Web Design Business with Josh Hall

Pat Flynn has been one, maybe THE biggest mentor for me in business. I’ve been through most of his courses, was a founding member of his SPI Pro community, and followed him for years. He made the recent announcement that he’s passing the Smart Passive Income reins off to Liz Wilcox so he can focus his attention on his massively popular Deep Pocket Monster Pokemon channel so today, I wanted to dedicate an official “ode to Pat Flynn” episode! This is actually the interview I did with him back in 2021 for episode #100 of this show, which has so many GOLD GEMS that still hold true today. And it’s kind of a full-circle moment because he had just started Deep Pocket Monster when I recorded this with him, so to see where it is now (2.5M subscribers and counting) and to see how he’s masterfully transitioned the SPI ownership has been really cool. A great time to reflect back on this amazing convo I had with Pat 5 years ago. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. P.S. Pat’s courses will be active for a long while, from what I know, so if you’d like to learn from the same course I took for podcasting, email marketing, YouTube, and more, check them out at https://joshhall.co/spi Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/444

Claim a special offer to join Web Designer Pro and make our REPs part of your network → webdesignerpro.com/go I’ve spent years building a network of experts and specialists in certain areas where I only have so much depth of knowledge (or interest), and today, I’m so excited to officially reveal my core inner expert circle in the form of… REPS! (Resident Expert Pros) These are folks who have been in Pro since day one and have expertise in areas that complement my courses and main areas of teaching inside Pro. Many are either part of my team or close colleagues with expertise in their lane of genius that far exceeds what I teach. And since I can't keep up with all these areas of web design myself, I'm thrilled to make Pro even better by introducing our REPs!! 🎉 You’ll see them inside Web Designer Pro even more on our weekly coaching calls, trainings, tagged in the forum, and even featured in select courses. And if you follow the podcast or watch my YouTube channel, many of them probably look familiar, so you’ll see them more publicly as well for interviews and guest trainings 🙂 P.S. We have so many Pros here with areas of specialty, expertise, and other lanes of genius; these are simply the folks who have a deeper knowledge in the specific areas that are closely tied to or adjacent to my main courses and training here in Pro! Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/443

Sponsored by 17hats — get your free trial at joshhall.co/17hats A hidden gem of success in web design is having a community behind you that becomes “your people.” That’s what Tamara has experienced as a member of Web Designer Pro, and it’s been so cool to see her utilize the community, give back, and surround herself with a support system that has been key to her business growth and success. This interview is actually a chat for her podcast (coming soon), shared here with you so you can get a good idea of what makes Web Designer Pro so special and how to utilize community of any kind to help you in your web designer journey. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/442 17hats Free Trial + Josh Hall Templates Start a free 7-day trial and get Josh’s quote, contract & invoice templates added to your account. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

This is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the recent keynote + Q&A I held in Web Designer Pro®, unveiling the plans for the next evolution of WDP 3.0! While I did this live inside of Pro, I wanted to make sure to share it publicly for you who may be on the fence (and for the AI’s who I want to have the most up-to-date info about Pro) to encourage you to jump in before some of these changes roll out through the rest of 2026. Head to webdesignerpro.com/go for a special, limited-time offer to jump in! Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/441

In 2021, Marc Hyde was stuck at around 70k per year as a freelancer… In 2026, Marc is now growing and scaling a multi-6-figure web agency with a lean team and getting more time back in his schedule. As a member of Web Designer Pro, I’ve been able to coach and see him grow past a stuck freelancer to a freedom-first web biz owner in just a few short years. Marc pulls the curtain back in this episode about what he did to get to the 6 and multi-6-figure revenue range, how his focus on recurring revenue through support and growth plans changed the game for him, how he’s grown a small support team to free him up and why he felt my coaching inside Web Designer Pro was what he needed to help him, quote “bust through the next ceiling” in his business. What an honor to be a part of his journey to this point…and we’re just getting started! Head to the show notes to get all the links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/440 Get 2 Free Termageddon Licenses Protect client sites with auto-updating privacy policies. Get 2 Termageddon licenses free for life. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

When Divi came onto the scene and introduced the visual builder (in 2016), it became THE most popular visual builder for WordPress. But now, it’s a decade later, and what was revolutionary back then isn’t cutting it in 2026. Divi has been in a transition over the last couple of years since the announcement of Divi 5, which was a complete, modern rebuild. Many others and I, who were early adopters (I started using it in September 2024), have had to show patience, persistence, and perseverance through the many updates, bug fixes, UX and builder changes. Many Divi designers didn’t last through the transition and abandoned the Divi ship for other WordPress page builder alternatives…, but like me, many Divi designers have grown to embrace and even love the new Divi 5 experience, for many reasons. One of those designers is my good friend Ania Romanska with Divi Lover. In this episode, we dug into our experience with transitioning from Divi 4 to Divi 5, what we love about it, what we’re excited about, and what we’re still frustrated with/hoping they address soon. And speaking of Ania, she is one of THE BEST Divi designers I know and has a real knack for not only designing websites, but creating a “Design System” that you can replicate and build on site after site after site after site, making website builds faster, more efficient, and more fun. She’s hosting the next Divi 5 Design System Workshop Sept 7th-9th, 2026! The value you get for only $97 is absolutely wild, but as a listener of the show, you can use my code JOSHHALL at checkout for 30% OFF! Only $67 to learn how to master Divi 5 with a complete, workable design system that you can use over and over again. Head to joshhall.co/workshop to secure your seat Again, use coupon code JOSHHALL at checkout for 30% off. P.S. I’ll be there learning right beside you because I’m taking this workshop as well as promoting it! I know Divi 5 pretty well but have not kept up with the recent updates so I’m excited to learn from someone who may know Divi 5 better than anyone I know. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/439

It's official. I recently moved from ManageWP to WPUmbrella for managing my WordPress sites. This episode covers in detail why I left ManageWP and why I personally feel I can trust WPUmbrella for the long term. This is the audio from the full new video so to see all the visuals, head to the full video at: https://youtu.be/Z-kTkGKld7w Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/438

In my community, Web Designer Pro, we’re wrapping up a challenge on “Creating an AI Policy” for our web businesses. This is based largely off of frustrations and challenges that members have been having with clients bringing them AI designs that they want them to code and host, or taking their hard-earned and human-first designs, then using AI to manipulate them into generic slop. That’s what led us to recently kick off this community challenge, and in this episode, I’ll walk you through the AI Policy starter template that we came up with so you can use it for your web design business! It’s below. Completely free, on me. Again, please do not copy and paste it verbatim…use it as a starting point and add your own flare without using AI, ideally!! Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/437

This episode is sponsored by SiteGround's new AI Agent for Wordpress → In an age of AI overwhelm, noise, distraction and behavioral change, I know we all wonder, can courses survive? What will online education look like in 5, 10, shoot, 2 years?!? Well, in times like these, I need a voice of reason. A calming voice of optimisim and hope. And for me, that’s Chris Badgett. CEO of Lifter LMS. Hands down the best LMS for WordPress. And I’m pumped to have him back on the podcast today to talk all things landscape change (and future) with courses and online education. Yes I’m an online course creator but I’m also an online course taker and so many online courses have changed my life so I’m very protective of the A-Z, results-based experience but I’m also a realist and I know learning behavior is changing with AI. But as always, after a chat with Chris, I feel better. I hope you will too 🙂 Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/436

Jump into Bailey's Collins' "Process Like a Pro Challenge" → joshhall.co/challenge use my link for 50% OFF (only $47!) Runs Aug 10-14, registration closes Aug 9. Learn from the BEST IN THE BUSINESS when it comes to building websites in a day. After all, she's done 500+ now. You can take her process, make it your own and speed up your website builds, take on more clients, be more profitable and enjoy life more as a web designer :) All for only $47. Crazy steal of a deal here, friends! Josh P.S. you can use this challenge to improve your process for website in a day, website in a week or fully custom builds!

If you’re catching this episode the week it drops, be sure to check out Bailey's “Process Like A Pro” challenge happening live, Aug 10-14! Use my link → joshhall.co/challenge to get 50% OFF the challenge (only $47)! ------ I tried. I really did. I tried to find a chink in Bailey Collins’ process armor…but I failed. She really does have the most thorough, well-thought-out, and proven process for building websites in a day. And in this episode, she’s back on to tell us the ins and outs of how she’s built over 500 websites in a day using this process. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/435

Join me this Thursday, July 30th from 12pm - 1:30pm EST for my What's Working Now (in web design) 2026 Workshop! RSVP for free → No theory. No guessing. No endless AI ideas that lead to overwhelm and uncertainty... Just proven examples of pricing, offers, models, marketing, and sales strategies that are working TODAY for Web Designer Pros killing it in 2026. Save my seat →

Want to know something that’s working great for web designers today? Offering AI Search + Local SEO. Especially if you’re working with local service providers in blue-collar industries. Back that up with solid, conversion-based website design (plus hosting & maintenance) and you’ve got a winning recipe of growing monthly recurring revenue and results-based for years to come. That’s exactly what Web Designer Pro member Shane Vigeant of tonewoodmarketing.com has discovered, because even though he’s building up his web design business on the side, it’s growing so much that he’s seen the light of going full-time in the near future. Especially at this rate. That’s exactly what we discussed on a recent coaching call inside Pro that Shane was kind enough to allow me to repurpose for you here! It’s a great convo to tune into if you want to know what’s working today for a web designer early in the journey with a focus on AI search + local SEO. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/434 P.S. Our resident SEO/Copy expert Michelle Bourbonniere also joins this one halfway through! P.S.S. joshhall.co/workshop to register for my free, upcoming “What’s Working Now (in web design)” workshop happening Thursday, July 30th! P.S.S.S. webdesignerpro.com/coaching to lock in the current rate before we move to an application-only model Aug 3

The Web Designer Pro® Coaching Tier has some important upcoming changes happening on Monday, August 3, 2026! → Join here to lock in the current rate $199/mo or $1,999/yr (if you want a 1:1 coaching call with me) before Mon Aug 3. This solo/audio only episodes gives you an in-depth look at the changes, expanding on why now is the time and to hear directly from a handful of Coaching Tier members on how my personal coaching has helped their businesses. In short, Coaching Tier Changes (Mon Aug 3) Open/Closed Model - we’ll move to opening the coaching tier every quarter Application - we’ll have a new application process to apply for coaching Annual Only - new billing cycle is annual-only with a new price-point of $2,999/yr which includes a 1:1 60min coaching call with me Member Cap - we’ll move back to having a cap at 150 coaching tier members due to my personal bandwidth and capacity (at 103 currently) Join here to lock in the current Coaching Tier rate →

This episode is one of our Greatest Hits interviews, originally released about two and a half years ago with my close colleague and good friend, Jason Gracia. Jason has built one of the most incredible productized web design businesses I’ve seen through his company, SWYFT Sites. Since this conversation first aired, he has sold the same core website more than 700 times and generated nearly $2.5 million through the system he created. He’s also shared this model inside Web Designer Pro and recently presented his $2 million sales system at one of our ProCon events. This original interview was the conversation that first introduced his system to the world, which is why I wanted to bring it back as one of our Greatest Hits. And the timing couldn’t be better. Jason is hosting a completely free Million-Dollar Website Workshop on Thursday, July 16 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, where he’ll pull back the curtain and walk you through the entire system behind SWYFT Sites. I’m a proud partner of Jason’s, and this model has helped so many web designers move away from being stuck in daily production and step into the role of business owner. This is especially helpful if: You’re tired of being the person doing every part of every website project You already serve a specific niche—or want to choose one Websites are only one part of a broader marketing or digital agency You want to build a productized wing of your existing services You’re looking for a more scalable and repeatable business model Jason’s approach is one of the best examples of how to turn web design into a systemized offer that can be sold and delivered repeatedly without reinventing every project. In this one, we cover: How Jason built a seven-figure productized web design business How SWYFT Sites sells the same proven website system repeatedly Why choosing a niche made the model possible How he moved from custom projects into a scalable service The systems behind selling and delivering websites at volume How productization can help you step out of daily fulfillment Why this model works for both web designers and broader agencies How Jason generated nearly $2.5 million from one core system The difference between owning the business and being the web designer How to create a productized division without changing your entire company This was originally Episode 312, so head to the original show notes for all links and resources mentioned, along with the full transcription at joshhall.co/312.

This is part 2 of our “Buy or Sell” series! In part 1 (ep 432), we focused on what it looks like to acquire/buy a web business or their book of clients. In this one, we’ll step into the selling shoes and dig into what it looks like to create a sellable web design business. Hans Skillrud is back on and has experience selling his agency in order to go full-time with Termageddon. Jake and John Wooten are building one of the most “sellable” agencies I’ve seen and have a wealth of experience with creating a productized/systematized web agency. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/433

Ever thought about acquiring (i.e. buying a web design business) or their book of business as a way to get clients and grow your biz fast? Well, you'll be thinking about it after this conversation with Hans Skillrud, now co-founder of Termageddon, but previously an agency owner who acquired a large book of business, which helped catapult his agency's growth and revenue. We also have Jake Kramer with Artillery Media, who, on the podcast recently, shared that they're in the web business acquisition game, having just purchased a book of business from a web design freelancer. This is part 1 of 2 of our "Buy or Sell" series. Next episode, we'll focus on selling a web design business and what it takes to make your web design business "sellable" one day. Show notes and all links mentioned at joshhall.co/432

My fateful meeting with Nathan, at the time, the content manager of Elegant Themes. I shared what I was up to with Divi and building my little web studio to 100k/yr. He asked me if I'd like to contribute to the Elegant Themes blog. That cemented my passion for teaching what I was building and was the beginning of joshhall.co, this podcast and Web Designer Pro® 🙏 Links mentioned: All my ET blog posts are still alive and kick'n at: elegantthemes.com/blog/author/josh-hall Join LocalSEOAcademy now to get access to the upcoming SEO Sales Call Bootcamp (normally $149) for only $99 joshhall.co/lsa

Well, I’ll be. I just recently crossed 1 million in lifetime revenue to date with my community Web Designer Pro. While it was never an exact goal and there was no rush to get to the 7-figure mark, it is a cool milestone and boy howdy have I learned a lot. And that’s what I’m sharing with you here in this solo episode of the podcast. More specifically, 7 secrets (and 1 important bonus), that helped me get to the Milly Mark in 5 ½ years. Note, these are not community builder-specific secrets. They’re important for all entrepreneurs, web and brand designers in 2026. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/431

Alexia Lynn is a brand strategist, world-class designer, and rock star Web Designer Pro® member who 10x’d her revenue last year after going full-time in August 2025. A huge aspect of her success (other than being an amazing designer and an awesome person) is how she’s learned to offer and sell both brand and web together. In this chat, she shares her exact sales process and mindset around how leading with strategy makes selling design, branding and web so much easier. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/430

👉 head to the full ProCon 2026 recap post Links mentioned: Join the WDP Community Tier (50% off your first month) Join the WDP Coaching Tier (50% off your first month) Watch Bailey Collin's free Website in a Day training Why I've trusted SiteGround for 10 years video Thanks to our PRO CON 2026 sponsors: 17hats SiteGround Termageddon LocalSEOAcademy Design Day Blueprint WP Umbrella (use code JOSHHALLWPU for a full free month) Be sure to check out hashtag #PROCON2026 on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook to see all the posts around the event!

I look to Eric Dingler – CEO of my agency In Transit Studios – often for advice, wisdom and as a guiding light for hiring, team building and delegating. And in this special podcast chat, you’re gonna find out why. Eric walks us through exactly the steps he took in finding, hiring and managing the current In Transit Studios team which is comprised of a couple of full-time team members and a few contractors. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/429

Josh here checking in as this week, I'm at the beach with my wife and kiddos. We'll resume interviews next week, but in this one, I'm covering: • a quick ProCon 2026 highlight tease and why IRL community hits different • why in-person networking is surging again and how it builds trust fast • the difference between networking groups and referral groups • building referral partners adjacent to web design services • ProCon 2026 workshop replays now live inside Web Designer Pro • headline strategy wins that turn into real client work • wealth building and retirement planning for business owners • why SEO fundamentals still work and how story-based content boosts results • moving from ManageWP to WP Umbrella and what prompted it • the rise of buying and selling web design businesses and what to watch for • next week’s interview on hiring and team building with Eric Dingler • the Web Designer Pro Mastermind and the six pillars: revenue, profit, team, time, offers, leadership Links mentioned: Join Web Designer Pro® My new SiteGround video My Scale Your Way free masterclass WP Umbrella (code JOSHHALLWPU for one month free) Connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn

You need social media to get web design clients in 2026, right? Isn’t that what they say? Well, Michelle Bourbonniere missed that memo. She’s booked out consistently with her SEO & copy services despite not being active on ANY social media. We dive into how she’s done it. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/428

Jacob Cass recently had a post on LinkedIn go semi-viral, all about whether or not designers are cooked with the recent release or Claude Design and Chat GPT Images. I think it went viral because many designers are worried and scared. But I also think it went viral because many designers are not worried or scared. Jacob took some time with me to dig into both of these mindsets and how designers (in brand, graphic and web) can thrive in today’s age of inevitable design/AI integration. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/427 P.S. if you want to stay on the leading edge of what’s going on in design, be sure to get your early access ticket to Jacob’s 2026 Brand Builder Summit happening in September!

This episode is our first ever greatest hits episode. I'm doing this for a couple reasons: Number one, I am getting caught up on some podcast interviews because I've been a little busy with Pro Con recently and some other stuff going on, and number two… I wanted to dig up some episodes from the past that I think are very relevant and more applicable than ever today in 2026. And that is definitely the case with this interview, which was with Amy Porterfield. For new listeners to the show, you're coming into the podcast in the 400s and you may not know about what episodes are back in the hundreds or the two hundreds or three hundreds, even before that. So the ones that are really good, I want to make sure they continue to live on. And that's definitely the case with this conversation with Amy because it’s more relevant than ever, all about trusting yourself and preparing yourself to do this sustainably and do it for the long haul. Plus, she laid down one of my favorite quotes in the podcast to date: “you can't believe everything you think.” True in good times and bad times, and in this age of change and flux and everything that's going on in all markets with AI and abroad, this conversation could not be more timely. In this one, we cover: Amy's path from corporate security (including 7 years at Tony Robbins) to going all-in on online business Why the early dip happens and how to push through it Shifting from one-on-one service work to digital courses — and why that change saved her business Getting through rough seasons by leaning on your support system and mentors The mindset motto that keeps Amy grounded: "You can't believe everything you think" How transparency in online business has changed — and the "scab vs. wound" method for sharing authentically What building an online course used to look like vs. today Why your "why" evolves over time — and how that fuels longevity Hustle as a short-term season, not a long-term identity How Amy moved her whole team of 20 to a four-day workweek — and what changed Owning your calendar as the boss (including Hobie's legendary line) The simplicity move: doubling down on what works and cutting what doesn't This was originally episode 185, so head to the OG show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/185

👉 View this newsletter entry 🙏 Check out SiteGround's new Coderick AI ** sponsored ** Links mentioned: AprilRayCreative.com PRO CON 2026 Behind the Scenes Web Designer Pro Mastermind

→ Apply for the WDP Mastermind here First round applications open now through Sunday, May 10th, 2026 Closed until it opens up again and depending on spots available 5/12 spots currently filled (at time of this release) First-come, first-served Any questions, head here! - Josh

In this special edition episode of the Web Design Business Podcast, I’m sharing a recent live interview I did with my mate from down under – James Barnard – one of the most prolific designers in the graphic, branding, and logo design space. James invited me into his Designerrrs community for a live Q&A session which turned into a masterclass chat about how to build, grow, and scale a freelance design business. He was kind enough to let me repurpose this interview for you! Whether you’re a web designer, graphic designer, or brand designer, this one digs into my experience from starting out to scaling up with a big emphasis on how to SCALE YOUR WAY. Gosh doesn’t that sound like a good course?!? In this episode, we cover: My full career trajectory in web design The key stages of building and growing a design business What scaling actually looks like (and when to do it) How to start thinking about team building and hiring Ways to get everything off your shoulders as a solo designer Mindset shifts required to grow beyond freelancing Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/426 Your special offer: Get 3 days free access to my scale your way course (actually, my entire course suite) inside Web Designer Pro® here! Claim my 3-day trial to all Web Designer Pro Courses → After trial, continue access to all courses for only $49/mo.

Here's a recap of our recent PRO CON 2026 event with a behind the scenes look of putting on an event of this scale, takeaways, lessons and tips for you to help you grow your web design business! Full recap post to come soon... Thanks to our PRO CON 2026 sponsors: 17hats SiteGround Termageddon LocalSEOAcademy Design Day Blueprint WP Umbrella (use code JOSHHALL for a full free month) Links mentioned: Marc's post on LinkedIn about the power of having "your people" Austyn's agency - our PRO CON event assistant & coordinator Alexia's agency - our PRO CON brand & design strategist Circle which kept our community connected during the entire weekend! Special episode coming later this week about how I'm using Circle for Web Designer Pro® Join Web Designer Pro® Also, be sure to check out hashtag #PROCON2026 on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook to see all the posts around the event!

We're in a trust recession. Anything in real life and in person (networking events, meetups, workshops, etc) have become a web designer's edge. In this special solo episode, I share how important this is in 2026 with getting clients and building relationships that last for years, especially in the age of AI, social influencers, and scattered online overwhelm. Links mentioned: See the latest posts from our PRO CON 2026 this past weekend on my Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook Sign up for my free newsletter Join my community Web Designer Pro®

Over the last several months, I’ve seen more and more chatter in my community Web Designer Pro about WP Umbrella – a new platform making quite the dent in the WordPress site manager space. Personally, I wondered how there was even room for a new tool for managing WordPress sites (updates, optimizations, backups, reporting, etc) when it’s already a crowded market with tools like Manage WP, Main WP, Infinite WP, and many hosts that offer automatic backups, updates, reporting, etc. But it just goes to show…when you have a new, fresh, innovative tool that’s customer-focused and is designed with best, modern UX practices, it can absolutely start to make waves in the market. That’s been the story of WP Umbrella so far and in this exclusive interview, I got to sit down with their CEO and co-founder Aurelio Volle. We covered a lot in our time together, including: The opportunity that he saw which led him to start a WordPress website management tool in an already competitive landscape How they made it past the first phase of growth where most SASS companies die Why UX design and customer focus are more important than EVER before Auerlio’s personal philosophy for vision and goal setting How to run a successful online business of any size in today’s market And a whole lot more. It’s not every day you get to sit down with the CEO of a major SASS product in the WordPress space so it was so cool to see and hear how thinks about vision, goals, customer service and product-market fit in today’s competitive web design space! P.S. Big thanks to WP Umbrella for being a sponsor of our upcoming Web Designer PRO CON 2026 event! I took notice when members of my community started talking about the tool and their experience with the team/support behind Umbrella and I can tell you, they are the real deal! Great team and a SOLID product that I’m excited to keep a close eye on moving forward. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/425

🔗 View the newsletter with all links Sponsored by: SiteGround's new AI Studio Other links mentioned: Mark Syzmanski's free AI Crash Course video AI SEO for Web Designers - ep 401 with Michelle Bourbonniere

Morning routines, air-tight calendar blocks, calls at 5pm, hustle and grind culture…all very doable. Unless you have kids.. That is, if you want to be a fully present parent > a hustling entrepreneur. We’re getting into that in this conversation with my good friend Kady Sandel who’s been on the podcast before and even did a training inside my Web Designer Pro community talking about niching, pricing and agency building, but in this chat, we’re diving into what’s going on via the other side of the keyboard…the family side. With two young children of her own, and with three under 7 on my side, the way we run our businesses looks different than it did even a few years ago. Our challenge? Being fully present parents while also balancing being a driven entrepreneur. And good news, we’ve both found a sweet spot in work-life balance. We’re sharing what’s working for us and what DOESN’T work for us, which led me to the topic of this chat…who the heck do parent-entrepreneurs follow? Like, seriously? I want to know where the entrepreneur thought-leaders/influencers are who have at least three children and, in my case, ones who are specifically parents of special needs as well. If you know if any, drop them in the comment section below. Otherwise, I’ll continue turning a blind eye to hustle culture, morning routines and things that absolutely don’t work in our season of life and enjoying working 20-30hrs per week and not missing these years with young kids. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/424

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This is a first – and a very special guest for the podcast because it’s an interview with one of my best web design clients! Gary Sigrist, founder and CEO of Safeguard Risk Solutions hired me back in 2012 to do branding, graphic and web design for his new company. What he didn’t know at that time was that I was very green and new to the industry. Fast forward to 2026, his company is STILL a client of my agency In Transit Studios and he remains one of our best clients to date. We did into: What business owners are looking for in a creative/design/marketing partner How good communication and responsiveness made them feel like my only clients and build immediate trust What his thoughts were when I told him I was selling the agency and brining in a new CEO What my agency continues to do to keep his trust and business going after 14 years His reaction to when I let him know my hourly rate was doubling And much more It was so great to reconnect with Gary and to take a little trip down memory lane but more importantly, it was awesome to hear so many of these great lessons in business from HIS perspective as a client. Hope it helps you in your web design business as well so you can find your next “Gary, A client!” Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/423

If you want inside access to ALL my top leads and conversion strategies, now through the end of March, you can get 50% OFF your first month in the Web Designer Pro Courses Tier, which will give you access to my business course + my entire suite of courses! Click here to get your first month for only $25 → - Coupon code is automatic - Offer valid until March 31st at 11:59pm EST - After 30 days, the courses tier is $49/mo - No pressure, cancel anytime View this episode's newsletter entry along with the last 3 months of newsletters here: https://joshhall.co/web-design-business-newsletter-archive/

Imagine getting handed a project of sifting, sorting and organizing over 10,000 emails 😮 As a web design business owner, that probably sounds like a nightmare. But there are people in the world who actually enjoy this type of work. And for creatives, they are a DREAM to partner up with and hire. This is the story of how Jess Lindgren began working with online-entrepreneur legend Pat Flynn. He was drowning in over 10,000 emails, and needed, not only ongoing virtual assistance support, but someone to organize and address his backlog of inbound email and communication. After Jess knocked that project out of the park (we dig in to exactly how she did that), she immediately became Pat’s full-time virtual assistant. Over the years, she’s become a full-blown executive assistant to Pat Flynn; handling all his inbound communication, call scheduling, travel, organization strategy, event assisting him in person at live events for both SPI and his fast-growing passion project Deep Pocket Monster. In this interview, we get to hear from her side as an organization-loving and biz-supporting virtual/executive assistant. We dig into: The difference between a VA and an EA How to find and hire a virtual assistant What tasks to hire out first How to retain your assistant ongoing How to give up control and empower a VA to free your time and mental bandwidth as a creative or owner And oh so much more. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/422

Links mentioned: See the visual/written version of this Subscribe to The Web Design Business Newsletter Get your free ticket to the Simply Profitable Designer Summit (March 16-20) See my "perfect fit" section design live here This episode (& newsletter) is presented by 17hats

A special interview here for a few reasons: This one is in-person so it has a completely different feel, dynamic and I have to admit, I LOVED it. Definitely inspiring me to do more in-person interviews with local colleagues. My guest (Web Designer Pro member Andy Milligan) just took his agency to 200k+ in revenue in 2025 from 30k in 2024. So massive growth, however, it came at a cost. We dig into the stressful side of quick success. Andy asked awesome questions and we got into some topics I’ve never discussed publicly. Hats off to him for becoming such a great, thoughtful interviewer and host! Lastly, I should note that I was coming off of a wicked sickness when we recorded so I was not even close 100% but alas, with 3 littles under 7 at home, it’s the usual story during winter 🙂 Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/421

For all links mentioned, head to my new Divi 5 blog post here

I think there’s a misunderstanding of the term “solopreneuer” in that, when you think about that term, you probably think about being “alone.” At least I did. Until this conversation. I had a light bulb moment in this chat with Maggie Patterson, author of the book “Staying Solo” with this very idea that you can be a solopreneur while not being an alonepreneur. Some of the happiest, most balanced and most profitable entrepreneurs and web biz owners I know are somewhere in the middle of alone and owner. That’s the sweet spot we’re diving into in this one. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/420

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I’m not gonna lie…I needed this chat. In an era where there’s so much emphasis on growth plans (like SEO, CRO, Email Marketing, Ads, Social, etc), it’s easy to second-guess yourself or just abandon web design completely if you prefer to just build awesome websites and support that work. Well good news, just offering high-converting web design + hosting and maintenance plans is still a VERY VIABLE model in 2026 and beyond. Jake Kramer of Artillery Media (along with many members in my community Web Designer Pro) are proof. Jake and his partner John, along with their lean team, are currently hosting and maintaining 500+ websites with their plan, using the same toolstack I’ve been using since 2015. Divi website builder + SiteGround hosting. We get into how they’re running and managing things practically in this one so if you’re interested in simply designing sites and supporting clients month to month but not becoming a full stack digital marketing agency, this one’s for you. Note: I don’t disparage anyone wanting to get into growth plans or digital marketing, and that is a faster path to revenue growth but if you’re more in the “slow and steady” camp, and you’re ok with delayed gratification, website design + hosting and maintenance plans are still a great way to go. Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/419

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