We were lucky to catch up with Daniël-James Van den Berg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniël-James, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I took the risk, and honestly, I’m not sure if we know the full extent of it just yet. But here’s the story: In April of 2023, my youngest brother in Arizona was getting married. On the road trip, I started listening to a new series on funnel building – a fancy term for building a single-page landing page that acts as a psychological salesperson to drive conversions for your product, business, or service.

To add to this backstory, I’ve owned a web design agency since 2017 named DJM.Design. We serve industries such as real estate, home services-related companies (roofing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, remodeling), industrial manufacturing, and car dealerships. Originally, I immigrated from South Africa in 2013, branded as a Ginger Break Dancing Entrepreneur – my small claim to fame. Now, my wife and I have two children. I became an American citizen in November 2022 after five years of residence. It’s both a relief and an honor; I’m still a “baby American patriot,” trying to navigate the American dream.

The crazy part? On this road trip, I hadn’t connected the dots. I had no idea that after the wedding, a new business opportunity would present itself. We received a $5k incentive grant to help our customers make their websites ADA-compliant.

“The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. Website owners are now held to version 2.1 of the WCAG & ADA Website Compliance Requirements.” (Source: Google’s Generative AI Search.)

In simpler terms, the ADA widget acts as a button on the website. It enables those with ADHD, vision impairments, audio impairments, etc., to access website features they previously couldn’t. Some lawyers have taken advantage of these laws, targeting companies that have been negligent toward users with impairments.

I won’t delve into the ethics of this, but it’s crucial to consider these services and capabilities. Around 15% of web users are impaired in some way.

Given our incentive, we acted fast. Within a month, my team and I ensured 20 client accounts were compliant, with AI assisting us. The funding also allowed us to reward our team and host a local event: a “Maximising AI Workshop,” live and in-person.

Our town, Greeley, Colorado, had recently inaugurated a $31 million library project, the LINC, inspired by local artists. On my fifth anniversary with my wife, Joy, in Beaver Creek, Colorado, we decided this venue was perfect for our event. We set the date for August 17th, 2023, bringing together our collective expertise. A combination of live and pre-recorded content ensured the event had longevity. We heavily marketed this event, using flyers, online advertising, networking, and partnerships.

Though we’re grateful for the initial $5,000 grant, our expenses surpassed our budget:

ADA Compliance ($2,531.00)
Team Incentive Bonuses ($2,000.00)
Maximize AI Live and Online Workshop ($2,546.14)
Around $1000 on marketing and $1500 on in-person library event costs, including videos, catering, etc.
Tax Savings Escrow ($500.00)

But here’s the upside: these investments were essential. The event attracted 51 registered participants, and even now, it continues to generate interest. We secure about 26 new registrations monthly, at a $2.6 cost per conversion. At the event, we signed a high-ticket client contract for $900 and made an additional $800 from ticket and merchandise sales.

We believe in investing in our community. DJM donated to the LINC Innovation Center and the Rebalance Program of Northern Colorado, assisting teens through trauma.

A key lesson? We can’t do it alone. Collaborative partnerships are essential. A significant portion of our attendees came thanks to Greg and Dianne, leaders of the Table Top Networking events in Colorado. Their support was invaluable.

The Maximizing Ai Event taught us that it’s 80% about the human touch and 20% tools/tech. At the end of the day, beyond metrics and AI, it’s human relationships that create impact. We must remember: it’s humans that input to get outputs. Treating each other well will always enhance our careers.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Our mission at DJM is to design, tomorrow, together to elevate your company and client base by 30%. Ultimately aiming for 1% improvements daily and serving 1000+ companies within the DJM network.

DJM was established in 2017.

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We foster relationships with industrial manufacturing, agricultural, car dealerships, home-related service professionals, construction companies, and property management companies. Creating or supporting multimedia web design, marketing, and branding by enhancing the psychological user experience.

Having a South African Founder allows for multicultural Ubuntu to embrace the ethos of “I am because we are” in our team hubs/tribes. The coworking mindset and army of freelancers allow us to excel in serving industry niches to dominate their market.

Lastly, we donate 11% of our net profits, support traumatically abused single-mother families, and partner with organizations like the Women’s Fund of Weld County, Colorado Rebalance program, Homes of Hope Fiji, The Clothing Bank South Africa, Genesis Project, and The Dream Center.

These causes align with our core values of Excellence, Simplicity, and Compassion for Community (Ubuntu).

How did you build your audience on social media?

First, we take immense pride in our commitment to making a positive impact on the world. We dedicate 11% of our net profits to support non-profit organizations like Dream Center Northern Colorado, Youth For Christ Northern Colorado, and The Clothing Bank in Cape Town, South Africa. These initiatives not only provide job opportunities for families but also offer education to children in rural areas through innovative mobile phone programs.

In addition to our philanthropic endeavors, our dynamic team produces an engaging business content show on YouTube known as MoneyBru. Here, we blend South African food taste tests and humor with American business psychology to craft an entertaining and informative series. With a focus on genuine, down-to-earth conversations, we strive to deliver valuable content to our audience, steering clear of the clichéd world of fake gurus and dry business podcasts. Our goal is to continue creating content that enriches and contributes to the growth and success of the broader business community.

Furthermore, we take great pleasure in sharing our knowledge and experiences through speaking engagements within local communities. We actively participate in events like the One Million Cups startup and SMB pitch-style networking. We also engage with the Greeley and Larimer Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which is closely connected to the Small Business Administration (SBA). We are delighted that the Larimer SBDC recently featured an article about DJM.Design, formerly known as Daniel James Media, which you can read here: https://djm.design/go/Larimer-SBDC-Success-Story

It’s been about a three-year journey in content and currently, we have around 2,500 people on our email list with an average engagement of 20% and we get about 2000+ video views on our YouTube channel: https://djm.design/go/Subscribe-YouTube

Our tactic is simple and proven successful, we stay consistent, utilize funds from projects or sponsors, post bi-weekly, and spread out our short-form content throughout. We just hit 100+ videos on YouTube. We focus on other metrics and utilize these data pieces to boost YouTube videos within the first 48 hours of the video to ensure we retarget the right audience among keywords, topics, etc.

Following this we utilize sponsors or promote internal offers for about 30 seconds to 1 minute after the intro of the video allowing media buyers to take part in our growth. Most people think this would deter viewers however we get around a 5-minute watch time average and our videos are usually less than 12 minutes long. Guests on our podcast usually run three to four segments so we have titles and talking points instead of digesting a full 30-50 minute show which no one has time for these days unless you’re as good/consistent as Joe Rogan.

From here the content gets distributed to our social channels and when we feel a video piece is good enough we will drip it out to our email audience to engage with. You have to love it to do it for so little, the biggest takeaway from our content is the partners we find and the relationships that are built.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What’s really helped build our reputation is that we use sales psychology mixed with web design and AI automation for clients. Secondly, something our competitors rarely do is what we call “they don’t make their own shoes”. It’s ridiculous you know the saying “the shoemaker doesn’t make his own shoes” How is that acceptable?

DJM.Design uses itself as a gunnie pig with SEO ranking we’ve tested implemented and fixed all kinds of issues, we test content, marketing, website design challenges, and software integrations to get the job done.

Most agencies or studios will say things like we do a better job and then you look at their own websites and you wonder if the excuse we’re too busy working on clients’ work to work on our own strategy is even valid.

The famous statement that is overused is we help you rank or we help you attract customers to make sales is expiring. I’ve seen customers’ needs change through pivotal seasons like COVID and Inflation.

Most customers are in one of three mindsets: Maintain, Improve, or Grow. Easily translated to not every solution will fit each customer. Maintaining relates to making sure the boat stays afloat while Improving and making sure the boat has a long-term evolution and the companies that want to grow wanted sales yesterday.

Each of these segments needs a different diagnosis and to be treated accordingly. Out of this, we’ve hyper-focused the customer journey and experience to be available for clients while using a lean business model without lengthy contracts and high overhead which overlays pressure on your wallet.

We are remote multicultural and non-inhouse (a building with more people costs money which means prices go up) focused for this very reason so we can dive in deep or stay in the shallow water when the time comes to swim further for a client.

A final add on is the work speaks for itself here are some client examples we are proud of.

1. Leading Edge Electric
Leading Edge Electric is a woman-led company operating in a predominantly male industry. They actively support local organizations such as Realities for Children Colorado.
Website

2. Smoking Bros Barbecue
Smoking Bros Barbecue is the real deal, having transitioned from a food truck to a restaurant in Colorado after a five-month wait for their business license. Their journey is deeply heartfelt, inspired by their mother who battled Alzheimer’s. Her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to family values motivated them to start their venture.
Website

3. BiltriteSign
BiltriteSign specializes in creating custom sign solutions for various projects. They handle everything from simple DOT numbers for trucks to large custom electric signs. With a focus on quality craftsmanship and the use of cutting-edge technologies, they produce eye-catching, long-lasting signs that help businesses stand out. Their services range from car wraps to banners to flag signs.
Website

For more information and to check out their reviews on Google, visit:
Google Reviews

Warm regards, and we appreciate your support for small and medium-sized businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.danieljamesmedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danieljamesvdb/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djmdesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljamesvdb/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/danieljamesvdb
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/@djmdesign
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/djm-design-greeley

Image Credits
Pain to Profits: Podcast Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTKbT-FP820