Hi Reader,
I want to preface today's post with a few notes about software overwhelm & shiny object syndrome.
If you've spent any time on my website or in my blog, you know I share a LOT of content about tools, software, and resources in general for web designers. It can be oh-so-easy to fall into a trap of, "well now she's using this, so I should too" but that's NOT why I spend so much time & effort vetting these things for you.
Business owners at EVERY level are revising our tools, processes & systems CONSTANTLY, as our business grows & changes over the years. At each new level, we have new things to adapt to. Hit $30k? You probably need to tweak some shit. Hit $50k? Even more tweaks. Hit $75k or $100k? Yeah, –you gon' need new systems or you'll burn out doing it the same way you did before you hit $30k in annual revenue.
I'm sure seeing people like myself changing and adapting as we need to, can make people like yourself feel inadequate &/or overwhelmed by what's possible. That's not our intention! In reality, you're probably (mostly) just comparing apples to oranges. (Your season of business vs mine, etc)
The truth is that all you really need is whatever helps YOU do your work efficiently & get happy clients. When you can no longer do that, it's time to consider new options or alternatives & that's when you look to people like me that you trust to give you honest answers/reviews for help in knowing where to look for what.
It might help to think of the software you add-on over time, like employees or assistants. Each one basically does a specialized job for us, whether it's managing client project processes, storing our 5-million ideas/thoughts/to-dos, helping clients schedule appointments onto our calendars, or just spellcheck our emails. 😂 They're all just tools available to put in our toolbox! Buy one as needed. If you pick the wrong 'hammer' then go back & try another. There's no "perfect" solution or one-size-fits-all option. All people like myself are doing is trying to give you the info you need to make the best decision for yourself ––even if your decision is to NOT get anything at all, yet. 😊
It's totally fine to change your mind over time; it's never a failure ––just a lesson learned & there's SO much value in the lessons!!
- This week I'm re-launching a client's site! I designed their 2nd version in 2021, and since then they've pivoted & changed their offerings, so the 3rd site needed to reflect those changes in their business model. It as 20+ pages (including 4 or 5 sales pages), and 45 published blog posts. In order to help them keep their analytics in Squarespace and their form submission history, legacy pricing & other stuff worth considering, I duplicated their site & redesigned that over the past 2 weeks. This week, I'm moving over all the new Site Styles tweaks (thanks to the export/import functionality in SquareWebsites' Chrome extension tool & page export functions), then have some URL Mapping (redirects) to do along with a bunch of SEO stuff to make sure nothing broke in the process. Worth it in the end, but it does make it a little more complicated to 'launch' right now!
- I received my giveaway box from Squarespace! I never EVER win anything like that, even in a big pool-style entry, so I was pretty excited about that. I've been drinking out of the little 9oz tumbler all week so far. 😊
- Had a 1:1 coaching call with a lovely student on Tuesday to talk about various marketing strategies. Introverted-ness aside, I do love these occasional calls; the conversations are always energy-giving for me! Though, sadly I can't fit many of them into my busy calendar anymore.
- The Club's monthly group call for February is TODAY at 11am Eastern, these calls are always way too long, but nobody seems to complain bc they can come & go as needed, be on/off camera as needed, and the vibe is very casual. So if you're already in the Club but you've never come to one, please do! We'd love to chat with you!
- Markup announced last week that they are sunsetting (getting rid of) their free plan entirely and their lowest paid plan is $79/mo. WTF?! ––no. Just no. So of course, ...
- I'm already moving my upcoming content schedule around to work in a new post on the whole Markup's-free-plan-is-DEAD debacle, because it disappears THIS MONTH. Just sent the video to my editor yesterday, so it'll be out next Tuesday with alternative options (all with free plans)!
This week's post shows you the list of options I researched before picking my new portal software & the details of what I chose with a peek inside my account:
Last week's post shows explains when to use a CRM vs a Client Portal and why you might be confused about the differences between the two:
These are NOT interchangeable terms; they are two different types of software/tools & before you follow me down the rabbit hole in today's post, you need to know the difference!
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Again, Markup just kicked us in the nuts —and I'm not thrilled about it. I've used Markup for website feedback for 4+ years and I had no reason to find an alternative... but I'm damn sure not paying $80/mo just to get website feedback when my own website HOST doesn't charge that much to build the thing to start with. 😂
So next week, I'm bumping back my other ideas to fit this in because their free plan disappears by the end of this month (Feb. 2025), and if you were counting on it like I have been, you'll be frantically looking for alternatives with me, so I might as well share my insights with you.
- Part 1 will be, this is what I found so far, and what I think I'll be testing out myself.
- Part 2 (the following week) will focus on what I decided to use, and why.
This week's gems!
📲
Finally, with Playbook on iOS & Android, your files are always right where you need them.
- Upload & access files, links and notes on the go
- Find anything instantly with SearchGPT
- Share & collaborate without the back-and-forth, just like you can with Google Drive & Dropbox!
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👟
WalkFit app
I don’t know about you lately, but I’ve been ridiculously busy for months now & doing a LOT of sitting at my desk so I’m NOT getting even a decent step count in every day.
I finally quit ignoring the WalkFit ads I was being served on IG & FB, downloaded it & of course fell in love. 😂 $30-ish later & I've got the annual subscription, and have practically walked more in the last 3 days than I have in all of 2025!
iOS app
Android app
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Quote
This golden nugget from @thegoodquote.co is short but POWERFUL for those of us who have pivoted our careers at a later stage in life, Nothing like going full-time freelance mid pandemic, in your 30s! (or your 40s, 50s...)
"
No matter your age,
you’ll always
wish you started younger*.
But today is the youngest you’ll ever be.
Read it again.
"
*younger, or sooner!
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That's it for now!
See ya next week when I get a little salty about breaking up... with Markup. 😉😂
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Katelyn
Web Designer & Educator
Thrivin' on coffee, community, cursing & carefully laid plans!
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