430 How to Sell Branding & Web Design with Alexia Lynn

Alexia Lynn is a brand strategist, world-class designer, and rock star Web Designer Pro® member who 10x’d her revenue last year after going full-time in August 2025.

A huge aspect of her success (other than being an amazing designer and an awesome person) is how she’s learned to offer and sell both brand and web together.

In this chat, she shares her exact sales process and mindset around how leading with strategy makes selling design, branding and web so much easier.

Head to the show notes to get all links and resources we mentioned, along with a full transcription of this episode at joshhall.co/430

Transcript

Episode Setup And Guest Mission

Alexia Lynn 0:00

When I first got into business and wanted to open a design business, I thought I want to be the best designer out there. Like I want to increase my skills, I want to make the prettiest things. That's what I want to do. But now I'm finding more about the strategy and how design complements the goals of my clients and where they want to go. And I've seen that time and time again that being able to take their ideas, their visions, their vibes, and then translate it into a brand and website to attract their target audience. And it actually happening is amazing. And that's what I love too is being the strategic partner for my clients in that way, rather than just being a designer who designs a website or builds a brand.

Josh Hall 0:42

Welcome to the Web Design Business Podcast with your host, Josh Hall, helping you build a web design business that gives you freedom and a lifestyle you love. Their ideas, their vision, their vibe, and translating that into a brand and website that attracts their ideal customers. That is the main goal and the mission of my guest in this episode, Alexia Lynn, who has become so much more than just a designer. She has very quickly become a brand strategist and a business growth partner for her clients, for many Web Designer Pro members and their agencies, as one of our amazing rock star members of Web Designer Pro. And she has become that for me personally. Alexia is now my brand strategist and is on retainer with me for design work across my entire ecosystem. And it has been an honor to see her in her very short time, less than two years into her business, in less than one year, full-time in her business, just completely become a whole new person and move from a pixel pusher to a profit producer. This again is Alexia Lynn. And we're going to dive into specifically in this interview how she is selling both brand and web design services together. Because if you're doing branding and website services, you're probably very curious about what others are doing with how they're selling this in particular. Like, are you doing websites and then using branding as an upsell, or do you start with brand? And only if you do that, do you go to websites? Do you have clear packages or do you do paid discovery? What are people doing when it comes to branding and websites? Where does AI fit in the mix with this? Are designers cooked? All of those questions and more are covered in this one. But most importantly, you're going to see what Alexia is doing that is blowing up her business. Now, if you are interested in learning more about building your own brand in your own vibe, no matter where you are in your business, whether you're brand new or whether you're more established and you need a refresh and you need to actually like have a clear vibe in your business. Alexia is actually hosting a workshop this week. It's completely free. It is for all, it is for everybody. It's going down on Thursday, June 25th at 3 p.m. Eastern. Alexia is hosting what she's dubbed the brand vibe workshop. You're going to learn what goes into creating a memorable brand experience, messaging, positioning, visuals, everything that we cover in this one and so much more. Go to joshhall.co slash workshop if you're catching this the week that this interview comes out to sign up for free. The replay will be available inside of Web Designer Pro. So pro members will always get access to this. But if you're catching this while it goes live, you can join us for free at the workshop. So go to josh hall.co slash workshop to sign up for that to learn from Alexia. But for right now, you can learn from Alexia here to hear what's worked for her with selling, branding, and website design together. Let's go.

From Designer To Strategic Partner

Josh Hall 4:02

All right. Well, Alexia, so good to have you back on the show as a very new version of yourself. Um, it's so cool. Uh, we're again basically said what I just said. We had to re-restart this because we had a Wi-Fi issue, but um it's just so cool to see your fast trajectory and the the level you're at now just from a couple years ago when you kind of came into my world. Uh we'll have all this linked in the show notes, of course, but you listened to a live QA on my YouTube channel, you submitted some incredible questions, and then you joined pro and you were working full-time, building this up on the side, very green to the industry, a lot of imposter syndrome. And fast forward a couple years, uh you're not even like version 2.0, you're like version 5.0. Uh and so I just want to say publicly before we get going, because we're gonna unpack that a little and and dive into branding and design and the state of it now. But uh, I'm just so freaking proud of you. It's freaking awesome. Uh, we have a very unique relationship with you uh, you know, with me coaching you, with you being a member of Pro, but also uh you're on retainer with me as my as my design strategist. So uh it's just awesome. I'm just thrilled for you. How do you feel uh with the, you know, looking back at the past couple of years, how do you feel now?

Alexia Lynn 5:32

I feel amazing. And first of all, thank you for having me on the podcast again. It was such a pleasure the first time, and so I'm really excited to be on here again. And the next thing would be I definitely feel like I've come more into myself, my purpose, my passion coming through. I do wake up, and even the hard days, I love what I do, um, which was a total change from where I was at two years ago when I did join Pro. So, like the transformation has just kept going. And I have to thank you and Pro for that. Like, it's been amazing.

Josh Hall 6:04

Well, the transformation that you've gone through in two years, this could be a 10-hour episode, but we'll try to keep this reasonable. Um, but what's so cool is like, and again, these will be linked, but we you had sent submitted some incredible questions that I answered in a video that I posted about how to start a web design business. And then you were on in 350, episode 350, back in the fall of 2024, because you had one of the most impressive launches that was very intentional, very proactive that I've ever seen. In fact, it was so good. You did a training in pro that people can still go back to as member as a member of Pro and and you know basically steal your launch plan. Um, and I remember vividly the what how that led to me hiring you. I don't know if I told you this before or not, but I saw your presentation was just designed so well. I remember thinking, I want that. Like I that is what I would like, please. I would like that design, I would like that slide template. And that's what kind of led to you know, seeing your trajectory and obviously coaching you, but then feeling like, man, I really, you know, I'd like I'd like you uh to design some stuff for me. So so, so cool. Um what do you view yourself as right now at the because you're full-time now. You've been you well, coming this August, you'll have been full-time for a full year. So not the full year yet, Mark, but uh yet, but um feels like longer with just your trajectory. But how do you view yourself now? Do you view yourself as a a brand strategist, a design strategist, a web and designer? How do you what do you feel like your title is currently?

Alexia Lynn 7:48

Well, when I'm working with you, it's a director of vibes, which I really love, just in the project management software. But I have found myself when I first got into business and wanted to open a design business, I thought I want to be the best designer out there. Like I want to increase my skills, I want to make the prettiest things. That's what I want to do. But now I'm finding more about the strategy and how design complements the goals of my clients and where they want to go. And I've seen that time and time again that being able to take their ideas, their visions, their vibes, and then translate it into a brand and website to attract their target audience, and it actually happening is amazing. And that's what I love too is being the strategic partner for my clients in that way, rather than just being a designer who designs a website or builds a brand. It's it's a lot more intentional and strategic. And I love it.

Josh Hall 8:43

Yeah, that that's how I view you is I mean, even our first project we worked. So transparently, for anyone who doesn't know or is not a member of Pro, we were really open about this in Pro for members. But for those who don't know, I hired you to just as a one-off project to design um my uh brand partner sales slide deck. And my thought was like, you know, you're a great designer. And obviously I had seen you launch your business, and we're not gonna cover the first part of your journey because that was covered extensively in episode 350. But I did really see you excel in design both on websites and in just visuals and branding. So when I hired you for that, my thought was I'd love to have a killer slide deck for this one project. What you gave me, and you gave me extras and assets that I've been continuing to use, was not a slide deck. It was like a branding blueprint. It really was. It was like, yes, there were slide designs, but the way you crafted it, the way you presented it was like, oh my gosh, this is like this is a template and a foundation I could use for additional slide decks, which I'm doing now every summit I'm in, and I've even used it on my revamp courses. It's like everything I do is base stemmed off of that one project. And it's also little assets that you created, like little graphics, little icons that honestly I didn't realize I didn't have in my business. I feel like what you um shhed light on was the fact that I really didn't have like a guide. You know what I mean? Like a branding guide. So I couldn't agree more that you're definitely, if I could put a succinct title to where you're at now, it is a design strategist, or maybe even a branding strategist as an overarching term.

Alexia Lynn 10:32

Yes, I would 100% agree with that. And I love seeing you use the different assets and things. Like there was a presentation uh you posted in pro like a day or two ago, and I saw the slides and I was like, I recognize that. And so it just makes me proud, you know, that you're using the assets and you're using them really well, and it complements your brand, it elevates it and it makes it feel more custom and more personalized, like just the whole vibe of it. So I'm very excited to be a part of that, like elevating your brand, branding.

Josh Hall 11:02

Yeah, and I mean, quite frankly, it saves me so much time. Like I used to, I don't know why I did this. I just love making things more difficult than they need to be, I guess. But every time I would do a new presentation for a summit, I'm like getting funky with the fonts and the colors, and it's just like a whole new brand every time. And now I feel so much more efficient because I have the brand styles and the guidelines. Um, and I think as web designers, we all know like we've all had a client, or probably will get a client eventually that has like their branding dialed in and they give you the style guide, they give you the branding elements, they give you visuals, you know their typefaces, you know their the graphics and the icons and the style. And it just makes life so much better. It's so much more fun to design. You can really focus on the conversion metrics and the high-level stuff that you're you're doing that work on. So um, all that to say, uh, and we'll dive into some some specifics on this, but it definitely gave me more appreciation in branding and the importance of that. I mean, I've always respected design, um, but I've also not realized how important branding is in until my life has changed after working with you on the first project. So I'll send you a testimonial separately for that. But um so I really want to I want to kind of leave it open to you, Alexia.

Why AI Makes Brands Feel Lifeless

Josh Hall 12:26

Like, uh, where do you want to take this with right now what you're seeing with the importance of design and branding, especially in the age where I wonder with AI if people are gonna try to like, I don't know what AI tools are doing in the world of branding and assets per se, but like I guess that's the same question would be like, where do you see branding in the importance of brand strategy in 2026?

Alexia Lynn 12:50

I see it as a it's always been foundational, but I think more than ever having a cohesive vibe for your entire brand experience, whether it's, you know, your logos, your messaging, messaging is a huge one because everybody's using Chat GPT for copy and people can tell. And so you're not really speaking to the um the target audience. There's not this cadence, there's not this tone of voice anymore. It's being erased, you know. And even if you do use tools like Chat GPT, there's ways that you can infuse your own brand voice in there that I think is being missed a lot. Another thing that I'm seeing is I will agree that I think some of the AI tools are getting better at creating logos or creating little design assets. And one of the things that I this may be a hot take on, but I don't like seeing designers post an AI, what ChatGPT gave me versus the brand I designed. I don't like seeing that. I wouldn't personally do that because I think a lot of people, a lot of clients, or you know, I think they're gonna see the Chat GPT version and say, okay, well, that's just fine. It was free. And that's good enough for me and my brand. Whereas the designers that are seeing these posts, they respect the designer and the craft that went into it. A lot of people aren't going to put the I don't know how to say it, but like if you're just a client and you're looking around and you're saying, Oh, I didn't even know Chat GPT could design something like that. Well, let me try it for my brand. And then it's getting better. It's also training on these models. It's just not, I just don't like seeing those posts. So I don't like being like compared in that way. And I know that a lot of designers lately have been doing that and have been seeing it, and it's just not my vibe. It puts a bad taste in my mouth, and nothing wrong with that to the designers, but I just don't feel like you need to compare Chat GPT to a full braining experience that somebody has done. It's too, it's different, and I don't think clients quite understand because they can look at the chat GPT stuff and be like, okay, well, that's fine. It was free and it took five minutes. You know, it's gonna be yeah, it's just just uh AI thing.

Josh Hall 14:55

Yeah, and it kind of kind of reminds me of a decade ago when like clip art and different graphic design options were becoming available for clients and DIYers, and then it was just like it was all used, or like when stock photos really this is dating me, but like I remember back in like 2012, 2013, stock photos were actually like pretty novel at that time, like like good stock photos. And then there'd be like particular photos or models and photos who would be on like every website. And I think that's what's gonna happen too, is because a lot of these language models are you know basically just pulling from everything else. There's not technically like original content, it's just finding what else is there and curating its own, but it's all gonna kind of not rip each other off, but it's it's gonna, yeah, I think it's gonna get stale and it's going to get. I think I think there's gonna be a point where even if somebody doesn't have a design eye, it's just gonna feel like, I don't know why this just doesn't look great. You know what I mean? Like even people who who don't or aren't creative or don't have a design eye, they can still sense like, why does this look bad? I don't, I don't understand why, but there is, I think all of us have some level of ingrained just basics of rule of thirds, like basic design principles that aren't brought to light until we learn about design and color management. And um, just for example, like why are fast food restaurants typically red and yellow? Oh, because red is an alarming type of number and also gets your hunger going. Um, like there's stuff like that that makes sense when it all comes to light. And I think that's gonna be the case with AI too, as designers are more original, more authentic, and yeah, more real with their design.

Alexia Lynn 16:38

And I also think that using like Chat GPT for your logos and stuff, if you're a small business and that's the route you want to go, then that's fine. I'm not here to convince you otherwise, you know. But if it I feel like it cheapens your brand a lot because it's like, hey, I put this thing in, it created this thing for me, and here I go. You know, it's not very crafted. I also don't think it's gonna appeal to the target audience of somebody that's wanting to invest in you because it's like if you didn't invest in your branding and create this thing with somebody else to help pour life into it. And that's another thing is a lot of these Chat GPT and AI designs, they're a little lifeless. Like you can't tell the passion, the craft that went into it, um, the messaging or intent behind it, too. Um, so I think that that's a lot of it. People will just type in, hey, you know, can you make this brand with this and these colors? And it'll pop out something that, you know, you can easily find on Pinterest because it basically took it probably for Pinterest. So yeah, that's my thoughts on it.

Josh Hall 17:37

The word you just said right there just kind of hopped out at me was lifeless. Yeah, I think it's gonna be the same as copy. Like you can just tell when somebody's using AI, especially if they're just writing the a full piece of copy, whether it's a newsletter or a blog post or an answer to a question or whatever it is, there is a sense of like just no personality. And of course, you can you can get by with prompts, and as a and as a large language model starts to know you, it could talk like you a little bit more. But I feel like as humans, at least with the state of AI currently, there is a lifeless feel, and that obviously translates to the design side of things. Because like some of the stuff that you created for me, for example, you on the surface, you could look at it and it may just look like a I don't say average design, I just mean like a design. Like it doesn't look like maybe there was like, you know, what went into that from a strategic standpoint. Well, a lot went into it from a strategic standpoint. Like you knew in Web Designer Pro we have builders, growers, and scalers. And the way you crafted icons that really articulated that and gave it a sense of like movement between the phases of members, and also tied in with my colors and my branding and the feel that you created for the entire brand style guide that you created for me. It's all very cohesive. That it's quite robust, is what I'm trying to say. Like, you know, like a brand style guide is a very robust thing, and there's so much more to it than just yeah, make me a coffee shop logo. So that gives me hope for sure. Um that I think we're gonna see that pendulum swing to where, like, yeah, stuff's just gonna look boring, bland, and lifeless in a lot of ways.

Alexia Lynn 19:23

I agree. And I think a lot of that has to do with one, the design, two, a lot of copy and messaging now, because that's like the field that it's taken most. Um, I would say. And I'm not saying don't use Chat GPT for your copy, but I'm saying add like if you're going to add some personality to it or add your own flavor and touch to things. Like, for example, I've had numerous amounts of people comment on the one phrase that I have on my website. It's, oh my God, Becky, look at her brand design. Well, that's that's obviously like from the Sir Mix Lot uh uh Yeah.

Josh Hall 19:58

I want to hear the thing, but anyway, I was just I want to hear the nerdy uh designer renditions.

Alexia Lynn 20:03

Yeah. I'll wrap it for you, right now.

Josh Hall 20:06

I like big brands and I don't didn't lie.

Alexia Lynn 20:10

Oh, the brothers can't didn't. Okay, we're not gonna go into that. But anyway.

Josh Hall 20:13

Oh, we are. We'll do it in pro con. That's what we're gonna do in a karaoke song this year.

Alexia Lynn 20:16

Yes. And so, um, but like that stuck out to people because it's different. It stuck out because it's something that people are familiar with, but it's it's like it took personality to put that on there. Not everybody's gonna put that on their website. Um, and so like coming up with these personality-driven things to tell people who you are and what your brand's about, I think that's gonna become more relevant. Because again, people can put, you know, oh, let me just slap Chat GPT. It's elevated, it's this, it's like, you know what I mean? Those things, it's um just not the best. So adding personality, I think is gonna be more and more relevant and it's gonna help you stand out even more. And that's why I love designing the whole damn vibe because I can control like control and craft those things for my clients, you know, as far as messaging, the brand strategy, the design, the web design, the conversion flow, like all of those things are creating your entire vibe, um, which is not often like talked about.

Injecting Voice Into Messaging

Josh Hall 21:12

Can we please? Can I put a vote in to change your headline at least for a month to see how it converts, to say I like big brands and I cannot lie, you know, the brothers can't deny. Um we'll see, we'll see. We're getting fun here. Uh, well said. And it's what I want to dive into real quick is like specifics on how you are marrying both branding on the design and strategy and print side of things versus web. Because this is one of the big things is like as you know, my story going from a graphic designer to web designer, I quickly realized like I'm so much better at web design. I that's what I want to focus on. Um, whereas like as much as you've gone into web design, you've still really retained the yeah, like brand strategists. So I I'm kind of curious, how are you presenting yourself in networking groups and when you're you're in front of leads and prospects? Like you just came from a B and I group before this call. When you're there now, do you say I'm Alexia web designer? Do you say brand strategist? Because you know, like if you go to an HVAC company and you're like, I'm a brand strategist, or like, what the freaking heck does that mean? Um, so how are you presenting yourself in the real world?

Alexia Lynn 22:24

Do you want my little pitch?

Josh Hall 22:26

Yeah, yeah. What's the elevator pitch? Yeah.

Alexia Lynn 22:29

So I always say, Hi, I'm Alexia Lynn, and I help you become the whole damn vibe with branding websites and SEO designed to convert. That usually gets people's attention because it has all three of my things. I also say the whole damn vibe because as I'm going more and more, that catches people off guard. That also is kind of like, oh, she does the whole thing too. And it sparks a conversation. I also say it in a funny, little sassy way because that's just my personality. Um, so I stand out from the people going, oh, and we help you build your website, we make your website work for you. How many times have you heard that before? Um, so I try to stand out in those ways. And a good example of this is I actually put um for like three of my little things on my business card, look damn good. Because that's like, I want people to feel that it has my personality in it. It tells people that I'm not just, you know, another corporate agency that they're hiring. It tells me, it tells people that it's personality driven. Like I help personality brands. And I actually got a client because of that. I had one person say, Oh my God, I can't believe you would put damn on your business card. Like, why would you do that? And I there for a minute, it kind of took me back because I had finally felt in myself. And so I also want to say this for the audience too. Whenever you step out and are trying to be more of yourself and be more personality driven, you're gonna have people that are like, you're being too much, or why would you do that? Or this isn't the norm, or that's not professional. But then you'll have somebody that sees that on your business card and immediately signs up to work with you because you're that person for them. And she had had two other people work on her website before and they didn't capture her vibe. She ended up hiring me and we launched her website. She actually added on a full branding kit afterwards because she's like, I want everything to look like my website. Like you did such a good, you captured my personality, like minimal, minimal revisions. And she goes, Can you just design all my stuff now? Because uh, I captured her vibe and it was different and it was personality driven, and it was her. And that's what a lot of the people that she showed her website and these touch points to it's it was her within that brand. And that's what I'm really good at is capturing the person's personality and what they want to reflect to people within their branding. So I think that that's like that's my spill. So if you want some of that, come over my way.

Josh Hall 24:42

That same that same person who is not we'll call it hating, but it was more so just like a probably a little shock and awe by seeing such a harsh curse word on a business card.

Alexia Lynn 24:52

They were also older too.

Josh Hall 24:52

So I think older, and you're in the South. So that like in the South would be like, wow, that is like the worst thing you could possibly do. Um, at least from what I know from some of the southern folks I knew. Anywho, um, so they became a client and you gave them their whole damn vibe.

Alexia Lynn 25:09

Yeah, the um, yeah, it was so good, and we still work together. Like it's just I'm picking up more of those people because again, when I was like even two years ago on the podcast, I remember even posting something in pro and was like, guys, I feel like I'm looking around at all these agencies and it looks like they have it all figured out and they have this and they have these things, and how can I compete when I'm only me? And it's like I remember posting that, and everybody was like, Well, you'll find the people that are good for you, like do the stuff to stand out. And as soon as I started standing out and doing things the way that I wanted to do them and that I felt called to do, it has just dramatically changed everything. My confidence has skyrocketed. I do feel like a new person. I'm able to step out to the plate, and people want to work with me because I'm me, because I bring my vibe, because I'm not just, oh, and we're, you know, gonna do like X, Y, and Z. We're gonna use the same template we use for everyone because this is how we do it. Like they're not coming to me for that. They're coming for a full custom experience that I can provide them. And so I I just I love it. I'm passionate about it.

Josh Hall 26:11

Yeah, great. It's so cool to see just how I mean, it was pretty, you were very clear when you started your brand. I mean, obviously, you've had the visual vibe brand since you came into Pro. So you're obviously like clear on that, the the vibe that you create. But what has become really clear is what you just shared with us, which is the elevator pitch, the uh overarching branding web design SEO. Now, the big question is, and I'm sure you get this how the heck do you put a vibe into digital format? Obviously, this is tech lingo, but how how do you take somebody's we're gonna get woo-woo and their energy, their essence? How do you translate that into copy, messaging, visuals? What are the elements that make like a successful vibe?

Alexia Lynn 27:03

I will say that I think it's a combination of goals. So if I'm talking to my client, what are they hoping to achieve? Like I worked with a um a holistic wellness spa. And before they worked with me, it seemed like their website, they had already had some branding done by someone else, but their website felt like a service menu. And that was one thing. She's like, it feels like a service menu. I'm not trying to be just like, hey, come get the service. I'm wanting to move more into a holistic wellness. We had these amenities, we had these things. She was going more into a membership model as well instead of one-off services. So she wanted her website to reflect her entire experience. And so we were able to put that in there. And one thing, um, I had actually gotten a facial before I finished the website, and she had combined the feeling of a wellness spa with the treatments you need. So we came up with the phrasing or the tagline. It's the treatment you crave uh with the experience you need, or something along those lines. And so it was like you're, oh, it was the treatment. Yeah, it was like the care you crave with the treatments. It was something. But anyway. Um but it was like having that messaging in there, reflecting that, guiding the user journey of those things to really reflect an experience. Um I think that's the best way to put it.

Josh Hall 28:21

That makes sense. How are you? I know a little bit of this because you know you're in pro, and then we're gonna be doing even more at the time of recording this. We're about to launch into our first mastery sprint in pro and and you're in that. And uh, we're gonna be able to, you know, do some more intensive coaching and and really digging into your processes and everything. But I'm kind of curious, how are you leading right now? With, are you leading with the website? Are you leading with brand? Are you leading with SEO and an overall presence? Um, what's your actual process look like for because as you mentioned, that client started with a website and they're like, oh my gosh, I want everything else to look like this. I started with a slide deck and thought, oh my gosh, I want everything else to look like this. How are you, yeah, how does that work practically?

Bundling Branding Websites And SEO

Alexia Lynn 29:07

So it depends. A lot of the clients I've had lately are coming for a website because they're like, hey, they've seen my work on other websites. And once they see it and they they like read through it and they go, they're like, oh, like I want this. Like I didn't realize I've had a couple people, especially at my um B I group where I showed like the before and afters, and they were like, oh my gosh, like that's like night and day difference. Um so having that, and then something they can physically go to like a website, is easier for them to also see the branding with it. So that's again, is I don't, whenever I do my services, I do a combination usually of branding websites and SEO. Even if they already have branding, I'm usually taking that styling. I'll either add things to it or I will work on the messaging, which people don't like they always think branding is like the visuals. A lot of it is the messaging and who you're targeting to and coming up with those taglines and phrases and things.

Josh Hall 30:01

Are you are you linking site design by visual vibe and the footer of all your websites? Okay. Just making sure.

Alexia Lynn 30:07

I also put a site credit page on my websites, thanks to Michelle.

Josh Hall 30:11

So I do have those. So site credits like it's on your site.

Alexia Lynn 30:17

No, it's a page on their site that's it's like at the very bottom, like it's a hidden page. Um, but you can click like site credit and it'll go to like a page that just says this, you know, this website was designed by Alexia Lynn of Visual Vibe Design. That is now like a link that goes to my website too. Um, so it's like it's because I I believe Michelle was like, it doesn't um it doesn't have as much SEO juice if it's just in the footer, but if it's on an actual page with copy surrounding it, AIs and search engines pick that up a lot.

Josh Hall 30:53

So thank you, Michelle. Oh, that's genius. Okay, what a great strategy. So site design. I'm looking at one right now. I'm looking at link art.

Alexia Lynn 31:02

Yeah.

Josh Hall 31:02

One of your designs. Beautiful design, no shocker. Site design by a visual vibe. That goes to a page, or no, that one, so that one goes right to your website. But yeah, there's a project who've done it.

Alexia Lynn 31:14

Yeah, there should be um, I still have a site credit.

Josh Hall 31:18

Site credit, sorry.

Alexia Lynn 31:18

Yeah, site credit, and then it'll click and you can read all about it. And usually if there's a photographer or something too, then we'll put their their uh credits on there.

Josh Hall 31:26

This is super nerdy, but I wonder if in the footer if it said site designed by Visual Vibe linking to site credit, if that would be better, or if it's best with this route of having site credit link as a different link. Maybe that.

Alexia Lynn 31:40

I think it's best that route because if people like that's more for search engines, um, but for people using the site, if they're like, oh, I wonder who had designed the site, it's best for them to just go to my site. Yeah. And I've actually had that pop up for my client um LandQuest, who is like a real estate uh type client with properties and everything.

Josh Hall 32:02

Gotcha.

Alexia Lynn 32:02

We were looking up some stuff on ChatGPT with his website, and it actually, or with I think it was my website or something, but it anyway, it popped up like the foot, like what I had put in that site credit page on um on Chat GPT because it picked that up and I was like, oh, that's so cool.

Josh Hall 32:18

I can't believe I haven't really explored the site credit page. Um, did I miss that? Was that a post and pro I missed, or is this something that Michelle has been holding out on me? Because this is a genius SEO move.

Alexia Lynn 32:30

I can't remember where I heard about it, but it was awesome. She's like, I was just like, I'm putting it out on every page now or every website

Site Credit Pages For Search Visibility

Alexia Lynn 32:37

now.

Josh Hall 32:37

I'm gonna add that to my hidden pages recommendations in the business course. Um, so site credits. So there we go. Quick tip that anyone can do go to a few of your site. So I imagine you probably have to get approval from a client, right?

Alexia Lynn 32:49

Or I want to it's just it's in the contract, just like you put it with the footer. I mean, it's just a hidden thing. Like, and I always put usually and I need to revamp my portfolio because I still don't have your stuff on there. Um, but I'm planning on redoing my whole website anyway. So um, but I also put their link to their website on my website too. So it's like a it's kind of like, hey, get some SEO juice for me, I'll get some SEO juice for you. It's mutually beneficial. Um, I wouldn't do it if it wasn't otherwise. Like that's just yeah, I want every I want my clients to succeed. You know what I mean? So it's like if I can link their stuff, if I can buy their products, if I can use their services, I always try to do that because like I get so in-depth with my clients, especially in the strategy sessions that I do. Like, I love them and I want to I want to work with them, I want to support them, I want them to be the best. Um, and I also think that differentiates me from a lot of the other agencies around here too. Um, not saying that they don't care as much, but a lot of the agencies that have teams and have things, they are more worried about the bottom line than those things I am necessarily.

Josh Hall 33:50

They don't care as much.

Alexia Lynn 33:52

Yeah, so anyway.

Josh Hall 33:54

You're the sweet spot right in the middle, just like I show. Yes, just like I did on my website that's paid off for so many Web Center Pros. You're not a stressed-out freelancer, you're not an agency that sees people as a number on a spreadsheet. You are right in the middle.

Alexia Lynn 34:06

Um, I use dedicated partner. I use that same strategy with dedicated partner, and that has stood out positioning-wise with a lot of people because they do talk to me. It's not just okay, cool, and now my team's gonna handle it, and I'm off selling more stuff. It's I actually want to work with my clients. Like that's the part about scaling that I don't I don't think I'll ever give up. I do want to actually work with my clients and do the work. I don't just want to be the the head of the business and then everybody else take care of everything else. That's just that's not how I'm able to dive so deep into people's businesses. And, you know, as you as you know, working with me, hopefully you like it.

Josh Hall 34:43

Oh, yes.

Alexia Lynn 34:44

Hopefully you like the vibe.

Josh Hall 34:45

Yes, yes, the vibe is great. Uh and I mean I know that's the challenge right now, also is it's as much of a blessing as it is a curse because you uh you care so much and you want to be the the person doing it all, but uh it's limiting if if you have too much work or too many clients or too much opportunity, and you're there now. So, on a personal side note, I'm very excited to help you as we dive into our little mastery sprint coaching plan together here to help you through that because I got ideas that we'll be learning about together. So your websites are often a referral source from the first contact. But um are you ever leading with brand or SEO? Or or like because I figured we'll talk page discovery because that's been a huge boost for you uh and a change. But yeah, are there ever times where somebody's leading off with brand or another area of what you do?

Alexia Lynn 35:37

It depends. Um, here lately I've been talking about websites a lot uh because I do find within the website I do a lot of branding and I do a lot of I do the website and then I also infuse SEO, whether it's just foundational SEO or if we continue with an SEO plan. So it's like I love doing all of those three things together because that makes my clients get the best results. Like I've seen it time and time again. Even one of my clients that, oh, I love her so much, she got the opportunity to work with Bloomingdales because they found her website through Google. They inquired with her, but it's they found her through Google. She had a nice website that was designed for conversions. I did her branding so that she was marketed as an attainable luxury. And so it's like all of that went into that transaction. And now she's gotten several different um corporate clients and brands that she works with because of those three things. And so I'm like, if I can apply those three things to more businesses, they're able to get better results, work with higher level people, get more opportunities. And that's what I want for my clients is more opportunities, more revenue, and more just being awesome.

Paid Discovery As A Strategy Sprint

Josh Hall 36:50

How do you sell branding? If somebody, if I were to come to you and I'm like, I just need a website, I don't need a logo or design or anything, I just need a website. But you're like, well, you don't have anything or your logo is terrible. How do you have like a mini-brand package option or do or do you basically force people to do a branding and web design package together?

Alexia Lynn 37:11

So that's where the paid discovery, or as I like to call it, the strategy sprint, um, where we identify those things ahead of times because there's been times where I have started projects and especially websites, where it's like, okay, we're gonna do this scope and we'll do this. But then I noticed they don't really have any branding and I'm creating the branding or I'm creating the vibe. Um it's like, oh, they need these touch points, or a lot of the times we'll be adding on additional pages because it's like, oh, once I'm actually in there and I'm strategizing with you, then it's like, oh, having a results page right at the top, but you, you know, you only paid for a three-page website. Um, but having that extra results page would actually do better for conversions and you would get more out of it. It's it's a it's a mixture of everything. So that's why I do paid like paid discovery or strategies for right now. So we can identify all those areas beforehand, and then we have a better process of like going forward, making sure all those points are taken care of. So that's why I like doing that.

Josh Hall 38:08

So elephant in the room, paid discovery, huge hot topic right now. I mean, it's I feel like every other day in pro, we're talking about it to some degree. It's it's one of the most common uh topics of conversations on our weekly coaching calls. Like I know Mark's been in it right now with kind of crafting his offer and when to force people to go paid discovery, when to just do a website. Um, for you, are you funneling everyone, every lead through your strategy sprint? Paid discovery, or will you take on a project and we don't need to do a sprint?

Alexia Lynn 38:42

So that is the what's changed in 2026. So I the problem that I'm solving with paid discovery, because it's again, it's not like, oh, hey, I want a bunch of money up front. No, that's not the the situation. The situation was I myself was getting booked out. So I don't have the capacity to one, take on new projects. For two, even the projects that I would start, a lot of my clients wouldn't get content to me. And so their project timeline was supposed to be, you know, three or four weeks, and now it's stretched out over months because they don't have the content or they need brand photos or they need these things, but we didn't identify that ahead of time. So now it's like, okay, well, we started that, but actually you need some photos because if you're gonna invest in a website, get some good photos. And so it's like this whole situation, and also the strategies front allows people to start working with me because I can do that faster than, oh, let me just, you know, start a website project. Um, it allows people to start working with me. We get the strategy, we nail everything out so we can have a cohesive strategy and it supports the goals. And then we go into, hey, what content do you need? So before we even start the website project or branding project, do you need any pieces of content? A lot of the time it's website content that we need. Um, but it's like you go get those things on your own time, and then we can come back and we can start the project, and then the project can get done a lot faster so that we're not having these time delays because those time delays have caused me to be booked out because then everybody's quiet for a couple months, but then as soon as they're ready to launch their project, it's hey, I need you to jump on this right now. Um, and it's like, well, I've already booked myself out because you didn't get back to me. You know what I mean? And so it's like that allows a smoother process. I've also noticed in my strategy sessions that I was sending a workbook ahead of time and having people fill out. I don't like that connotation anymore because it's like having clients fill out homework. It's like I'm giving them homework. I would rather spend the extra 30 minutes in the strategy session. So now it's 90 minutes instead of 60 minutes. I ask them all the questions, I dive a lot deeper and I'm able to pull things out of them that they wouldn't normally just like say on, you know, on the thing. Like I'm able to see their passion. I'm able to capture a lot of what they're actually wanting rather than what they can just write down.

Josh Hall 40:59

Um so side note, talking about capturing a vibe, that's the way to do it. Because yeah, if you give somebody just a list of questions, they're gonna overthink it or be stale or or God forbid, use AI to help them think through it. And it's like you've just completely numbed, you know, dulled all of the personality. But yeah, if you're like how many times have we had coaching calls in pro where somebody is like struggling with copy or what to say on their headline, and then they just blurted out to me live, and I'm like, take the transcript. There it was. What you just said, that's your your your you know, your your KPI. That's that's what makes you different. That what you just said, the way you said it, verbatim, take that. Um, that's it. So yeah, I think I think over the years I've seen so many members in pro who have coached who do a strategy call or even a discovery call, even if it's not paid, and they use that as the basis for content and the vibe moving forward. So good on you for that. Um, so practically somebody gets a referral or they're referred to you, or they they meet you at the B and I group, they love your elevator pitch, they go to your website, they inquire, your contact form as of now is very simple. It's just really just a chance they can tell about their business, ask about what services they're interested in. And then what happens right after that? I'm really curious about like the actual steps of this. Do you personally reach out and say, here's a book, or here's a link to uh schedule a strategy sprint? Because there's nothing that I see publicly on your site as of now that is talking about the sprint. So do you do a discovery call that's loosey goosey and then sell the sprint? What's it look what's working for you right now, Alexia? With like the actual lead process.

Alexia Lynn 42:39

So with that, and again, I still need to do redo my website. Well it's just it's the last last thing on the back burner. I know. Um, but what happens is it's just like a normal discovery process. It's like, hey, let's let's even see if we're a good fit first, because uh let's just see if we vibe. Let's see if I can solve your problem too. Because again, I'm vibe call.

Josh Hall 43:04

A vibe check.

Alexia Lynn 43:05

I've called it a vibe check.

Josh Hall 43:06

Okay, I was gonna say, I felt like I ripped that off. I probably ripped it off from you. Yeah.

Alexia Lynn 43:10

Um, but I am not just trying to sell a website or a brand or uh SEO. I am really trying to find out what the potential clients' problems are. Can I solve them? Is this something that can be solved with a website or with branding or with SEO? Because if it can't, I and I've even turned people away and said, I'm not the best fit for you because I don't think you need these things right now. Like if you were to spend this money with me and we were to do this project, I don't think it would provide the best result of what you're wanting. Or I don't think you're ready for this yet. There have been a couple times where it's like, hey, I it's just I don't I'm serving over selling because I don't want I want people to have results. Like that's the that's the whole point of of this is getting a service to have a result, not me selling a website or selling. Something. So I've reframed my thinking of what's best for the client. And usually it's let's see if we're a good fit. If we are, then we'll talk about a strategy sprint. And I just kind of lay it out. And I even have a slide deck where I show, hey, we could do these pieces separately, but actually it's more streamlined if we just do the sprint first. We do it together. We have the blueprint. And then you get options for implementation. And I'm open about my price ranges too. Okay. Okay. So it's going to start, you know, we're going to have a lower end where it's like, hey, you want the bare necessities. We've got, you know, this is what we can do with this amount. And then we have like a middle tier and then a high tier too. Um, and that's one thing that I learned from uh Shannon Mattern in going to Pro Con last year is give people the option to pay you more. If they want the whole damn vibe and they want me to be on site doing, you know, directing a creative photo shoot with their photographer or helping them set that thing up so they can get great brand photos for everything. I am more than willing to do that. Let's put that in the highest tier. Or if they want weekly calls with me or something, I'm more than willing to put that in the highest tier. If they want more touch points, if they want more, more time with me. I am totally open to that. But also I want to have a little bit of the lower end. So people that it's like, hey, I don't need all those extra frills and things. Let's just get something started and we can build onto it. I'm good with that too. So I want to meet people where they're at and where what they value and what they think is going to be more most beneficial for them.

Josh Hall 45:20

So yeah, real quick, for those who don't know, yeah, in our pro con event in 2025, you are like the perfect example of somebody who actually implemented stuff you learned. Everything uh because you, Jason's presentation on his $2 million close, like you literally took his slide deck and and made, I think your your sprint out of it, right? Like you kind of morphed that into your strategy sprint and my yeah, my discovery call um deck I did.

Alexia Lynn 45:45

So yeah.

Josh Hall 45:46

Discovery call deck. And then yeah, you use Shannon's advice on price anchoring and her pricing matrix to give them the optionality to get more Alexia or get less Alexia or kind of customize their needs. Now, so the discovery call, the vibe check, we'll call it. You have a you have a deck that you go into that. Are you talking about the packages on the discovery call, or do you share the package, like the full packages on the strategy sprint that you sell? Which is the strategy sprint.

Alexia Lynn 46:14

So that's but I want people to know the investment range up front because it's like, hey, this is about the range that I that I'm looking at. It's could be either be on the low end of this, the higher end of this. It's gonna be between this. If you can't make it within this, that's okay. We're not a good fit either for now, or if you're needing um you know an investment otherwise, then that's fine. That's none of my business. What you know, everything, but I just give you the option because I don't want to go into the full brand blueprint and then all of a sudden it's it's more than you expected, or it's something that's not even feasible for you. That's that's not my vibe. Like I'm not about that. So what happens there is I say, okay, the strategy sprint is this much. That we're gonna do a full strategy session. I'm going to create a slide deck with your strategy, touching on branding, websites, and SEO, and maybe a couple other things if they need it, like systems and automations, because again, I'm here to make their life easier. If they want to take, you know, leads they're getting, and how how does that automate into the website? And then how does that help them? Or what touch points do they need? A lot of the times it'll be touch points like, hey, you know, my invoice is just standard invoice. Well, can we add, you know, some branding to that to make it feel more like an experience? Do you have a proposal step to where you need to send these leads something that is branded? Like it's all of these things that I'm thinking about to increase the customer journey to where their leads will convert to. Yeah. So again, I'm not just thinking branding websites and SEO, I'm thinking the double damn vibe. Um, yeah.

Josh Hall 47:41

I feel like we need to do like a live walkthrough of this discovery call. I'll be your client. I'll bring back Jim Schwartz with the mustache.

Alexia Lynn 47:46

Oh my goodness. With the mustache.

Pricing Ranges That Invite Upgrades

Josh Hall 47:50

So one thing I am actually curious about, like just because paid discovery is so so so hot right now. Um, and it totally makes sense why it is, because people are sick of like the ghosting calls and the sticker shock and the yeah, like the wasted discovery calls that aren't gonna lead to anything. So with when you're talking about the sprint, what's the price point for the sprint as of us recording this right now? Although obviously subject to change.

Alexia Lynn 48:15

Yes, 1200. And that gets applied to your project. So if you move forward with the project, that gets applied to your project. It's basically like a deposit. Do you know what I mean? But they get the sprint, they can take it and if they want to implement it on their own or with a different designer or with somebody, or they want to do, you know, have sit on it for a little bit, then they can. Um, then that's completely fine. Um, but having that has really like I've noticed the projects that I've done that with and the projects that I haven't done that with, I've gotten a lot better results. I've gotten, I'm fully knowing more about their business. I can help them in more than just, okay, let me just design a website. Actually, how can we take leads from this and then incorporate them into this form that you need them to be in? How can we incorporate that into your CRM software? How is this going to make it easier for you? Because again, I'm trying to solve problems. I'm not trying to sell pretty things. Yeah. Yeah.

Josh Hall 49:09

So, so when you're on the discovery call, pretty short, right? Half an hour-ish?

Alexia Lynn 49:13

Yeah, the initial discovery call, half an hour. That's just to determine if we're a good fit, if this is even viable. Let's see. And I give them, I'm like, hey, this is the offer that we have. This is my part of my process. It's not, well, if you want to do it, then we can do it. I say just if you're gonna do paid discovery, just make it a part of your process, have that strategy be first, and then get into things, especially if you're wanting to do higher-level strategic partnership type stuff. As far as I want to be a dedicated partner with my clients, I need to know a lot more about their business than just okay, hey, I need to make a quick website, you need a contact form, and then after you do that, you take them and you do whatever you want with it.

Josh Hall 49:53

This is such an important point because that's fine. You know, we I've had uh Bailey Collins with Honeywave Creative, who who's just at a training in pro and is a sponsor for Pro Con. And uh, I really love her website in a day model. I mean, it's an incredible process, super dialed in, but it's not for everybody. And this is the exact reason, like it could be a part of like it could actually be like your website process eventually, but it this is important because when it comes to leads, the this model is not for everybody. You are really viewing yourself as a strategist, a partner. And that is very different from like, for example, Bailey's model, who is like she's she has her pricing on the page. It's you're buying a product almost when you work with her and her team, because you get your website in a day, this is what it includes, here's the price point, you go. Uh, obviously, there's recurring options and add-ons, but it's a very different situation. And and this is it's it's tough when people ask me, like, should I do paid discovery? Should I do this? It's kind of why you almost need coaching because it's like, well, what do you want to do? Like, really, like, let's talk about what you want to do ongoing. Do you want to have a more productized service that's like, nope, you get what you get, and then it's all like Jason's. Jason has like the most productized web design model ever with Swift sites, if anyone wants to check it out. Um, now he's made well over two million dollars in five years with that model, but it is a very like one call, you get your website, we're done. It's it's not a partner, it's not an ongoing growth partner type of thing. So I I do I think it's really like you very early on wanted to go the partner route. Uh and it's good to know. And this is it's it's just showing that your process is an indicator of, yeah, like you're you're not gonna be doing probably three or four discovery calls a week. Like you probably can take on one or two a month right now, maybe. Um partner.

Alexia Lynn 51:45

Well, and that's the thing too, is I love those models and I think they work. Like, I'm very inspired by Jason's stuff. I'm very inspired by Bailey's stuff. Like, I think what they're doing is awesome and it works for them and it works for the customers that value that type of work, whether it's whether it's fast, whether it's proven, um, like Jason's proven website, like that stuff is great. I'm a little bit different because I don't like saying goodbye. Like I don't, I don't like saying goodbye, and I don't like when I build a brand or when I build a even building a website, I put a lot of passion, I put a lot of me in the experience. And I know that's probably weird to some people, but like that's it's like I don't want to, I don't want to let go in a sense. Like I want to help this business succeed. I work with my clients again and again. Like I really, really love that. Where some people, it's like, hey, I want to, you know, I love my clients, but I really like doing this part of the process. I really like building a website. That's as much as I want to do. I don't want to go into all the partner stuff. I don't want to be a consultant. Like, I just want to do the website. I think that's great too. And there are people that want that. They don't want a whole partnership, they don't want an ongoing thing, they want a website that does what it needs to do and they want to move on. But that comes into your positioning and why I've positioned myself differently because I enjoy being that partner. I enjoy working with my clients long term. That's how I've gotten the best results for them. I just love it. So hold on to that.

Josh Hall 53:17

That feeling of like, I don't want to let them go. Hold on to that because that is it is a rarity. Look, I've been in this industry for a long time. I've coached a lot of people, and not everyone it's a rarity. I'll just say that. It's rare for somebody to truly want to be a long-term partner. So hold on to that. Now we're gonna we're recording this right before we start our little in-depth coaching mastery sprint with you and a small group of others in pro where we'll dive into scaling out and productizing some of the you know parts in there that can get off your plate. But um, that overarching view, like the the feeling of like wanting to be a long-term partner, especially if it's somebody who you jive with and you're like, yeah, I wanna I wanna keep on working with this person, that's so great. And it's also a testament to how a discovery process can be positioning, because you're not your discovery process, the way you walk me through it there, it's not like it, it doesn't feel like a product. It felt like I'm gonna get to know you, we're gonna see if you're a good fit, and then real quick, one level deeper. Do you talk about your ranges first and then the sprint? Or do you talk about the strategy sprint and then what that will lead to as far as options?

Alexia Lynn 54:26

Yes. So I talk about the um the strategy sprint investment first, and I say this, and then I say, then you can apply this uh this amount as a credit towards your project. The project ranges are typically here. This is what you can typically get with this range. This will be like website, maybe light branding. Then we have a bigger package to where it's like maybe full branding, full website. Then we have one that's like, hey, you want to automate, you want me to be on site with helping with photography? Like there's ranges, and I build it out depending on what they need. So it's like they can have whatever is gonna suit them best. Now, do I think that each range is is good? Yes, but there's like, hey, we can maybe start here and then we can add stuff on later. Um, but it's decided beforehand, yeah.

Josh Hall 55:13

Are you doing um, are you working in subscription style growth plans for projects as a whole, or have you been doing more like one-off fixed, like 50 up front, 50 at the end? What's what have you been doing actually like payment plan-wise and

Retainers That Keep Clients Growing

Josh Hall 55:28

everything?

Alexia Lynn 55:28

Payment plan wise, I have projects that are like website projects or even brand projects that I've done payment plans for clients like over six months, or a lot of my clients now um like retainers, like uh they love me to do things um for them all the time. And I love working with them long term. So it's like I I love doing that and helping them like systematize things in their business, or like do like creating design assets. It's like, hey, we can use this again. We're having a standard design. Like I've even noticed a lot of the clients I'm working with is they are getting like it, like uh, they feel more high-level now than what they were when we started working together because their designs are consistent, they have a consistent style, they have consistent messaging, they have a voice, they it's all of those things coming together. Because I do I do a lot of things.

Josh Hall 56:20

Yeah. Now, my our working relationship is different because I'm not your it sounds douchey, but I'm not your average client. Um but so when we start working together, was that August 25?

Alexia Lynn 56:34

Yes.

Josh Hall 56:35

I think August was like we officially like you built the the the branding, the brand partner slide deck for me. Um going back, would you have if you could go back, would you, especially being a one-time project, would you have offered me a strategy sprint for this type of thing? And I'm asking this for designers who are not doing web design and SEO and branding all together, maybe there's one lane between those three, especially for folks who are mostly focused on branding. Um, would you have offered like a so the question is a different type of client that doesn't fit that mold? Would you like going back? Would you have offered me more of a strategy sprint? Or was there the, you know, like, yeah, you're down to you know, do something a little more custom for a client who's just freaking awesome.

Alexia Lynn 57:24

Hold on, you cut out a second.

Josh Hall 57:26

Not again. We're gonna keep going. Can you hear me now?

Alexia Lynn 57:30

Yeah, okay, just to pick it up from the part where you did the um where you asked me about the if you would do the strategies for you.

Josh Hall 57:40

Sorry, we had we had a hiccup with the Wi-Fi. So my question right here is like if a client in a different situation who is outside of your normal client lead, but you really like to work with them, like you were like, Josh is obviously so cool, he's awesome, I really want to work with him. Would you have offered me the strategy sprint? Like, would you have taken a rare lead and put them through the same process? Or are you down to like do a bit of a custom retainer or whatever works for like a you know, totally awesome uh odd client fit?

Alexia Lynn 58:14

I probably would not have offered you a strategy sprint. Also, in that time, I was not I also didn't have the same mindset either. Um, but I did know that working with you, well, for one, it's freaking awesome. Like that would be awesome. But for two, would open up doors for me in ways. Um, and that even having like, I didn't even know anything about like doing a long-term thing was possible either, because that was like super cool. But I just knew it was it was just different. It was different. And so I probably would not have offered a strategy sprint.

Josh Hall 58:52

And the reason I wanted to bring that up is I think this is really common for both web designers and brand designers to where you have you're gonna have an opportunity at some point, probably with somebody who is just you don't feel like you want to take them through the normal process. Yeah, and I think it's okay. Like, I'll be completely transparent. There's a couple members of Pro who have just specifically asked me, they just want private coaching. They don't, they're not even really like interested in the community, they just want private coaching. Uh, and that's gonna become an option now, um, at a very like case-by-case type of basis, to where, like, you know what, if I can help you and I want to help you grow, kind of I feel how you're feeling more now, too. Um, to where I'm like, yeah, there's like there's some members of Pro who are getting really good results, and I just think I can help them on a deeper level that's more of like a almost like a beyond just a coach and a mentor, like almost a partnership colleague kind of role. So I'm kind of feeling that nudge too. And that's where like I think it's okay, as long as you can take it on, to have a bit of a like side door entrance that's like okay, normally, you know, everyone has to go through here, but this is our VIP. This is the VIP room here, kind of offer. So uh I feel I think it's becoming more popular now, too, to wear, like, yeah, especially in this case where you're doing a lot of different things. Like, I didn't need a website, I didn't need SEO, I wanted design, I wanted branding. Um, so yeah, just wanted to you know basically see how it what that looked like for you because I think other people are in that situation too.

Alexia Lynn 1:00:20

Yes, which even like with that, you've probably noticed, like, even with the the design retainer that we have, I I always have a hard time not adding a bunch of like strategy or thoughts. Like, I'll send you over random thoughts. I'm like, hey, we should do this, or that time that time we're like, hey, can you make a graphic for uh five years in pro? And I was like, actually, can we do like this? And I just did it. But we have that kind of like working relationship to where it's like, I can think out of the box, I can infuse those things, I can be me and just be like, hey, I think we should do it this way. Or there will be times where it's like, how can we like we have the goal of this? How can this design support either getting you out there more or like the pro graphic of celebrating? Well, hey, it's a community, let's celebrate, let's have everyone take part in celebration. So it's like things like that, that it's like I have a hard time shedding that stuff off.

Josh Hall 1:01:16

It's like, oh, they just like I know that's I know that's what's so cool though, is like that. So let's dig into that real quick because it was a really good case study example of where strategy is with design, and how that's a perfect example to where, like, if I would have used Chat GPT and said, Hey, can you come up with a graphic for my five-year anniversary in Pro, it would have just given me a probably a bland template with a balloon and a little picture that said happy five years of pro. But you were like, I have a better idea. Yeah, like you said, what if we created a template graphic that every member who wants to celebrate and share that they are a part of this community and they're getting mentorship and coaching and they're on the front lines of what's working in web design. It makes it and it gives them a sense of ownership. It was like a play in multiple roads because it helped them. I mean, some of their posts, like Leanne's, I remember, was a it was popping. Dan's was really big. Like there are some that, and it was just like it just showed a sense of professionalism. Side note, you want to get clients. Another tip you can do is to share what you're doing professionally. Like share what what chamber of commerces you're in and what seminars you're going to, because it just shows that you're being professional and you're learning and you're growing. That is a sales tip that a lot of people don't think about. So, yeah, the fact that we allow, I don't know how many, you know, 20 or 25 members who did it, um, they use that Canva template that you created that was beautiful. They dropped their image in and they got to share their own story, which is also like a testimonial for pros. So, and then I used it to share in the circle about how like we're increasing member retention. So, all that to say, thank you for that. I I welcome it. I absolutely, and I know your clients do too, and that's the difference of being more of a partner.

Alexia Lynn 1:03:06

Yeah.

Josh Hall 1:03:06

Is you learn them, you learn the business, you learn the vibe, and you're like, you know, like you know, the vibe of pro is very communal, and it's like, and we love celebrating. Our wins and successes space is like the most popular spot, and it's the most like everyone loves posting a win and learning, and so to give a like you knew the vibe of that, and that translated to every social media platform. So, anywho, um, awesome, great tip.

Alexia Lynn 1:03:29

So that goes into like the depth in which I know my clients too. So, I mean, even as an example like that, it's like I'll come up with ideas, uh, if especially if you know clients are on retainer with me, and it's like, hey, I think we should do this. There was a post that I did for one of my clients, and it was like, hey, you've done a lot of different events. Like, let's do a recap and do like a, you know, a rapt uh where everybody was posting like their Spotify wrapped stuff. Let's do that, but let's make it about your events. And we actually spent a lot of time on that post. And so it's a post that she's pinned in her profile that people can go back and see, oh my gosh, they've worked with this many events, they've worked with these big names, they did this this year. It's like one of those strategic things to where it's like we have that kind of relationship where it's like, I'll see something or I'll see an idea, and I'm like, we should do this. You know what I mean? It's like, oh, this would be perfect for your brand. Like, let's do this thing. And I I love doing that for clients. Whereas I'm I'm really not the best at just, hey, I need this design. Can you design me this design? I'm not that like you know what I mean. Like, I do that, but I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm more strategic that and it's like, hey, how can we use this design or this idea that you have to get to this goal? That's so awesome. That's what I love to do.

Sharing Ideas To Prove Value

Josh Hall 1:04:48

I just look back through um our first few exchanges in pro when you joined via the DM. And uh one of the things you said in in right at the beginning is you said you want to be like the best designer. And I don't know if two years ago you realized that you were very gonna quickly become a strategist.

Alexia Lynn 1:05:11

I didn't, I didn't think about that. Like I just was like, oh, I want to be the best designer, I want to have the coolest designs and stuff. But it's like that strategy part of my brain doesn't shut off like ever. Um, and it's gonna be a blessing and a curse. But it's like I see things in a different way than I think just, oh, let's just make a pretty design, you know, type things. So I just love using strategy and how we can like leverage this that we're going to do for the next goal, for the next steps. How can this, you know, get an ROI with with what that means?

Josh Hall 1:05:45

You know, and another quick tip on anyone who has a retainer um, one of the best ways to have stability and to keep a retainer going without feeling like, oh God, I hope this doesn't end one day. Give people ideas. An inspiration because it really does. I mean, I've I've had I've been on both sides of this where I've been a designer, like I was a web designer for a retainer with a client, and this was back in the day, it was 400 bucks a month. It was before I got married, and back then that was like big money, 400 bucks a month. And I got comfortable and I just did the work they gave me. And then a month before our wedding, they said, Hey Josh, sorry to announce this, but we're dropping the retainer. And that was a big blow. That was right before our wedding. Something actually haven't talked about too much on the podcast, but um, not that I'm ashamed of it. It's just, yeah, just I I I let my guard, I'm let my um partner vibe go with that retainer. I just got comfortable, just it was easy money, honestly. Um, so quick tip for everybody do what Alexia's doing, give ideas, share inspiration. You know, I I you could have easily said, here's a template for five years a pro. But no, you were like, I got a better idea. And you were really like, you weren't you know mean or overly assertive. You were just like, yeah, what about did this? And I was like, oh my gosh, it's genius. Because side note, side note, busy entrepreneurs who are hiring design help, they have so much going on, they're not probably thinking about marketing and branding strategy. They're thinking about business stuff. How do I do this and this? They got a lot on their plate. So if you can step into that role and give them, you know, basically like, yeah, marketing strategy advice, it's huge. So yeah, a lot to just praise you on here for sure.

Alexia Lynn 1:07:41

Thank you. Uh another thing I would add to that is work with cool people too. Because again, with the type of like fun, I would like to say fun people we are. Um, you were open to that though. Because if it had been a different client, maybe they're more corporate, maybe they're more this, maybe they have to get T's crossed and I's dotted and all that stuff. Maybe you can't have that type of relationship with them, which again is why I don't choose those type of people. Which is like discovery vibes. Yeah, they're just not my vibe. Um, but it's like the if you work with people and you have clients that are open to ideas and they like your feedback, again, I think that comes in when you're positioning yourself as a strategic partner. Like there have been times where I've been like, hey, I don't know if you're gonna like this idea. Or I always say, like, I've got something crazy, just thought of a crazy idea, and you're like, send it over. And so you have to have that, you can't just like come in with all your crazy ideas. You have to have that receptive person that's like, okay, shoot them over. And there have been stuff where I'm like, hey, let's try this idea, but then it's like the practicality of that, or it's just not fitting with what we want to fit it to, and that's okay. You know what I mean? And that's also you have to take into consideration. It's like we have to, it's it's us together versus the problem or towards the solution. It's never me versus you. And so that's another thing that it's like with your clients, you have to think of it's us together and we're trying to get to this goal, or we're trying to solve this problem. How can we do that together in a cohesive, like collaborative way and not they shot down my design, they didn't like it, or I don't feel like I can come to this them with this. Again, it's the partner thing. It's like, hey, we're a partnership together, we're trying to grow your business, we're trying to get to these goals. It's exciting, it's fresh, it's fun. Those are the people I love to work with. And so, yeah.

Josh Hall 1:09:27

And what's cool about that is you you build a relationship with somebody where like you can become more open. And like, for example, if you were to tell me Josh terrible idea, I would be like, all right, what you got? I'm not gonna how def she shot down my idea. Like, I would be like, I totally, I mean, honestly, at this point, like I've I'm like, like you're designing stuff transparently for pro con in 26, and I'm like, I know this could be better. I know the you know, the the lanyards could be better, I know the pins could be better. So I didn't even barely give any direction. I was like, what you got? And then boom, here we are. Uh, we're keeping it a secret until we unveil the designs alive for everybody who's gonna be there, but freaking awesome, and I'm pumped. So uh all this to say, like, yeah, your relationship grows deeper when you become a partner and you can really let the whole damn vibe out eventually.

Impact Goals For The Year Ahead

Josh Hall 1:10:20

So all right, Alexei. Well, I got one final question for you. I feel like we could definitely, you know, continue to dig into this, but we'll save this for for this round. And um, you're actually this is going to release, I think, shortly before your masterclass that you're gonna do for us. And we're actually we're taking this outside of just Web Designer Pro and we're gonna open it up to my entire audience and ecosystem. Um, we're currently still working on like what the exact title is gonna be, but it's gonna be some somewhat of a branding strategy masterclass. Because obviously, I think after this, people are gonna want to learn more from you and see how they can implement some of this stuff or potentially work with you. So um that's coming up. I'm super excited about. But real quick before I ask you, ask you this final question. Again, can't reiterate enough how just like pumped I am for you, proud I am of you as a coach and a mentor, uh, thrilled I am to work with you and to just elevate my brand and to get so much time back and everything. So you are just an absolute uh like this, you know, what a success story. Uh with with how like drive like that you had that was just built in, openness to learn and move fast and implement. Uh you you let your imposter syndrome go very quickly and just went for it. You've also invested in yourself. I th I think you've you've probably seen the fruits of like you invested in pro probably before. I bet you felt like you had the money. You flew for the first time and came to Columbus and invested. I mean, that's not a cheap endeavor uh to come to the event, but you transformed after ProCon 2025. Um, so yeah, I just it's so freaking cool. I mean, I could I could just rave about your trajectory the first couple years here. I just can't imagine what it's gonna look like the next couple years. So that's to my last question, and then I'll give it to you on anything you want to share finally. But what what do you envision? I don't even want to look too far because you're making such fast progress, and we also don't want to run too fast before we get the legs strengthened up. Um what what would a successful end of 2026 look like for you? Where do you want to be at the end of this year with the trajectory you've made now?

Alexia Lynn 1:12:39

Oh, that's such a hard question, Josh. Um I would say it has to do with impact. I want to impact more people. That's again, and I've told you this a couple of times. Like the money's great, revenue's great. Yeah, I'd love to be a millionaire. That's awesome. But it's impact and it's how can I help other people and transform more people's lives? Like I always love to say my mission is to help entrepreneurs grow their business so they never have to go to their soul-sucking corporate job ever again, because I was there. I used to wake up and I used to hate going into work, into my office job, literally felt like that was my entire life. I was not happy, I was not fulfilled. This purpose that I've placed on myself is to help other people do those things. So it's more about impact. If I can help more clients, if I can even help more designers and um, especially designers, because I was in that situation. Um, and that's why I started my newsletter, Creative Confessions, where I literally share exactly what I know. How can I help you? Like all of those things. Um, so I think it's more impact. And I don't have an infinite number, or I want to help 30 people, or I want to help this. I just want to have a bigger impact.

Josh Hall 1:13:56

Well, I love big picture thinking.

Alexia Lynn 1:13:59

I'm visionary.

Josh Hall 1:13:59

I'm it's hard to put numbers on things. I know I love the heart of that. The challenge with that is impact at a bigger scale as a partner. That's what's tricky. But what I think about is cool for you is you can work more intimately and intensively one-on-one with partner service clients, but you can work one-to-many and have a wider reach. You can have deeper levels of impact with the one-to-one type services. You can have a wider reach of one-to-many with your to designer services, which I know you're you're you're you're you're branching in on right now with your newsletter. And then, of course, uh, before you come a full-blown community builder and build branding strategists pro, uh. So your website, Alexia, visual vibe design.com, the Creative Confessions newsletter, is that on a separate domain or where do you have that?

Alexia Lynn 1:14:54

It is. It's hidden on my website, which I should really um again trying to read you the website. But I actually do have a mini course that I'm gonna be launching before this podcast.

Free Mini Course And Newsletter

Alexia Lynn 1:15:05

Oh, all right. And all the positioning and the presenting yourself like a strategic partner, I'm giving you my decks. I'm walking you through everything. It's called Present Like a Pro. And it gives you how to really strategically position yourself with your clients and the people you want to attract, because that's like been the sweet spot of what I'm able to do. And I've even given this deck before, like um before I even knew I was gonna create a mini course on it. I gave it to a couple of designers, and they said they've been getting clients because of it, because of the positioning and the things like that. And so I'm really excited to share that. And it's completely free. It's gonna be completely free. So it's awesome. It's gonna be on my website and it'll be at visual vibe design.com/slash present.

Josh Hall 1:15:51

Okay, and we'll have that linked. And yeah, I definitely recommend getting your newsletter, at least on your Flip, even on your about page, because your newsletter is not for clients, it's a very aptly named. Yeah, it's it's creative confessors. You're just confessing every week about something you're learning. Yeah, um, but yeah, that's uh definitely I'm excited to see all this evolve for you. So all right, here we go. Crazy, crazy cool couple years. Can't wait to see what the next step looks like here, Alexia. So just keep on having fun while you're doing it, keep on keep your mission going strong and good luck turning your mind off as a strategist.

Alexia Lynn 1:16:27

Yeah. Thank you so much, Josh. I appreciate it. And to everyone listening, you can do it. Go literally, if you are wanting uh to see how good Pro is and the transformation of you investing in yourself, go listen to my first episode, listen to this one now, and you'll see a difference. I'm sure. I hope. I hope. Um, but it's it's a lot about mindset and believing that you can and really um pouring into yourself so that you can pour into other people.

Josh Hall 1:16:59

Oh, that's well said. Gosh, so good. Alexia, thank you so much for the time. Till the next round.

Workshop Signup And Final Sendoff

Josh Hall 1:17:06

So there we have it, my friends. Again, if you're catching this episode right when it comes out this very week, Thursday, June 25th, 2026, we will be doing a live workshop. Alexia is going to be hosting the brand vibe workshop masterclass where you can learn from her directly. You can learn everything that I've learned from her, and so many WebRCenter Pro members have learned from her with branding, design, positioning, all that good stuff. Sign up for free, joshhall.co slash workshop. If you're catching this after the workshop has completed, you can join WebRCenter Pro and watch the replay. I hope you enjoyed this one, my friends. The show notes are gonna be at joshhall.co slash 430. Make sure to connect with Alexia. Her website is visualvibedesign.com. Did I get that right? Design. I always forget if it's .com or dot co. I'm gonna look it up right now. Yes, it is.com, visual vibe design.com. Go there after this one. Show notes josh hall.co slash 430. And again, when you join Web Designer Pro, this is the kind of person you are gonna be able to connect with, have in your support system, in your network. You could literally join Web Designer Pro and have Alexia in your support network as a referral partner, maybe even to work for your agency. Although she's probably booked out by this point, so good luck with that. But I'm telling you, the people inside of Web Designer Pro, guys, it is going to make you so powerful as a web designer, in especially even if you're doing branding too, in 2026 and beyond for your clients. So WebdesignerPro.com is where to go to join us, to join me, to join Alexia and these other amazing rock stars who are killing it in web design or are and are not fearing AI because we are helping our clients and we're using all the tools that are available, but we specialize in what we do. And Alexia is so good at what she does. I hope to see you at the workshop this Thursday, joshall.co slash workshop, and I will see you there, my friends. All right, guys, stay subscribed. We've got some other killer interviews ahead this summer. So I can't wait to see you on the next one.