Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Hager.
Hi Madison, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was younger, I always envisioned myself in a myriad of careers — I could see myself fitting into so many places in the workforce. First, I wanted to be a journalist, then a criminologist, and even considered becoming a lawyer. Once I began my Gen Eds, I decided to study social work at Salisbury University.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year of undergrad that I realized I didn’t know what my true passion was. I was enrolled in a Social Work program, and had a few hands-on experiences with youth for service hours, and yet I still wasn’t sure if I could see myself in that role long-term. I had decided to move home during my sophomore year, enroll at Towson University, and enter their Family Studies program, giving myself more leeway for future career possibilities.
After completing my first semester and finishing up my sophomore year, the pressure to hone in on my passions and envision my future started to set in, as I was working with my advisor to put together the last 2 years of my undergrad career. I knew I wanted to give myself as many opportunities to explore different career paths as possible, as well as make myself the perfect candidate for a multitude of jobs in the future if I decided to switch paths, yet again.
What changed everything for me was adding on my Business Administration minor. Not only did this open the door to an area of study that I never envisioned myself dipping my toes into, but it allowed me to discover my true passion that would lead me to where I am today.
My Marketing 101 class would open my eyes to the world of business, including how to market yourself and stand out amongst the rest, something that seems so simple yet has so much nuance to it. Being that it was a class for my minor, internships weren’t required, and yet, I knew hands-on experience was what I needed to explore this world further. Even if it meant extra hours of work on top of my 420-hour internship required by my major. I knew I needed to make this happen.
I went out on a limb and started applying to a multitude of social media marketing internship positions in the area, and was fortunate enough to meet Melissa Wesner, LCPC of LifeSpring Counseling Services, who took me on as her social media marketing coordinator for her private practice. With limited experience, I was able to learn and grow in this position and develop knowledge of social media content, marketing strategies, and more.
Over time, I was able to move up and eventually become a full-time social media and digital marketing assistant at LifeSpring, where I was able to, not only handle our socials but, maintain the practice’s Squarespace website. And soon, this opened the door for future opportunities.
After expressing how passionate I was about maintaining our office’s website, I was able to take part in creating Squarespace websites for other projects, including one for a consulting business and a podcast. Soon, my work was being shared with those within the community, and those interested in hiring help for their websites were getting in touch to learn about my work.
The only thing is, people who were reaching out to me saw me as a web designer, yet I didn’t see myself as one. I was just someone who enjoyed working on websites, and offering a hand when I could. To me, being a business owner was a risky venture, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it. I felt comfortable keeping to myself, working one-on-one with clients who I knew were mutual friends of my colleagues. It wasn’t until I began getting the attention of people throughout the state, and even country, who were total strangers. I knew that the only way I’d be able to continue helping others while growing and expanding was to make it official.
It terrified me, but I had to remind myself that every business owner has had similar feelings of doubt, worry, and hesitation. Sometimes you just have to take the leap — and that’s exactly what I did. In October 2022, after 4+ years of Squarespace web design and redesign experience, I officially opened Madison Hager, LLC, so I could continue to help small business owners nationwide market their businesses with the help of a well-designed website.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am fortunate that I have had amazing mentors who have been so helpful and supportive with this journey of mine. Melissa, who saw my talent and knew that there was a true need for my talent in this world; granted me as much opportunity as she could, and helped spread the word so I could build on my expertise beyond my work at LifeSpring. And Melissa’s colleague, Dan Mayer, of Mayer Law, who was able to guide me in the best way to go about starting my business.
While I don’t think I’d be in this exact spot, right here and right now, without either of them, I can also recognize that there are still challenges that are presented to me as a business owner. While I have over 4 years of experience with social media marketing, I soon realized how much different it is to market for other people and their businesses as opposed to yourself. Discovering who I am, what my brand is, and how I want to be portrayed by potential clients… all of this didn’t come as naturally as I thought it would.
When working for others, they have expectations and guidelines for what they need from you. But when you work for yourself, you have the sole creative freedom to portray yourself how YOU want, and that can be overwhelming! I am not ashamed to admit that I have made multiple changes to my branding over the past year of being in business.
As business owners, we see people say that branding is everything (which it is!); however, they never tell you how hard it can be to create branding that speaks to you, especially if you’re an indecisive, overthinking, perfectionist like myself! It takes time, but trust that it will all come together (plus, a little re-strategizing here or there isn’t going to hurt, don’t let yourself feel confined!).
As you know, we’re big fans of Madison Hager, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am the sole entrepreneur of a Squarespace web design business, offering small business owners nationwide affordable web design, redesign, and website maintenance services. I have over 4 years of working with Squarespace websites hands-on under my belt, and have helped professionals throughout various industries (including therapists, attorneys, podcast hosts, retail store owners, and consultants).
I’ve always been big on providing truly affordable services. As small business owners, especially in this day and age, expenses add up, and cutting costs to stay within budget is something a lot of people consider and follow through with. I often see other businesses operating solely on social media platforms, and refraining from getting an operable website for the sake of saving money. For most, a website is on their radar, but not one they can afford to get off the ground right now.
The biggest thing for me is to do my best to meet my clients where they are. Recognize that costs worldwide are at an all-time high. Because of that, I offer optional payment plans for clients who are interested in splitting up the cost of web design payments into 2-4 month payment plan options, so they can have some financial flexibility.
I also offer quick turnaround time (while always ensuring high-quality work is done), recognizing that most of the clients I work with are startups who need their websites to be public sooner rather than later. When I work with a client, I take into account their particular circumstance, their needs, their vision, and what they expect out of our time together.
I pride myself on creating a very warm and welcoming environment for me and my clients, making sure they leave satisfied with the work I provide, while also feeling like they’re not breaking the bank.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I love this question! Sometimes, we all experience a bit of imposter syndrome, wondering if we’re meant for our line of work and if what we offer is up to par. I especially felt this way when someone would tell me how creative I am, or mention how the work I do comes so naturally to me. I never saw myself as a creative or a visionary. After all, I was never very good at drawing, painting, singing, or dancing (maybe in my room by myself).
It wasn’t until a couple of months ago I remembered all of those nights in my bedroom as a pre-teen, aimlessly scrolling Tumblr and tinkering with the coding of my Tumblr page to get my theme exactly how I wanted it. Or even MySpace (what a throwback!), when I was in elementary school and customizing my profile background and adding in a music player so visitors could hear my favorite songs when they landed on the page.
What always seemed like computer-obsessed pre-teen behavior might have been foreshadowing where I am now! I think back to my junior year of high school through my sophomore year of undergrad and how lost I felt trying to figure out which career I saw myself in when all along it was right under my nose and everything came full circle.
Pricing:
- Web Design — $400 per page
- Web Redesign — $300 per page
- Website Maintenance — starting at $250/month
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madisonhagerllc.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/madisonhagerllc
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/madisonhagerllc
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/madison-hager-llc
- Other: https://calendly.com/madisonhager/consultation
Image Credits
LifeSpring Counseling Services Mayer Law, Chesapeake Behavioral Health Services, and Canva Pro Content Licensing
