Meet Frank Gomez

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Frank Gomez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Frank below.

Frank, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I think some of it is my nature. I was born with it. I’ve also been through some major things in my life and that made me stronger.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I built my first website in 1997 because I wanted a website so I taught myself. After building HTML websites part time I started doing web and graphic design full time in 2008. In early 2010 I started using WordPress. I realized around 2016 that my websites were much faster than other people’s and I realized I had something marketable. Today I build sustainable websites which makes them super fast which is much better for SEO. Because I’m committed to best practices I also make sure my websites are ADA Compliant. I care about all types of people, disabled or not. As a web developer I also stand behind my work. I have a service called WPTechGuru which is WordPress Maintenance and Tech Support which I provide to all of my web design clients via subscription. I’m very focused on customer service so I respond very quickly, deliver new projects on time or early and many of my clients have been with me for over a decade.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First, I realized when I started using WordPress that I didn’t want to use templates. So I started creating custom websites each time, using a theme but not using any pre-built templates. My websites are really fast because I start with a basic theme and avoid using plugins where a bit of code will do. This even applies to integrations. The integrations offered by third parties are typically not designed well so they slow the websites way down. Just use the code to integrate vs. a plugin. The lesson is that you really should teach yourself some basics, HTML and CSS at the very least. Otherwise do not become a web designer or web developer. The vast majority of websites out there are very low quality. See the reports on the HTTP Archive: https://httparchive.org/. Second, I developed skill in creating ADA Compliant websites by really studying the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and testing the website manually and with readily available online tools. Again no plugins for accessibility, those have been proven in court to be unacceptable for meeting the guidelines. Third, my subcontractors are in the US and I pay them well. I’ve worked with the same assistant for several years. Many would say to cut costs but I believe that I save in the long run by having one person trained really well to know exactly how I want things vs. hiring random people.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
15 years ago networking was the most effective way for me to generate leads. I moved recently and networking has worked a tiny bit but it has mostly been ineffective. I don’t believe in advertising online for web design work (low quality results) so these days I’m writing letters and working on enhancing relationships I already have. This has proven to be effective. You have to look at the long game. I’ve had potential clients reach out to me years after the first contact. I’ve even had people hire someone else and then call me 2 years later apologizing for not hiring me first. You have to be patient and steady. Keep marketing even if you are busy.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All images created by Frank Gomez of Empowered Marketing, LLC. Composite images may contain stock photography which has been licensed through Adobe or iStockPhoto.

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move