September 2021 – Freelancer Meetup Notes

Hosting

Managed WP v. Cheap hosting – is there a middle ground?

WP Engine – managed

SiteGround – cheap (though getting pricier)

Site District – starting at $25 (can add multiple sites)

GridPane – like Cloudways, can be more technical, more control

Do you trust small hosting companies?

Things to consider when looking at a host.

  • where is support located?
  • what are their support hours?
  • who is the current owner and when was the last time it changed hands?
  • do you like their tools?
  • how long has the company been around?
  • what kind of access you get? limits? SSH is important for some, not all hosts allow it
  • what kind of services do they provide for the $$ (backups, onsite/offsite?, security, cdn, ssl etc)
  • are there caps on data transfer (traffic), what happens when you hit those limits?
  • are there limitations on the plugins you can use?

Block Editor – move clients to it?

Good reception – easy for easy stuff

Can be hard to move stuff around

How to support – email or ticket system?

One communication method is established hard to change client habits

Give clients a heads up a few weeks in advance of vacation

Advice for finding intern/busy work help?

Upwork for logos and small tasks

Virtual Assistant – install plugins and enter content worked well

Good books?

Built to Sell by John Warrillow – how to scale your business. makes you think and reprioritize

Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller – Storybrand guy

This is Marketing by Seth Godin

Creative, Inc. by Meg Mateo – ultimate guide to building freelance business

Branding Basics by Maria Ross – has online courses

The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber – concept of work on business not in your business

Ice Cream Maker by Subir Chowdry – This book starts out well with some great ideas for managing your small business but then goes too far down the franchise “employees are replaceable blocks” which I find offensive

Tribe of Hackers by Marcus J. Carey

Atomic Habits by James Clear

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