Trying to decide whether to hire a designer or go the DIY route? There are advantages to both options, and there’s ultimately no right or wrong answer, it just comes down to personal choice. Many business owners have had success with doing their own design and website for a long time. Eventually, most decide to outsource at some point when they’re able to invest financially. If design just isn’t your thing, it can save you loads of time to outsource it.

If you’re wondering whether to invest in a designer or DIY, I want to give you a few things to consider to help you make the decision.

1. How long have you been in business?

There isn’t a magic number here that will give you a definitive answer, but it is good to consider how long you’ve been doing this. Do you have a good idea of who your ideal client is? Working with a designer can help you get even more clear on things like your target audience, but it is important to have an idea so that your designer can create visuals that align.

Have you worked with at least a few clients? Do you have solid offerings and a process in place? These pieces are good to consider as well because if you do want to hire a designer to create your website, you’re going to have to be able to share this information with them. On the other hand, if these are things you’re still ironing out, it might make more sense to create a simple website that you can easily update as you adjust your offers and messaging.

2. Time or money. Which do you want to invest?

Building a brand and website takes time. Especially if you haven’t done it before, you’ll have to take into account the creative work as well as the technical side of actually producing your ideas. It comes down to making a decision here, would you rather invest your time or money?

3. Do you want to do it? Or is your time better spent elsewhere in your business?

Do you like spending time creating graphics and tinkering around on your website? If it’s something you enjoy doing maybe it makes sense for you to spend time there. If you meant to be pitching yourself for podcasts or planning your workshop and accidentally wasted hours choosing fonts for your website...maybe it’s time to consider outsourcing.

4. Do you want complete creative control?

If you already know exactly how you want your brand and website to look, it might be best to DIY it. When you work with a designer, it’s great to come in with ideas, but you also want to be open to their process. Working with a designer can stretch and challenge your vision, and ultimately help take your business from where you are to where you want to be. Often a new visual brand can feel like something we get to grow into, which at first might feel a little uncomfortable and exciting.

Before designing a brand or website, it’s important to start with a plan. If you’re not sure where to start, be sure to grab my Brand Clarity Workbook. It will help you get clear on your brand strategy so that you can design a visual brand that feels aligned with your message.