Hello World

So, here it is: After months of working on my rebranding—my vision has finally come to life. I’m excited to announce DevelopHer Designs, a company catered towards full-service web development for women.

Hello World… might be overused, but I love it and it’s applicable.

But first, story time –

97 percent of consumers search for products and services online.

and

38 percent of people will disengage with a website if it is unattractive. (Kind of like dating, eh? But I digress.)

As an entrepreneur, you know how important it is to bring your business online. But there is the pesky task of actually building your website. And what about social media—how do you handle that? Oh, yeah—what does SEO stand for again? As the modern business owner you are, you consult Google for the answers. But most of the time your search results look a lot like this:

Deep breaths—stick with me here.

Some entrepreneurs are killer ideators. Others are master organizers. Some have a way with words, while others prefer numbers. But maybe you’re starting to realize web development isn’t your forte.

That’s okay—and that’s where I come in. I’m personally terrible at cleaning dishes, and have probably killed every plant I’ve ever tried to grow—but I can create killer websites.

As a woman in tech, my least favorite part of my industry is how daunting it can come across. I’ve been so lucky to have mentors and coworkers who have helped guide me through the minefield that is software engineering—but unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone. And the glaring issue is how overwhelming all-things-tech-and-web-development are presented not only to newbies, but women specifically. That’s why I created DevelopHer Designs—to remove the intimidation factor from web development for women and help bring female-owned and operated businesses online—without it being a source of stress, anxiety or confusion.

Still with me? Okay: story time again:

A mere 26 percent of small business owners are female and only 5 percent of the world’s top executives are women.

What gives, girls?

When I first proposed this business idea, I was met with opposing opinions. The men in my life found the idea to be a bit limiting and worried I was closing off my client options. On the other hand, the women in my life couldn’t be more excited. In the spirit of transparency: I debated the two sides constantly over the past few months. While I didn’t want to alienate anyone— I also felt very motivated by a cause I’m wholeheartedly passionate about: women helping women. As those who know me will tell you— I can’t see numbers like the ones above and not think that maybe—just maybe—I can help change them. (And maybe help elephants too. Read more info about that here.)

To date, I’ve been fortunate to work with travel journalists, bakery owners, public relations superstars, animal conservationists, indie-film producers—the list goes on. With each of their redesigns or upgrades, I find myself further ignited to make a difference in this important gender gap in leadership.

Last story time (promise):

it’s estimated the greatest market for small business growth is with female entrepreneurs. That’s definitely worth investing in—don’t ya think?

Learn more about DevelopHer Designs here!

Cheers,

Jess