I see so many small business owners making false assumptions about what it really takes to create a professional website that converts.
They talk themselves out of it before they even begin and let imposter syndrome or the fear of tech hold them back from achieving their dreams.
Today I'm going to debunk 4 common limiting beliefs I come across on a weekly basis, and what you can do right now to move from feeling overwhelmed and worried that you'll mess things up to feeling organised, in control and like you've got what it takes to build a simple service based website for your business.
Let's dive in.
MYTH #1: I don't have the time to figure it all out
Running a business around your family and wearing all the hats can leave us feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and like we have little control of our own time.
But what if I told you it's not about having the time but rather about finding the time?
We all have the same 168 hours each week to work with. And I know it's hard to prioritise ourselves with so much else going on. But if you continue to do the same things each day, you can't expect to get different results.
Here is how I find the time, even when I feel like I don't have second to spare and am exhausted from homeschooling (during days of isolation/lockdown) and working after-hours:
Get up early, before everyone else so you get a head start to the day
Divide your to-do list up into important tasks and urgent tasks
During your first work session each day, focus on the important things and ignore the urgent stuff. The urgent stuff always gets done, it's the important things that are going to help you drive your business forward that often fall off the band wagon when we get busy
Plan ahead
Don't fill your schedule to the brim with stuff... leave lots of buffer room so when you do fall behind it's easier to catch up
Block the time out in your diary. Actually schedule it into your calendar and guard this time like gold; this is your non-negotiable time. No emails. No social media. No client meetings. It doesn't have to be long, but you should keep consistent and build good habits around that
If you keep at it, imagine how much of an impact this can have on your business!
MYTH #2: Having a professional website costs a lot of money
Gone are the days where having a professional-looking website is completely out of reach for start-ups and small business owners. You don't need to spend thousands of pounds to create a professional online presence.
If you run a service-based business and you're just looking for a simple website that's going to book you more clients, I recommend using Wix or Squarespace to create your website. Both platforms are affordable, simple to use and intuitive. Both have the functionality needed for admin tasks such as taking online bookings and payments that service based business usually need. And it's easy enough to find people to help you if you do happen to get stuck.
Pricing-wise Wix and Squarespace are fairly similar, and I would recommend at this stage to rather go with the platform you feel more comfortable on than trying to go for the 'cheaper' option. It's more important that you know how to make small tweaks and changes to your website so that it can change and evolve with you as your business grows.
In fact you can try out both of these platforms for free before committing, and I recommend doing so to get a feel for them and see which you prefer.
MYTH #3: I'm not technical so I'll mess things up
Last I checked, there isn't a genetic predisposition for being technical. You are smart enough! You don't even need to know a lick of code to work with Wix or Squarespace. If you can operate your smartphone, emails and social media, you are technical enough to build a website that converts.
Yes, you will need to learn some new skills (you'd have to for any new venture), but that's part of the journey. I didn’t know what I was doing when I built my first website either! Embrace it and believe in yourself. You'll figure out what you need, when you need to. That's just part of being an entrepreneur.
MYTH #4: I'm not ready because I don't know what I'm doing
You may be feeling like you’re not ready, you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re worried about messing things up or looking like a fraud (hello imposter syndrome!).
Well I’m here to tell you that it is 100% perfectly normal to feel this way! Everyone feels like this at some stage or other, even the most successful people.
Believing that you need to have your whole business figured out before you fix your website or implement changes only holds you back and it means that you are not co-creating your business with your clients.
It's best to start small, ask for feedback, and create your services, systems and processes based on what your clients are asking for (and not what you think they want).
Remember: there’s no such thing as failure or the wrong decision. This is all an experiment.
Your business will change and grow, and your website will evolve alongside it. So give yourself permission to start before you’re ready. Progress is better than perfection and tweaking things is part of the process!
Not sure why your website isn't attracting clients and converting them into paying customers?
