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Fox's 2019 Make $100k Starting Web Design from Scratch Challenge

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

Fox

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Love the content so far fox and following with interest.
You clearly have video production skills shown on your getting the gym client videos. I would imagine that's a huge selling point for you.

My question is are you going to post more content about how you create such awesome videos?

About me, I went down the local web design route last year but never put enough effort into getting clients to make it work.

Hey Adam - thanks for the feedback. Definetely don't feel too pro on the video stuff yet but great to hear that.

I learned watching tutorials off guys like Peter McKinnon, Parker Walbeck, and many more. Youtube is full of great free content to learn video production.

Are you think about getting back into it?
 
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Fox

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Anybody know what software he's using to put his face down there in the corner?

Green screen and some editing software. Check out YouTube for a lot of tutorials on this.
 

Fox

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@Fox would you create my online marketing agency website for your portfolio?
btw, I've tried :D

Hey thanks but I don't want to use personal favours for the challenge. I am sure someone on here could PM you though and see if they could help you.
 

Fox

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I never posted the last video so here it is:


Mixed feelings on this one.
- I launched on New Year's Eve so the view count was terrible.
- I don't really like making code videos even though it is a big part of making a web design. It is boring to make and also everyone has different software/methods so its hard to appeal to your whole audience. I think it is the last step-by-step coding video I will make. I much prefer to focus on sales.

New Years and Christmas really messed up my schedule. Everything was closed and I also stayed at my gf's place (good for eating, bad for work).

I think I will only be able to get started again on the gym website next week which means I will have to cover another topic this week.

For 2019 I am going to be learning a lot about filmmaking and trying to keep improving the production of the videos. At the same time, I just need to focus on getting content out there and sticking to my plan. The challenge is definitely attracting new people to the channel but each episode should be able to stand on it's own legs too.
 
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rpeck90

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Amazing thread!

The big takeaway I found so far (and this is something I definitely need to work on) is how you went to meet these people in person. I've done a lot of stuff online, but have never really taken the local approach to that level (apart from several occasions).

The process you've shown highlights the most important thing, which is that the 20% that delivers 80% of your results is actually getting yourself out there and meeting people who're in need of a site........ in a country in-which English is not the native tongue. Keep going - I already subbed on YT and looking forward to seeing progress :)
 

Fox

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Okay so my business partner Alex worked on the thumbnails this weekend and I think it looks a lot better...


I remember someone suggesting to fix that ha!

So this video is good but a little off track for my challenge. With the holidays and moving to Oaxaca it has been hard to get time (and when it was actually open) to move ahead with the gym project. This week though I am good to go so hoping to catch up big time with actual web work.

Hopefully, very soon I got some good content about actual sites (that are finished) and am making more progress.
 

srodrigo

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Video 2 is up...


Any questions or feedback just let me know here.

Next week I start with actual client stuff so I am looking forward to seeing how that goes. I got one client meeting lined up so hopefully can record some of the sales meeting and the job itself.
This was interesting. I really enjoyed watching the video.

As a software developer with backend skills, I'd say the second type of projects you mention are VERY risky. The reason is that so many things can go wrong with programming, many more than making static web sites. When you combine that with custom projects, specially when the budget is tight, you can get into trouble and end up losing money. I've seen this constantly. But for static websites, this kind of business sounds great, specially if you are able to sell big prices because you provide a lot of value in that deal. I'll be watching closely (and finish reading the thread), I'm interested in the "adding value" part that you mention.

EDIT: I finished reading the thread, and have now an idea about what you mean, mainly making them get more customers/sales/profit, which makes sense :)
 
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AdamUK

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Are you think about getting back into it?
Yes especially after following your journey. Makes me feel it's possible to get going and be successful.
 

StompingAcorns

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After the success of @Lex DeVille's Upwork challenge, I decided to start one of my own...

Start a completely new web design business in 2019, get it back to making over 100k+ a year, and document the whole thing.
Great thread! Thanks!

  1. Are all of your future $5-20k clients going to be 1-page sites like the gym client? Or are you only doing 1-page sites for the free clients?
  2. On average, and I know it varies, but how much time do you average to build each site, all inclusive of everything you do?
  3. Does this end with filling your plate with projects, or do you plan to talk about leverage/outsourcing any parts of this?
 

jakeG

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After the success of @Lex DeVille's Upwork challenge, I decided to start one of my own...

Start a completely new web design business in 2019, get it back to making over 100k+ a year, and document the whole thing.

Pretty ambitious but I thought this over and have fully committed. It for sure won't be easy (I am actually quite nervous) but at the same time it will:

- Force me to take huge action and step up my game
- Show others what is possible and how to get similar results
- Cuts out a lot of the nonsense within the web design teaching/guru space
- Should be a good bonus lesson for people on here in making valuable content and growing an audience

This is a 100% real challenge - I will document the whole thing and as much as possible and share will client details, projects, successes and failures etc.

I thought over a lot what sort of content would best help people looking at web design and figured showing the "real behind the scenes" stuff would cut through a lot of noise. Having to start again will force me to share what exact steps I am taking and how the market is responding.

On top of this, I will be also offering some extra services like video production, photos, email marketing and automation, and branding and marketing.

So here we go!

Here is the first video outlining the challenge....


If the Fastlane forum wants I can also make extra videos/answer questions just for the forum on the making and results of the actual challenge - Youtube production and growth, how it links to Fox Web School, and so on.

Taking this challenge does link to what I do with Fox Web School as I am hoping to make more real content that stands apart from what @MJ DeMarco calls "bro marketing". As things progress I will share also how those results are also and how I am hoping to disrupt the web design educational niche.
Just subscribed! Crazy that you're doing this because it is exactly what I am doing this year! Super pumped to watch your progress. Thanks Fox!
 
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Fox

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Great thread! Thanks!

  1. Are all of your future $5-20k clients going to be 1-page sites like the gym client? Or are you only doing 1-page sites for the free clients?
  2. On average, and I know it varies, but how much time do you average to build each site, all inclusive of everything you do?
  3. Does this end with filling your plate with projects, or do you plan to talk about leverage/outsourcing any parts of this?

1. Nah for free sites I want to keep them smaller but high quality - less time for me to make but they still have the same leverage to get real sales later. Future sites will be bigger.

2. The gym site will take maybe 30 hours all in. But it varies so much on each project - I don't have an exact figure really.

3. Ya later I will build a team and outsource etc. The whole year won't be me by myself - more showing people how to scale and grow as best as possible. For now, though I try do the most I can myself to replicate someone else's experience starting off.

---

So just got the gym promo video made up. Site should be live Monday...

I shot all this in one night and then edited the next morning. Around 7 hours of work.

 

Daniel Tidwell

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1. Nah for free sites I want to keep them smaller but high quality - less time for me to make but they still have the same leverage to get real sales later. Future sites will be bigger.

2. The gym site will take maybe 30 hours all in. But it varies so much on each project - I don't have an exact figure really.

3. Ya later I will build a team and outsource etc. The whole year won't be me by myself - more showing people how to scale and grow as best as possible. For now, though I try do the most I can myself to replicate someone else's experience starting off.

---

So just got the gym promo video made up. Site should be live Monday...

I shot all this in one night and then edited the next morning. Around 7 hours of work.


Nice work! I think you got more than just web design as a selling point, because your video production is spectacular. How do you do those fluid moving shots? What equipment and techniques do you use?
 

ProcessPro

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Is there a way to make continuous income from clients, perhaps for handling hosting payments? Or is it just the one time payment for the job? Thanks.
 
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Anakalypsi

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So just got the gym promo video made up. Site should be live Monday...

I shot all this in one night and then edited the next morning. Around 7 hours of work.


Great Vid @Fox. Added again tons of value for the gym!
 

jakeG

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Is there a way to make continuous income from clients, perhaps for handling hosting payments? Or is it just the one time payment for the job? Thanks.
There are tons of ways to generate recurring income in web development. Most commonly, web dev shops will be hosting resellers. They will have a dedicated server that they maintain that is supported by some like AWS, Rackspace, Digital Ocean, etc. then re-sell those servers to clients at a premium while also maintaining those servers.

Another way is to sell block hours on a monthly basis. I.e. a retainer for development. If the company makes lots of updates to their site regularly, selling them block hours at a reduced price from the regular hourly pricing can generate revenue.

However, these classic principles don't really align with what @Fox is doing here. Fox is doing project based only sites, cranking out a project for an awesome price, then moving on. I've been in development for about a decade, and can tell you that Fox's method is the way to go. Selling sub services and pitching by the hour can make your life hell.
 

ProcessPro

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There are tons of ways to generate recurring income in web development. Most commonly, web dev shops will be hosting resellers. They will have a dedicated server that they maintain that is supported by some like AWS, Rackspace, Digital Ocean, etc. then re-sell those servers to clients at a premium while also maintaining those servers.

Another way is to sell block hours on a monthly basis. I.e. a retainer for development. If the company makes lots of updates to their site regularly, selling them block hours at a reduced price from the regular hourly pricing can generate revenue.

However, these classic principles don't really align with what @Fox is doing here. Fox is doing project based only sites, cranking out a project for an awesome price, then moving on. I've been in development for about a decade, and can tell you that Fox's method is the way to go. Selling sub services and pitching by the hour can make your life hell.

Thanks!
 
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The Abundant Man

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1. Nah for free sites I want to keep them smaller but high quality - less time for me to make but they still have the same leverage to get real sales later. Future sites will be bigger.

2. The gym site will take maybe 30 hours all in. But it varies so much on each project - I don't have an exact figure really.

3. Ya later I will build a team and outsource etc. The whole year won't be me by myself - more showing people how to scale and grow as best as possible. For now, though I try do the most I can myself to replicate someone else's experience starting off.

---

So just got the gym promo video made up. Site should be live Monday...

I shot all this in one night and then edited the next morning. Around 7 hours of work.

Packing my bags to Mexico and going to the gym...
 

Andy Black

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Meeting a client in a coffee shop is unprofessional, isn't it?
I presume you mean meeting a prospect rather than a client?

If I meet a prospect, which I rarely do, then I *prefer* to meet in coffee shops.

If I travel to a coffee shop near them then they also have to make a small effort to leave their offices and meet me. It’s a nice little filter.

A coffee shop is also neutral ground and we’re meeting as peers. I’m a business owner chatting to another business owner.

By making it a chat over coffee then we’re avoiding the “sales dance” and can build a proper relationship.

Some folks, such as tradesmen, are used to traveling and meeting people in all sorts of offices and dwellings. If you’re working on a computer at home they often respect that. 1) Because they’d love to work from home sometimes. 2) Because they figure they’re not paying for your office.


All of the above to warn you to be careful of dismissing things so easily.

I often ask myself: Do I really need that? Is it possible someone in the world does very well without that?
 

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If Fox or another member wants some work under their belt for their portfolio I have a website that could use some improvements or even be redesigned all together. I will give you a testimonial afterwards too.
 
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Daniel Tidwell

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If Fox or another member wants some work under their belt for their portfolio I have a website that could use some improvements or even be redesigned all together. I will give you a testimonial afterwards too.

I will bite, heres a couple projects I'm working on right now (both works very much in progress):

The Timeless Tempest

home - Cell Phone Repair Near Me | Cell Phone Doctor Fairfield Ohio (want to redo the header, not happy with it)

I'll do the project for free as a portfolio piece, email me at daniel@indigoskymedia.com with more details,

Dan
 

The Abundant Man

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Nice work! I think you got more than just web design as a selling point, because your video production is spectacular. How do you do those fluid moving shots? What equipment and techniques do you use?
Camera + Stabilizer/gimball = smooth shots. He probably also uses a lens with image stabilization. He can also fix any shakiness in Post Production
 

The Abundant Man

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Meeting a client in a coffee shop is unprofessional, isn't it?
Have you had problems with that, @Fox? or @ChrisV ? Or anyone?
There's a psychological reason behind coffee. It's due to association.

For example, you and your girlfriend have a favorite song together. You two break up one day. Now whenever you hear that one song, it hurts. You hate it now.

Coffee is warm. Whenever you drink coffee with a person, your brain associates the feeling of warmness with the other person.
 
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DustinH

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Green screen and some editing software. Check out YouTube for a lot of tutorials on this.

I don't watch TV. YouTube is my TV. I just subscribed to your channel and look forward to your newest journey.
 

Andy Black

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There's a psychological reason behind coffee. It's due to association.

For example, you and your girlfriend have a favorite song together. You two break up one day. Now whenever you hear that one song, it hurts. You hate it now.

Coffee is warm. Whenever you drink coffee with a person, your brain associates the feeling of warmness with the other person.
Ha. I never thought of this.

I actually don’t even like coffee.
 

Everyman

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There's a psychological reason behind coffee. It's due to association.

For example, you and your girlfriend have a favorite song together. You two break up one day. Now whenever you hear that one song, it hurts. You hate it now.

Coffee is warm. Whenever you drink coffee with a person, your brain associates the feeling of warmness with the other person.

This is why you get rep from me and I won't associate giving rep with only you.
 
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Fox

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Nice work! I think you got more than just web design as a selling point, because your video production is spectacular. How do you do those fluid moving shots? What equipment and techniques do you use?

Thanks, yes video and photos are something I want to offer as time goes on. The bigger plan over the next few years is building full sales systems that add a ton of value in a lot of different ways. Not "funnels" (since that is mostly for online purchases, but more an online pre-sell system that has buyers warmed up and ready to spend when they connect with the offline business part of the sales process. So videos are a great skill for this.

I have a basic Sony a7 camera, 35mm lens (for this video), and a stabilizer, its a Zhiyun Crane 2.


Is there a way to make continuous income from clients, perhaps for handling hosting payments? Or is it just the one time payment for the job? Thanks.

Yes tons of things you can offer monthly. Things like ads (social media, google), SEO (blog posts, backlinks, guest posts, articles and content), hosting and maintenance, email systems etc.

Depends on what you want and how you would like your own business set up to be.

Great Vid @Fox. Added again tons of value for the gym!

Thanks. Yes, I think this will help them in a big way over time.

There are tons of ways to generate recurring income in web development. Most commonly, web dev shops will be hosting resellers. They will have a dedicated server that they maintain that is supported by some like AWS, Rackspace, Digital Ocean, etc. then re-sell those servers to clients at a premium while also maintaining those servers.

Another way is to sell block hours on a monthly basis. I.e. a retainer for development. If the company makes lots of updates to their site regularly, selling them block hours at a reduced price from the regular hourly pricing can generate revenue.

However, these classic principles don't really align with what @Fox is doing here. Fox is doing project based only sites, cranking out a project for an awesome price, then moving on. I've been in development for about a decade, and can tell you that Fox's method is the way to go. Selling sub services and pitching by the hour can make your life hell.

Great post, thanks. Yes I like one-off payments. Big cash up front haha!

If Fox or another member wants some work under their belt for their portfolio I have a website that could use some improvements or even be redesigned all together. I will give you a testimonial afterwards too.

Thanks but I won't be accepting websites from people on the forum for the challenge, I want to show how its possible for others so using advantages like this forum and my FB group is off the table. I appreciate it though - I am sure someone else can help you out.
 

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Fox

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New video up.

This is starting to move in the direction I was aiming for - real details and info about actual website projects. Still a long way to go with production but this is the video I am probably most happy with so far.



Thanks for this thread @Fox
What are you using to make your sites?

Just HTML themes for now - simple and fast.
 
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