We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stacey Swan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stacey below.

Stacey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

There are definitely moments where I start second-guessing myself and wonder if I should get a regular job. The feeling of knowing exactly how much I will make every month, and feeling that security. The feeling of walking into a job and having that confidence from other people recognizing the work you do. All of those thoughts come when things get quiet. When something unpredictable happens and money feels tight. During these times I would look at job postings just to see what is out there. It seems like every time I got to that point, it was a reality check. Do I really want to be held to somebody else’s schedule? Do I really want to be at a place at specific time? How would that even work with kids? This is the hourly rate for this job? This all triggers a shift in my mindset. What if I spend a little extra time every day doing certain tasks to move the needle in my own business…what would happen? I start making a plan. Action steps. And you know what happens? Inquiries start coming in. People start perking up and reacting to social media posts. Things shift. I realize I am so happy as a business owner. I love having control of my own time. I love not having to stress out to get to a job if my son is having a hard time in the morning. I love enjoying a nice day and taking my pup for an afternoon walk. I’m a constant in the house, and like to think that one day the kids will grow up realizing how lucky they were to have me be home all the time. Although sometimes I miss the confidence from having a boss and other team members that relied on me…I have to remember, it’s a different type of confidence. It is a business that I’ve created, that represents me. How I work, the people I work with, the business friends I’ve made. It gives me the confidence to keep things going. It just looks a little different than a “real” job.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Stacey, and I’m a Showit website designer from Maine. A few years ago I decided to start a virtual assistant business for some extra money on the side. Over the years I realized the website design part of my business was what I really looked forward to. That is when I made the switch to the Showit platform and shifted my business to 100% website design.

The majority of my business is focused on supporting other Showit designers. I absolutely love being behind the scenes, and taking care of tasks that other designers need help with. Showit designers will design a website and then I will develop it in Showit. I also make the updates they have for client revisions too. The feeling of a designer coming to me and saying “I’m in the weeds…do you have time for this?!” and swooping in to help them is what I love.

I also provide Showit updates to other entrepreneurs, working with everyone from photographers to therapists to coaches. Although I do create custom websites, my passion is really for the person that needs “pieces”. That could include updates to their existing Showit website or even a full page on their site for a new service.

My personality is relaxed, laidback and patient. I bring that into my business. I know websites can be very overwhelming, and being able to explain things and take things step by step is really helpful to people. The type of client I love working with is a visionary – they know what they want and they just want it done. They value their time and know that it’s going to be much faster to have a professional do it. I’m not a “hop on a call” type person and find that recording a video is way more efficient.

I’m also a Showit Design Partner, which was a huge accomplishment for me. When I started I never thought I would reach that level. A Showit Design Partner is a designer that is vetted by Showit. It is a very long process because they take the time to make sure your website designs meet a certain standard, and they speak to your previous clients as well to find out what their experience was like.

Whenever I work with someone, I want the process to be helpful, not stressful. I strive to not only give them exactly what they envisioned…but to go above and beyond for them.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I started my business, and throughout my journey as a business owner, I have always run a very lean business. The idea of having an online business seemed less overwhelming since I didn’t need as many start up costs. I think when you start a business you always feel like you “have” to have certain things. I never felt like that. I always used free versions or workarounds, until I got to a point where it was more difficult, and then I would pay for a subscription.

The only thing I paid for to start my business was a DBA which was probably less than $20. I also paid for a software that I could invoice and take payments. I knew this was very important because I wanted to be legit as soon as I started.

In the beginning I knew I needed a website. I looked around and did my research and found a way to have one free. The domain wasn’t pretty but I was just getting started and that was ok. Eventually after about a year of this being a side hustle, I settled on what I wanted to do and a name I was passionate about. That is when I invested in my Showit website platform and domain.

Never feel like you have to do all the things. There are always workarounds, and as your business grows that is when you can start investing in the things that make life “easy”.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When you’re in a regular job with someone else giving you a paycheck, you know exactly how much you are bringing in every month. There are rarely any surprises, and it makes budgeting so much easier. Back in the day when I had a regular job my budget spreadsheet was so easy. I knew exactly what my expenses were and exactly how much would be left over. This was a significantly hard adjustment to make with my own business. Money is fluctuating constantly. I have tried many, many different ways of planning, budgeting and saving. I have many different versions of spreadsheets that I’ve used. It takes a lot to unlearn my years of having a predictable income. I do feel like my current spreadsheet is working well, but I also know it will always be evolving and changing, just as my business will.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coffeeandflow.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandflowcreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coffeeandflow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-swan-aa286213b
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj-OOudmndz7JVrGQoaQ4HA

Image Credits

Not necessary, I created them all myself!