You don’t need a website.
Yeah, you heard me, you aspiring small-business-owner. You maker, creator. You entrepreneur. I know you think you do – probably because some other website told you so. Maybe you’re a business-savvy bartender hoping to become the next Marie Forleo. Maybe you’ve been doing your thing out there in the real world and you can hear the other 3.4 billion internet-using humans beckoning you to bring your value to the web.
You don’t need a website.
You see, a website without that spark – that thing that keeps you awake scheming at night, that makes you hop out of the shower and write down that catchy name before you forget, that reason you get up in the morning, that dent you want to leave in this world – is just a bunch of files sitting in some computer farm somewhere, chilling with a billion other websites, giving Googlebot something to do.
If you don’t have the spark, a spiffy new website isn’t going to give you one. That’s something you’re going to have to find offline (or here).
But, if you do have that idea, that passion, that raison d’être – read on.
One of my favorite things about working here at Alchemy + Aim is that we get to help business owners, creatives and entrepreneurs from all over the map (literally) make their dent-in-the-world bigger. Like, every day. Our clients approach us from all over the spectrum, both in terms of their industry and in terms of how much they understand what they need. Some come to us with an already-booming online business and a new design that they need expertly handcrafted into a beautiful custom site. Others aren’t as sure about what they need, and are looking for a little more direction, and these are my jam. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial bent, and I’ve started several small businesses (and dreamed up a million more), so having the opportunity to help someone else think through their business and particularly how a website can add value to their adventure is like Christmas for me.
So, back to your world-changing idea.
If you’ve got the spark, there’s really just one question you need to ask:
What do I need in order to make the world more awesome?
Maybe you need a platform from which you can connect to more people, or more specific people. Maybe you need a better way to educate or facilitate discussion between people you’re already connected with. Maybe you need a place where you can sell something awesome you make. Maybe you need a gorgeous way to show off the beauty that you’re already adding to the world.
You see, a website is just the tool we use to give you what you need to make more awesomeness.
So go put on some pants, drink a coffee, and ask yourself – what do I need to make the world more awesome?
(Know what you need? We’d love to help. Don’t know what you need? We’d love to help.)
