When I first set out to create the Website Foundations Course, I had one clear goal: to help women entrepreneurs in the creative and service industry build their own website without the tech overwhelm.
When I started building the course, I honestly had no idea what I was doing or how it would all come together. What I did know was that there were so many women with incredible ideas, products, and talents who were struggling to take their businesses to the next level. For many, the technology felt intimidating or they simply didn’t know where to begin or how to get started. I realized I had the experience and skills to bridge that gap and help them move past the overwhelm with clarity and confidence. Thus my journey into content/course creation and building a supportive community began.
What I Learned
- Teaching live builds confidence, but there was a better way to do the training.
For the first two modules of the course I was providing the training live, but quickly realized that it was not going to work. Each training was over an hour and the members were attempting to do the training while I was teaching. I could sense they were frustrated and I was feeling overwhelmed and questioning if I could create a course. In collaborating with the founding members we decided starting with Module 3 the training would be broken down into small, approximately 10 minute lessons, that were pre-recorded. This allowed the members to do the lessons at their own pace and allowed me to refine the lessons into brief sessions that were simple to follow. - Community matters.
Using Membership.io to host the course and community gave members a space to connect beyond the Zoom calls. The course wasn’t just about building a website, but a space for encouragement, celebrating wins, and each member realizing they were not alone on this journey. It allowed them to form new connections and friendships. - Simple systems kept everything flowing.
I used Flodesk for all emails and workflows, making the communications personalized and on brand. From welcome emails to weekly reminders it kept everything automated saving time and stress. I used Adobe Express to create supporting documents for each module, which allowed easy duplication and maintained consistency in layout and flow of information. - Clarity before perfection.
In the beginning, I spent hours tweaking lessons, slides and supporting documents. What I learned is clarity beats perfection and that content is the most important aspect of the course…not what it looks like. When I focused on the content and let go of making everything “perfect and pretty” I gained peace of mind and they received better course materials.
What am I Doing Differently in the Next Course Release
- Batch and automate more content.
I will be batching and recording all the lessons for each module of the course at least two modules ahead of schedule. This will ensure that material is posted on time by using automated scheduling provided within Membership.io (Course and community platform) and give me the flexibility to be more present in the community to answer questions. - Add more structure for feedback.
I had two points in the course where I received valuable feedback from the members via surveys built with Google Docs. The next release will have at least two additional feedback checkpoints for a total of four. These checkpoints help in the ongoing development of the course structure, evaluating the course flow, and establishing points in the course that may need additional tweaks. - Emphasize the importance of the planning and design (Modules 1 & 2).
I didn’t emphasize enough just how important this phase of the course was. As a result, many members found themselves returning to these modules later, once they realized they needed more clarity around their website’s flow and structure. In the next release, I plan to highlight the significance of these early lessons and guide members in building a strong foundation before moving forward because this is truly where the clarity happens. - Teach page construction from scratch.
For page layouts I won’t start with templates in the next release. While they’re great time savers, I learned introducing templates created confusion. The members needed to first understand the structure behind the layout. By starting with a blank page, they could see the layout come together, container by container, element by element. Once they understood the process the templates became a tool and not a crutch. In addition, they were able to customize layouts to fit the wireframe that they had created in earlier modules, instead of feeling limited by the predesigned structure of templates. - Addition of Implementation Weeks.
An implementation week is a built-in pause between modules that gives members time to apply what they have learned, catch up on lessons they may have missed, and review previous material without the pressure of new content. During the course I attended WordCamp 2025, and as a group, we decided to take that week off and not introduce any new training. It turned out to be the best decision. The feedback was positive as members appreciated having the extra time. Because it was so beneficial, the next release of the course will have three dedicated implementation weeks.
Success & Failures
Successes:
- Watching women who once said, “I could never build a website” proudly share they sites was everything to me!
- The combination of live Q & A sessions, pre-recorded lessons, with community worked so well together.
- The Founding Members became my biggest supporters, offering constructive feedback that shaped the course into what is and where it is heading.
Failures…no failures, just lessons learned:
- Not everything went smoothly and there were some hiccups during the 12 weeks. Lessons were delayed, Zoom replays did not always record perfectly, and supporting documents were not perfect.
- The Q & A sessions could have been more structured. For the next release Q & A will focus only on submitted questions from the hub in order to keep focus and allow me time to research so that I present the answers without doing the research during the Q & A session. This respects the members time and ensures that the answers are complete and address the questions effectively.
Why I Focus on Women
I often get asked why Website Foundations is designed specifically for women. The answer is simple: I’ve seen far to many creative, capable, talented women hold themselves back simply because they believe they are not techy enough.
The world of tech has long been male-dominated, and while that’s changing, it can still feel daunting to a beginner. I wanted to change that and empower specifically women artist, makers, designers, entrepreneurs to confidently take control of their online presence. To create a space for women where they can ask questions freely, learn without judgement, and never feel a question is not important. A space where they feel confident and capable of managing their own websites and thriving online.
My Mission
To make technology approachable, empowering, and creatively fulfilling for women who are ready to build something of their own.
Looking Ahead
Creating the Website Foundations Course reminded me why I love what I do. It combines all my experience into something that has the potential to change other women’s lives.
It isn’t perfect, but it is real and growing.
It’s not just about getting a website online. It’s about building something you’re proud to share…a site that reflects your business, your purpose, your goals, and your vision…
AND doing it with fellow women entrepreneurs.
If you’ve ever asked, “Can I really create my own website myself?”
The answer is YES!
The Website Foundations Course makes it possible for you to take that next step.
Click the button below to join the waitlist to be the have early access when enrollment opens and when you do you will receive 3 must have tools to start mapping out your dream website delivered directly to your inbox.
