We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lee Levy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lee below.
Lee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
The Web Design industry has undergone MANY changes over the last 10 years, and its constantly evolving. Just to give a little background and insight on this, it began many years ago, when all of a sudden, people could build their own websites with simple software like Frontpage or Dreamweaver, and you didnt have to hire a designer to build or code a website from scratch. We were all afraid our industry would be shut down.
However. many business people came to realize that in order to have a successful business, your website needs to shine. So having no design skills themselves and spending countless hours trying to build a “decent” site, , or having their teenage children build their websites for them just didn’t work out. They quickly realized that they still need the help of an expert. So, yes, many can still build a site themselves today, but how GOOD of a website can they build?
Years later, challenge # 2 came to play, when businesses started outsourcing web design projects to other countries to save money. I personally know of many web designers who had to close shop because they could not afford to compete in the industry any longer. Everyone thought that was the “new solution!”. What they QUICKLY realized, is that its not so easy to work with people outside the country, through email only, and on THEIR hours. I know of a few clients who also lost money because they sent funds overseas and never got the product delivered. Another classic example of cheap is expensive. Of course, not all incidents were like this but I have seen this too many times to even count.
Challenge #3 came when Google starting getting strict on their requirements for a website, mobile compatibility, ADA compliance, and all those things now made TONS of websites non-compliant, and now we had an overflux of calls, many businesses thinking they would now NOT have to use a website, and use YELP, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram as their sites instead. BIG MISTAKE! Social media does NOT replace a website. In any business today, in order to be successful you need to have ALL channels and you need to cross-promote. Not having a website and cutting corners puts you OUT OF THE GAME.
Challenge #4 came when companies like Go Daddy, WIX, SQUARESPACE and a few more decided to start offering “TEMPLATES” to build your own site, charging anywhere from $15/month to $60/month for the use of a template. That is fine if you want your website to look like hundreds of websites out there and get lost in a crowd. But now figure, that you paid $50/month for years and years, and will continue to do so on something you will never own, and for the thousands one may have spent in that time, they could have had a CUSTOM website built, specifically for them. Many people do not even think about that!
Todays biggest challenge 100% is AI. All of a sudden I am coming across the mindset that a robot can just do everything for you. It writes content for you, it designs websites for you, it even does my kids homework for them.
Well, I have a VERY harsh opinion on this, because once again, go ahead and have a robot know EXACTLY what you need. And exactly what design aspects of your site you need. I’m not completely against AI, however people send me content that is CLEARLY not written well, or tailored to their specific needs. While some web designers are panicking, I am sitting confident that this too, will be discovered as the NON WEBSITE DESIGN solution, and if anyone wants to trust a robot to replace the “personal touch” of a human, be my guest, that is not the type of client I am seeking!
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.
Lee Levy is a Los Angeles based creative director and founder of Nex Graphics, with a proven track record of helping companies build a strong presence across the World Wide web. She overcame a battle with Breast Cancer in 2019, and has comeback with a vengeance!!!! She was recently featured as a successful entrepreneur in DOTCOM and VoyageLA magazine, and has been speaking at women’s events in Los Angeles, empowering them with inspiration and business talks.
What sets me apart:
ALL my meetings are face to face, I believe in 100% FULL client engagement, building a website is a team effort and we need to work together to make your project successful!
How I got into it:
By accident lol! I hated coding in high school, and I was awful at it, even was told I should NEVER pursue a career in technology! However over the years, I discovered at a second glance that it WAS EXACTLY where I wanted to be, and started building free websites for all, until I opened my company back in 2005.
I am PROUD of the fact that I faced my challenges and overcame them!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2019 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to overcome a year of surgery, chemo and radiation. It was very hard to hold my business together, but through all the weakness, and all the obstacles that hit me in the face, I went headfirst into them, and got through it and now I’m on the other side!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The high school teacher that told me I would NEVER have a job in technology…..I was the only female in an all male class and they all hated me being there – “women don’t belong in the tech space” was the thinking back then, well, LOOK AT ME NOW, LOL! bring it on!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nexgraphics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nexgraphicsla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nexgraphicswebdesign
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18226586
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nex-web-designs-and-graphics-west-hills
Image Credits
Headshot photo (Robyn Richardson)