Website Usability Coach and Tips for Non-Overwhelm in your Business | Kathie York
Updated: Apr 19, 2022
Today we talk with Kathie York, a website usability coach who makes your site easy to use for humans to navigate and stay engaged! On top of this, Kathie shares tips and tricks on how to build “non-overwhelm’ into your business processes. Kathie comes with a bag full of advice that has been proven true in her own life, and you will not want to miss out on this episode. I fell in love right away with her wisdom, humor, and generosity to help other business owners not just survive their business, but enjoy it too.
Be sure to dig deeper into everything she talks about today on her website! Don’t forget to jump into her subscription to receive a free gift on how to make the most of your website through better usability.
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About Kathie
Kathie is a website usability coach, she helps those who have a website, or do not have one yet, and walks through the process of creating a website that works. She makes sure that your website is really easy for people to use, because if they can't use it, they're gone, and that does you no good in the end. It can be easy to focus on SEO, but SEO only helps with one thing: to get people on your website. Your job is to keep them there, and that is the hard part. If they come in and bounce right out, the Google gods see that as a bounce, and you are not relevant. If you are not relevant, you do not rank.
Kathie helps keep your website usable and relevant.
Advice for the Frazzled Business Owner
Kathie believes in the importance of setting up your business for success at the very beginning. A thriving, non-overwhelm business isn't just be caught from reading books but requires practical processes that actually work! This is where Kathie coined the phrase, "non-overwhelm." She is so sick of everyone being so overwhelmed! In many ways, her process is easy, but it is not easy when you're starting out.
The first step to a 'non-overwhelm' lifestyle is to set up your system. Once you have your system, then the hard part comes in: you need to follow it faithfully. No matter what gets in the way, stick with the system, it is the only way to get out of the overwhelm cycle.
For example, Kathie has set aside certain days for certain focuses. Monday is her catch-up day, where she catches up on all the little bits and pieces that did not get accomplished from the week before. This helps her have a great start to her week!
Wednesdays are Kathie's "business days," and this is something almost everyone leaves out. Take one day a week, the WHOLE day, where all you do is work on your business. For Kathie, this could be working on her website, catching up on her Facebook groups, and all the odds and ends that come up. This is not about working IN your business but ON your business.
Kathie designated Fridays as her learning day. Throughout the week she collects articles, blogs, anything that will take some time to read or watch, and pushes them all into Friday. She knows there are things she's going to learn from others, and she is able to work distraction-free knowing Friday is coming.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are pretty much set for client work. Since Kathie has set up Monday as her catch-up day, she knows if things get really messed up in the week, (and sometimes they do!) Monday can be used to catch up on client work. If she has to use Saturday, she will, but she tries to keep Saturdays free.
Her last piece of advice for business owners is to take at least one day a week off and shut your business down. Sundays are not negotiable for Kathie: she does not work on Sundays. And folks, if you don't pause and go without your phone and computer for at least one day a week, you're not going to get very far in business. You are going to be overwhelmed all the time. Our brains were not made to be on all the time!
You're not running the world, stop acting like it! For 40 years Kathie has been using this system after nearly working herself to death in her 20's, and it works. It has changed her life and her business.
Want to view Kathie's steps to non-overwhelm? She has a new handout for you! Subscribe to her email list on her website, or even jump over there now and read her blogs. You will find a wealth of information!
Tips on Wrangeling your Paperwork
Most of the overwhelm when it comes to paperwork comes around tax time. Kathie has a thorough post on how to manage your paperwork in her blog called "7th Step to 'Non-Overwhelm': Wrangle your Admin and Paperwork!" Whatever we do with the business is deductible, and Kathie has found that 90% of that is the little stuff; the meetings you go to, the meals you have while you're there. People keep all these receipts, but the truth is, unless it's $20 or more, you don't have to have the receipt. You just have to keep good records.
Kathie keeps all of this in a spreadsheet so that her CPA at the end of the year has all the necessary information. She has all her totals in one file.
Kathie also takes the paperwork that comes from the government, and scans them right away, and puts them into one electronic folder designed "government forms." Therefore, when taxes come along, her accountant has everything she needs. Kathie does not have to scramble at tax time, everything's done. You just keep up with the paperwork.
Tips on your 'About Me' Page!
News flash, your about me page is not about you!
Okay, so think about those about pages you've read, "we have 25 people and between us, we have 2000 years of experience, blah, blah....." The question is, so what? People only care about is "what's in it for me."
For example, Kathie tells people she was a software quality engineer and explains that this is the reason she's in business: because she has that background. She has tested software, tested sites, and tested courses in her career. Now, Kathie can bring all of that together and help you so you don't have to worry about if your website works. Because most people have no clue about their website.
Your about page is all about the ways you help others, taking care of all the things they no longer need to worry about when working with you. It is all about your audience. You need to be asking them questions even on your about page.
You can share a little bit about your background, but don't belabor it. Just remember nobody cares about your degree or all this other stuff that you have. It's not a resume. Everything you say is built around 'what's in it for me.' Find your perfect client, and only write to them. There's no reason to write to anybody else!
What Kathie is Learning Right Now:
Kathie right now is learning all about Canva, she enjoys the creative outlet! She wants to learn enough to do her own things. In fact, she used Canva to create her "Seven Steps to Non-Overwhelm" on one sheet! Be sure to check it out!
The other thing Kathie has been learning is the art of cold emails. She has been taking a six-month course with Laura Lopuch, and she has been at this since June or July! Kathie has been learning so much, Laura has been a great coach and she can see that her emails get reuglary opened.
Connect with Kathie Today!
If you have a project that is coming up, tell Kathie about it! Kathie also has a free webinar recording from the "Be a Better Freelancer" conference in October. It was about making the most of your website through better usability. She has a packet that you can get, and all you have to do is subscribe to her blog. If you want to unsubscribe after you get the packet, you can do that too! No biggie!
Kathie's website is https://kathieyork.com/
Email Kathie at kathie@kathieyork.com
Connect on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathieyork/
Connect with Dani:
As always, you can find me at https://www.daniellehamlet.com/ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Email discoverycallpodcast@gmail.com. Find me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/danihamlet/
Connect on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/danihamlet
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Before you go, one more question: Would you like to start your own podcast for your business? If that is a YES, Let’s connect and book a free strategy call: discoverycallpodcast@gmail.com.