5 Signs Your Service Based Business Might Be Ready for a Website

I'm chatting with fantastic local entrepreneurs - therapists, bookkeepers, fitness coaches, photographers, consultants - people doing beautiful work in our community. Yet when the topic of websites comes up, I hear the same things:

"I know I probably should..."

"I've been thinking about it..."

"Maybe I will get some time to figure it out..."

After 50+ years of living and working in Cape Breton, raising my family here, running my own businesses, and now helping other local entrepreneurs with their websites, I've noticed some patterns.

There are signs - gentle ones - that suggest you might be ready to take that step. Not because you're supposed to, but because it might actually make your life easier and your business stronger.

So let me share what I've seen. A few of these might sound familiar…

Sign #1: You get a bit uncomfortable when people ask "Do You Have a Website?"

You know that moment.

Someone asks for your website, and you say something like, "Well, I'm on Facebook... and Instagram... you can message me there..."

It's not that you're embarrassed exactly. More like... you wish you had something more professional to share. Something professional that shows your business, your skill, your expertise.

I get it. I've been there myself.

A website doesn't have to be fancy. It just needs to be a place where people can find out about you when they're curious. A digital version of handing someone a really awesome business card.

If you find yourself wishing you had an easier way to share what you do, that might be a sign.

Sign #2: You're Spending Hours Each Week Answering the Same Questions

How many times this week did you explain:

• What services you offer

• How much things cost

• How your process works

• What makes your approach different

• Whether you're taking new clients

  
  

If you're like most of the folks I work with, it's a lot.

And here's the thing - you WANT to help people. That's why you do what you do. But wouldn't it be nice if there was a place people could go to get those answers on their own time?

Not because you don't want to talk to them. But because your time is valuable, and you'd rather spend it actually doing the work you love (or, you know, having dinner with your family without checking your phone every five minutes).

A good website is basically a helpful assistant that never sleeps. It answers the routine questions so you can focus on serving clients.

Sign #3: You're Doing Great Work, But People Can't Find You Online

Here's something that happens a lot in Cape Breton:

Someone needs exactly what you offer. Maybe their friend mentioned you, or they saw your name somewhere. So they Google and try to find you, but they can’t. Or maybe they post a question on their Facebook page asking if anyone has a contact number (you know what I mean).

It's not that you're hiding – you’re working, your current clients know you're wonderful. Yet there's this whole new group of people who would love to work with you, but Google doesn’t have you on their list of ‘businesses near me’. And so they can’t find you.

If you've heard through the grapevine that people tried to find you online but couldn't, that's a sign it might be time to get your website launched.

Sign #4: Your Business is Up and Running … But you’re Ready for More Clients.

Remember when you first started? Maybe Facebook and Instagram were enough. Word-of-mouth was working great. You were figuring things out. You got your first clients.

But now? You've got systems. You've got experience. You know what you're doing, and your work shows it.

The gap between the quality of your work and how you look online... it's getting bigger.

It's not that you're trying to brag or impress anyone. But there's something to be said for your online presence actually reflecting who you are now as a business.

There are people out there who would love to work with you.  You just need to let them know you exist.

Sign #5: It’s Getting Trickier to Book Appointments and Juggle Your Schedule

This one gets hard to admit. You want to say 'I do it all'...

Do you find yourself taking calls at all hours because you don’t want to miss an ‘unknown caller’ that could be a future client? But the constant back-and-forth trying to schedule appointments while you’re driving, eating, walking is taking its toll on your personal life.

Maybe you'd love to stop manually sending emails or reminders? Maybe you dream of an assistant but can’t quite afford to hire additional staff at this time.

You got into this work because you're good at what you do and you want to serve your community. But the more your business grows, the more time you’re spending in your inbox or on the phone.  

A good website with the right tools can give you some free time.

Definitely enough that you could enjoy a quiet Sunday morning without checking your messages.

These days simple websites have great tools to help. It might be time to explore.

So... Now What?

If you saw yourself in a few of these signs, here's what I'd suggest:

Don't stress about it. You're doing great.

But maybe - just maybe - it's worth having a conversation about what a website could look like for your business. Not some big fancy complicated thing. Just something that makes your life easier and helps the right people find you.

I'm Kim Desveaux. I've lived in Cape Br

eton my whole life, raised my kids here, run businesses here, even served as a municipal councillor.

I build websites for Cape Breton service based businesses - the kind that make sense for small businesses. No giant site to maintain. No confusing jargon. Just straightforward websites that work.

I’m here if you want to chat about what might work for your business.

Book a free clarity call using my website: www.kimdesveaux.com or follow along on Instagram @kim_desveaux for helpful tips.

And congratulations on building a business you can be proud of!  

About Kim: I’m Kim Desveaux. I have been part of the Cape Breton community for over 50 years. I’ve raised my family here, graduated from Cape Breton University, run multiple businesses, and served as a municipal councillor. I work with entrepreneurs to help them launch and grow their businesses.  Now I combine my love for Cape Breton with my background in business, design, and web development to help local service based businesses create websites.