The 10 Commandments of Hygiene for Remote Work Productivity
Wait. What? There are hygiene habits that can help with productivity? I know it seems silly but it’s true. I have worked remotely on-and-off for several decades now and have discovered that some of the
Comparison of Wordfence and iThemes Security
When you get the opportunity to speak to a real veteran of the WordPress world, you don’t think twice before jumping on it! All of us at Can We Talk had the huge privilege this
Setting Client Expectations About Project Problems
I’ve got bad news— Your project is probably going to have one, or several, problems. To be fair, this almost always happens. No matter how well or how far you, your team, and your clients
Who IS the Designer, Anyway? Setting Client Expectations About Design
There’s a little bit of artist inside all of us—but when it comes to developing a successful site design, your client is going to have to shut their inner artist up, and you’re going to
Setting Client Expectations About Money—Yuck!
“It’s tacky to talk about money.” That’s an idea that’s been crammed into our heads since the time we first talked about money “by mistake”! In my neck of the woods, whether it was our
My Client Doesn’t Respect Me!
On this episode of Can We Talk, we’re going to whip out our sequins and microphones and see what Ms. Aretha Franklin was all about: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. (Okay, you don’t really have to get glammed up
Setting Client Expectations: The Deep Dive
Today’s Can We Talk is a conversation about, well, miscommunication. Soon we’ll dive into the topic of demanding clients’ respect (You’ll have to tune in for that one next week!) For now, though, we need
Five Days of Focus – How to Define your WordPress Project Scope
This is Day 2 of our Five Days of Focus preparing for 2021 – highlighting Project Management essentials. In our heart of hearts, everyone’s a little bit of a people-pleaser. We love to see the people
Five Days of Focus – Proposals, Contracts, and MSAs
We’re getting ready for 2021 with Five Days of Focus on Project Management essentials. This is Day 1. Our topic du jour? How to use your proposal, contract, and/or Master Services Agreement to set proper
Making Your New Year’s Resolutions an Agency Improvement Project
Everyone loves making New Year’s resolutions, only to be disappointed by February when they haven’t stuck. Whether it’s losing weight, dropping a bad habit, or starting a new venture, it’s tough to maintain our new
Where Core Web Vitals Fit in Your SEO Strategy with Mike Gburski
The party never stops with our Can We Talk members! This week we had the opportunity to hear from Michael “Mike” Gburski, founder of JadeFire Development. Mike’s a truly wonderful soul who focuses primarily on
Helping Your Client Find their Website Identity with Imogen Allen
If I asked you to describe what your client’s agency does, would you be able to do it in a way that convinces me to buy what they’re selling? (I’d hope so; it’s typically what
Using Technical Web Audits to Generate Leads
When was the last time you heard about a new way for your agency to earn money, generate new leads, and flex your knowledge and skills? Today might be that day! This week we had
Using Mockup Tools with Virtual Assistants and Clients
It’s always great when we get to learn something new from an inspiring agency owner! Never stop learning, right? In this episode of “Can We Talk About Your WordPress Projects?” (originally recorded in Nov 2020),
Breaking Down the Pre-Proposal Process
Does practice make perfect? No, not always. But having a solid pre-propoaal process leads to practical, consistent quality in your early client interactions, which spells out good news for your clients, and for you. When
How our 6 Productivity Principles Apply to ANY Project
If you’ve ever had a project that seems absolutely unconquerable, you can join the club. There are some projects and sites that seem to get more complicated as they go along. Maybe you’ve started developing
Accountability as Motivation – It Works!
You might have heard the saying, “We plan, God laughs,” and that rings true in every aspect of our lives—both with clients, and with our own projects. The last two years have been proof enough
The Power of the Project Notebook
Using a project notebook is a practice we started way back in the day, before everything was electronic and digital. That means we always had a physical hard-copy notebook. Although that’s not the case in
Essential Project Management Processes Every Agency Needs
If you’ve been following me for any time at all, you know I talk about the Six Productivity Principles for WordPress Project Success – ALL. THE. TIME. But they changed my life. That’s so trite
Content-First Development: A Comprehensive Guide
If you’ve signed up for any of my freebies or the WP Project Manager’s Academy, then you know that I ask this question a lot. “What are you struggling with most?” Far and away the
You Might Be a WordPress Project Manager IF…
Today our topic is what it means to be a Project Manager… specifically, a WordPress Project Manager. I Just Want to Build Websites I hear a lot of people complain, “I don’t want to manage
How to Leverage Your Project Team (Even if You *THINK* You Don’t Have One)
You Already DO Have a Project Team Many people think if they are a solo provider, that they don’t have a team. This is wrong for 2 reasons. First, you always have a team because
What Do I Do Now? How Do I Deal with a Global Crisis?
During this uncertain time, you are probably in one of two places. Either your WordPress business is taking a downturn or an uptick. I’ve heard folks talking about both. But, regardless, everyone is struggling with
Can We Talk About Your WordPress Requirements Definition and Management Plan?
This is Episode 9 of our video series called “Can We Talk About Your WordPress Projects?” In this episode we’re going to talk about your requirements definition process and why you need to have that