Basic Website Creation

What This Is

You build websites for Jamaican small businesses — barbers, caterers, nail techs, guesthouses, contractors — using no-code platforms like Wix or Squarespace. The client pays you a project fee (J$25,000–J$65,000 depending on scope) to design, build, and launch their site. After launch, you offer a monthly maintenance retainer (J$5,000–J$8,000/month) to update content and keep the site running. You are not a coder — you are a builder and a project manager. Your value is speed, local knowledge, and removing a task the client cannot or will not do themselves.

Who This Is Not For

• Anyone without a working laptop — a smartphone cannot build or manage client websites on Wix or Squarespace. This is a non-negotiable requirement
• Anyone without reliable internet access at home or at a consistent workspace — every session on a cloud builder saves to the internet. Frequent disconnections corrupt work and destroy client trust
• Anyone who needs income in the first 2 weeks — Month 1 is portfolio-building and first-client acquisition. Realistic Month 1 income is J$25,000–J$35,000 from one project. Do not enter this model expecting J$80,000 in Week 2
• Anyone not willing to chase clients for content — 80% of project delays happen because clients do not send their photos, text, or logo on time. If you cannot firmly and repeatedly follow up without feeling awkward, projects will stall indefinitely
• Anyone expecting clients to find them — this business requires active outreach. Posting once on Instagram and waiting does not generate clients

What You Need

• Working laptop with minimum 8GB RAM — any laptop running Windows 10+ or macOS. Wix and Squarespace are browser-based; no software install needed. If your laptop runs hot or freezes on Chrome, it will slow every project
• Reliable internet connection — minimum 5 Mbps upload speed. Test at fast.com before committing to this model. Flow or Digicel home broadband meets this threshold; spotty mobile data does not
• Wix account (free to start) — go to wix.com and create a free account. You build in the free editor and the client pays for their own premium hosting plan (J$3,000–J$6,000/month depending on their plan). You never pay for the client's hosting
• Canva account (free tier sufficient to start) — canva.com. Used for creating logos, banners, and social graphics that go on the site. Upgrade to Canva Pro (J$2,500/month) at Month 2 once you have paying clients
• Google Workspace or Gmail — for sending professional emails and sharing documents with clients. A free Gmail account is sufficient to start
• Contract template — a written agreement covering: scope of work, number of revision rounds (state 2 maximum), 50% non-refundable deposit requirement, client content deadline, and what happens if the client goes silent for more than 14 days. Create this in Google Docs before approaching any client. See 00-starter-folder.md for the exact clauses to include
• Invoice template — a simple Google Docs or Wave App (free at waveapps.com) invoice with your name, client name, project description, amount, and payment instructions. Send with every deposit request and every final payment request
• WiPay merchant account — wipaycaribbean.com/jamaica. Apply before approaching first client. Approval: 1–3 business days. Requires a bank account to receive payouts — a personal account (NCB, BNS, CIBC FirstCaribbean, or Sagicor) qualifies for sole traders; no registered business account needed. Fee: 1.5% per transaction — factor into your pricing. For clients who prefer bank transfer, keep your account details in the Starter Folder as an alternative

First Seven Actions

1. Day 1 — Choose your platform and complete one full tutorial. Go to wix.com/learn and complete the 'Wix Editor Basics' tutorial (free, approximately 2 hours). Do not skip this — operators who start building client sites without completing even one tutorial produce slow, messy layouts and lose confidence when clients ask questions. Output: you can create a page, add a section, change colours, and preview mobile view without looking anything up.
2. Day 2 — Build your own portfolio site. One page is enough to start: your name, what you do ('I build websites for Jamaican small businesses'), 2–3 services listed with prices, and a WhatsApp contact button. Publish it on a free Wix subdomain (yourname.wixsite.com/portfolio). Do not spend money on a domain yet — that comes after your first paid project. Output: a live, publicly accessible URL you can send to any prospect.
3. Day 3 — Build Demo Site 1 (salon or nail tech). Create a fake business — name it something like 'Nails by Marcia, Kingston.' Build a 3-page site: Home (hero image + tagline + book now button), Services (price list), Contact (WhatsApp link + location). Use free stock photos from unsplash.com for the images. Output: a published demo URL showing your style for beauty businesses.
4. Day 4 — Build Demo Site 2 (food business or contractor). Repeat for a different industry — a cookshop, a landscaping service, or a guesthouse. Different layout, different colour palette, different vibe. Output: second published demo URL showing range across industries.
5. Day 5 — Set your three pricing tiers and write them down. Tier 1 — Landing Page (1 page, WhatsApp contact button, mobile-optimised): J$25,000. Tier 2 — Standard Site (up to 5 pages, booking or contact form, Google Maps embed): J$40,000. Tier 3 — E-commerce or Booking Site (online store or appointment booking system): J$60,000–J$75,000. These are your prices — do not negotiate below them. Output: a written pricing document saved in your Starter Folder.
6. Day 6 — Build your prospect list. Open Instagram or Google Maps and find 10 local businesses that have no website or a broken one. Write down: business name, Instagram handle or phone number, what they sell, and why they need a site (e.g. 'no booking link,' 'no price list visible,' 'Instagram bio link broken'). These are your first outreach targets. Output: a list of 10 named businesses with contact info and your reason for reaching out.
7. Day 7 — Send your first 5 outreach messages. For each business on your list, send a personalised DM or WhatsApp: 'Hi [Name], I came across [Business Name] on Instagram — love the work. I noticed you don't have a website yet. I built a demo layout for a [their industry] business that I'd love to show you. Would you be open to a quick look?' Attach the relevant demo URL. Do not send a generic message — mention something specific about their business. Output: 5 messages sent, tracked in a simple Google Sheet with columns: Business | Contact | Date Sent | Response.

Waiting Time Tasks

• While building demos or waiting for client responses: create your Client Intake Form. This is a Google Form with exactly these questions: (1) Business name and what you sell, (2) Who is your main customer?, (3) What do you want visitors to do on your site — call you, book, buy, or just find you?, (4) List your 3 main services or products with prices, (5) Do you have a logo? (Yes/No — if yes, upload it), (6) Upload 5 photos of your work or business. Send this form to every prospect before starting any design work. Output: a shareable Google Form link saved in your Starter Folder.
• While waiting for prospect replies: complete the Wix Partner Academy course at support.wix.com/en/wix-partner-academy (free). Takes approximately 3 hours. Upon completion you receive a digital badge you can display on your portfolio site and mention to clients as proof of platform expertise. Output: Wix Partner Academy certificate downloaded and added to portfolio site.
• While waiting for client content: build your component library. In your Wix account, create a blank site and design 5 reusable sections: (1) a clean hero with headline and button, (2) a services grid with 3 cards, (3) a testimonial strip, (4) a contact section with WhatsApp button, (5) a simple footer with social links. Save each as a 'Saved Section' in Wix. These become the building blocks of every future site — you assemble rather than design from scratch. Output: 5 saved sections in your Wix account, each labelled clearly.
• While waiting for client content: study 5 Jamaican business websites and write one sentence about each — what works and what doesn't. Look at: a hotel site, a salon, a law firm, a food business, a school. Note: navigation structure, mobile behaviour, how fast it loads, whether the contact info is easy to find. This trains your eye for what makes a site functional vs just pretty. Output: a notes document with 5 site names and one observation each.
• While waiting for a project to close: draft your maintenance retainer offer. Write a one-paragraph message you will send to every client after launch: 'Your site is live. To keep it updated and running smoothly, I offer a monthly maintenance plan at J$5,000/month. This covers: updating your prices or services list, adding new photos, fixing any broken links, and monthly backups. Reply YES to start.' Output: a saved message template in your Starter Folder ready to send post-launch.

Starter Folder Contents

• Pricing Tiers Document — Tier 1 (Landing Page) J$25,000 | Tier 2 (Standard Site) J$40,000 | Tier 3 (E-commerce/Booking) J$60,000–J$75,000. Include what each tier covers and what is not included. Update when your rates increase.
• Contract Template — must include: scope of work (exact pages and features agreed), number of revision rounds (2 maximum — additional rounds billed at J$3,000 each), 50% non-refundable deposit required before work begins, client content deadline (client must supply all photos and text within 7 days of deposit — project pauses after 14 days of no content), what happens if client goes silent for 30+ days (project closed, deposit forfeited, restart fee of J$5,000 applies). Create in Google Docs.
• Client Intake Form — Google Form link. Send to every prospect before starting design. Collects: business name, target customer, site goal, services/products with prices, logo upload, and 5 photo uploads.
• Invoice Template — in Google Docs or Wave App (waveapps.com). Columns: item description, quantity, unit price, total. Footer: payment instructions (bank transfer details or WiPay link), due date (24 hours for deposit, 24 hours after launch for final payment).
• Prospect Tracker — Google Sheet with columns: Business Name | Contact | Platform (Instagram/WhatsApp/Google Maps) | Date Contacted | Response | Status (Interested/Quoted/Deposit Paid/Live/Retainer). Update after every interaction.
• Maintenance Retainer Template — one-paragraph message sent to every client after launch offering J$5,000–J$8,000/month maintenance. Saved and ready to send.
• Launch Checklist — before marking any project live, check: mobile view on two different phone sizes, all buttons and links work, contact form sends a test message, Google Maps embed loads, page speed under 4 seconds (test at pagespeed.web.dev), client has owner access to their own site.

Value Add Menu

• [Phase 1 — offer from first project] Monthly maintenance retainer — J$5,000/month. Covers: price/service list updates, new photo uploads, broken link fixes, monthly backup. Pitch this at launch to every client. 3 retainer clients = J$15,000 recurring monthly income that does not require finding new clients.
• [Phase 1 — offer from first project] Google Business Profile setup — J$8,000 one-time. Create and verify the client's Google Maps listing, add photos, hours, and services. Most small businesses in Jamaica are invisible on Google Maps — this is a fast, high-value add that takes 2 hours and dramatically increases their local search visibility.
• [Phase 1 — offer from first project] Professional email setup — J$5,000 one-time. Connect a branded email address (owner@theirbusiness.com) via Google Workspace or Zoho Mail (Zoho is free for up to 5 users). Clients love this — it makes their business feel legitimate immediately.
• [Phase 2 — offer from Month 2] SEO basic setup — J$10,000 one-time. Add page titles, meta descriptions, image alt text, and submit sitemap to Google Search Console. Explain to the client that this is not a ranking guarantee — it is technical readiness. Results take 4–12 weeks.
• [Phase 2 — offer from Month 2] AI-assisted copywriting — J$7,000 add-on. Use Claude or ChatGPT to draft all page copy from the client's intake form answers, then edit for their voice. Most clients have no idea what to write — this removes their biggest blocker and speeds up the project by 5–7 days.
• [Phase 3 — offer from Month 4+] E-commerce upgrade — J$15,000–J$20,000. Add a Wix Stores or Ecwid shop to an existing site. Requires the client to have products photographed and priced. Do not attempt this add-on without a clear product list from the client first.

Sales Mode

This is a project-based service sold through personal outreach — not advertising. Nobody is searching for 'website builder Jamaica' and finding a solo freelancer. You find clients by going where they already are and showing them something specific to their business. Three channels work: (1) Instagram DM with a demo attached — find businesses with great content but no website link, mention something specific about their work, attach your most relevant demo URL. (2) Google Maps gap search — search your parish for a business type (e.g. 'barber Kingston') and look for listings with no website link. Call or visit. (3) Personal network — list every business owner you know or buy from. Text them personally: 'I build websites for small businesses now. Do you have one? If not, I'd like to show you what I built for a [their industry] business.' The first 3 clients almost always come from personal network or warm referrals. Collect the 50% deposit via WiPay or bank transfer before starting any work — no exceptions.

Daily Minimum

This is a project-based income model, not a daily cash model. Income comes in project-sized chunks. Month 1 reality: 1 project at J$25,000–J$40,000. Month 2–3 reality: 2 projects per month at J$35,000–J$40,000 each + early retainer income. Month 4+ steady state: 2 projects/month (J$70,000–J$80,000) + 3–5 retainer clients (J$15,000–J$40,000/month recurring) = J$85,000–J$120,000/month. Daily activity minimum when not on an active project: send 5 personalised outreach messages, add one new section to your component library, and complete one platform tutorial. These three activities are the engine — skipping them for more than 3 days in a row means a dry pipeline in 3 weeks.

Common Failure Points

• Starting work without a deposit — if a client has not paid 50% upfront, they do not own your time. Clients who pay a deposit respond to messages, provide content on time, and approve work promptly. Clients without skin in the game go silent, change their minds, and waste your weeks. No deposit, no work start — no exceptions.
• Scope creep without a rate card — a client says 'can you just add a gallery?' after the site is live. Without a written rate card, you either do it free (and train them to keep asking) or say no (and risk conflict). Fix: your contract states 2 revision rounds are included; any work after go-live is J$3,000 per change session. State this at the start, not after the first extra request arrives.
• Waiting on client content with no deadline — a client pays their deposit and then sends photos 3 weeks later. You have blocked time for their project that is now wasted. Fix: contract states client must supply all content within 7 days of deposit. After 14 days of no content, project enters 'pause status' — your calendar opens for other clients. Project resumes only after content is received.
• Underpricing because the work felt easy — building a 3-page Wix site in 4 hours does not mean it should cost J$10,000. The client is paying for the result, not your hours. A site that brings in one booking pays for itself. Price based on value delivered, not hours spent.
• No portfolio before outreach — sending a DM to a prospect with no portfolio link is a dead message. Every outreach must include a demo URL. If you have no demos, build them before contacting anyone — see Day 3 and Day 4 in firstSevenActions.
• Treating Month 1 as proof of failure — one project in Month 1 is normal. Two is good. Three is exceptional. Most operators close their first paid project in Week 3–4. If you expect J$80,000 in Month 1 and earn J$30,000, you have not failed — you have started.

Ethical Community Rules

• Always set up the site in the client's name and email — never in yours. The client must have full owner access to their site. If you leave or the relationship ends, their business does not go with you
• Never promise a Google ranking — SEO setup makes a site technically findable; it does not guarantee position. Promising '#1 on Google' is a lie that will damage your reputation when it does not happen
• Disclose platform costs upfront — Wix and Squarespace premium plans cost J$3,000–J$6,000/month, paid by the client. Tell this to every prospect before they sign. Clients who discover recurring costs after launch feel deceived
• Do not use a client's template for another client — a design built specifically for one business should not be repurposed wholesale for a competitor in the same industry without disclosure
• Protect client data — if you have access to a client's contact form submissions or customer emails, do not share or use them for any purpose outside managing their project

Exit & Expand Paths

• Add monthly maintenance retainers to every project: pitch at launch, target 5 retainer clients by Month 3. At J$5,000–J$8,000/month each, 5 retainers = J$25,000–J$40,000 in stable monthly income that requires no new client acquisition. This is the most important expansion — do it before anything else.
• Add Google Business Profile setup as a standard package add-on (J$8,000 one-time): every client who gets a website also needs to be visible on Google Maps. Most are not. This add-on takes 2 hours, has no platform cost, and is the single highest-value-to-effort add-on available at this stage.
• Specialise in one industry by Month 4: pick the industry your first 2–3 clients came from and go deep. 'I build websites specifically for Jamaican food businesses' is a stronger pitch than 'I build websites for anyone.' Specialists charge 30–50% more than generalists. Build 3 more demos in that niche and update your portfolio to reflect the focus.
• Move into social media management by Month 6: clients who have a website often need someone to run their Instagram and Facebook too. Social media management at J$20,000–J$35,000/month per client, combined with website maintenance, becomes a full digital retainer package. See pp-052 (Social Media Content Creation) for the service model.