Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in web design but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Corine Pettit, based in Fort Ann, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business helps other freedom-driven entrepreneurs grow their business, land more clients, and hustle less by creating websites intentionally designed to get results - not just look pretty! When your website combines a beautiful, on-brand representation of who you are with an intentional, action-focused user journey - that is where the magic happens. Because a pretty website without an actual goal that drives your business forward is, to put it frankly, a colorful waste of money.
So, I help ambitious, adventure-loving entrepreneurs hustle less and live more by creating strategically designed websites that work for them – even while they're out adventuring, relaxing, and living life. Because at the end of the day, your website should make your life (and business) easier - not harder. And that's the reality that I make possible for my clients.
Tell us about yourself
Ooo this is a fun one! Personally, I'm a huge outdoor and travel-lover, but I didn't always know it. It all started at an Applebee's Happy Hour back in grad school, of course. Lol. With drinks flowing and summer break approaching, two friends somehow coaxed me into embarking on a 5-week backpacking trip through Peru & Ecuador. I didn't know a single thing about either country, but between the combo of margaritas & pictures of places they'd be visiting, I was in! And, well, the trip... it was quite literally life-changing in ways I never could've imagined.
Prior to this trip, I thought I had my whole life figured out: Finish grad school, start a well-paying career in engineering, check off all the American Dream to-do's, and eventually retire at 65. Don't get me wrong; I loved studying engineering (I'm a bit of a nerd ;), but it hadn't ever occurred to me that OTHER paths besides the 9-5, 40hr work week existed.
But then came the Peru & Ecuador trip...
- The complete departure from my comfort zone
- The travelers we met from other countries
- The freedom of it all…
The mindblowing landscapes, foods I'd never even heard of, and things I never thought I was brave enough to do (but did anyway!) - I was hooked!
The trip not only lit a fierce travel bug inside of me but (most importantly) it opened my eyes to other lifestyles and ways of life I never knew existed. For better or worse, it was like opening my own Pandora's Box: I discovered that a 9-5 career wasn't the be-all and end-all, and I couldn't unsee it - whether I wanted to or not.
I didn't realize it yet, but the constraint of 10 vacation days per year and rigid 9-5 schedule would end up being a lifestyle that, no matter how hard I tried, would never work for me. So I quit and started my own business - one that gave me incredible freedom and flexibility on a day-to-day basis and gave me forty vacation days, last year alone!
It's also worth noting that running your own business is something you have to truly want. It's not just beach vacations, weekday hikes, and weeks-long adventures to far-off corners of the world - something I think a lot of online businesses or entrepreneurs sugar coat or don't mention. But the freedom and flexibility you're able to build into your business are absolutely priceless. Because at the end of the day, your day-to-day satisfaction and fulfillment are just as important (if not more) than the big exciting things entrepreneurship will afford you.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm really proud of my track record of having excellent client satisfaction, time and time again - and the system I've created to make that possible. My entire process for the creation of client websites was designed in a very supportive, intentional way. So everything is always easy to follow, understand, and execute for my clients.
I realized early on that the idea of "creating a website" has a tendency to spark stress and anxiety in a lot of people. And as someone who's in the entrepreneurship arena to enjoy what I do on a day-to-day basis, realizing how agonizing the web design process had been for so many of my clients just wasn't gonna fly for me. Heck, we're creating their freaking website - basically the ultimate representation of who they are and what they stand for. That should be exciting and fun to bring to life, not daunting! And thus - my rave-worthy experience for 1:1 client websites was born and had been generating consistent 5-star reviews (and websites worthy of all the heart-eye emojis) ever since! I'm truly so proud of it. #tearsofhappiness
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
In my opinion, one of the hardest things about entrepreneurship is knowing what advice to listen to and what to ignore. There are a million people, programs, blog posts, and YouTube videos out there telling you that you need to be doing xyz, but at the end of the day, you get to make the rules. It's your business, and if a piece of advice or "typical" approach doesn't fit your desired lifestyle or sit well with who you are - then don't do it. Do the things you enjoy, work with people you like, ditch the stuff you hate doing and create your business in a way that works for you. If you build a company based on what everyone else says to do, you'll end up hating your business and right back at square one. Be open to the advice, experience, and opinions of others - but remember, you make the rules. Life's too short to do business in any way other than one that absolutely lights you up!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, I would say to solidify your own level of self-confidence in your business before telling others. When you get comfortable with and explore this dream of starting a business first (get some clients, practice your skills, learn, learn, and learn some more), you'll feel more confident discussing with family and friends and be able to answer any well-meaning questions or concerns they may have about starting your own business - which may have, at an earlier stage of your business, caused you to feel discouraged or quit. Personally, I shared with a very tight inner circle and nobody else for quite some time until I had proved to myself that I could do it. Once I felt comfortable sharing with more people, I was fortunate enough to find out just how incredibly supportive the people in my life were. So grateful!
Second, (this one's a biggie): Avoid MLMs, network marketing, direct sales, and other social selling type schemes. That's it. That's the tweet 🙊
And lastly: Just start. There are no rules, and all entrepreneurs and small business owners were winging it at one point or another. Even established businesses with years of experience under their belt still "wing it" whenever they try to launch a new service or offer. I promise you; we are all simply figuring it out as we go. You'll never have all the answers, but nobody does. Buckle up (because boy, oh boy, is it a rollercoaster) and just start.
While starting your business is scary AF, there are so many unknowns when you build your business in a way that matches your values. What you truly want out of a company (and life) the outcome can be incredible. You can't fail if you don't quit - you've got this!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.corinepettit.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corine.pettit/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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