking bookings for 2021 if you want to show up confidently online and book more clients. I help with branding, Squarespace or WordPress websites, SEO strategy and design intensives. I only work with one client at a time so they have my full attention during the process, so spaces are limited. Head here to find out more
I have big visibility goals again! I’d love to do more guest blog posts, lives in paid membership and podcast episodes. If your tribe would benefit from website, branding or blogging trainings, I’d love for you to reach out via my contact form!
A huge thank you for following along and supporting my business over the last year. It means so much to me to have you along on the journey with me!
