You have decided to work for yourself. Maybe you are renting a chair, opening a studio, starting a practice or going out on your own after years at a firm. Your clients know you, but they know you through your employer’s name, number and website. The moment you leave, you need a place of your own that is not borrowed.
What you own and what you do not
Your employer’s website, social accounts, booking system and business line belong to them. Your name, your skill and your relationships are yours, subject to any agreement you signed. Read your contract for anything about notice, client lists or restrictions, and ask a professional if it is unclear.
What you can always do is build your own presence: a website with your name, your services and your contact details, on a domain registered in your own name.
The pieces to set up
- ✓A domain in your own name — a short address that matches how clients say your name
- ✓A simple website — services, about, contact and a way to book
- ✓An email address on your domain — so you are not using a free account
- ✓A way to tell clients — a short, friendly announcement you control
Make it easy for clients to follow you
Think about what your clients actually do. They look you up by name. They ask for your link at the end of an appointment. They search for the place you used to work and find a page that no longer lists you. Give them a page that does come up, with your name, a short line about what you do and an easy way to book or message you.
Do not rush into negative comments about your former workplace. A calm "I am now independent, here is how to reach me" is better for you.
What we build and what it costs
The Launch Website is $399 for up to five pages: homepage, services, about, contact and one more such as a gallery or price guide. It includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds. Website Care at $30/month covers hosting, HTTPS, backups and small edits.
If you take bookings or deposits, we connect your existing tool or help set one up, such as Square. That provider’s fees belong to them.
What to have ready
- ✓Your name as clients know it — spelled the way they would search for it
- ✓A short description of what you do — in your own words
- ✓A few photos of your work or yourself — ones you have the rights to use
- ✓Your new contact details — and the area you serve
What to expect, honestly
- ✓We do not interpret your contract — restrictions are between you and your employer
- ✓We use only photos you may share — ask permission where work belongs to your former employer
- ✓No promises about clients following — we build the page, you tell people
One example of what your site could look like
This is one sample we designed. Yours is built around your business, your photos and your words, and we have more examples if you want to compare directions.
What it costs
Websites are priced one-time by size, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks and A/B testing. Every package includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds. Monthly SEO is an optional add-on when you are ready for it.
Optional add-ons, billed separately
The prices above are for your website. These two are separate monthly products you can add now or later. Neither is part of the website price.
Monthly SEO, from $50/month: new pages published on your site every month. See Monthly SEO →
Business Spotlight, from $30/month: articles about your business, labeled as paid, published on The Company Chronicle. See Business Spotlight →
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Keep reading
Need a website for a new business · Appointment booking websites · Websites by industry
