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Launched: Fall 2015

Project Type: Personal Project

Design for the Business Mind is a resource for the DIY Designer. In other words, solo entrepreneurs and small business owners who, due to their limited budgets, are creating their own websites, social media graphics, logos, eBook covers, and other materials.

The site - which is an ongoing project - provides a one-stop-shop for design and technical guidance, presented in a way the DIY Designer can understand. The information is practical, to-the-point, and written from the perspective of an entrepreneur.

To listen to the story of how I stumbled upon the idea for Design for the Business Mind, click here.

Being the target market is the DIY Designer, it was important to have a site design that was professional and modern - but simple. DIY Designers are already intimidated by quality design. They recognize it for what it is and get frustrated when they can’t recreate it. Thus, having an elaborate, jaw-dropping site would have only cultivated a negative experience.

For typography, I utilized the clean sans serif font Whitney (from Hoefler & Co.). I also purposely kept the color palette light, welcoming, and inviting. And while orange can seem over-used these days, I felt it was warranted in this case. I wanted visitors to feel creative and inspired, and orange creates that effect.

From the beginning, I approached Design for the Business Mind (DFBM) from a business standpoint. I knew I needed to implement a sales funnel that made sense for my target market as well as myself. After all, even though my desire is to help DIY Designers, I needed a sustainable business model.

The lowest cost item of the sales funnel is the Free Resources page. This comprehensive list offers DIY Designers a handy place to find links to stock photography sites, Photoshop alternatives, website help, and a host of other resources.

The list saves them from doing a bunch of Google searches. But it also lends the site - and thus myself - a certain level of credibility. In addition, it’s also a great marketing tool. It’s something that I - and DIY Designers - can easily share online via social media.

The next item in the sales funnel is the series of eBooks. Likely priced at $9 or under, the eBooks will arm DIY Designers with practical knowledge at an affordable price.

While the books can be read in any order, the series will follow the routine of an entrepreneur setting-up their business. The first book, “Design Like a Pro,” will lay out in practical terms what design is, thereby setting the foundation for the series. The following seven books will touch on branding and marketing, then delve into design and website fundamentals.

The Design Mind Academy will be a membership-based resource. Behind the paid wall will be video tutorials, quick guides, a style gallery, and access to a special Facebook group.

The purpose of the Academy is to provide more specialized - and efficient - help than the Free Resources links or eBooks. Subscribers will be able to access a plethora of materials 24/7/365. But they will also gain valuable access to other DIY Designers, as well as myself, through the Facebook group.

The final, and most expensive item, of the sales funnel are the services by yours truly. Things like web design, branding assistance, and the like.

On a final note, it was important to create a sense of professionalism and credibility on the site. In order to feel confident buying my products or services, DIY Designers need a sense of my experience and to connect with me as an individual.

As such, I purposely chose to use professional photos of myself as the header images. I also included an About page with a professional - but fun - bio, as well as links to things that I use, like, and listen to.

I even went so far as to include a link to a “hidden page” where one can listen to me sing along with some of my favorite songs.