Read more about Wendy's journey to being an entrepreneur providing web design services for health & wellness professionals on Haute Stock's blog.

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BUSINESS?

After overcoming some health issues through diet and lifestyle changes several years ago, I decided to attend health coaching school to become a certified health coach. I wanted to help people who had similar issues to mine find the root cause of their symptoms and to feel better.

While I was attending school, many of my classmates started asking for help on the tech stuff in the forums, specifically on creating their websites. I started answering their questions and helping them since my background was web design and development, and then a light bulb went off. Since this was my area of expertise and comfort, I switched gears after graduation and became a web designer and online business strategist for health coaches.

Since I understood the health coaching industry and the heart-centered mission around it, I could help coaches create a website that would be highly effective as well as beautiful. Plus, I figured I could help even more people than I could alone by helping many coaches get their message and services out to the world.

Wendy Neal of Wendy Neal Design shares her biggest lessons learned in this Haute Stock Member Highlight. — What was your biggest struggle when starting out?

My biggest struggle has been juggling my business with my full time day job. Sometimes it's hard to separate the two, and at times it's limited the amount of clients I can take on at one time. *I have learned how to budget my time between the two and also to make sure I have plenty of time for my family.*

WHAT’S THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU ATTRIBUTE TO GROWING YOUR BUSINESS?

Word-of-mouth referrals have been instrumental in growing my business. In fact that's how I've gotten most of my clients. By listening to my clients' needs, paying attention to all the little details, and going the extra mile, I've been able to delight my clients and in turn grow my business.

What’s your favorite music to listen to when you’re creating graphics?

Right now I'm listening to a lot of Queen, but I also like to listen to Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, and Nelly. Basically anything upbeat and fun to sing along to!

Stock photo inception — Wendy Neal Design combined two Haute Stock images to create this compelling frame mockup. — How do you decide on what images to use for your brand?

First and foremost, they have to be beautiful! *They also need to match my brand and resonate with my audience. I typically look for simple, clean images that tell a story.* That's why I love Haute Stock because the images in the collections when used together help set the mood that I want my audience to feel.

What’s your favorite Haute Stock collection?

I don't think I can pick just one favorite! I used the Urban Vibes, Urban Vibes Mockups, Bohemian Workspace and Navy collections throughout my website and blog. I also used Mint Desktop for a free downloadable guide that I created for my audience.

How has Haute Stock helped you in your business?

I've gotten a ton of compliments on my website, from how pretty to how professional and clean it looks, and that alone has brought me at least 3 new clients. Haute Stock has become a resource that I can recommend with confidence to my clients for their websites and social media posts.

Wendy Neal Design loves Haute Stock's Urban Vibes, Mint Desktop, and Bohemian Workspace collections as they fit perfectly with her branding. — “

The library also *saves me time* because I don't have to go searching for images on a lot of different stock image websites hoping to find something that matches my brand whenever I post a new blog post or create an image post for social media.

What has been your biggest business lesson learned?

I'm a recovering perfectionist, and I've learned the hard way that perfectionism can really hinder your progress before you even start if you let it. I waited entirely too long to launch my own website until it was "just right", and of course lost potential earnings because of it.

For this reason I stress this to all my clients as well; I'll reel them back to reality if they get too far out. We'll work in phases if necessary — first setting up the bare minimum website and systems necessary to start selling their services for round 1 — then we can add more functionality and features later. Everyone's business evolves differently than they thought it would, and what they thought they needed from day one may not be the case six months down the line.