1. The perfect creative outlet
I absolutely love my work! Everyday I get to take higgledy piggledy thoughts, copy and imagery and think laterally and strategically to create interesting and beautiful websites.
2. High cost per project
Unlike DIY builder platforms like Squarespace, Shopify or Wix, WordPress has a reputation amongst business owners for being complex, but also flexible, an industry leading platform that’s great for SEO. The DIY builders are know for exactly that – being DIY platforms.
In my experience this means that there’s a cap on what you can charge for platforms that clients believe they could ‘just do themselves’ while WordPress is associated with being more difficult and worth higher investment.
3. Flexibility
The way I build I have complete creative and technical freedom, the sky is literally the limit, and this allows for some pretty spectacular builds.
WordPress is the worlds leading CMS, this means that the worlds best tech brains are there building software to work with the platform. It’s open source, which means anyone can develop plugins to use their tech on a WordPress site, where with other DIY builders you’re limited to the capacity of their development team, their goals, their roadmap.
4. Opportunities for ongoing income
As your client base grows, so too does your residual income. I offer ongoing packages for updates, additions and SEO, which most clients take up! This is a great ongoing cash injection alongside the larger income chunks of project work.
5. Opportunities for passive income
This list is in no particular order, because this point might be my favourite of all! Providing hosting to clients allows for long term, build able, ongoing passive income. There’s little else in the world that can truly be classed as passive income. But with this one, if your sites are set up well and you choose a reliable host, it truly can be a consistent and reliable passive income stream.
6. Low need to sell
Remember that reputation I mentioned? Clients actively seek me out as they’re looking specifically for a WordPress Designer / Developer.
Rather than niching down by industry, I’ve niched down by platform which has allowed me to become an expert with my chosen platform and have clients lining up to work with me!
7. An abundance of work
There is more work in this field than I ever could have previously imagined before I dug in.
At June 30 2019 there were 2,375,753 actively trading businesses in the Australian economy while on 2019 there were 62,462 new businesses registered in Australia.
Every web developer I know is at capacity!
To further prove my point, search for top hairdressers in your area, and check 10 of their websites. In my experience, you might get 1-2 with websites of a decent standard, even amongst industry leaders! It’s a pretty low hit rate, and I find this phenomena to be pretty consistent across industries!
Given the current climate, there are also a number of grants and funding opportunities for businesses to improve their online presence, which makes it a unique time to dig in and get established.
Trust me on this one, there’s enough work in this field for everyone who is interested.
8. Autonomy
I’m so grateful for this one every day!
Web dev projects have a long lead time, which means you can chip away at them and balance multiple projects at once, within times and schedules that suit you.
As a mother to a little boy under 2 this means projects and income work around my family. If I need to take a day off to care for my sick son, I can. Conversely I can book a massage in the middle of the day, or sit on the couch and enjoy a Greys Anatomy binge while I build!
I don’t need to answer to a boss if I need a sick day, or want to take a long weekend.
Hooray to no more office politics!
9. Low overheads
At an average, I keep my expenses at around 15%, and I invest in my business HEAVILY! I’m constantly taking courses, working with coaches, stocking up on post it’s or the latest tech deals.
I haven’t needed to use paid advertising to market my business, and I don’t need to fork out for a physical space out of home! This means my overheads are pretty low, and a good chunk of revenue translates to profit. The dream!
10. Rewarding
Everyday I get to work with business owners I love, doing work I’m obsessed with! I get to help others increase their income, and put their best foot forward online. My clients are the best, and they’re always grateful for the work I deliver.
Ready to take a step into the career of your dreams? Join us for the next round of Women Wealth WordPress.
