Profitable Web Designer with Shannon Mattern

Hosted by Shannon Mattern

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249

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Nov 2026

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About the show

Profitable Web Designer is the top podcast for women web designers who started their web design business for freedom and fulfillment—but somehow ended up overworked, underpaid, and wondering what went wrong. If you're a woman web designer who's tired of saying yes to underpaid web design projects, doubting your prices, or bending over backward to keep clients happy, you're not alone. Host Shannon Mattern shares the pricing strategies, mindset shifts and behind-the-scenes stories web designers like you need to stop overdelivering, raise your prices, and finally create the freedom and income you started your web design business for in the first place. This podcast is your backstage pass to the coaching, strategies, and transformations happening inside the Web Designer Academy—Shannon’s mentorship program that helps women web designers book higher-paying web design projects without overworking. 👉🏻 Find out the 5 Subtle Proposal Mistakes Even Experienced Web Designers Make That Cost Them Thousands at webdesigneracademy.com/proposal

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November 11, 202647 min

September 2026 Income Report EP 220

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse September 2026 Income Report Erica Nash and I break down how much we made in September, how much we spent and all of the lessons learned along the way, and even though it felt like a super normal month with no launch, we brought in $26,341, spent $17,608, added $6,249 to our reserves and made the very data-driven decision to not host the Simply Profitable Designer Summit in 2027.  We get into why shifting to a cohort model on the Web Designer Academy gave me so much capacity back, what happened when I repeated the exact same Package Matrix™ Method promotion, and what it all means if you're pouring yourself into a strategy or a potential client that's probably never going to be a fit. In This Episode: Our full September inflow and outflow, and what a normal week looks like around here Why September felt easy, and how closing the doors created capacity The story behind Anchor High™ Certification and how package matrix is showing up in other industries Why the Simply Profitable Designer Summit is on hiatus for 2027 Same promotion, 10 enrollments vs. 2, and the lead source lesson behind it How a brand system helped me do 3x to 4x as many slide decks The calendar capacity problem I'm solving next Resources Mentioned: Web Designer Academy Next Level Mastermind Next Level Retreat Package Matrix™ Method Anchor High™ Certification 90-Day Shift Private Coaching Simply Profitable Designer Summit Simply Digital Design Related Episodes: Episode 214: August 2026 Income Report Episode 187: February 2026 Income Report Episode 183: Pricing Strategy: Inside The Package Matrix Framework Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of the Package Matrix™ Method, and the founder of the Web Designer Academy, where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout, and break through to their next level of income and freedom. Websites: webdesigneracademy.com | shannonmattern.com IG: @profitablewebdesigner YouTube: @profitablewebdesigner LinkedIn: shannonmattern

November 4, 202652 min

Part 3 - How To 5x Your Web Design Income Without 5x-ing Your Workload EP 219

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse Part 3: Web Designer Academy Student Stories: How To 5x Your Income Without 5x-ing Your Workload  In Part 3 of this 3-part series, you'll hear from a panel of Web Designer Academy students, Barb Pritchard of Infinity Brand Design, Elise, Lee and Erica of Brazen Babes, about what their web design businesses were like before and after working with us, how long it took them to make their investment back, how they got out of overwhelm, and exactly how they got clients without relying on social media. Then I answer some juicy questions from applicants, like whether I've ever had students who didn't get results and why, whether you can charge $10,000 for a website without SEO, how retainer work fits into a profitable schedule, and how to talk to your husband or partner about joining a coaching program, including the story of the first time I told Floyd I wanted to join one and how THAT went over. In This Episode: How our students made back their investment, including Erica's one-pager in her second month How Lee went from reporting to what felt like 10 different people to being in charge of her business How Elise and Erica got clients by telling people they were web designers and responding where they already hang out Why you can charge friends the same rate as any other client Why some students don't get results, and what to do if you're worried about that How to talk to your partner about investing in your web design business Resources Mentioned: Web Designer Academy Waitlist: https://webdesigneracademy.com/waitlist Web Designer Academy: https://webdesigneracademy.com/program Episode 217 (Part 1): https://webdesigneracademy.com/217 Episode 218 (Part 2): https://webdesigneracademy.com/218 Related Episodes: Episode 176: Web Design Business Pricing Insights From Inside the Web Designer Academy: https://webdesigneracademy.com/176 Episode 175: Web Design Business Marketing Insights From Inside the Web Designer Academy: https://webdesigneracademy.com/175 Episode 171: From Corporate Burnout To Web Design Business Success with Amber Jones: https://webdesigneracademy.com/171 Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of The Package Matrix™ Method and the founder of the Web Designer Academy where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying web design projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout and break through to their next level of income and freedom. For Web Designers: https://webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: https://shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner | @shannonlmattern

October 28, 202648 min

Part 2 - How To 5x Your Web Design Income Without 5x-ing Your Workload EP 218

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse Part 2: How To 5x Your Web Design Income Without 5x-ing Your Workload  In Part 2 of this 3-part series, I'm picking back up in the private training I hosted back in 2022 to break down how we help the women in the Web Designer Academy implement the 5P Framework from Part 1, why all five pieces have to work together, and the secret sixth piece you need to make it all work: an authentic marketing strategy you're actually sold on, because if you're not sold on it, you're not going to do it. I walk through the 3 places web designers get stuck, answer whether you can promise your clients ROI, show you what $10K months with one client at a time look like, and share the one mindset shift I want you to walk away with: the value has everything to do with your client and what's possible for them. In This Episode: Why missing even one piece of the 5P Framework is like a stool with only two legs Why you don't need social media, ads or blogging to get web design clients Why you can't promise your clients ROI, and what to do instead The 3 places web designers get stuck: the people pleaser, the self-taught undercharger and the five-figure hustler What $10K months with one $10,000 client look like, and why you need to stop doing the hourly math Why you can't reverse engineer another web designer's business from the outside Resources Mentioned: Web Designer Academy Waitlist: https://webdesigneracademy.com/waitlist Web Designer Academy: https://webdesigneracademy.com/program Episode 217: How To 5x Your Income Without 5x-ing Your Workload, Part 1: https://webdesigneracademy.com/217 Related Episodes: Episode 210: Market Your Web Design Business Without Social Media with Jana Osofsky: https://webdesigneracademy.com/210 Episode 204: Why Your Discovery Calls Aren't Converting (And What to Do Instead): https://webdesigneracademy.com/204 Episode 195: From $5,000 to $15,000: How Web Designer Academy Student Aprile Blair Tripled Her Prices: https://webdesigneracademy.com/195 Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of The Package Matrix™ Method and the founder of the Web Designer Academy where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying web design projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout and break through to their next level of income and freedom. For Web Designers: https://webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: https://shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner | @shannonlmattern

October 21, 202650 min

Part 1 - How To 5x Your Web Design Income Without 5x-ing Your Workload EP 217

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse  Part 1: How To 5x Your Web Design Income Without 5x-ing Your Workload In Part 1 of this 3-part series, I'm sharing a replay of a private training I hosted back in 2022 for accepted applicants, where I break down the 5P Framework I've been teaching inside the Web Designer Academy for the past 6 years to help women web designers go from undercharging, overdelivering and burnt out to profitable, sustainable and thriving. We do the math on how many projects you'd need to sell at your current prices to hit your income goal, why the lower your prices are the more people you have to get in front of and convert, and why you can't just go change the price on your website and expect clients to say yes. Then I walk through all five pieces you need in place to charge more without working more: packaging, positioning, pricing, pre-framing and premium client experience. In This Episode: Why getting more clients when you're undercharging and overdelivering is a recipe for disaster How to package your web design services as a revenue-generating asset instead of a list of deliverables How giving clients choices helps you test your pricing, prevent scope creep and become your own competition Why it takes the same amount of time to build a $2,000 website as a $10,000 website, and why you don't need to add more deliverables to charge more How to pre-frame the value of your work from the first interaction so clients skip the sticker shock How win-win boundaries keep you out of scope creep and zombie projects that never die Resources Mentioned: Web Designer Academy Waitlist: https://webdesigneracademy.com/waitlist Web Designer Academy: https://webdesigneracademy.com/program Package Matrix™ Method: https://shannonmattern.com/package-matrix-method/ Related Episodes: Episode 205: Why More Web Design Clients Won't Fix Your Money Problems with Pam Jordan: https://webdesigneracademy.com/205 Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects with Shannon Mattern: https://webdesigneracademy.com/189 Episode 186: The Web Designer's Guide to Dealing With Difficult Clients: https://webdesigneracademy.com/186 Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of The Package Matrix™ Method and the founder of the Web Designer Academy where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying web design projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout and break through to their next level of income and freedom. For Web Designers: https://webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: https://shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner | @shannonlmattern

October 14, 20261 hr 1 min

Web Designer Pricing Workshop EP 216

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse Web Designer Pricing Workshop: How To Set Profitable, Sustainable Prices This week I'm sharing a replay of a pricing workshop I hosted a few years ago where I walk you through how to set profitable, sustainable prices for your web design services and how to sell yourself on those prices.  Because it doesn't matter what number you land on if you don't believe in the value you bring to the table. We find your minimum baseline, talk about why charging by the hour doesn't work, use the Rule of 10 to get you sold on your own value, bust the three pricing beliefs that keep web designers undercharging and wrap up with live Q&A on consultations, standing out from cheaper web designers, new solopreneur clients and finding agencies to work with. In This Episode: How to find your minimum baseline using your income needs, business expenses, taxes and available hours Why a $75/hour rate falls apart once you account for marketing, admin and scope creep How to price by the project and by the long-term value of the website for your client The Rule of 10: could your client make 10x what they paid you, and make it back in 3 to 6 months? Busting "I need more experience first," "I'm self-taught" and "my clients can't afford it" The 3 business breakdowns that leak money out of your web design business Resources Mentioned: Web Designer Academy waitlist: https://webdesigneracademy.com/program Shannon's Monthly Income Reports: https://webdesigneracademy.com/category/income-reports/ Aisha Crumbine (the Rule of 10): https://crumbineed.com IRS Estimated Taxes: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes Related Episodes: Episode 212: Ditching Hourly: A Web Designer's Guide to Value-Based Pricing with Jonathan Stark: https://webdesigneracademy.com/ditching-hourly-a-web-designers-guide-to-value-based-pricing-with-jonathan-stark/ Episode 205: Why More Web Design Clients Won't Fix Your Money Problems with Pam Jordan: https://webdesigneracademy.com/why-more-web-design-clients-wont-fix-your-money-problems-with-pam-jordan-of-pivot-to-profit/ Episode 190: What Every Web Designer Needs to Know About Taxes with Hannah Cole: https://webdesigneracademy.com/what-every-web-designer-needs-to-know-about-taxes-with-hannah-cole/ Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of The Package Matrix™ Method and the founder of the Web Designer Academy where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying web design projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout and break through to their next level of income and freedom. For Web Designers: https://webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: https://shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner | @shannonlmattern

October 7, 202656 min

How To Stop Undercharging For Web Design EP 215

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income: https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse How To Stop Undercharging for Web Design AI tools are making web design faster and easier than ever, and so many web designers believe that because it's so fast and so easy, it's not worth that much. Today I’m going to help you make over your mindset for good so you stop undercharging. In This Episode: Why working faster with AI and page builders doesn't mean you should charge less Why you have to be sold on you before anyone else will be sold on your pricing The undercharging self-evaluation: pricing language, scope creep, quick fixes, unpaid invoices, maintenance pricing and VIP days The two words, just and only, that keep web designers undercharging The 8 reasons web designers undercharge, including fear of responsibility 9 ways to stop undercharging, from staying out of your clients' wallets to knowing your own numbers Resources Mentioned: Web Designer Academy Waitlist: webdesigneracademy.com/waitlist Web Designer Academy: webdesigneracademy.com/web-designer-academy-program-reg Anchor High™ Certification: shannonmattern.com/anchor-high-certification Related Episodes: Episode 212: Ditching Hourly: A Web Designer's Guide to Value-Based Pricing with Jonathan Stark Episode 199: The Sneaky Word Sabotaging Your Web Design Business with Aiza Cheung Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects with Shannon Mattern Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of The Package Matrix™ Method and the founder of the Web Designer Academy where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying web design projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout and break through to their next level of income and freedom. For Web Designers: webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner

September 30, 202657 min

August 2026 Income Report EP 214

Grab our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse August 2026 Income Report: Why We (Temporarily) Closed the Doors on Web Designer Academy This month Erica Nash and I get into the real numbers behind August... $25,640 in revenue, $15,318 in outflow, and the big decision we finally tested after ten years of keeping Web Designer Academy open all the time. We walk through exactly where the money came from, why we closed the doors and moved to a six-month cohort model, and what happened in the first two weeks that made this experiment feel like a success before it had even officially started. In This Episode: The full August 2026 revenue and expense breakdown, and where the money actually came from Why we closed Web Designer Academy's doors after a decade of being open all the time What changed inside the program to make a six-month cohort work (and why the price stayed the same value, just split differently) Early wins from our first six-month cohort, including a student who sold a high-ticket package before the program even started Why Shannon stopped setting arbitrary success metrics for business experiments The mindset shift around time and capacity that's opening up space for what's next Resources Mentioned: Web Designer Academy — waitlist now open for the next six-month cohort, opening February 2027 Next Level Mastermind Package Matrix™ Method 90-Day Shift Private Coaching Related Episodes: Episode 212: Ditching Hourly: A Web Designer's Guide to Value-Based Pricing with Jonathan Stark Episode 209: July 2026 Income Report Episode 191: How To Choose the Right Web Design Business Model Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of The Package Matrix™ Method and the founder of the Web Designer Academy where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying web design projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout and break through to their next level of income and freedom. • For Web Designers: https://webdesigneracademy.com • For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: https://shannonmattern.com • Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner | @shannonlmattern

September 23, 202654 min

Web Design Templates, Courses or Clients? Why You Don't Have To Choose with Olga Dorovskykh from Applet Studio EP 213

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income. Web Design Templates, Courses or Clients? Why You Don't Have To Choose with Olga Dorovskykh from Applet Studio Olga Kolgusheva, known professionally as Olga Dorovskykh, is the founder of Applet Studio, a Squarespace template shop and design studio she runs with her husband Roman. In this episode, Olga breaks down how she juggles templates, courses, and custom client work all at once, the real numbers behind growing a profitable template shop, and what she's seeing right now as AI reshapes SEO, affiliate marketing, and how web designers get found online. In This Episode: Why Olga refuses to pick just one business model, and how templates, courses, and client work support each other The real numbers behind growing a template shop, including her 100 blog post breaking point How her templates became a direct source of custom client leads What happened when AI started eating her blog traffic and affiliate income in 2025 Why commercial landing pages are outperforming blog posts for AI visibility How EAT signals across other platforms are changing web designer visibility Why service-based web design isn't going anywhere, even as AI gets better Resources Mentioned: Applet Studio Free Digital Strategy Workshop Web Designer Academy Package Matrix™ Method Related Episodes: Episode 191: How To Choose the Right Web Design Business Model Episode 114: How to Sell Squarespace Templates with Kate Scott Episode 184: Answer Engine Optimization: Your Next Revenue Stream As a Web Designer Olga Kolgusheva (Olga Dorovskykh) is a former journalist turned Squarespace designer and the founder of Applet Studio. Website: applet.studio. Instagram: @applet.studio. Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of the Package Matrix™ Method, and the founder of the Web Designer Academy where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying web design projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout and break through to their next level of income and freedom. For Web Designers: webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner | @shannonlmattern

September 18, 20263 min

Profitable Web Designer Tip: Ditching Hourly

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse Ditching Hourly: A Web Designer's Guide to Value Pricing with Jonathan Stark Jonathan Stark, known as The Ditching Hourly Guy, joins Shannon Mattern to explain why hourly billing punishes you for getting good at your job, and how he builds every proposal around three value-based pricing options instead of a single hourly quote. In This Episode: Why hourly billing creates a mismatched incentive between you and your client The Why Conversation: the three questions Jonathan asks before he'll ever discuss price How to respond when a client's desired outcome is outside of what you can control Why every proposal should include exactly three pricing options (Goldilocks pricing) How Jonathan built his business through writing and podcasting instead of social media Why AI makes positioning more important, not less Resources Mentioned:  Value Pricing Calculator Hourly Billing Is Nuts Ditching Hourly Podcast Jonathan's Daily Newsletter The Package Matrix™ Method Related Episodes: Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects with Shannon Mattern Episode 90: Profitable Proposals and Processes with Cass and Amanda of Foxtrot Branding Episode 164: The State of Web Designer Pricing in 2025 Jonathan Stark is a former software developer turned pricing consultant, known as The Ditching Hourly Guy for his mission to rid the world of hourly billing. He's the author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts and the host of the Ditching Hourly podcast. https://jonathanstark.com Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of the Package Matrix™ Method, and the founder of the Web Designer Academy, where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout, and break through to their next level of income and freedom. Websites: webdesigneracademy.com | shannonmattern.com IG: @profitablewebdesigner | YouTube: @profitablewebdesigner | LinkedIn: shannonmattern

September 16, 202654 min

Ditching Hourly: A Web Designer's Guide to Value-Based Pricing with Jonathan Stark EP 212

Get our free course to help women web designers stop undercharging and overdelivering and create a consistent, full-time income at https://webdesigneracademy.com/freecourse Ditching Hourly: A Web Designer's Guide to Value Pricing with Jonathan Stark Jonathan Stark, known as The Ditching Hourly Guy, joins Shannon Mattern to explain why hourly billing punishes you for getting good at your job, and how he builds every proposal around three value-based pricing options instead of a single hourly quote. In This Episode: Why hourly billing creates a mismatched incentive between you and your client The Why Conversation: the three questions Jonathan asks before he'll ever discuss price How to respond when a client's desired outcome is outside of what you can control Why every proposal should include exactly three pricing options (Goldilocks pricing) How Jonathan built his business through writing and podcasting instead of social media Why AI makes positioning more important, not less Resources Mentioned:  Value Pricing Calculator Hourly Billing Is Nuts Ditching Hourly Podcast Jonathan's Daily Newsletter The Package Matrix™ Method Related Episodes: Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects with Shannon Mattern Episode 90: Profitable Proposals and Processes with Cass and Amanda of Foxtrot Branding Episode 164: The State of Web Designer Pricing in 2025 Jonathan Stark is a former software developer turned pricing consultant, known as The Ditching Hourly Guy for his mission to rid the world of hourly billing. He's the author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts and the host of the Ditching Hourly podcast. https://jonathanstark.com Shannon Mattern is a Pricing Strategist, creator of the Package Matrix™ Method, and the founder of the Web Designer Academy, where she helps experienced women web designers book higher-paying projects, charge more with confidence, run projects without overworking and burnout, and break through to their next level of income and freedom. Websites: webdesigneracademy.com | shannonmattern.com IG: @profitablewebdesigner | YouTube: @profitablewebdesigner | LinkedIn: shannonmattern