Sam Munoz 00:00
I am an imperfect business owner. And we’re all imperfect people. And I think what’s so beautiful about sharing the good and the bad and you know, the hardships and all of those things, is that those of you who are listening, I hope you see yourself reflected in SMC in this business that we’re creating. And just know that a things are possible and be it’s okay if you try something and it works one time and try something the next time and it doesn’t work. And you know, that business is messy and complicated. But moreover, it’s beautiful. I feel so aligned and excited to be sharing all these things on the podcast, and just in general, and I feel very honored to have people that are actually interested in what we have to say. Welcome to Making website magic where we empower women to step boldly into their web design businesses follow their intuition and claim the success they’re worthy of. I’m Sam Munoz.

Karyn Paige 01:00
And I’m Karen Page, where the Tech Wizards behind Sam Linnaeus consulting and the making website Magic School of Business. Were two women here to talk about what it actually takes to run a web design business that’s aligned with your vision.

Sam Munoz 01:12
Spoiler alert, it probably isn’t what you think it is ready to hear about everything from refining your business vision, networking with intention and creating a magical client experience.

Karyn Paige 01:22
Let’s do it.

Sam Munoz 01:29
Hello, Karen.

Karyn Paige 01:31
Hey, Sam, how you doing?

Sam Munoz 01:33
I’m doing so well. It’s my favorite time of the year without question. You know, it’s my favorite time of the year when I’m like playing jazz music 24/7 Slowly drinking my coffee wearing my slippers all around the house and looking outside and seeing snow or like falling leaves favorites. So how are you doing? That’s how I’m doing? How are you doing?

Karyn Paige 01:56
Yeah, I’m doing well, I would consider that a fully immersive experience, which I’m here for. And I also enjoy, I think full honesty just feeling like really good, really like energized, focused, happy, joyful, and also allowing myself to feel those feelings.

Sam Munoz 02:17
Yes, yes. And it’s really cool that you said focus productive all of those things. Because I know when we are setting our intentions for this time of the year for SMC we very much wanted that feeling of focused energy, but not scrambling right. Not hustling, but just a nice, slow, productive end to the year. And speaking of ending the year. This episode is also about the closing of season one of making website magic. And that’s what we’re talking about today. Not the closing of the podcast because ladies, we have episodes go lower. We have episodes for years to come. So the ending of this first season and that’s a wrap.

Karyn Paige 03:02
Yeah. Okay. So let’s just say, I think it’s okay to normalize season breaks for podcasts. Yeah, putting that out there. You know, this, because it needed to be said, Right, I’m saying that with like full sarcasm. But honestly, we’re taking a season break really in honor of just a break, period. Human break, right? Yes.

Sam Munoz 03:27
And what is what’s so cool is Karen and I have been really mindful this year more than any years in the past about locking in time off and like blackout dates. And you know, whether that be for client work for launching the mentorship or our programs, or for the podcast, just taking an approach of like, what is the time off that we want, and then building everything around that. And so this break is very much in the spirit of that, we always take a big chunk of December off for the holidays anyway. And so this feels very much in alignment for that as well as taking a social media break and all of that stuff. So I’m going into today’s episode really excited about having a more restful end of the year and also giving our listeners a time to either catch up on the podcast, or go out and implement what they’ve been listening to before getting new information because information, overwhelm and getting stuck in just absorbing information is a super common thing. But actually having the chance to say okay, we’re gonna take a break. If you need to catch up you can and or you can just take this time to reflect on the things that we’ve talked about on this podcast, or go out and start taking action.

Karyn Paige 04:45
I love that which again, is like that’s part of the culture of making website magic. It’s part of the culture of SMC studio is building in time to reflect building in time to process and take action. Yeah, that’s how we rock. So

Sam Munoz 05:03
even just like the process that we’re doing right now of like reviewing the podcast and thinking about it and all of those things is very meta. Am I even allowed to say that anymore with Facebook? Who knows? But it’s meta, it’s a meta experience. And that’s because, you know, we do those kinds of reflections every quarter every month about what’s happened at SMC what worked well, what didn’t. And so having an episode dedicated to that around the podcast, and more broadly around making website magic as a branch of SMC in general, I’m very excited to kind of review that and have it in a very kind of selfish way for our own records. For the future. You know, I can’t wait to listen to this episode in five years and say, Oh, my gosh, think about that first season, and all the things that happened and all the amazing listeners and support that we got on the podcast. So I’m excited to dig in and just review what has happened over the last six months or so.

Karyn Paige 05:59
We lost a podcast on May 11. And this episode is going to publish on November 23 2021. So hasn’t even been six full months. And there’s been a lot of changes, a lot of growth, a lot of new things happening since we launched this podcast. Yeah.

Sam Munoz 06:16
Which I’d love to just kind of peel back the curtain and give our listeners a view into SMC and what has evolved, that’s the best word to describe it is like we haven’t changed. We haven’t cut necessarily. We’ve evolved. And so SMC broadly has now become a two branch company, where we have SMC studio, which is where we serve our private clients. We build websites, we build huge, you know, digital universes for and with them. And we have, you know, ongoing clients that we work with. And that’s that side of the business that’s kind of like what SMC has been and has started as, and then we have the making website magic branch, which is education, and mentorship, and the podcast, and our YouTube channel, and our blog, and all of the resources that we create for women, web designers, and developers. And I do want to announce, I want to take this moment to announce that Karen is officially the director of that branch, the Director of Education and mentorship. So everybody, you know, clap your hands for her, because I’m so excited. You know, Karen is amazing. And I’m just so excited that you’ve taken on that role. And if you want to share anything about that, for your own reflection, I’d love to, I’d love to hear it. Yeah,

Karyn Paige 07:31
I mean, it’s very, it’s first of all, it’s so exciting, right? And it feels very comfortable. It feels very natural, it feels very aligned, right? Like, we’re always talking about what feels good, and what feels aligned on this podcast. And so moving into the role of director of education and mentorship feels incredibly aligned. It’s something that I want to do every single day, every single moment. Like, I’m always thinking about it, I’m always in the community, all the things right. So for me, that is, that was a good sign that I’m on the right track. So yeah, I’m just everyday is filled with excitement.

Sam Munoz 08:07
Oh, that makes me so happy to hear. And I love that what we’ve done now, in creating, you know, the branches and just spending all this time this year reflecting is we’ve created a lot of clarity in the business, which I think is so helpful and the beauty of it. And you know, I’ve got therapists, I’ve got counselors, I’ve got coaches that I work with. So like I am constantly, you know, improving myself personally, but I just shared this on Twitter. Today, I am an imperfect business owner. And we’re all imperfect people. And I think what’s so beautiful about sharing the good and the bad, and you know, the hardships and all of those things, is that those of you who are listening, I hope you see yourself reflected in SMC in this business that we’re creating. And just know that a things are possible. And be it’s okay, if you try something and it works one time and try something the next time and it doesn’t work. And you know, that business is messy and complicated. But moreover, it’s beautiful. And that is I feel so aligned and excited to be sharing all of these things on the podcast and just in general. And I feel very honored to have people that are actually interested in what we have to say. Like I want to take a moment and acknowledge all of the positive feedback we have received about this podcast like holy moly, ladies, my DMs and Karen’s DMS have never blown up more than this. I mean, I can’t speak to you, Karen. But for me, my DMs like that, yes. Okay,

Karyn Paige 09:35
we definitely need to spend some time talking about the positive feedback, the reaction that we’ve gotten, you know, because here’s the thing, when you launch something, you have absolutely no idea what the outcome is going to be like, you can’t control that. All you can do is really control the logic part. Right? Like, we talked about this sometimes like there’s things that you are in control of and things that are just you do your So you hope for the best and boom, right? So the amount of just love notes, like let’s just call it that, like people reaching out to us unsolicited, uninvited and just being like, this show has resonated with me, this is what I’ve been missing in my life, I feel heard, I feel seen, I’m nodding my head, like you have inspired me to take action and make changes. This is what has been coming back to us as a result of what we put out there. And so every day, it’s just like, it’s again, like adding to the list of gratitude, adding to the list of amazing things, you know, adding to the list of evidence, like, Hey, we’re doing something, and it’s landing with folks. And let’s keep doing it.

Sam Munoz 10:45
100% Yes, and I can’t not think about how that really aligns with the mission that we have, which is to empower women, you know, that’s such a big part of what we value. And so yeah, receiving those, I, I never take them for granted. And we always celebrate anytime someone gets a win from listening to the podcast, like, you know, we’ll see it, take a screenshot and share it together in Slack and be like, Oh, my gosh, they’re taking action. And like, look, it’s working. And it’s so exciting. And that’s, that’s another big shift that happened, you know, like I breezed over this, but like, we created an entire new branch of the business, which is the making website magic component, where we’re mentoring women, and they’re finding success in our program. And that, to me is also like, sometimes I just have to sit in that and see the work that they’re doing and the brilliance that is coming from that space, and just really revel in the idea that it exists and just being really grateful to be a part of it. And so that, and the podcast, and like I said, all of these other things that we’re doing with the teaching stuff is so exciting. So thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing your feedback, if there is anything that you’re listening to the podcast, and you’re just like, oh my gosh, I really, really really want them to cover this topic. You know, maybe it’s something kind of temporal right? Something that’s happening out in the world and you’re like, oh, I want to know their take on this. Please feel free and feel invited to send us a DM on Instagram. I’m at Hello, Sam Munoz. Karen is at Karen Page. And eventually they’re going to be at making website magic. So any of those three places, go ahead and share your thoughts because we want to make sure that we’re creating content that you actually care about, and is actually going to be transformative and helpful for you in your business.

Karyn Paige 12:29
Right. Okay. And like fully we are actual human beings who are on the other side of those DMS, like if you DM us, we will respond. Please, please do not Don’t feel shy. Don’t feel any type of way. We’re here. We’re goofy. We’re silly. We drink our coffee one cup at a time. Like we tie. Well, well. I wanted to say something different. You know how people are like I’m a human. I put my pants on one leg at a time. Like I want a new one. I want something different. Like I put my earrings on one at a time.

Sam Munoz 13:03
Yeah, I’m like thinking about how do I put my pants on now? I’m gonna have to like really sit down. I mean, I sit down when I put my pants on. Is that weird? You don’t just standing up? No, I like sit on a bed sit on the floor. Whoa. Put them on Tuesday. Okay, yeah, so maybe, I don’t know, hop

Karyn Paige 13:19
into them. See, this is what I’m saying. Like we’re goofy, like awkward, quirky human beings who will respond to the DM. So please feel free to join us in that space.

Sam Munoz 13:32
I love that, Karen. So one thing we definitely wanted to do so that this episode is also in service of you, you amazing listener, is we wanted to kind of curate our six most popular and favorite episodes, Karen had this amazing idea. She’s like, Sam, we’re taking six weeks off from the podcast, let’s provide six episodes. So that way, if you have either missed an episode, or you want to go back and re catch up on something and re listen, you have six episodes to guide you. So use this as a guide. And these episodes will be listed and linked in the show notes. So you can easily find them. We’ll make it super easy for you. But let’s give them our list of six and maybe just a quick little snippet about what they’re about. And you know what we like about it?

Karyn Paige 14:16
Okay, so right out of the gate, episode three, like one of the first ones that we launched with, which is like or what even is your dream? Like? What is your dream? This episode really, I think set the tone for who we are and what we’re about. And the theme of this episode is really like inner work, reflection, self awareness, and deciding for yourself. Like you get to decide what you want your business to look like how you want your business to fit into your life, like what you want your goals to be. I feel like this is probably the episode that we reference the most moving forward in all the episodes that we’ve done in season one.

Sam Munoz 14:59
Yes, I love that one and it’s one to listen to again. And again, if you want to remind yourself of like, what is important to me, and doing some of like that visioning work and thinking about what you want for your future.

Karyn Paige 15:10
And also, that episode, I think really like sets the tone for a lot of the conversations that we have moving forward, because it truly is like foundational work. So if you haven’t listened to it, that would be one that we would recommend.

Sam Munoz 15:22
The next episode that we have on our list is Episode Five, the fear surrounding discovery calls. So this episode, we gave a lot of stories and examples of discovery calls that have gone wrong and discovery calls that have gone right. And just that idea of not letting yourself stop doing discovery calls, maybe because you had one that didn’t pan out so well, and just taking each and every opportunity to learn and grow and improve in your craft of discovery calls. And I love that we talked about not having to perform and rather just being you and being a genuine person and having a conversation with another human on the other side of things. So if you’re feeling pressure or frustration around discovery calls, or you just want some like mindset support, that is a really, really good episode to listen to. So that was episode five.

Karyn Paige 16:14
And something to like, I think maybe looking back, now that we’re over 30 episodes in, in Episode Five, we’re talking about like discovery calls. And really like centering this idea that like one to one client relationships is what is really at the center of a web design and development business, right. And so it’s easy to say, Oh, hey, go get on, like 50 discovery calls, because that’s how you’re going to book clients. But if there’s a hesitation to get on the call, then that’s not very useful or helpful advice. So in that episode, we really acknowledge why there might be hesitation again on Discovery calls and unpack that, then again, I think it’s like, let’s not go off of assumptions that everybody is comfortable doing discovery calls. So if you’re somebody who feels uncomfortable in that space, that is enough, another episode to check out. Okay. Another episode that hits hard, was a top download and is also one of our favorites is episode six, which is why you keep undercharging and how to stop.

Sam Munoz 17:18
Oh, that one is so good. And the thing is, that’s like that is fundamental to what we talked about on the podcast just about this idea of knowing how much you charge, why you charge it, and maybe why in the past, you’ve chosen to undersell yourself and undervalue your work based on whether it be like societal structures and pay gaps and things like that. And like different external factors are just not fully understanding the value that you provide to your clients. And that’s where we really introduced that concept of value based pricing.

Karyn Paige 17:51
Yes, okay. So this is something that we talk about in the mentorship. On a regular basis. This is something we talk about with women, web designers in general, is the desire to charge more desire to have higher revenue, but also like dealing with like, okay, that’s what you desire. That’s what you want. But right now you’re here in the space where you’re under charging, and you know it. How do we like to bridge that gap? How do we close that? So if you’re kind of like I’m in this space, and I don’t know why, and I don’t feel like I’m in control of the situation. That’s going to be an episode where you are going to get some guidance, some support and some insight. The next

Sam Munoz 18:34
one we have on our list is Episode 14, stop offering everything as a web designer. Now this one is our top episode, which I understand why it is because there is this huge tendency, right to want to offer absolutely everything to any client. And there’s a lot of reasons which we dig into in that episodes. If you feel yourself, you know, you get an email, you get an inquiry or like ads not really the right fit, but I’m going to say yes, in this episode, we really help you dig into why you might be doing that, and also how to stop offering everything and the benefits of being more specific with what you offer. So instead of being like a jack of all trades, you have a specific skill set and or you serve a specific clientele. And I feel like this

Karyn Paige 19:19
would be an excellent episode to listen to at the end of the year. If you’re anticipating 2022 And you want to make some changes in your business, like this is an invitation for you to reflect on what you’re currently doing what you’re currently offering, and see if there’s any space in there to edit, audit, refine and move forward with a fresh set of offers and packages and services. All right, this one I got to like, I got to shrug my shoulders and get into it. The next episode that is definitely out here for the season. One revisit is episode 15 Owning your space?

Sam Munoz 20:03
Yes. Sorry, I was like I was getting into it over here because we have this episode like owning your space equals confidence. Like when you declare and decide that you are a web designer for coffee shop owners, and you just own that you embody that you wake up every single day. And you say, I’m going to have this cup of coffee while I’m building a website for my client, while I’m building a sample project for this potential client, and I’m going to own it. And I’m going to live this vision, the confidence that exudes from you that your clients will see on a discovery call that you will pour into a proposal that you will launch a website with is huge. And we talk about how that brings so much abundance into your life into your business. And I love that episode, because it really I feel like listening to that one makes me walk away feeling more confident.

Karyn Paige 20:54
Yes. It’s like that episode, I feel like is one big identity statement. I am affirmation. You know what I mean? Like, name it and claim it.

Sam Munoz 21:05
I love that. And what is the thing that you say? And I think you said it in the podcast about like, when you decide what happens with the universe?

Karyn Paige 21:12
Oh, at the moment of commitment, the universe will work to assist you.

Sam Munoz 21:15
Yes. Yeah. I love that. And the last episode on our list that we recommend you definitely listen to, if you are looking to be listening to the podcast over these next six weeks is episode 20. Burnout as a web designer and developer and I feel like this one could not be more timely with it being the end of the year and wrapping up and maybe celebrating holidays. And in that episode, we talk about burnout, what that looks like how that might appear. And what are the negative effects that could happen in your business when we allow ourselves to burnout or continuously burnout?

Karyn Paige 21:53
Yeah, like, again, this one was a heavy was heavy on the reflection. And in our work category, you know what I mean? And so, again, like sometimes burnout is a sign that something’s not in alignment, right? There is the awareness that it’s happening, but also like, the invitation to step back, step outside, reflect, see if there’s anything that can be refined, realigned to mitigate the burnout. And again, like this kind of like they all kind of go hand in hand, right? So stop offering everything could mitigate burnout, owning the space and being in a specific Lane could mitigate burnout, like, No dream

Sam Munoz 22:35
is dream is. Precisely, to me, all of these episodes really are, like you said, invitations for reflection. And what’s beautiful about this is it’s just you know, if there was ever a time of the year to do this kind of stuff, it’s like when you might be slowing down or when you might be preparing for the next year when you might be booking projects now, for next year, like we talked about in a previous episode. And maybe you have a little bit more downtime in your business, maybe you’re not, you know, having to work with so many clients, right, the second because you have set yourself up for the next year, and you’re ready to go. And so you can do a little bit more of that reflection, and taking time to really think about envision and just dream about your business, which I think can be so fun. And I hope that those episodes really invite you to do those things.

Karyn Paige 23:27
Yeah, okay. Something just came up. Before we close out this episode. Shout out to all the people listening to the show who are in the southern hemisphere, because it’s the summer for them. Indeed, like we’re so excited about like the fall and the winter and the sweaters and the the warm drinks and all the stuff in there and people listening to the show who are like, I’m chilling by the beach in a bikini right now. Like what are you even talking about? So if it’s a summer break for you? Yes, yes. Enjoy that cold beverage. I love that. Okay, so that wraps it up, y’all. We will be back January 11 2022. With season two, which we already are anticipating is going to be fire. We got some topics in the pipeline. So until January 2020 to enjoy your time off sending you Virtual hugs and high fives and enjoy beverage whether it’s hot or cold. I don’t know your life. I don’t know.

Sam Munoz 24:28
I love it. That’s a wrap.