How To Build The Best Business Website: Outsource or DIY?
Oct 07, 2024
As a busy business owner, should you build your own website? Or outsource it to the experts.
Besides having a lot on your plate, most entrepreneurs would not describe themselves as “techy” and the world of website-ing can be really intimidating. So outsourcing seems like the obvious choice. Right?
But here’s a confession from the fierce leader of the My Sexy Business Team, Kim White about her first website:
”When I started my very first business and website I was all excited because your website is supposed to have all these tricks and things and make you a lot of money if you do it right. So I sacrificed greatly to get money together for someone to do it.
I paid thousands of dollars to get something done. They asked me a handful of questions, and it took a really long time (3 months) and then I got the website. The website turned out OK. It wasn't great.
Then there was a monthly fee for every time I wanted to change 2 words. I wasn't allowed in the back end because I wasn't the website person. I was just a regular person. They spoke “techy” - a language that was very hard to understand. And I spoke Kindergarten princess. It was not a good experience.”
“Many business owners have that same story they can tell because we don't know any better.” Jill Olish
Maybe that’s you too. And if you are tired of the expensive experts and ready to build your own website, then you’re in the right place.
So here are 6 lessons in building the best website for your business, the DIY way from decades of entrepreneurship experience.
Lesson 1: You Don’t Have To Be Held Hostage
“When I made my first website I felt like I was being held hostage.” Kim White
Imagine paying someone so much money, but then not getting the website you paid for.
Imagine it didn’t look the way you wanted it to or function the way you needed it to.
Imagine being told that the things you wanted weren’t possible only to discover later that it had been possible the whole time.
Imagine feeling completely unheard.
Imagine feeling like a little kid having to ask permission to change 3 words in a heading.
The good news is that you don't have to be held hostage by anyone.
And building your own website doesn’t need to be hard and complicated. There are platforms you can use that are simple and user-friendly. So you don't have to spend all that money just for someone to not listen to you.
Knowing that you have DIY options is the first lesson for a not-so-techy business owner. Just know that outsourcing your website is not the only way.
And that truth can help you bypass a whole lot of frustration, disappointment, and embarrassment that can come with outsourcing such an important part of your business.
So dust off that keyboard and do some finger stretches. You’re breaking free from your website being held hostage today!
Lesson 2: Clear, Confident, and Empowered
“There are some really good things that happen in your business when you are not being held hostage by someone else doing all the things for you.” Kim White
It’s so easy to let someone else build your website without realizing it actually can be doable. Not only is building your own website do-able, but it gives you confidence as a business owner.
"Empowered Website-ing" is when you are doing something with your website yourself so you can get clearer with your messaging.
And if you are not clear on your messaging yet, it is a way to help you get clear because you have to put the content on there the way that you want it.
Learning the behind-the-scenes stuff yourself enables you to build your website according to what you want instead of having to translate it to someone else to follow those directions.
“Sometimes I don't know how to explain my vision to someone else so I can just do it myself then.” Jill Olish
Lesson number 2 is that embracing this part of building your own website can be one of the best things you can do for your business.
If all this sounds exciting, but you’re not sure where to start then the TNT Website Workshop is the perfect place to learn how to get the right foundation for your website. It’s a free-to-attend Do-It-Yourself workshop and the dates are in our website calendar.
Lesson 3: Don’t Fall For The Free Websites
When you build your own website on a free platform you find out quickly it has so many limits on it. The parts that you want are the parts that cost money and the free part is not what you want or need.
It costs extra if you want a certain template or plug-in. And all the $10 and $20 things add up pretty quickly.
“The deception can be a little intimidating when it’s advertised as free and then you find out all these things cost money afterwards.” Jill Olish
As a business owner, you have to keep your eye on the budget, even the smaller amounts. Especially the smaller amounts. And ask yourself what is actually free? Because the Hassle Factor counts too…
A big lesson on DIY website building is that free websites aren't always what they promise to be.
Lesson 4: Choose The Lowest Hassle Factor
It’s easy to forget the Hassle Factor.
Sometimes you choose the free product because it’s free but end up spending 25 hours figuring out how to use the feature you need. But on another platform, that feature might only cost 10 dollars.
And you can’t get those 25 hours back.
If your plug-ins aren't working or your email list isn't connecting that becomes a hassle factor worth mentioning. You are going to have to stop what you’re working on to sort that out before it has a domino effect on the rest of your business.
Considering the hassle factor means you might spend money on a platform, and that’s OK. Doing things the hard way all the time is unnecessary.
“You can make more money, but you can't make more time.” Kim White
A major lesson when you are building your website is to pick something with the least amount of hassle factor.
Lesson 5: Get Everything Connected
When you are building your website would you prefer to have everything in one place or to be bouncing around between a whole bunch of tabs all the time? Easy answer.
If you are a business owner coaching someone, building a community, podcasting, creating content, and you've got those separated into multiple places. Add those places up. You could save hundreds of dollars by combining them all on one platform.
Kajabi is an example of an all-in-one platform for building your business website where everything is connected even on the back end.
You can easily create a beautiful website with no coding required, host your courses and coaching sessions, post your podcasts and blog posts, and connect with a community of entrepreneurs just like you. Plus, their price tag is unbeatable for everything you get.
The goal of Kajabi has always been to help content creators and business owners not stress about the website side of business. And they do it so well because they listen.
One of the best things about Kajabi is their customer service. It is out of this world so you are not left to figure all this website-ing out on your own.
“It’s nice to have someone empowering us by showing us the ropes, how to use this site, what tricks we can use, what buttons do what.” Jill Olish
We are so sold on how good it is, we even offer a free support community for anyone who signs up with our Kajabi Affiliate Link
“I went from raving fan to raving affiliate and it's based on my experience with them, their customer service, everything included to make sure it's all connected.” Kim White
Lesson 6: Delegating Might Still Come Later
You don’t have to manage your website forever. When you're a busy entrepreneur there will come a time when you will need to delegate.
But it’s important to delegate the right way and to delegate to the right people.
Delegating your website will be much easier when you’re clear, confident, and empowered.
“I will delegate all day long if someone else understands what I want and can make that happen but sometimes having the power to change something on your own website or feel like you're going to do some things yourself really does bring confidence.” Kim White
"We're not here to convince you to do all your stuff forever. We want to help everybody who is getting started in business. We've been there. We just want you to feel empowered and not let anyone hold you hostage." Kim White
Our Groundwork Brigade is the perfect place to start building your own business with a community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
It’s a safe space to learn how to build a relational business using irresistible marketing strategies, tailored to your individual needs, in a group setting, with lots of accountability and support.
If you missed the conversation between Kim and Jill on their podcast Buckets and Boom Gates, you can catch it here.
To connect and find out more about Kim or how to create a sexy business for a sexy life, you can reach her and the My Sexy Business Team at www.mysexybusiness.com
And to connect with Jill Olish go straight to her website www.mamaoutspoken.com and you’ll find her there!
