We recently connected with Erica Neubauer and have shared our conversation below.

Erica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

Accessibility for websites is a growing area in website development, and something that many small business owners aren’t aware of. By accessibility, I mean making the website usable by people with both visual and physical impairments- low/no vision, hand injuries, etc, who need assistive devices to browse a website. Even many web designers and developers either ignore it or assume that it isn’t necessary for them or their clients.

The reality is a bit more complex- for me its not just about how we can tick a legal box, or whether or not we’re likely to fly under the radar enough to avoid an ADA lawsuit- its about creating a more inclusive environment online. So many of us rely on online shopping, booking appointments online, interacting with others via social media etc- many of us would be hard-pressed to live without it. That’s exactly what we’re asking around 20% of the population to do, when we make our websites inaccessible.

I’m working to include full accessibility on my websites moving forward, built from the ground up, with on-going education on the best practices for doing so. It’s something I hope we see all websites moving towards over the next few years.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a brand + web designer who helps solo entrepreneurs and small business owners bring their brands to life with non-cliche logos, branding and websites. Having been a designer for over 13 years, I’m interested in giving my clients a cohesive and strategic brand that doesn’t look like all the others in their niche. Even if they’ve worked with designers in the past but never felt like their true vision was being captured, I use intuitive listening to understand their thinking and provide results that feel perfectly aligned.

I love a good design challenge and variety is one way that I can get that- hence I don’t design for only one type of industry or stick to one visual style. The variety keeps it interesting for me, and ensures that I’m providing the best possible solution for my client’s unique situation, without letting any of my own stylistic preferences influence it. I’m a big picture/dreamer who gets super excited when I find that one motif that becomes the basis of all the rest of the branding.

And, the best days for me are when I get to draw flowers (florists in need of a logo, step right up).

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Website development is a constantly evolving field- I do things completely differently now than I did when I first started 13 years ago. Along the way, I’ve had several crossroads moments, where it was clear that what I had been doing would no longer work, and I either needed to pivot to a new technology or way of doing things, or else stop creating websites. In those moments, my motto has been, “Adapt or die.” I don’t chase every new technology out there (which would just be a distraction, and prevent me from gaining expertise in any particular one), but I do try to keep abreast of where my industry is heading through continuing education and interaction with my web design peers.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

One of my best clients came from a situation that I looked like I didn’t qualify for at all- it was an absolute long-shot. They had posted in a public forum that they were looking for a full-time developer to create a website for them, and I was only interested in freelance. However, I felt interested by the client’s story and had done a similar website recently, so I decided to throw my hat in the ring. My initial message must have caught their eye, and long story short I ended up winning the project. Now, whenever I’m tempted to pass on a potential project because I don’t seem to fit the requirements- I remember this scenario and give it my best shot. You never know what’s going to land.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ericasneubauer.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericasneubauer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericasneubauer/
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/erica-neubauer