Start a business
You have
an idea.
Everything else, the name, the logo, the website, the domain, the email address that is not a Gmail, is what I do. You do not need to know what you need. That is the first conversation.
Nobody starts a business knowing how to start a business.
Most people arrive here with a name they are not sure about, a logo a friend made, and a list of things they have been told they need. Some have already bought a domain and cannot remember where. Some have a Wix site they started and abandoned. All of that is normal, and none of it is a problem.
You do not have to arrive organized. Describe the business in a few sentences and I will tell you what to do first, what can wait six months, and what you can skip entirely.
The short list
What a new business actually needs to open the doors.
Not the long version. This is the part that has to exist before a customer can find you, believe you, and get in touch.
A name and a mark
Something people can say out loud and recognize twice. It does not have to be clever. It has to be yours.
A domain
The address people type. Get it early, before someone else takes the one that matches your name.
Email at that domain
you@yourbusiness.com instead of a Gmail. It is the cheapest credibility you will ever buy.
A website that answers
What you do, who it is for, what it costs or how to ask, and how to reach you. Everything else is optional.
Somewhere it lives
Hosting, backups, updates, and someone who picks up when it breaks. Usually the part nobody thinks about.
That is the whole list. If someone is selling you more than this in your first year, ask them why.
Three ways to start
Start where it makes sense, not where a package says to.
Most people land in the middle. Plenty start at the first and grow into the others.
Somewhere to point people
For when the business is real but small, and you mostly need to look legitimate and be reachable.
- Domain, registered and set up
- Professional email at that domain
- A one page site that answers the basics
- Hosting and backups
A real website
For when customers are going to look you up before they call, and what they find decides it.
- Logo and a basic identity, or a cleanup of what you have
- A multi page website, built to be found
- Domain, email and hosting, all handled
- Built so you can update the text yourself later
A full launch
For when you are opening properly and everything needs to look like it came from the same place.
- Brand identity, colors, type and how to use them
- The website, written and designed
- Launch creative for social and search
- Printed material, signage and motion where you need it
There are no prices on this page on purpose. Every business needs a different mix, and I would rather quote you honestly after one conversation than have you talk yourself out of something on a webpage. Ask, and you get a real number.
Yes,
you can
do it
yourself.
Squarespace, Wix, Canva and a weekend will genuinely get a small business online. Plenty of people do it, and some of them do it well. If money is the tightest thing you have right now, that is the right answer and I will tell you so.
The question is not whether you are capable. It is what your hours are worth. Three weekends fighting with a template is three weekends not spent finding customers, and the site usually ends up looking like the template it came from.
When you are ready to stop being your own web designer, that is what I am for. Until then, ask me anything anyway.
How it works
Four steps, and you only have to do the first one.
-
01
Tell me about the business
A few sentences. What it is, who it is for, and where you are up to. No twenty field form, and no obligation.
-
02
I tell you where I would start
What you need first, what can wait, what you can skip, and what it costs. Within 24 hours, in plain language, in writing.
-
03
We build it
You see it as it comes together and you say what you think. Changes are expected, not charged for by the hour.
-
04
It goes live, and it keeps running
Hosting, email, backups and updates stay with me if you want them. If you would rather take it and run it yourself, you can do that too.
Two businesses that started here
Both of these began with nothing at all.
Branding, website, campaign
CalState Fire Defense
A technical product, made clear enough to buy. Two weeks from first conversation to a complete brand and digital presence.
Read the case study →
Website, personal brand
Betty Lennox
A career, a philosophy, and a foundation, in one place. She arrived with no website at all.
Read the case study →Before you ask
The questions people are slightly embarrassed to ask.
I do not have a name yet.
That is fine, and it is part of the work. Naming is easier with someone to argue with, and it is much easier to name a business than to rename one later.
I already bought a domain somewhere else.
Nothing is lost. It can point here, or move here, whichever is less hassle. Bring whatever login you can find and I will sort out the rest.
I started a site myself and gave up.
Happens constantly, and it is useful. What you built tells me what you wanted, which is a faster start than a blank page.
I am not sure I need all of this.
You probably do not. That is the actual point of the first conversation, and I will tell you what to leave out.
How long does it take?
A small site can be live in a couple of weeks. CalState went from the first conversation to a finished brand and website in two. A full launch with print and motion takes longer, and I will tell you how much longer before you commit.
Can I update it myself afterwards?
Yes. Sites are built so you can change your own text, hours and photos without calling anyone. Anything bigger, call me.
Start here
Tell me what
you're building.
You do not need to know which service you need, or have everything figured out. Describe the business, and I will tell you where I would start and what it would cost.