Get to know Janet & Stefani – The Online Magic Makers at The Essential Website

Our Story

Once upon a time in a 9-5, dreary world…two helpful-creative-adventuresome-go-get-’em [young] ladies named Janet and Stefani decided to follow their dreams of owning their own business.

They learned more than they ever thought possible by studying like crazy, listening on the edge of their seats, reading massive amounts of information, and doing their [fun] homework. This newfound knowledge and their mad skillz enabled them to create the life they dreamed of – working for themselves, on their schedule.

For a few years, this was a fantastic set-up for both of them. They worked day and night in their new businesses…pouring their heart and soul into every logo and website they crafted.

One day, the two girls met in an online web design class and found out they had a TON in common. The more they talked (online), the more they realized that they both LOVED helping people, had problems saying no when they knew they needed to, had big (and similar) dreams, were addicted to learning, set the bar high and much, much more. The stars had clearly aligned for these code-and-graphics-loving ladies, and soon they became biz go-to buddies. Before they knew it, they had become each other’s mentor, accountability partner, support system, coding demystifier, and close friend.

One thing was for sure: these two biz BFFs kept running up against the same road bumps. Potential clients wanted to work with them, but they didn’t have the budget to afford a full-fledged, custom website. Since these two ladies were the helper, couldn’t-say-no types, it drove them a little bonkers because it meant either turning down projects, clients and income OR spending more time customizing proposals than they did actually designing and developing websites.

How could they be MORE helpful to people and make sure they provide services that people need and want, keeping the same high standards and quality, but at a more affordable price? Something that’s perfect and provides all of the essentials for people who need to get their business online and looking great.

And with that…The Essential Website was born!

The two friends worked day and night to create the perfect solution (because it’s what you do when you’re excited). The Essential Website would be a special place their clients could go for a treasure chest of resources, it would have new ways to make projects go faster and smoother, plus lots more. And…during all of this time the two friends had never actually met face-to-face (though they had lots of Skype brain sessions and every other kind of online collaboration you can think of)!

Until one day, they decided to take a trip…to France!

Why France?

Because…adventure, fun, creative inspiration, food, and building more of The Essential Website! Uhmm…hello!! {Update! Janet now lives there part-time et c’est dreamy!}

Or shall we say, Bonjour!

These two Texans – who only live 4 hours away by car – finally met in real life, and it was as if they’d been friends and colleagues forever. And it was on this European adventure that they worked, brainstormed, had tons of food and fun, and created even more ideas for The Essential Website.

Now, when clients come to The Essential Website, there will be a small buffet of options ranging from fully custom design and development (for those with larger website wishes) to DIY websites (for those with smaller budgets and/or a thirst to learn). {DIY details coming soon!}

Follow your dreams, don’t give up, do what you love, make friends along the way and help people!

We LOVE…

helping nice businesses and people who are ready to grow.

We believe in…

empowering and inspiring other dreamers, doers and action-takers to live the laptop lifestyle and have the freedom to do what they (and we) love.

We think it’s…

pretty darn awesome that we can work from ANYWHERE while also helping others be able to do the same. It’s good for our sanity and creativity!

Get to know Janet

I absolutely LOVE what I do, I’m a little bit (ok..a lot) of a techie code and design geek and am passionate about helping smart, creative entrepreneurs build beautiful, intuitive, easy-to-use, secure websites for their businesses. (It’s a mouthful, but oh so true!)

I’m a mom (dog and human), wife, and worked full-time (for over 18 years!) for an awesome corporation. But I had a dream, and I never thought I could do it. I was scared (maybe like you are), but here I am! I wish I had done it sooner because I couldn’t be happier.

Get to know Stefani

Working really hard and helping people has always been something I truly enjoy doing, and I have always been a bit of a computer geek. While I spend part of my time teaching and cheering my students on in Yoga, Barre and other fitness classes, I have quite the mega-focused, stare-at-the-computer-and-code side to me. I’m actually an extroverted introvert…hmmm, or is it the other way around?

Being at home in a quiet environment, tapping away on the computer while having my wonderful dogs by my side is the ultimate dream job! And to be able to make a living doing what I love while also helping others…woah, mega dream job!

Learn even more about Janet & Stefani here.

When you embrace who you are, what you love and you have fun doing it, who knows what kind of surprises will pop up!

If you can dream it, you can do it! Your website is the home-base for your ideal lifestyle, and by taking that step to create your own site, you’ll be closer to turning your dreams into a reality! We love helping people do what they love by building them a beautiful, polished, and professional online home. Not a bad way to spend the day!

This is where we met 4 years ago, at Web Designer Beauty School. If you want to learn how to create an online world yourself, be sure to look here. You never know who you might meet and the adventures that might bring! The ladies at Web Designer Beauty School also recently interviewed us, check it out!