Starting Your Evolution

• Expectations on web designers are raising
• Just knowing web design is no longer enough

What does it take to evolve?

• Experience
• Knowledge
• Community/Friendship
• Timing

Different levels of web design evolution

Level 1

• Web design
• Web development

Level 2

• Web design
• Web development
• Communication
• Confidence
• Management

Level 3

• Web design
• Web development
• Communication
• Confidence
• Management
• Leadership
• Migrations
• SEO
• Copywriting
• Conversions
• Analytics
• Sales
• +More

Become a full stack designer

Possess the technologies, skills and resources to complete an entire project all by yourself.

Learn skills that get prioritized by businesses

It is much easier to get budget approval for services that call under "marketing"

Design will only get you the smallest piece of the pie.

Become a unicorn

Having a special combination of skills can make you an invaluable and irreplaceable asset to businesses.

Stop labeling yourself as "just" a web designer

Sometimes the word designer has a negative connotation. Find better ways to introduce yourself like "I build and market websites for businesses"

Commanding respect as a web design

Most people undervalue design because:

• They don't understand it
• It's hard to quantify
• They only see the final product and not the work that goes into it
• Hard to track the ROI of design

Web Design and Money

Creative minds are often:

• Sensitive
• Solitary
• Shy
• Introverted

When talking about money, we must be:

• Confident
• Self-assured
• Outspoken
• Slightly entitled
• Clear about what we deserve

If I do a project in 30 minutes, it's because I spent 10 years learning how to do that in 10 minutes. I charge for the years, not the minutes.

How to increase your rates

• Learn skills that compliment design
• Know exactly what to charge
• Don't shy away from talking about money
• Build a support system to reaffirm your rates and confidence
• Learn how to talk about money
• Put yourself in a position where you aren't desperate for work

You don't need someone to sign your paycheck

Web designers possess all the skills necessary to make money online.

Why spend time growing someone else's business when you could grow your own?

You have skills like:

• Building a marketing a website
• Creating quality social content, thumbnails, infographics and other visuals
• Selling yourself and your skills
• Basic copywriting and content creation
• Learning new tools (no-code tools)

You should be building an audience

Growing an audience will feed every aspect of your business for the rest of your life.

Web designers have it easy on social media

• More platforms for designers
• Visual content to share
• Engaged community

Your audience will give you the freedom and permission to pursue any opportunity or idea that comes to you

Avenues to monetize:

• Affiliate commissions
• Coaching and consulting
• Blogging
• Selling templates and assets
• Creating courses
• Building your own business

Designing Your Business

among all the different way to monetize as a web designer, the most profitable is building your own business.

To do this, you must understand:

• Finance
• MArketing
• Sales
• Paperwork/legal
• Hiring
• Training
• Managing
• Communication
• Vision/planning
• Managing stress
• Filming video
• +More

Use your talents to build your own dream of you'll end up building someone else's