Coonoor Behal is the Founder & CEO of Mindhatch, a firm that specializes in getting companies better results with creativity through Design Thinking, Organizational Improv™, Innovation Facilitation, and Diversity & Inclusion. She is also the author of I Quit! The Life-Affirming Joy of Giving Up, which will be published by New Degree Press in April 2021.
“If you plan to do your business for three or more years, then do not skimp on your website. Make it great and let it help you.”
Coonoor Behal
Worst investment ever
Going out on her own
Coonoor quit her job at Deloitte Consulting to start her own company, Mindhatch. She immediately went into a bootstrap mode and cut out all these things that were personal expenditures.
Taking the bootstrapping mentality into her new business venture
Coonoor knew what she wanted to be doing for clients, but she did not know how to go about it, mainly because she was so strapped for cash. Coonoor was looking for all possible ways to build her business without spending a lot of money.
One of the things Coonoor decided she needed was a website. Again, she went into the bootstrapping mentality of not wanting to spend much on this website. Her expectations for the website were low, and she thought this was a smart business decision. She went for a static three-page website with simple details of who she is, what her niche does, and contact details. She paid about $1,000 for that.
Time for a new website
Coonoor’s business started to grow, and she started wanting to do more. Now she was a B2B business, and she needed a website that could do a lot more for her business, such as lead generation, answer questions that people are curious about, and more.
Struggling to find a reliable web designer
Coonoor decided it was time to improve her website, and she started looking for someone to work with. Unfortunately, this became the worst thing she experienced since starting her business.
It took her a really long time to find a good web designer who eventually built the website she should have gotten from the beginning. She learned the hard way that cheap is indeed expensive.
Lessons learned
Work on a great business website from the start to save money
You will save yourself money, time, and so much heartache and annoyance if you engage a good website design company from the start. Focus on building a professional website as you start building your business so that it can grow with your business.
Andrew’s takeaways
Building a great website is hard but with the right web design company, you can do it
A lot goes into creating a business website that customers will love and find useful. This is an expensive venture that most small businesses prefer to defer until they make a lot of money. However, when you find the right web designer, you can work together to create something great from the very start.
Do not let insecurity or fear of failure hold you back from going the whole nine yards
Most new entrepreneurs have a sense of insecurity and fear that their businesses will fail and, therefore, shy away from investing in essential business tools such as websites. Trust yourself and show the world what you are made of.
Actionable advice
Think about how long you want to do the thing that requires a website. If you are committed, and you know it is going to be something you will do for three or more years, then definitely invest in that website upfront.
No. 1 goal for the next 12 months
Coonoor’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to sell many books once her book is launched in April. She also plans to do keynote speeches and give author and book talks at organizations and conferences.
Parting words
“Just try it out and experiment. Most things in life are not as risky as you think they are.”
Coonoor Behal
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