Meet Stephanie Mays | Web Strategy Consultant & Website Designer / Developer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Mays and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Entrepreneurship was ingrained in me at an early age. Growing up, my parents taught me the importance of working for yourself. As a teenager and into my early twenties, I worked with my family’s construction business and learned the ins and outs and ups and downs of business ownership. During my time in college, I got the opportunity to experience working for other companies outside of my family’s business, and though I learned a lot and respect the necessity of policies and procedures, I was not fond of the restrictions that come with working for someone else. Upon graduation and with my passion for self-employment, starting my own business was a no-brainer.

I started by working part-time as a freelance website developer and designer, taking on small projects here and there while working a regular job. I had to learn what structure and strategies would work best for me, what my niche was and who my target audience would be. It took me a few years before I was confident enough to go full-time with my business, but I made the decision and determined that I wanted to maintain my independence and freedom to help other business owners and entrepreneurs position their brands for success online. I wanted to operate on my own terms and have the freedom to take time and enjoy life with no restrictions on my time.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is S. Mays Designs, a web strategy consultancy and website design and development company. I generally work with community organizations and faith-based entrepreneurs and business owners. I help my clients by developing and designing strategy-centric websites that help position their businesses as lead competitors in their industry and establish brand recognition, build awareness, draw organic traffic and increase efficiency and revenue.

My journey to developing S. Mays Designs was not an easy one. The biggest hurtle I had to overcome was the imposter syndrome and lack of confidence in myself and my abilities. As a freelancer still learning the business, I encountered a lot of customers who were looking for a cheap deal and were not willing to pay what my services were worth. Encountering so many people with the same mindset was extremely disheartening and I would often devalue my work. I was overworked and underpaid and had no one to blame but myself. I started to think that this was just the nature of the business and what I would have to deal with for the rest of my career.

In 2018, I attended Word Camp Atlanta, a WordPress convention for designers, developers and business owners. I met other developers and designers and attended classes and got to hear how they were operating their businesses and what they were charging. This opened my eyes to a whole new perspective and taught me that I just had yet to find my niche. I was shooting too low and hitting every time. Initially, it wasn’t easy for me to niche down, because I thought, like many business owners do, that I would miss out on business. I learned that the opposite is in fact true; the more specific your target audience is, the more likely you are to get more business. It also helps to deter those you would much rather prefer not to work with.

I continued to perfect my craft and discovered a strategy that worked for me and for my ideal customer. I reached a point where my confidence had grown and I was no longer willing to accept doing more for less. The biggest lesson that I learned along the way was to never let anyone talk me down just because they don’t see the value of what I have to offer, simply deal only with those who do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite things to do is discover new places, try new things and go on mini adventures throughout the month. I am very outdoorsy and a bit of a foodie, so one of the first places I would recommend is the Home Depot Backyard at the Mercedes Benz Stadium. They have fitness classes, movie nights and the Night Market. Ponce City Market is a great place to hang out, shop and enjoy good food. Some of my favorite places to eat are Nana’s Chicken and Waffles and Mary Macs Tea Room.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents Charles and Victoria Mays are the biggest supporters I could ever ask for. They taught me through their words and their actions how faith in God, confidence and courage can take you further than you could ever imagine. They have always encouraged my siblings and I to dream big and reach beyond the stars. Seeing how they have stayed together and worked hard together through the toughest situations, has inspired me to push through my hardships. In addition to this, they taught me valuable life skills and helped to establish my excellent work ethic that has allowed me to reach my goals and achieve success throughout my career.

Website: https://www.smaysdesigns.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smaysdesigns

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smaysdesigns/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/smaysdesigns

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmaysDesigns/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7DyZN2JxuVOLxl1ObwF4g