The Best Work From Home Boss is…You - February 2022
Answers to Your Questions About Getting Started In Freelance
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Have you Considered Being your own “work from home” boss?
So many of us right now are chopping our way through sites like Indeed and LinkedIn to find a way to work at home - but what if you didn’t have to wait for an interview and hope for a good offer?
It can feel like a pipe dream, or something that only works for other people, but what if you could start learning new skills that will help you start your own business, right now? 🤩
I bet, just like I did once, you are wondering if there is a way you can do work you enjoy and not have to work for someone else to make money…
Well, the answer is, “Yes!”
You can learn design skills for creating beautiful and easy websites that you can use to create and launch a successful freelance business and work from anywhere.
“But, Paige, I don’t know anything about web design or coding or any fancy computer languages - I didn’t go to school for this!”
I’ve heard these same words from hundreds of my past and current students, and the truth is - that’s okay! I have two degrees and neither of them have anything to do with web design. I started learning design for myself, found myself designing one website for a non-profit realized I could start a business doing something I really loved doing.
I’ve worked for myself for a few years now, and I have learned a LOT. And I want to share with you - you CAN work for yourself and make money doing it! And you can do it the same way I did.
The real questions you need to ask yourself are:
1. Why Do You Want To Work From Home?
The reasons for why you want to work from home are unique to every person who I talk to:
- “I am tired of my unfulfilling 9-5 job [and the commute I have to and from the my (sad) office].”
- “I am a new mom and need to spend WAY more time at home.”
- “My partner has a job that requires a lot of travel and I need a way to have steady income - no matter where I am located.”
- “I want to make a career change without going back to college.”
- “I work way too many hours a week and I barely see my home [or my spouse… or my dog… or my pandemic plants].”
There are HUNDREDS more different answers to this question. Here, I want you to take a second and think of specifically why you want to work from home:
your answer here >______________________________
Guess what? Your reason is just as valid as anyone else’s and everyone else’s that I’ve heard. The point is - you deserve to love what you do, do it when you want to do it and be the only one in control of your work/life balance!
“Okay, Paige, you’ve convinced me! So… how will I learn how to do all this?”
2. How Will You Learn What You Need to Know?
I hear from so many people over and over that the reason they can’t be a freelance designer is because they don’t know anything about website design. Maybe they dabbled in HTML for their MySpace in college [that top 8 was important!]. They only have a degree in 19th century French literature [it sounded cool at the time…] or they didn’t go to college at all.
“Paige, this sounds great but I don’t know any code and I didn’t go to school for anything like this…”
Surprise! I don’t know code either and, like I said above, I didn’t go to school for web design. [It’s my not-secret secret!] I definitely appreciate the geniuses who *do* work in code, but I rarely use any coding in my work! That’s why I can confidently tell you, you do NOT need to learn how to code in order to become an in-demand successful web designer.
I hear you - ”But .. how can that be true?”
It’s true because there are tons of people out in the world who need a website, and MOST of them don’t need that website to have lines and lines of custom code. Sure, there are plenty of clients who do need intense coding, and there are also plenty of clients who think they do. Trust me when I tell you you can create customized, beautiful websites for all kinds of different clients without using a single line of code.
That is where you fit in!
By specializing in ONE platform, I have helped tons of my students learn how to design websites easily and without any - and I mean ZERO - prior experience. My students have come from every kind of previous background you can think of and they now can call themselves “successful freelance website designer.”
So, instead of learning tons of code and UX design [what does that even mean?] or all the possible platforms, let’s hit the Easy Button.
Learning about designing a websites IS easy. You can discover how easy and fun it can be by taking my Square Secrets™️ course. My course Square Secrets™ will teach you how to truly understand and work in Squarespace in a way that would otherwise take years to learn - trust me I’d know! You will see how easy it can be to DIY a website that is unique and custom and will make people ask you,
“Oh wow, who made that website? Can they make one for me too??”
And, yes, it really can be that easy to learn design that people love, from scratch.
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And don’t worry - because I have traveled this same road before, I already know you will have more questions after learning how to design for your new freelance business! While I was launching my first course on how to learn design that you can use to make money for yourself, I heard from many of you,
“Once I know how to design, how do I *actually* start my own business?”
You know what? Great question. [See, you are super smart!]
3. So, How Will You Launch Your Business?
When I started my own freelance web design business, trust me, I went through LOTS of trial and error. There were tons of mistakes and tons of lessons learned. During that time I had moments where I discovered answers the same way you discover the last almond croissant at your favorite coffee shop! AHA!
Exactly what you needed to know when you needed to know it.
A few of those “Aha!” moments for me were:
learning what I should be charging for my work
how to build a portfolio and how I should share it online
how to market my work so that I kept a steady stream of clients
how to manage clients well [and how I learned the phrase “scope creep” … and you will too]
what I needed to know legally to ensure my business was set up properly… and make sure all my taxes got paid!
Once I had all those life lessons tucked under my own belt, I wanted a way to share the same information with all of my students!
So I created a start-to-finish course about launching your own business. It tackles all the points I listed above, plus it features bonus freebies to get you started. Included as well are interviews with great guest experts working in the design field.
My Square Secrets Business™️ course is for all kinds of aspiring web designers. I want you to be successful and am confident that my six module course will set you up for success faster and easier than you might think. Our next enrollment for this course opens in Fall of 2022.
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Of course, I want you to get some tips for your new business now! So, while you wait to enroll for the Square Secrets Business course, check out my free webinar on Finding Clients As A New Website Designer & the 7 costly mistakes to avoid!
Okay, let’s recap. we’ve covered why you want to work for yourself, how you can learn what you need to know and how you can launch your new business successfully. We’ve crossed a bunch of items off your to do list [I love lists!!].
So what happens next?
4. Reap all the Benefits [and Continue to Grow!]
Let’s go back to our first question for a moment.
Remember up above when I asked you why you wanted to work from home?
Think about how life would be different right now if you could work from anywhere, on your own schedule and were in charge of managing yourself - who you worked with, how much money you made, and [most important of all] when you take coffee breaks. ☕️
And - bonus - you actually are doing something fun that you LOVE.
Sounds like a dream, right?
Listen, it’s true - you’ll need to put the effort and time in to get started. But once you have the skills you need and have taken the steps to launch, you are well on your way to a thriving business where you call all the shots.
And guess what - I’m still going to be around to help! You can still grow and learn in a plethora [yes, I used my Schmidt voice] of ways. And that’s why I am constantly creating more content and courses to help push you further.
Just to name a few:
Plus, don’t forget that when you sign up for my email list you will get weekly info on how to be a better designer, business owner and a ton of other super helpful tips.
Working for yourself is could be the most rewarding thing you end up doing and I want to help you be your own badass, successful boss!
I can’t wait for you to join me. 💗