Brand & Web Designer Micah Woods
About this episode…
BRAND & WEB DESIGNER MICAH WOODS
Losing his job during the pandemic led Micah to starting freelancing.
A year in, he redesigned his ‘OK Micah’ website to be full of his personality and aligned with his values: to help and celebrate queer businesses. To present himself as an agency that is still very much centred on himself.
Two years in, his ‘work life harmony’ is in place. Ideal clients coming to him. Things are more than just OK for Micah with being freelance.
Read the highlights in the next tab.
A WEBSITE WITH PERSONALITY
Creating the brand ‘OK Micah’ - an agency that has Micah’s personality and values shining through it and jumping off the web page has helped bring Micah the clients he’d love to work with…
“The first initial website that I launched didn't have that personality that the current one does. And what I noticed was the clients that were coming to me, weren't aligned with the clients that I wished I was working with.
So I did a lot of deep strategy work as to what I wanted the new brand to look and to feel like, so that it communicated exactly who I wanted to work with.
I think that it's where the design and the copy meet that really evoke that feeling. That's the biggest feedback that I get on my current website is exactly that - it feels like you know exactly who this person that's running this business is, and you either love that or you don't. That's exactly what I wanted to achieve.
And I've noticed such a huge difference in the clients that are coming to me and that I've continued working with since making that shift...”
ALIGNING THE BUSINESS TO VALUES
Micah followed what brought him joy in his first year of business to fins his niche - helping and celebrating queer businesses…
“My first year as a freelancer - I quickly realized that maybe out of the 10 clients that I had, one was a queer led business. And it was that project that I absolutely loved. And I was the most excited to continue working on.
There was just this amazing immediate friendship that happened between me and that client. And I realized that's where my joy lies and that's exactly the type of person that I wanna continue working with and that I wanna build my business around…
It's so important to me. It's so aligned with my values.”
HIRING HELP WITH FINANCES
Getting a company and software to help keep his finances in order is a no brainer…
“I mean, I've been watching so many of my friends and freelancers on Instagram be like 'dreading my taxes', ‘urghh, just spent five days straight doing taxes'.
And I'm over here being like, I clicked a few buttons on this website and I'm done.”
AUTOMATING PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Micah uses a combination of the Notion and Dubsado apps to streamline his business processes…
“In terms of sort of project management, I love Dubsado - that has completely automated everything for me. From that first inquiry until the end of the project, a lot of my systems are completely in place.
So when this gets checked off as done, an email gets automatically sent to the client. And when this is done, this is done, everything is totally automated. So I went from spending probably 15 hours a week figuring out client communication to now it's as easy as takes me, probably like two to five minutes a day doing that. So I'm really able to focus on just designing.”
GET BACK TO CLIENTS!
OK Micah is mostly Micah, but he also hires other freelancers to work with him. Doing that has opened his eyes to what it’s like being the client…
“Being a client for other freelancers teaches you so much about what to do and what not to do.
The biggest one is just being responsive and not disappearing. It's so common how many people will just agree to something and then don't get back to you or, or say, 'this sounds great, I'll get back to you tomorrow or next week'. And then they just never do - So frustrating.
I think if you can just make sure that your clients aren't chasing you around you will be their favorite freelancer of all time..”
WORK LIFE HARMONY
When Micah started out he was happy to work all hours… that is until he wasn’t. Beyond burnout he saw his personal life and relationships fading away and needing to make a change to manage his time better and stop feeling guilty about not working…
“My brother… loves to talk about how work life balance is not achievable, but you can create a 'work life harmony'. And I really take that to heart because I think it is more about not trying to balance the two, but having them work together in harmony in a way that feels good to you.
And so it was just about taking stock of what do I wanna make time for and what do I not wanna make time for and how can I outsource things that aren't bringing joy into my life so that I'm able to then do things that do bring joy to me.
I just have to continually remind myself, you are allowed to take a break. You're allowed to not work. Be good to yourself because you deserve this - you've worked so hard. You have to be kind to yourself and allow yourself to be free and to take advantage of the perks of being a freelancer, which are setting your own schedule.”
“You’re allowed not to work.
Be kind to yourself - allow yourself to be free and to take advantage of the perks of being a freelancer.”
Brand & Web Designer Micah Woods
More from MICAH WOODS
Transcript of the Being Freelance podcast with Steve Folland and Freelance Brand & Web Designer Micah Woods
Steve Folland:
As ever, how about we get started hearing how you got started being freelance?
Micah Woods:
So I'm what I like to call a pandemic freelancer in that I was working at an agency pre pandemic that was mostly based in the music industry. And what was cool about that job was I was not only a designer, but I also worked as a songwriter for them. So I was sort of a hybrid artist in many ways, but when the pandemic hit, there was much a lack of need for music design and my job became obsolete and I was let go. And as sad as it was, it was a great opportunity for me to realize I could take everything that I've learned working in that agency environment and apply it to my freelance life. So from there, I just sort of put the beacon call out to my connections and just let them know, Hey, I'm taking on work for my own projects - if you know of anybody looking for anything, I would love to be a part of it. And from there it just kind of grew and client to client it's just grown into now being almost two years of a fully successful branded web design agency.
Steve Folland:
And before you were let go and made that transition, had you done freelance work on the side? Did you have a presence, you know, like a website, did you have the groundwork done?
Micah Woods:
Yeah, I mean, I definitely had design work showcased on a website of my own, but I didn't really position myself as a freelancer or really as accepting freelance work, it was more so if there was a job I was interested in and they wanted to see my work, I would send them that portfolio link. But in terms of doing freelance work on the side, it was mostly for friends and family is kind of the freelance that I did before. But for the most part, the jobs that I was taking were strictly in-house at the agency.
Steve Folland:
And so those first clients just came from people you knew.
Micah Woods:
Yeah, my very first client was actually from one of my closest friends - her sister was starting a brand and she needed branding and a website done. And she reached out to me and didn't have a very big budget, but I knew, okay, this is my first freelance client. You kind of gotta take a loss in the beginning to start gaining those bigger ticket clients. So I worked with her and it was surprisingly challenging, I would say, which in hindsight was the best case scenario to have your first project be a difficult one because I learned so much - now I know exactly what not to do.
Steve Folland:
In what way was it challenging?
Micah Woods:
I just didn't really set up boundaries with the client. So it was a lot of last minute changes and adjustments. And next thing I knew we had gone through over 20 revisions on the branding and I just was very much a yes person at that time. And I quickly realized that I need to be very clear with the deliverables and very clear with my hours of operation so that I'm not being taken advantage of.
Steve Folland:
Don't worry. I'm not gonna make you go through every single client one by one, but... When it came to client two, how did you approach it differently?
Micah Woods:
I absolutely approached it differently. I beefed up my contract first and I just really was very clear. And I also think I learned that I wasn't asking the right questions before. And it made me quickly realize that I need to get a deeper understanding of exactly what this client needs and how, what I do delivers that to them so that when it comes to starting the project, there aren't really any question marks, everything is answered, and we both know exactly what we're expecting from the other person and really creating very clear deadlines and due dates and expectations on both of our ends.
Steve Folland:
Has it changed over the past two years of where your clients have come from? Is it still from your network?
Micah Woods:
I would say probably about 40% of my clients currently are referral based, but I would say a majority come from two different places. One is Instagram - that's a big one for me. I'm pretty active on there. And a lot of newer businesses and newer entrepreneurs find me through that platform as well as through Webflow, which is what I use to build websites. What I love about that platform is they really highlight their users and they want to showcase the work that's being done by the people building sites within their platform. So I'm really lucky in that they love the work that I do and they love showcasing it.
Steve Folland:
That is great. Do you have to prompt that? Like, do you have to contact them or are they permanently just on the lookout?
Micah Woods:
They're permanently on the lookout. You have the opportunity, every time you launch a site to showcase it, they have a showcase where you can look through things, but the way that most of my clients come is because when I push out a project, they have a team that's looking through everything that's being showcased and then they push certain projects to be featured. And they also send out a weekly email that shows the ones that they're featuring. And I've been lucky that the past three or four projects that I've done they've showcased.
Steve Folland:
Lucky or just very good by the sounds of it.
Micah Woods:
Yeah. You know what? I like that perspective. You're right. It's not that I'm lucky. It's that I've worked really hard and I'm just getting validation for that.
Steve Folland:
That's cool. And can you be hired via Webflow?
Micah Woods:
They can't directly hire me through it. They can essentially reach out to me. So I am also a certified Webflow expert - I had to go through four really challenging quizzes to prove that I actually know what I'm doing within the platform and also show them four projects that I've completed that checkoff their list. And they also grade it on a rubric. So I passed and was added as an expert. So now yes, people are able to search me through the Webflow Expert platform. And actually there's a form where they can reach out to me and it sends me an email, but they don't actually hire me directly through the platform.
Steve Folland:
And would you say that the work that you do has changed over that time?
Micah Woods:
Oh my gosh. Yes. When I look back at that first project, it's interesting to see how much has changed and just how much better it is. I think that it's really amazing to just watch my growth in my freelance journey and also seeing how I've sort of stripped away some of the rules that I was taught in that agency world that had to be followed and abided by. And I feel like I've seen more success come from my breaking of the rules than sticking to them.
Steve Folland:
Do you think it helps to have had that agency experience in the first place?
Micah Woods:
I think it helped in terms of understanding how to communicate with clients and how to create a great client experience and relationship. But I don't know if it was totally necessary for me as a designer to have worked in that agency world. It taught me a lot of lingo and a lot of these sort of best practices in using certain programs, but I don't think that it was totally necessary to become a great designer. And I feel like I've become a better designer not being in the agency world.
Steve Folland:
You said 'client experience'. I remember earlier in this season, the photographer Tianna J Williams using that phrase. How do you view a client's experience?
Micah Woods:
So I think it's from that first initial inquiry to sending off final deliverables, even past that and asking for feedback on the experience. I think for me, I define client experience as any communication between myself and the client and making sure that I'm creating an experience that feels worth it to them, whether sending them a little gift when they book with me or going as far as just checking in on a personal level and just allowing the client to know that they're in good hands and they're working with somebody that's on their team and wants to see them succeed.
Steve Folland:
If we go to your website now, people will see that you present as an agency, it's still very much got your name. It's 'OK Micah, right' - which I love. And it's an amazing website. At what point did you stop just being Micah woods and be OK Micah, or did you start off down that route?
Micah Woods:
OK Micah came about, when after working with my first few clients, I realized that my portfolio website wasn't bringing in new work - it wasn't showcasing what I do. So that's when I came up with the name OK Micah, and sort of branded it as what it is today, because the truth of the matter is - it is mostly just me doing the work, but I do outsource certain aspects of the business when it comes to copywriting, as well as photography. Because a lot of times those are the two biggest things holding clients back that I've noticed. So as much as it is just me running it, there's a lot of behind the scenes work, being done by other freelancers. So I love the idea of it being Micah as a brand. But the truth of the matter is, is that I'm running a mini agency as a freelancer and working with other freelancers.
Steve Folland:
Your personality still runs through it. It's quite a tricky thing to pull off. Has that website changed in the last couple of years and how you put your business across into the world?
Micah Woods:
Yeah, it has changed. I think the first initial website that I launched didn't have that personality that the current one does. And what I noticed was the clients that were coming to me, weren't aligned with the clients that I wished I was working with. So I did a lot of deep strategy work as to what I wanted the new brand to look and to feel like, so that it communicated exactly who I wanted to work with. A lot of that was done through branding and the web design process. And I think as well, the copywriter that I worked with, who actually is my life partner, he's very, very talented and he knows me better than anybody. So he was really able to take my voice and translate it through the copy. And I think that it's where the design and the copy meet that really evoke that feeling. That's the biggest feedback that I get on my current website is exactly that - it feels like you know exactly who this person that's running this business is, and you either love that or you don't. That's exactly what I wanted to achieve. And I've noticed such a huge difference in the clients that are coming to me and that I've continued working with since making that shift.
Steve Folland:
That's so cool. What's that change been like?
Micah Woods:
Oh, it's been incredible. I'm a queer person, so it's really important to me that my clients understand that is a huge aspect of who I am and it's what I bring into everything that I do. And my biggest frustrations in the agency world and in my first client meetings and every now and then I still have a meeting with people where I get called, like, 'Hey bro'. And it's not something that I necessarily identify with and it sort of takes me out of it... And I stop listening for a moment, because it just doesn't feel good when that happens. So I love that now the clients that are coming to me totally get that and are very much on board with that. And it's the reason why they wanna work with me.
Steve Folland:
Mmm. Because I noticed on, on your website, you talk about helping queer businesses and a lot of your copy is brilliant is aimed in that direction. So there's putting yourself across to your true self and saying, this is who I am, this is who you're gonna work with. So that's one side of it, but the other then is nicheing your business as well to say I'm gonna work with queer businesses.
Micah Woods:
Yeah. And I think that it was working my first year as a freelancer. I quickly realized that maybe out of the 10 clients that I had, one was a queer led business. And it was that project that I absolutely loved. And I was the most excited to continue working on. And every single one of those meetings was so amazing because we would start with like, did you watch Drag Race last night? And there was just this amazing immediate friendship that happened between me and that client. And I realized that that's where my joy lies and that's exactly the type of person that I wanna continue working with. And that I wanna build my business around because I also started realizing that nobody's catering to this audience and nobody's taking the time to show them that they're valued and that they should be able to represent themselves as a queer entrepreneur. And so I wanted to be able to help them realize that they're allowed to carve that space for themselves because I didn't realize it at first.
Steve Folland:
How do you get that message out there, beyond your site?
Micah Woods:
I try to highlight queer founders on my Instagram. And it's interesting because sometimes I'll post on my story, a question that's like, 'what are some of your favorite queer led businesses'? And it's very rare that anybody can really think of some, but I know of plenty. And there are a lot of great resources out there that you can find these queer led businesses, but it's maybe not necessarily that easy to find. So it's something that I enjoy doing is to be a space for people to find those businesses. Because the truth of the matter is, a lot of queer people wanna support queer owned businesses, but they just don't know where to find them.
Steve Folland:
So you are not just promoting your own business, you're lifting up others and people are finding your business in that path?
Micah Woods:
Definitely.
Steve Folland:
Which must feel good.
Micah Woods:
It does feel good! I think that sometimes I forget how good it feels until having a conversation like this. And I'm like, wow, I am doing something special. And it's so important to me. And it's so aligned with my values. So to be able to highlight others as well, is a huge blessing.
Steve Folland:
And have you found that you are then getting recommended within the queer community?
Micah Woods:
Definitely. I think that most of my referrals are from queer led businesses to queer led businesses because they often come to me and they're like, we worked with this designer or this developer. And it was super frustrating because they just didn't understand who we are, what we do. And we talked to a friend about it and they talked about you and how their experience was the complete opposite of that. And so working with you sounds like a no-brainer,
Steve Folland:
You know, I've spoken to a few people recently who have got a values driven business. Which I love. But it also makes me wonder - do opportunities come to you, which maybe don't have the budget, but because you really believe in them, there's kind of that conflict between the values and the business?
Micah Woods:
I think that is probably my number one challenge where I'm at in my business right now. And it's something I'm trying to figure out because as much as I want to scale and continue to grow, it's exactly that - I don't wanna leave behind the person who doesn't have a huge budget, but deserves just as much talent and representation in their industry. So it's something I'm trying to find a solution to in my business because I don't wanna leave them behind. And I also want to scale. It feels like a Sophie's Choice of how do I continue doing the work that I am co in love with, in terms of passion, while also growing a successful and profitable business?
Steve Folland:
How about the way you run your business? Not just being the creative, doing the thing, but managing the business?
Micah Woods:
So I'm lucky to have a lot of apps and tools that do it for me, which is amazing. I think my favorite is a US based company called Collective that acts as sort of a 'finance all' in a way - where they are my bookkeepers, they're my accountants. I have quarterly meetings with them to discuss all things financial, because the truth of the matter is I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to taxes, but they do. And they're really good at it. And they've been with me for about a year now and it's been so amazing to have them teach me how to elect myself as an S Corp and how to pay myself on payroll and other employees and exactly how to set up contractors to pay them properly so that when tax season comes... I mean, I've been watching so many of my friends and freelancers on Instagram be like 'dreading my taxes', uh, 'just spent five days straight doing taxes'. And I'm over here being like, I clicked a few buttons on this website and I'm done.
Micah Woods:
Which is so amazing. And I think that anytime anybody asks me, I'm like, if this is available for you, check these people out because they have been such a game changer for me and my business. And then in terms of sort of project management, I love Dubsado - that has completely automated everything for me. And I worked with somebody who helped me set it up. So from that first inquiry until the end of the project, a lot of my systems are completely in place. So when this gets checked off as done, an email gets automatically sent to the client. And when this is done, this is done, everything is totally automated. So I went from spending probably 15 hours a week figuring out client communication to now it's as easy as takes me, probably like two to five minutes a day doing that. So I'm really able to focus on just designing.
Steve Folland:
That's so good. And rather than figuring out yourself, you hired an expert in that platform.
Micah Woods:
I did. I think that was something that took me about a year to realize - was I don't have to do it all. I can hire people who are really good at it and it's worth spending the money because that gives me more time to focus on my client work, which is what's bringing in money. And really also helps me to continue keeping that client experience really good because I wasn't trying to also figure all of these systems to put in place. I could just let somebody else do it for me. And I could focus on my client relationships.
Steve Folland:
Yeah, nice. Ooh. Is there any others?
Micah Woods:
I also use Notion for all of my project management in terms of timelines and to-do lists for me, which has been huge. I took a course called the Notion Mastery, which essentially teaches you Notion from top to bottom. And it creates databases where all of my to-dos are showed to me just for what I need do today. And then I have it set up so that tomorrow is seen and it just takes all of the guesswork out of it. And every time I bring on a new project, it's as simple as duplicating, setting a start date, a finish date. And now all of my things are set up in place. And I just can sit back and look at what I have to do today and not worry about what I have to do tomorrow, because it's gonna show up tomorrow.
Steve Folland:
You've mentioned hiring and working with other freelancers, how have you found that experience? And I know you said one of them is your partner, but equally that can be treacherous ground for some people. So how have you found that?
Micah Woods:
You know, we have our days, of course, but for the most part, we are very understanding and respectful of each other's work ethic. And it's also great knowing how each other works so well that there's just a lot of joy that can come to working with each other because we understand each other so well. But in terms of hiring elsewhere, it has been really good and also really bad. I will say it is hard sometimes to find the right person for a job. And there are just certain areas and everybody works differently. So I think that has been probably one of the toughest things for me, figuring out and navigating as a business owner is finding the right people who work in a way that's aligned with how I work.
Steve Folland:
How do you figure it out?
Micah Woods:
Trial and error, I think is the truly the only way cuz now I feel like I understand when contracting out, when I'm meeting with somebody, I have certain questions and understandings and also certain programs that I enjoy using. So if that person doesn't like using that program, we're not a good fit because I don't want to have to work with something that I don't wanna work with. Cuz I have my systems in place and I need you to either work my way or you're not the type of person I wanna work with.
Steve Folland:
Has going through that process of working with other freelancers helped you dealing with your clients or seeing how a client must feel when they approach you?
Micah Woods:
A hundred percent. I think that being a client for other freelancers teaches you so much about what to do and what not to do. Especially I think the biggest one is just being responsive and not disappearing. It's so common and so frustrating how many people will just agree to something and then don't get back to you or, or say, 'this sounds great, I'll get back to you tomorrow or next week'. And then they just never do - can be so frustrating. And so I think if you can just make sure that your clients aren't chasing you around you will be their favorite freelancer of all time.
Steve Folland:
It's funny though, it sounds like that shouldn't be that hard, but it also sounds like maybe it is.
Micah Woods:
Well I think unfortunately with the way technology is, it has become as easy as not responding. Right? It's simple to forget about an email or things - they don't get lost, but maybe it's not a priority for them. So I think that if you can ensure that you are making your clients a priority, they will know and they will feel like they're a priority and therefore they'll be happy.
Steve Folland:
When it comes to work - how many projects might you have on the go at once?
Micah Woods:
I usually stack about two to three projects a month. And I stack them so that due dates are always stacked. So if a client's wire frame is due Monday, my other client that has a due date that week isn't due until Thursday. So that way I'm always ensuring that I have the time to make sure that I'm able to complete all the work. And that was a big learn for me in the last year. I'm having a lot of people wanting to work with me. How can I take on these clients in a sustainable way without getting burnt out? And it was really as simple as planning it and time blocking things and really being strategic and mapping out exactly when things are due and being realistic with my timelines and knowing that if it takes me three days, give yourself five. So that there's always that little bit of buffer because things come up and some days you do just want to sit on the couch and watch four seasons of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and you as a freelancer, that's one of those perks that you should be allowed to take advantage of.
Steve Folland:
When it comes to work life balance then, how's that for you?
Micah Woods:
It's really great. Now it wasn't always great. I was that freelancer who wanted to be so successful that they were willing to work 20 hours a day and I loved it until I didn't and I started watching my personal life fade away and my relationship struggle. So I knew that I had to make a difference in how I was working so that I was able to even have a semblance of a work life balance. And my brother is a project manager for a pretty big tech company. And he loves to talk about how work life balance is not achievable, but you can create a 'work life harmony'. And I really take that to heart because I think it is more about not trying to balance the two, but having them work together in harmony in a way that feels good to you. And so it was just about taking stock of what do I wanna make time for and what do I not wanna make time for and how can I outsource things that aren't bringing joy into my life so that I'm able to then do things that do bring joy to me.
Steve Folland:
So now you feel like you are in that harmonious place?
Micah Woods:
A hundred percent. The past three months has been my best months, both personally and as a freelancer,
Steve Folland:
Have you defined that difference and how to cling onto it?
Micah Woods:
I think for me it just is all about boundary setting. Honestly, I think that it's being strict with myself about working hours, but also there's some leniency there and for me that's been helpful, but it is as simple as being like 'it's 5:00 PM, you've been working since 9:00 AM - stop - you deserve to take a break'. And it took probably a month. And there are some days where I'm sitting, not working after 5:00 PM and feeling guilty about not working. And I just have to continually remind myself, you are allowed to take a break. You're allowed to not work, be good to yourself because you deserve this - you've worked so hard. You have to be kind to yourself and allow yourself to be free and to take advantage of the perks of being a freelancer, which are setting your own schedule. And maybe some days you do wanna work from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM and that's okay, but making sure that that client communication, I am very strict now where if I get an email at 8:00 PM, I will not respond to it until my working hours. Because my feeling is that when you respond to clients, whenever outside of your studio hours, it just communicates to them that they're gonna get their way whenever they want. And if you aren't strict with your boundaries, then they're gonna take advantage of that.
Steve Folland:
Yeah. So, on your site - you have your services as packages and an FAQ. Has that helped with getting clients?
Micah Woods:
Yeah. I definitely think that being able to see exactly what is included in sort of a base package has been super helpful for clients. Something that I'm still working through and trying to figure out what works best is being transparent about pricing on my website. And I keep messing around and sort of like A/B testing to see what works better because some clients come to you and they're like, 'I love that your pricing was on the website' and other clients come to you. And they're like, 'I don't think you're charging enough'. And it's like, okay, how do I navigate both sides of transparent pricing, but also knowing that having transparent pricing, if somebody comes to me with a really large budget that I'm sort of shooting myself in the foot by not by having clear and exact pricing on my site. So I'm still trying to navigate that portion of it.
Micah Woods:
But I will say that having the Frequently Asked Questions has been huge. Ever since I added that, I get asked those questions a hundred percent less shockingly, and it also just helps the client to understand that I've thought about what they need and what I know that they're curious about. And maybe isn't immediately obvious, but that I've paid attention to what they might have concerns about or what their pain points might be. And so that I can really show them that I know what I'm doing and that I'm an expert in this field. So they have nothing to worry about.
Steve Folland:
If you could tell your younger self one thing about being freelance, what would that be?
Micah Woods:
I think I would tell myself to enjoy it - all aspects of it - and to really take the time to take advantage of the new found freedom that you have as a freelancer and to value that. And to not be shy about it and to be proud of all of the work that you're doing and to continually remind yourself of your achievements, because you don't have somebody telling you that you're doing a great job anymore - so you have to be that for yourself.
Steve Folland:
Micah, it's been such a pleasure chatting to you. Thank you so much and all the best being freelance!
Micah Woods:
Thank you, Steve. This was so much fun.
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