What I Actually Need From You Before We Start
One of the things I hear most from potential clients is some version of: "I'm not sure what to expect — can you walk me through the process?"
I love that question. Because the process is actually one of my favorite things about working with Story Reimagined. It's clear, it's organized, and if you come prepared, it's genuinely not that stressful.
Here's exactly what working together looks like from start to finish.
Step 1: The Inquiry Form
Everything starts when you fill out the inquiry form on my website. It gives me a quick picture of what you're looking for — your business type, what you're trying to accomplish, and whether you're thinking landing page or full website. It takes a few minutes and helps me show up to our call actually prepared to talk about you.
Step 2: The Consultation Call (Free)
Within two to three business days, I'll reach out to schedule a phone call. This call is free and takes anywhere from ten to thirty minutes — depending on how many questions you have and, honestly, how talkative you are.
On this call, I want to hear about your business, your goals for the website, and what you're drawn to visually. I'll ask questions, I'll listen, and at the end I'll give you an investment range. I say range on purpose — because until I see your prep form, I don't know the full scope of what your site needs. The final quote comes after that.
Step 3: The Website Prep Form
If you want to move forward, I'll send you the website prep form. This is where the real work begins — on your end.
The prep form is thorough. It covers every page of your website: your tagline, your calls to action, your services and what's included in each, your team if you have one, your FAQs, your contact information, and how you want people to feel when they navigate your site.
It also asks you to submit your assets: photos, videos if you have them, your logo, your favicon, and your color palette — or at least your general thoughts on color direction. And it asks about your target audience, your competitors, and what makes you stand out.
I'm this detailed for a reason: I don't want to be going back and forth with you for information while I'm in the middle of building. I'd rather ask everything upfront so that once I have your form, I can actually work.
When someone submits that form fully — everything answered, photos uploaded, copy drafted — I can move immediately. When someone sends it back half-done, that usually tells me the business isn't quite ready yet. And I'd rather have that conversation early than discover it three weeks in.
One more thing: more is more. Give me extra context wherever you can — how you want people to feel, what you love about your competitors' sites, what you absolutely don't want. I can take a lot and make it precise. I can't build from nothing.
Step 4: The Deposit and Kickoff
Once you've reviewed your final quote and you're ready to go, I ask for 50% upfront as a deposit. That's what starts the project.
Step 5: The Mockup
Before I build anything, I create a mockup — so you can see the color palette, the layout, and the general feel of your site before I spend days building out the full version. Once you approve it and give me your notes, I move forward.
Step 6: Build, Revisions, and Launch
The first version of your website typically takes me three to five business days. Once I send it to you, I ask for your revisions within two business days. I do the revision, send the updated version, you have two more business days for final notes, and then I deliver your finished site.
Two rounds of revisions. That's the structure — and it's intentional. It keeps the project moving and prevents the kind of endless back-and-forth that drags things out for everyone.
Step 7: The Squarespace Tutorial
Once your site is final, we hop on Zoom and I walk you through Squarespace — so you know exactly where to go if you want to make small updates yourself. And if you ever need something more significant down the road, you can always come back to me for a website refresh.
The One Thing People Always Underestimate
Copywriting.
People assume they'll sit down and write their website copy in an afternoon. Sometimes they do — but usually, they underestimate how much thought it takes to articulate what you do, who you do it for, and why someone should choose you over everyone else.
You don't have to be a professional copywriter. You just have to be honest and specific. Write it the way you'd say it — your taglines, your service descriptions, your about page, your FAQs. Get it as close as you can. I'll run it through AI to clean up the grammar, improve the SEO, and make sure the tone is landing the way you intend.
Come with your best effort, and I'll take it from there. That's the deal.
