Saying "no" has never been easy for me. As someone who likes people around me to be happy, saying "no," risking disappointment or inconvenience for others, is something I avoided in my younger years. I'm finally starting to get the hang of it though. Here’s to you finding your “no” too!

People have been asking me recently what they need to put on a new website. What pages do they need? What information do they need to include? It occurred to me that a website is like an old-fashioned bakery, like those I've seen in the North End section of Boston or in small European villages.

It's a pet peeve of mine. Website builders use the word "Submit" as the default button text on a form and I dislike seeing that word on a form I'm filling out. I might like to send you a message but I'm certainly not going to "submit" to anything. Do me, and the internet, a favor and change the default button text on your Contact forms to anything other than "Submit."

As I sit here this morning, no longer a motorhome owner, I feel a familiar feeling of being in an in-between time. I can tell you from experience though that when you let go of something that no longer serves you and use the in-between time to relax, dream, and follow your heart, the freedom and spaciousness of that time will allow something better to come into your life.

I read an article about a writer who resorted to renting a cabin in the woods for two days without internet service or a cell phone to reach his goal of writing 40,000 words for his upcoming book. I won't be renting a cabin in the woods anytime soon, but I think I'll take some inspiration from this article to think about unplugging at regular intervals to give myself some quiet time to allow creativity and new ideas room to grow.

A coat rack is a central location in your house where all the coats, hats, and scarves are kept. It's a meeting place for all of that outdoor apparel. A website is like a coat rack that organizes all the marketing apparel for your business: your About Me information, your Services descriptions, testimonials, photo galleries, product pages, blog posts, a contact form, and links to social media accounts. So what are you waiting for? Get that long-postponed website designed and launched. After all, your home (page) is where you hang your hat.

I use social media for my website design business to establish my expertise and promote my business, to get ideas from others in my field or related fields, and to inspire or share information with my potential or current small-business clients. I do my best to post on a few social media channels several times a week. I create original posts and I also share helpful posts from others in my industry. I researched where my potential customers are spending time online and now focus on posting in those locations. 

As a confirmed introvert, I've tended to favor online networking strategies rather than in-person networking events. That's why it was a stretch to go to a local Women's Business Networking event last night. Reflecting this morning on the evening, I'm really glad I donned my courage cape and took the chance at trying something new. I'm glad to be back in my den this morning, but if I hadn't popped my head out to check the weather "out there," I would have missed out on learning and networking opportunities that I couldn't have had any other way.

When you have limited disk storage (such as the free 15 GB of storage you get with a Google account), it's important to know how to store files in a way that takes up the least amount of space. When a client asked me the other day about what it means to create .zip files to save storage space, it occurred to me that the process of compressing files into a .zip file is like storing pillows in a suitcase.

I came across an article about developing a "brand" for your healing business that echoes much of what I think about as I'm helping small businesses plan the design of a new website. Your business "brand" is who you are and what you have to offer as a healer. The colors, images, and text you add reflect what you have to share with clients as you help them on a healing journey.

I attended a webinar about using Facebook and Instagram for my small business. I learned several helpful tips that will guide me to using my time wisely on social media.

When a potential client approaches me about working together, the first thing I do is send out a questionnaire to get a sense of what the vision is for the website. The questionnaire includes practical questions about which features are needed, such as a blog, a calendar, a newsletter, and so on. But it also includes questions that elicit more thoughtful responses about what the personality of the business is and how the website will support that.

Photoshop continues to amaze me with its hidden gems. Never has there been a better time for a non-artist like me to have access to this type of tool for enhancing website images. Today, I made ancient parchment, thanks to Photoshop filters.

Squarespace policy states that you have two weeks to create a website before you need to pay for a plan, but I’ve found that you'll probably be given more time if you need it.

Your website design will never be complete or perfect. But that's okay because your business is always changing too. Easy-to-use website design builders like Squarespace help you make changes quickly and affordably, so don't be afraid to try new things and see how they work out.

Squarespace makes it easy to keep the social media feed blocks on your website in sync with the postings you've updated or deleted on your social media accounts. No need to worry; your website can keep up with your social media missteps.