Why Good Websites Cost Money (and Why DIY Can Be a Disaster)
Back in early December, a guy emails me with a grand idea: a website directory where vendors (charter buses, catering, etc.) pay for profiles, edit them themselves, get a built-in search function, marketing tools, advertising opportunities, and direct messaging.
One of the sites he references? Bark.com.
I inform him, politely but directly, that what he’s describing—if custom-built—would be a massive project. Like, hire-a-team-of-developers-and-burn-through-a-$50K-to-$100K-budget massive.
Of course, I don’t do full custom builds, but I tell him I can fudge together something functional on Squarespace using third-party plugins, widgets, and some clever workarounds. Quote: $5,000.
His response? "That’s too much. I’ll just start it myself, then you can make it better."
I strongly advise against this plan, because—spoiler alert—DIY website disasters are my personal spectator sport. But hey, some people need to learn the hard way.
Fast forward two months. He proudly sends me… the most tragic website I’ve seen in a while. It’s clunky, confusing, and likely cost him dozens of hours to piece together.
I tell him, “What you built would’ve taken me 2-3 hours.”
But worse? His business idea still isn’t viable. There’s no clear SEO strategy, marketing plan, social media presence, or outreach plan to get vendors OR schools onto the platform. Just throwing a website on the internet and expecting people to sign up? Not how this works.
So, he pays me $75 for an audit and action plan. With a little ChatGPT magic, I map out exactly how to make his site a real business. He loves it.
Then comes the inevitable question: "How much to implement all this?"
Me: $5,000.
The real kicker? He has no funding, no business plan, and no real understanding of what it takes to launch a successful platform.
Moral of the story: Good websites don’t cost a lot of money—good businesses do.
Want something that actually works? Invest in it. Or spend two months making an expensive mess. Your call.
