🛶 I evaluated 98 businesses in 1 week

🤦🏻‍♀️ "I'm sooo sorry, my graphics are DIYed from like 5 years ago."
🤦🏻‍♀️ "I don't have anything other than a couple headshots, is that ok?"
🤦🏻‍♀️ "I spent too long down the DIY rabbit hole when I made these, and never had any real graphics. I'm so embarrassed."
🤦🏻‍♀️ “Yeah I never started email marketing, I know I should”

(This is a typical onboarding convo with Northstar Site Solution clients.)

And every single time, I want to reach through the screen and give them a hug.

Because here's the thing: if you already had a perfectly designed website, why on earth would you need me?

Nobody walks into a mechanic's shop apologizing about the weird noise their car makes.

That's l-i-t-e-r-a-l-l-y why they're there.

But something about websites makes people feel like they should've had it all figured out already.

Like being a damn good doula or leadership coach or attorney or speech therapist also means you should be fluent in all things design and tech.

Outgrowing your starter site isn't something to apologize for.

It's proof your business is doing what it's supposed to do: growing.

So no – I will never make you feel crappy about your Canva graphics or your 2019 headshots or that homepage you built during a midnight YouTube spiral, Reader: That scrappy self-starter energy got you to where you are now.

But…. I also care about you too much to let you think it doesn't matter.

Because it does.

And I just watched it play out in real time.

I few days ago, I put out a call on Threads asking for referrals – progressive, empathetic, consent-based, experienced service providers I could connect with and confidently recommend to my clients.

I got 98+ responses 🤯

And as I made my way through them, I started noticing a pattern in who I'd actually reach out to.

Guess what.

These are the same things your prospective clients are using to evaluate you.

Right now.
Without telling you.
Eeep 😬

Here's what I was looking for:

A decent website. It didn't need to be amazing. But no website at all was a definite no. And if someone was charging a premium for their services but clearly hadn't invested in their own copy, brand, or site? That gap spoke louder than their pitch.

Brand authority. Case studies, testimonials, podcast appearances, blog posts – something that showed their unique perspective and experience. Starting out and not having that stuff yet is totally fine. But saying you're experienced while your online presence tells a different story? That's a disconnect.

A real human behind the brand. If I still didn't know someone's name after checking their profile – or couldn't tell what they valued after looking at their website – why would I book a coffee chat? I wanted to know who I'd be connecting with.

Clear messaging. If I'm looking at your website and thinking "ok, this all sounds well and good, but what do you actually do? And who do you do it with?" I'm gonna move right along. We all have limited time.

Shared values. And this one goes both ways – content that turns away the wrong people is just as important as content that calls in the right ones.

Now. These were coffee chats, not sales calls. I wasn't a prospective client.

But the evaluation process is identical.

Someone hears about you, gets curious, clicks through to your site, and makes a gut call in about 30 seconds.

And if what they find doesn't match the vibe they got from your Instagram or your referral or your podcast interview?

They don't send a rejection email. They just close the tab.

That's the trust gap.

This is not about whether your DIY site is embarrassing. It's about whether your online presence is doing its job.

The website, the messaging clarity, the proof, the brand authority – those are the exact things I build into every Northstar Site Solution project.

A site that tells the right story about who your business has become – so that 30-second gut check works in your favor, not against you.

If you've been sitting on a site refresh because you're embarrassed about where things stand – or because you feel like you need to have everything perfect first…consider this your sign to stop apologizing and start a conversation.

This is my stop,

PS Not quite ready for a site build but it’s def on your radar?
​Trail Mix is my custom-built site prep kit that walks you through the six foundations you need before any website project. It’s self-guided, but I’ve built it to be done over the course of 6 weeks – so plenty of time 😮‍💨

It's the thing I wish someone had handed me before my first rebrand.

PPS Hit reply and tell me – when you're scoping out someone's website for the first time, what makes you click away?
I wanna knowwwwww 👀

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