Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I have always been interested in website design and technology in general. As an elementary teacher I was the “tech teacher” who used all the cool tools, incorporated them into our classroom and exposed the kids to various technologies they used to express creativity while learning at the same time.

When I worked for an educational technology company for a few years (2010-2013), I learned more and enjoyed exploring ways technology can enhance both classroom learning and business owners. As technology has changed over the last several years, I’ve changed with it. I have a knack for the way things work with websites, integrations, troubleshooting and connecting all the dots.

I became a business owner by chance in 2013 when I branched out on my own doing technology professional development in schools around the country due to the company I was working for closing down the training department. I designed my first website as more of an informational tool for what I was doing more than a lead generating/marketing machine. This became the catalyst for diving deeper into what website could really do and the benefit they are to business owners.

After a few years of doing the teacher training gig, I began a fitness journey that led me to being a Beachbody Coach thus doing more marketing, building an email list and making my website more engaging, user-friendly and informative. This led to becoming a Certified Hypnotist and life coach. All was well until…

In January, 2019 my mom passed away suddenly due to complications from stage 4 lung cancer she was diagnosed with only a short month before. I was kicked in the gut and wondered how I was going to regain my composure and live my life.

A year or so prior to her departure, my mom and I had a plan that we were going to sell her handmade crafts and needlepoints on Etsy and I was even going to take a shot at getting a little crafty myself.

My mom wanted to combine both our names for the shop and we came up with JoLi Creations. JoAnn is my mom’s name and then of course, Lisa. How cute, right! The shop never materialized, but the name surfaced again with JoLi Design Solutions.

I was meant to run a business serving and helping others in my own unique way and being witness to my mom leaving her physical body on the morning of January 16, 2019 at 6:16am was the breaking point of everything.

I prayed. I listened. I grieved. I hoped. I cried. I forgave. I surrendered.

JoLi Design Solutions was born in April, 2019 and I haven’t looked back. My husband is creating this dream alongside me. He manages our web server, performs updates and maintenance for our clients and is the tech guru of the business. We are a husband and wife team. Coffee drinkin’, healthy livin’, spiritually chill webpreneurs.

Lisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We design, host and maintain websites for Beachbody coaches, small service-based business and spiritual entrepreneurs. Sometimes we have referrals who do not fit our typical client base and we enjoy doing something different.

When we bring on a new client it’s not just to design a website and send them on their way. Our main goal is to help their business grow, generate momentum and be a solid foundation they can depend on so they can go on doing what they do best, not designing and managing a website.

Our desire to remain on the smaller, ‘mom and pop’ side of things keeps us close to each and every client we serve. When a client needs something related to their website and it’s functionality, they contact us directly. Great design & strategy + hosting, maintenance & support helps our clients grow their business with confidence and ease.

Our website design, hosting and maintenance services are here to help (mainly) Beachbody coaches, spiritual coaches & healers and small service-based businesses increase their impact and income through their website and digital strategy.

We understand that a design solution is an investment of your time and money. And we also understand that there are other web designers out there too, including the DIY option. Conducting routine maintenance and backups on a website takes time and we handle all that for clients.

My husband, Steve, and I own and operate our small but mighty web design business and rely on fresh, home-brewed coffee and mediation on the daily!. We also have two side-kicks (cats) that enjoy our lifestyle alongside us and can occasionally be called on to help.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There’s a lot of noise on the Internet. It’s challenging to remove yourself from it all and follow your gut. Sure, there is good business strategy, certain ‘ways’ to go about growing your business and earning the income you desire and that serves you, BUT, there is also an overwhelming amount of ‘this worked for me so it will work for you’ messages out there that can be confusing.

I have learned to keep things simple. For example:

When I was a Beachbody Coach and then a Hypnotist/Life Coach, I thought the more offers I had the better. I could reach all these different people with what I was offering.

I was listening to the “experts” in the online space telling me to write a blog post, share an “upgraded offer”, write another blog post, share another offer. I was wearing myself out trying to create multiple lead magnets to coincide with multiple blog posts.

This shit was just not working and it was insane the amount of stress I was feeling. Plus, I wasn’t converting much at all with any of the free offers. Many cups of coffee and hours of contemplating were not helping my situation.

Why was this happening? I was not specific enough. I was all over the place with offers and where did they lead? Nowhere really. I wasn’t looking at the end goal for these offers. What was the client journey I expected someone to take? Had no idea really. I was just doing what I was told by the “experts”.

I was spending hours creating all the fancy guides, checklists, meal plans, audio recordings… you name it, I created it. I was throwing up the free offers (and paid offers) like a fishing net trying to catch as many people as I could.

I thought following someone else’s plan was going to get me to where I wanted to be, but it only kept me running into brick walls. I had to step back and follow my own plan. What works for JoLi Design Solutions is to simplify, focus on what our clients need and be confident in what we have to offer.

My plan is secondary to what God has in planned for me. What is most important is that my husband and I are serving our clients, welcoming new clients and being a positive contribution to humanity. We love supporting our clients and watching their business grow!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Slow and steady wins the race. While it’s not really a race, we have settled in to a smooth groove and don’t focus too much on acquiring clients. We market on Pinterest and Instagram mostly, as well as blog regularly, but our steady growth has been through serving our current clients, having faith (coupled with action) that the right clients will come to us. I guess it can sound a bit cheesy, but we aren’t knocking down doors, pushing our services on anyone who will listen and fretting when there’s not been a new client for a few weeks, or even a month or two. We simply believe all is well and do what we can while following our path.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jolidesignsolutions.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jolidesignsolutions
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/jolidesignsolutions
• Other: Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/jolidesignsolutions

Image Credits
Brittany Paul Photography