Week of the Website as a Side Hustle
How Week of the Website went from side project to our main business.
Week of the Website started as a side hustle.
That’s right. It wasn’t until 2020 that we made WOTW our core business priority. Prior to that, Kelsey and I spent our time programming, producing, and consulting on large events. It’s what we were best known for up until our friend, “The Pandy,” hit. We thrived on business connections, creating community, and relationships with incredible folks all over the world. We also lost a lot of sleep, endured a lot of stress, and burnt out pretty fast. Event production is no joke — a “young person’s game,” as we say. In the five years we planned events, we had some huge wins and some impressive programs that we pulled out of our asses. I still marvel at what we could do with a small idea, a few months of time, and boundless imagination.
To supplement our income, we built websites in five days on the side. Event production for us wasn’t a viable way of supporting ourselves when the hours often didn’t match the income. Our hearts were deeply in it, but our brains knew we’d have to eventually pick a pony. So we decided to shutter our production company after our last event in 2019 and focus full time on our second child, Week of the Website, which was showing legs and a hunger for growth.
Up until then, most of our websites were all built and managed by myself and Kelsey. We knew what we had created — a simple, seamless way for small businesses to get the right website — made a lot of sense, so we threw ourselves into the deep end riiiiiiight before stay-at-home orders. It was terrifying — but probably the most logical and life-altering business move we could have made, given our clearer hindsight a year later. We spent a lot of early 2020 not only trying to step into our work fully, but also creating solutions for businesses who needed to adapt and make money online. Our friends in hospitality were suffering; restaurants were closing. Our friends running nonprofits and events needed to pivot to online operations and fundraising. We knew we were in a unique position to help, and we used good karma as a way to help us also try out different ideas.
It’s funny to think that in a very short year, after losing a sizable chunk of our revenue stream, we have more than surpassed prior company milestones, doubled our efforts, and multiplied our team members, all by doing what we do best: creating processes that solve real problems for right now. I credit our adaptability and deep knowledge of systems with our ability to tread water and eventually climb into a powerboat. I also know that this has to do with following our gut. We knew that WOTW was the work we wanted — and needed — to be doing at this time.
It can be difficult to know when to take the training wheels off, let go and just ride. It’s hard to stay grounded in the present when so much is at stake to create a sustainable future. The only advice I have is to trust the little voice inside of you that will never lead you astray. And if the side-hustle siren sounds — always, always answer it.
