Stuck under a pile of website angst

Aila had been working on her website for six months when I met her. She kept fussing over the sentences, going back and forth about the layout, and getting stuck on photos. She came into our first coaching session positively boiling with frustration: “I just want to finish this!” she said, shaking her head.

She’s not alone. The biggest sticking point for most new self-employed people comes up when you first face your website. For most people I know, building a website is an absolute doozy.

Why? First, setting up a website forces you to face something you’ve likely never done before, from a technical perspective. You may not know how to build one. You may freak out about needing to code (you don’t need to code). You may not be sure how to write clear copy. This makes sense! In past jobs, you were probably hired based on the skills you already had. When you decide to work for yourself, much of your success becomes contingent upon learning how to do things you don’t know how to do.

Second, building a website requires you to get clear on what kinds of services you’re offering. Most of us have absolutely no idea which services we’re offering when we launch our self-employment journeys! In fact, most of us haven’t even thought much about the word services. This lack of clarity becomes very obvious when you sit down to write about your…