Meet Lisa Rees, website creator and digital trainer, and our latest Featured Freelancer 🎤

As well as creating beautifully bold websites, Lisa is empowering her clients by giving them the knowledge to craft and take control of their own website. Helping clients and seeing them win at website creation gives this Website Wonder Woman a buzz.

But who is this ‘Website Wonder Woman’? What’s her story? Let’s find out.

What is your name and what do you do?

Lisa Rees – Website Wonder Woman at Wonderful World of Websites, specialising in WordPress website creation, support, training and strategy.

 

How long have you been running your business/freelancing and why did you start? 

Since 2015.

I started my business by accident as I was always trying to run a business online to be able to work flexibly around my children. I had previously run a girls party ideas blog and then a local business asked me if I could create a website for them and 8 years later people are still asking.

 

Finding clients is one of the biggest concerns for people starting out working for themselves. Where did you find your very first client or customer? Where do you mostly find them now?

My first client was a friend of mine’s parent who ran a business locally. She then recommended me to her daughter-in-law who also had her own business, who then recommended me to someone else she knew. My business really started growing when I started networking, which is still one of my favourite ways to meet new clients. Behind referrals and past clients, networking is the third biggest way I find clients.

 

What does a dream client look like to you and why?

I love working with women (although I do work with men!) who know what they want and love when I bring it to life for them, not just through a website but it goes beyond just a website and how they can make that website work for them in their business.

I particularly like the training side of my business and I absolutely love helping people who think they could never create a website on their own, with my courses. They have a massive sense of achievement when they do!

 

What app or social media platform could you not run your business without, and why?

I love 17hats, it does everything I need in my business and have used it since 2018. It covers book keeping, invoices, contracts, CRM, workflows, calendar, to do list and so much more. I also have the app on my phone and it keeps my whole business organised.

 

Is working for yourself what you expected? How do you manage a healthy work-life balance?

8 years into my business I have finally started to find some type of routine by mostly working during the day, leaving the evenings and weekends free for my family and friends and myself. It doesn’t always work that way as I can often be on call during website launches or if a website goes down but I love being able to choose the hours that I work; often finishing early on a Friday for lunch with the girls who all finish early on a Friday!

 

What has been your favourite project to date?

I have worked with a lady for a few years now, who has been part of my tech membership, but she’s been unsure of what she wanted and needed on her website, kept changing her mind, tried doing bits herself and had me doing some. But a few months back she hired her daughter as her VA and who has now taken over the website, with my help. She has signed up to my course and also joined my membership and even though she is now living in Florida she always attends calls and asks lots of questions, always willing to learn. Within a few short weeks she has totally transformed the website and it looks amazing and really reflects what her mother is now wanting to do! I’ve had a few clients who have been through a similar process but this was the latest one.

 

What is your biggest win of the last 12 months? 

Winning two awards, one for ‘Small Business of the Year’ at the Welsh Women awards and one of ‘Zokit’s Top 100 Businesses in South Wales’. As well as being nominated for ‘Digital Woman of the Year’ and ‘UK Wide Website Designer’, of which I’m going to London in October for the Digital Women awards ceremony.

 

What is it about running your business/being a freelancer that you most enjoy?

I love the freedom of being able to work around my life and family who always come first, which is why I now have such a good work life balance. The worst thing would be cash flow and the ups and downs of work, one month I may have an amazing month then some months could be really quiet. But I do have my monthly retainers and tech membership that still bring in money.

 

If you were given a free £1000 to spend on your business, what would you spend it on?

People! Either more actual support in my business (this year I want to hire a tech assistant) or help supporting me in my business through coaching and mentoring – which is something I also do regularly for various areas of my business and life.

 

What is your ONE top tip or piece of advice you would offer to other freelancers/small business owners?

Support, this is always my answer to this question. Without a support network I think I would have given up years ago. Having an amazing network of not just family and friends but other business owners (particularly other business owners!) has made me know that I can celebrate my wins freely. When things are not so good I always have someone to talk to, support me and see things differently or try something new to improve the situation.

 

And finally, is there anything you’d like to shout about right now?

In September I will be relaunching my flagship course, ’60 Steps to Website Success’, and we will be kicking off the term with some free masterclasses and challenges in what I like to call Website Wow Week! Dates are to be confirmed but will first be announced to my email list.

 

You can connect with website creator Lisa on Facebook, LinkedIn and via her website.

 

Visit our other Featured Freelancers here and, if you’re a UK freelancer and would like your profile in our freelancer directory, access to all our events and workshops each month, plus more, then sign up and test drive us for a week for free here.