Why I Created DIY Shopify

When I tell you my heart is for helping women take charge of their life and provide for their family, I hope you can feel just how deep that desire runs. Before I started my business I was making food bank runs every other week. Now, I make six figures in revenue annually. 

I don’t mention numbers carelessly, either. Most days I don’t feel it’s real and most days I don’t feel it’s enough - but I know where I started, and that is real. 

I share this glimpse into my story so you can see that my passion to see you succeed is fueled by belief - it doesn’t fall flat because that belief comes from reality. And I’m starting this podcast in this way so you can feel the core of what I’ve created with my new course, DIY Shopify. 

This course teaches you how to DIY your own Shopify store, going through the same exact process we use for our design clients - from the strategy and inspiration and planning right down to launching. DIY Shopify students use the same exact launch checklist we use for our clients. 

Why I Created DIY Shopify

Honestly, I hated seeing new business owners create websites that sucked. They would try to fit their cool and unique biz into a free theme (which offers the bare minimum options for really highlighting a business.) Or, they would barely put any information on their site and call it a day.

This is bad for your business because customers can tell when you didn’t put any effort into your website. They won’t trust you with their money if they can’t tell you take yourself and your products seriously. 

Most business owners I’ve met are pouring their heart and soul into their products, and they don’t intentionally create sucky websites to showcase them. They just thought the products would speak for themselves, so the website didn’t need to.

But your website needs to match the level of your products, and it truly hurts my heart when it doesn’t. I know just how incredible your products are - your website should showcase them, prop them up on an amazingly beautiful pedestal, and make them shine.  

My Story - the Story Behind Product Powerhouse

I want nothing more than to help EVERYONE have the business of their dreams. I want that for you because I know it’s possible - I’ve done it. It’s been a long while since I shared my own story, so here we go.

When I started my biz in 2016, my husband was our main breadwinner. He had a great job with great benefits. Our daughter was two, and I wanted more time at home with her. I was working part time designing at a local print shop, but I just had this idea that I could do something on my own and be home with my daughter. So I quit my job to chase that dream. 

But then one month later my husband lost his job, and we found out our son was on the way. (Every good story needs a ‘but, then,’ right?)

I almost said, ‘Never mind,’ at that moment. I chatted with my old boss and it seemed like I could have gotten my job back. I was working a few hours with a friend of mine as her assistant and my husband got a pizza delivery job,  so we had a tiny amount of money coming in.  

So I just told myself, I can do this. I’ll be honest, that ish was hard. First of all I was super sick when I was pregnant with my son. My assistant job and the pizza delivery were not enough. I was freelancing but that didn’t make much of a difference. 

After my son was born, our phones were shut off, we were behind on the house payment, and I even visited the food bank a few times. This is all really hard to admit. 

I’m an enneagram three - which is the performer, so for me that means I hate looking or feeling stupid or less than. 

Things were hard, but I kept at it and things still weren’t great for a few years. In my third year of business things really started to click and to pick up. 

And still I kept going. I finally hit my first 5k month, and eventually started booking 5k projects. And bigger and bigger. 

Providing for Your Family is Possible for You, too!

But I wanted to tell you this because I have BEEN there. I’ve been in that spot where you desperately want to make your business succeed. 

You want to bring enough money to pay the mortgage every month. You want to support your family from your business income. You want to make big things happen. Maybe you want to see your products at Target or in Anthropology.

I’m here to tell you it’s possible. I know it starts with having a website you are proud of, a website that people trust and shows off how cool and amazing YOU AND your product are. Your website will make your business seem more legitimate. It will make your marketing efforts more effective. It will boost your confidence. 

One of my favorite artists, Jessi from Etta Vee, has a DIY-ed website and her stuff IS in TARGET and ANTRO and Pottery Barn. Just the other day on IG she said she gets her partnership by pitching them which means they are also visiting her website to see her work and other partnerships. 

I have clients with partnerships with World’s Market, Uncommon Goods, and hundreds of local boutiques. 

I started going to the food bank every other week, and now I consistently make 6-figures of revenue annually, my husband barely works (he works PT right now) and I have a team of 6 contractors that my business also supports, even if it’s just a few hundred dollars a month.

To me, that’s POWERFUL. That doesn’t mean it’s without its struggles, but it’s something I’m so proud of. 

This is why my tagline is helping you create a business that fuels your passion and feeds your family. The website that you create with DIY Shopify is just the start for you - I know it with all of my being! 

If you want to increase your shop sales and keep growing from there, check out DIY Shopify!