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REMOTE YEAR AND FEAR: TAMING THE MIGHTY BEAST

Hey all. Let’s have some real talk today.

On June 1st I’ll be embarking on the journey of a lifetime through Remote Year – a program where I’ll continue to work with all you incredible people, but remotely, and from a different country around the world every single month. (www.remoteyear.com)

I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how excited I am about all the incredible things I’ll learn and be able to translate into my career.

But I’ve never done anything like this before, ever. And if I’m honest, it scares me to death (which is another reason I am encouraged to do it! but the fear is still there).  So to prepare, I’ve found myself a pretty great therapist (if you’re ever reading this Jon*: you’re great!) who has been helping me develop a pretty awesome “toolbox” of coping strategies to combat the anxiety and stress of such a life-changing event.

My favorite take-away from these sessions comes out of a CBT strategy (Cognitive Behavior Therapy),  which teaches you to challenge your thoughts, identify what they trigger emotionally, and (eventually) separate the thought from the negative mental/emotional reactions.

I love this because A) it has steps/goals, and B) there are worksheets!

To start retraining my brain, Jon gave me a CBT worksheet that I was to use whenever I started to get anxious. For those reading this that are endeavoring to do something that scares the crap out of them (which you totally should), or anyone who just generally gets stressed by adulting, I am publicly sharing (…on the internet) an actual instance of my own CBT worksheet (because what could possibly go wrong with that?).

CBT Thought Record:

Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with?

I’m at home by myself.

Emotion or feeling. Rate 0-100%

Fear and anxiety. Shortness of breath, tightness in chest. 90%

Negative automatic thought: What thoughts were going through your mind?

I can’t do this. I will fail. I will run out of money on Remote Year. I will have to come home and somehow it will ruin my life.

Evidence that supports the thought. What facts support the truthfulness of this thought or image?

Different client scopes mean that my income is inconsistently scheduled, and I’m still building my bookkeeping/accounting skills.  Also I have a HUGE amount of things to pay for/purchase before Remote Year.

Evidence that does not support the thought: What experiences indicate that this thought is not completely true all of the time? If my best friend has this thought, that would I tell them?

I am incredibly good at what I do, and my business is growing exponentially because of it. I have an incredible support system through my friends and family, and I’m prepping in every way I can. Also I have a launch plan in place to help market my business.

Alternative thought: Write a new thought which takes into account the evidence for and against the original thought.

Things are hard right now, but I am scrappy AF! This is my life that I built. It is mine. I’m about to do something hugely beneficial for myself *and* my clients.

Emotion or feeling. How do you feel about the situation now? Rate 0 – 100%.

Fearful still, but mostly exhausted. 40%

It’s a process.

I’m still 7ish weeks out from leaving for Remote Year. I still have moments of intense stress, but I’m noticing that they do not trigger the anxiety anymore (we did it Jon!).

Anyway, the point of this post is this: fear is surprisingly, actually fine. I can’t get rid of it, but I can cohabitate with it peacefully, and even become stronger in it’s presence.

Please, tell me what stresses you out. Let’s be vulnerable together on the interwebs (preferably in the comment section). I want to hear about your fears and how you’ve coped with them. TELL ME YOUR STORIES!

*Name changed

How Much Do Websites Cost?

I hear this question all the time. This is tricky, because depending on the context/circumstances, the answer can vary WILDLY. Let’s break it down into some general price points for different web needs, just to give you guys some idea of what you should expect.

 

Under $3000

This is a hard one. Websites are complicated creatures, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a solid custom-built website anywhere near this price point. That being said, there are always options.

If you’re on an especially tight budget, I would suggest going with a DIY option like SquareSpace. Once your business starts to scale (along with your budget), you can hire a developer to build you the site of your dreams. 

Another option would be finding a freelancer who is just starting out; a wee babe in the wild and wonderful world of web development. They will be actively looking to build their portfolios, as well as navigate the tricky world of business. They won’t have the same level of expertise as others, but they usually make up for it with dedication. Just keep in mind that there will likely be a few learning curves for both of you, and be patient (we were all wee babes once).

 

$3000 – $6000

This is the range that covers simple websites/landing pages, and customized template sites. Expect a site built on a pre-existing template, with a few custom options and some nice design. Nothing too fancy, but easily scalable.

This is a great solution for businesses that know they will eventually need to scale to something more robust, but don’t necessarily have the funds to go all out immediately. This will get you a solid, beautiful foundation to build on.

 

$6000 – $20,000

This is for custom-built, bomb-ass, scalable solutions. The higher end of this range is also where you start to find things like customized eCommerce, Membership, and eCourse sites.

A website built at this price point will be your strongest ally.

You will be pleased. Very pleased. Maybe even blown away at the ease with which you can do whatever you need with your new flexible internet home. Not only that, but you will in most cases have built a lasting and beautiful working relationship with a developer who just “gets you”. They will have your back and know your process, and this will make anything else you want in the future a snap.

A website on this level is a solid investment, and should be seen as a tool to scale your business (more on this in a later post).

 

$25k and above

This starts to creep into the territory of the digital agencies. $25k might sound like a lot (and it is), but it’s really just the tip of the iceberg for most agency projects. My colleagues at different agencies usually work on projects worth several hundred thousand!

Most of these projects are built on platforms run by the agencies themselves, and come with a host of other services like marketing, branding, content strategy, managed hosting, etc.

 

Sooo, this is a pretty bare-bones assessment of a hugely varied field, but hopefully this will give you some sort of gauge when shopping for websites. 

This is the first of a series of info-posts that aim to shed a little light on the somewhat confusing world of web development. Join my list (opt-in on sidebar) to receive guidance, freebies, and (possibly) occasional stories about my dog and how awesome she is!

 

-SP