1. Avoid meetings
99% of all meetings could simply be an email or Slack message. Talking face to face (on a screen, that is) should fall into two buckets: Building relationships, or solving problems in real-time. "Jumping on a quick call" isn't for me.
2. Night work > Day work
The majority of my work is done at night when my family is sleeping. If I send you a message at 2am asking a question or showing , don't feel pressured in any way to reply until you're able! This is just when I'm most productive.
3. Come prepared
My job is to build websites, not be your business strategist. Working together on a website before you have clarity on your brand, positioning, or long-term goals will just cause headache for everyone. Prepare accordingly.
4. Quickly, quickly, quickly
I pride myself on working efficiently, delivering quality work that you probably think will take 3x as long. This means two things: I'm expensive (time is money), and having everything prepared beforehand is paramount.
5. Everything asynchronous
I prefer to replace live meetings with asynchronous tools like Email, Slack, or Loom to free up everyone's time. This comes with the benefit of creating a "digital paper trail" of easily reference-able material for the future.
6. No nickel-and-dime-ing
I want working together to be easy, and charging for every little change or update goes against that. When we agree on a price for a project, you won't pay a penny more.
7. Make it a list
Goals are much more easily reached when written. When describing the work you'd like me to perform (whether at the outset or during revisions), creating a thorough list of changes, desires, or preferences is ideal.
8. One point of contact
It's impossible to build a great site with twelve people giving input. I require all clients to appoint one person (project manager or CEO, doesn't matter who) to communicate with about requirements, updates, or revisions.
9. Less is more
Clarity is top priority for websites. You can count on me to intuitively combine, remove, or optimize things to have the clearest site possible. But, this means occasionally trimming things you like to stay on course — nothing personal!
10. Give → get
The more info, context, and vision you can give about what a slam-dunk would look like, the better equipped I am to making that happen. Projects are only done when we're both happy with the result, so honest communication is key.