Heather Lipe- Woodchuck Arts- Graphic Design

 Welcome to "Cosmos and Commerce," the podcast where business and fun converge. Hosted by Michele Cook of Body Ache Escape Massage Center and Janis Francis of The Humble Crate. Join us as we engage with some of the most creative and influential minds in the business arena. In today's episode, we're thrilled to have Heather Lipe, the creative force behind Woodchuck Arts. Heather's unique talent lies in weaving together the aesthetics of design and the pragmatics of business, enabling small companies to flourish in the digital landscape. With a knack for creating websites that are not just visually stunning but also highly functional, Heather has become an expert for entrepreneurs eager to expand their digital presence. 

1. Introduction:
   • Michele Cook introduces the podcast and guest Heather Lipe from Woodchuck Arts.
   • Overview of Heather's expertise.
2. Heather Lipe's Journey:
   • Heather shares her background and journey to becoming a business owner.
   • Her evolution from aspirations in hairstyling to a passion for art and graphic design.
   • Family influence and entrepreneurial spirit.
3. Starting Woodchuck Arts:
   • The inception of Woodchuck Arts in 2012.
   • The story behind the unique name and its branding impact.
4. Websites and Entrepreneurship:
   • Discussion on common issues entrepreneurs face with their websites.
   • Heather’s approach to solving website design and functional problems.
   • Importance of content for SEO and user engagement.
5. Effective Website Design:
   • Strategies for adding content without clutter.
   • The role of FAQs in website design.
   • Tailoring website content for Google and users.
6. Challenges in Web Design and Small Businesses:
   • Heather's insights on market valuation of design and art.
   • Balancing client needs with financial sustainability.
7. Success Stories:
   • Heather shares examples of successful projects and client experiences.
   • The impact of comprehensive digital marketing on client success.
8. Favorite Tools and Techniques:
   • Heather's preferred tools for digital marketing, like Canva.
   • Insights on copyright issues and safe image sourcing.
9. Working with Heather:
   • The process of collaborating with clients.
   • Customizing services based on client needs and projects.
10. Future Trends and Goals:
    • Predictions for web design trends and future business directions.
    • Heather's personal goals and aspirations for her business.
11. Fun and Personal Questions:
    • A series of lighthearted and personal questions to explore Heather's interests and perspectives outside of work.
12. Closing

Links

Woodchuck Arts
Earthing Mat
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Canva
123RF

https://cosmosandcommerce.com
https://www.facebook.com/cosmosandcommercepodcast

Transcript

Heather Lipe
===

[00:00:00] 

Michele Cook: Hello everyone and welcome back to Cosmos and Commerce where we chat with the most inspiring minds in business. I'm Michelle Cook with Body Ache Escape Massage Center and today I am excited to have my friend Heather Leif with us, the creative genius behind Woodchuck Arts. Heather blends the art of design with the science of business to help small companies shine online.

Her passion for making websites that not only look beautiful, but also work wonders has made her a magnet for entrepreneurs looking to grow their digital footprint. Welcome Heather. I'm so excited to learn more about you today.

Heather Lipe: Oh, thank you. That was a really sweet intro. I need that for my website.

Michele Cook: There you go. You can copy it. Can you start with sharing your journey to being a business owner and what made you decide to start your own business? Oh, [00:01:00] wow.

Heather Lipe: I think I always planned on having a business, even though I had no idea what that meant for a while. It was hair. I was going to have a hair salon. I would make business plans for that. My dad let me cut his hair. When I was 14 years old, with no YouTube instructions. I always had some type of entrepreneurial spirit going on there.

And then I don't know, when I went to college, I, but I loved art. And both of my grandmas were entrepreneurs, which I think is weird. Because they were, a school. One was a fine artist, she had an art gallery. And then one was bars and restaurants. I did have my playpen in a bar for a little bit.

Michele Cook: Cool grandmas.

Heather Lipe: So I always had that in me, thought it was normal. My parents were pretty encouraging about that. But so I was an art kid. I was good at art and English, not math and science. So I was like, Oh, what am I going to go to college for? So I was like, Oh, graphic design. Cause that's like art.

Maybe I can make money. I really haven't figured that part out yet, but I figured out when I went to school, I [00:02:00] loved business. Like I loved, and start getting excited about people would say, Oh, I'm going to start this business. Can you make me a logo? And then I would really start getting excited about how they can be found.

I had one corporate job where I just made flyers constantly. And then I had smaller little jobs. One was photographer and I was doing all the retouching. So I , I'm a Photoshop expert. So I would, do all the. I don't know, make the teeth whiter, the eyes, but I don't know, it was fun.

But,

Michele Cook: look a little better.

Heather Lipe: yeah, it was just me and this guy, Denny. Actually I'm best friends with his daughter. We worked at Golden Corral together, so that's how that all happened. So I just started working for him when I was in college still. And he let me do all his flyers, and then I was like, I'd start getting excited about how we could get more clients.

And then I'm like, we gotta make you a website. And then he let me make him this old school HTML site. And then I would just, so I was always doing that throughout all my jobs. And then, I would always freelance on the side. I never had any jobs that didn't let me keep doing that.

So I always [00:03:00] kinda Was on my own. I feel like

Michele Cook: Okay. So you always had your own business,

Heather Lipe: But Woodchuck started, it was 2012. I think we don't really know. We put January 1st, 2012 in a, I started it with my cousin actually. Now it's just me, but we did that for 10 years. But so now it's been , I think it's 12 and a half years.

Michele Cook: Nice.

Heather Lipe: was always doing some version of it.

Michele Cook: Yeah. What made you call it Woodchuck Arts?

Heather Lipe: I don't even, that is such a dumb story. So at the time, couldn't think of a name. And then we started looking at look at Google. Look at Apple. That doesn't make any sense. Names don't matter. And, so we're like, what about a funny animal? And at the time I lived in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

And that's by the woodchuck, or the groundhog. So we were like, what about a woodchuck? And, I was also obsessed with Chuck Norris facts at the time. I loved him I made a whole poster, actually, of facts from type of him doing a [00:04:00] roundhouse kick for an art show in Pittsburgh. I don't know, so that's how it was born, and then we threw arts on, so that and it doesn't really actually make any sense.

Michele Cook: Yeah, it does. I think so.

Heather Lipe: People remember it, so that part worked out.

Michele Cook: Okay, let's talk about websites and how they help entrepreneurs.

Heather Lipe: Yes.

Michele Cook: What do you think is the number one problem that you fix for entrepreneurs? Say they have a website already. What's The number one thing they're doing wrong.

Heather Lipe: Typically, the one thing I fix the most is actually a bad build or a bad theme. So I do WordPress. I'm going to start only doing WordPress because I've typically dabbled in everything, but I'm like, God, I always do a learning curve. But, and I have no issues with Wix, Shopify, these are all great.

But [00:05:00] typically I started WordPress in 2009, so I think it has a lot of benefits. It's the most expandable and cause I've been doing it so long. I have all these products and I host them too. So I know how to keep them safe and I know the theme to use and the plugins to use because it's super expandable, but it's also very easy to break or get hacked if you don't know what you're doing.

So typically the most thing I fix is. Bad themes or installs, but the other biggest problem I see is People keep taking away their content. They'll come and say ah, let's redesign this page And no one reads anymore. So I just want to make it simple that's true, but you're really designing for Google and your user So Google has to have content to read so I feel like everybody's trying to take away All the content, and that's hurting their SEO.

Michele Cook: Yeah.

Heather Lipe: you gotta find ways to make it not cluttered, but still have the content in there. Which I think is fun to [00:06:00] try and figure out.

Michele Cook: What's the way that you figured out to do that? Like a frequently asked questions section that collapses or what? Okay.

Heather Lipe: I love FAQs. I myself am guilty of not having them. I'm working on that behind the scenes right now. There is nothing smarter to have on that website. First of all, it's really good for SEO. Cause, and you can research, keyword research, the long tail questions that people are actually asking, but you yourself know, all the common questions, people ask I know what is the domain name, why do I need hosting in a domain name, all these questions.

If you answer them on your website, which is, you could do video, you can do audio, whatever is best fit for you, like a blog. Then people can get their questions asked before they contact you. Not that you don't want them to, but they can already start to realize it's a good fit.

Michele Cook: Yeah. And it will cut down a lot of the having to answer them in person.

Heather Lipe: Yes, and I don't mean that in a bad way, but then you can spend more time on stuff that , Does need [00:07:00] answered in person

Michele Cook: Yeah. And it sets you up as the expert already.

Heather Lipe: Yes. Yeah. And then you should take your FAQs and break them up into little social media posts and emails and different blogs, because you can do slight variations on all this content.

And then, have more for Google to read and understand who you are and find you, hopefully. Because I know it's exhausting to create it all the time. But I love trying to find ways for people to make it efficiently.

Michele Cook: That, that's great advice.

Heather Lipe: Yeah,

Michele Cook: Is there any other ways you have seen for people to add content where it doesn't look cluttered? Any hacks?

Heather Lipe: I think typically your homepage is your big navigation page. So that's where people go first. So just have that be , maybe your top five, you want a homepage and about page and FAQ services or product, whatever that is. And then some type of content mostly. So you'll probably on your homepage have [00:08:00] that small sections of that, that you can click out of, so that page is long though, because you have everything about you, because you want them to really be a couple thousand words. I know that seems overwhelming, but you got to have something there. But then just sections of contrasting sections, I feel help you could do toggles, like it clicks open to more or there's so many ways.

Michele Cook: Yeah. Yeah. Those are great ideas.

Heather Lipe: Transcribe your videos in always because then you'll get all that content and you don't have to have it sitting there you can have it clickable have it open up,

Michele Cook: So like this podcast, for instance,

Heather Lipe: Yes.

Michele Cook: we need to transcribe it. Yeah. I've been putting the transcription on some and then not on some just to test. Yeah. Measure to

Heather Lipe: Have you seen anything?

Michele Cook: now where, we're not getting found at all. It's too new, I think.

Heather Lipe: It's so hard. It is so hard. But these are the things that supposedly work.

Michele Cook: Yeah,

Heather Lipe: It is a long

Michele Cook: do. Yeah, I [00:09:00] think they do. Eventually once

Heather Lipe: Yeah.

Michele Cook: like Google recognizes you,

Heather Lipe: Yeah, 

Michele Cook: what do you think are the biggest trends going on in web design right now for small businesses?

Heather Lipe: I think too many people are taking their content away, and that's not

Michele Cook: that's the trend. Okay.

Heather Lipe: Yeah, but I feel I don't know if I'd say trend that I'm noticing, but what I'm finding is it's getting easier and easier to add function in the website. So WordPress, Wix, all those, they have all these pre made things that it's not that hard anymore to put it in there and get that done or even to make your website look pretty decent which typically it's a simple layout and gorgeous photographs.

But so now to me, it's more about what is your actual goal for this website? What can this, how can this actually help you? And then getting more creative of customizing the flow. To actually get your call to actions. Now I feel like the all , cause before to me, it was all about Oh, is it pretty, cause I'm a designer at heart.

Now it's like, how does it work for people? And [00:10:00] I feel like clients are even getting more . They just knew they had to have a website before, but they didn't really know why. And now it's more about customizing why you have it and what it can do. Myself included. I'm like, oh my gosh, I am not, I'm not practicing what I preach. There's so many questions that can get asked on your, answered on your website. For your clients, 

Michele Cook: yeah. That's true. And you could have different questions on different pages, right?

Heather Lipe: Yes. And you can easily create new pages. When I do website, how the theme I use and everything, you can duplicate a page, clone it, and then slightly alter it. So if you have different locations you can change out the location name. Cause that's really good for your local SEO to have each location have its own page.

And then name your images with the new location. And just create new content fast, but try and figure out why you're doing it.

Michele Cook: Yeah.

Heather Lipe: it doing anything for you? I feel like

Michele Cook: So you don't,

Heather Lipe: see the results I

Michele Cook: [00:11:00] you probably, you don't think Google would ding you for having such a closely sounding page

Heather Lipe: think you should alter it slightly. What you can even do with AI take your post put that in BARD or chat whatever you got going on and all Yeah, let's have it like slightly rewrite it. And I would like, don't write this dumb stuff. Just write dumb stuff. Make sure it actually makes sense.

And if you have different things for that local location, throw it in, but you can get your basic structure down and here's an image, here's I'm going to do some bullets. Here's, I'm going to do a couple of paragraphs. And then so it's just not so overwhelming to try and create a whole new

Michele Cook: Yeah. And what should you do with that URL? Should you name it? For instance, me body ache escape slash Pickerington or slash

Heather Lipe: ideally if you can get your keyword or in that URL.

Michele Cook: Okay. You're giving me ideas.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. Yeah. And again I don't mean just copy, but don't reinvent the wheel, 

Michele Cook: Just use what you got [00:12:00] and rewrite it in other words.

Heather Lipe: Yes.

Michele Cook: Yeah. What are some of the biggest challenges that you found in owning a small business? I

Heather Lipe: people. That is, ooh. I think it's not just my personality, which is definitely a barrier that I'm working on. So I always like, oh yeah, I'll help you. And I don't like limits. So if I see that you could do something way better for just a couple hours of my time I'll throw that it so that's not healthy though, but I don't know how to charge.

I think it's our society in general does not value art that much. For example, when I design logos, that is my heart and soul, and that is not something I think everybody can just do, but that is what I charged a lease for, because there's fiber, even though my prices are pretty cheap still, if anybody wants logo but they, it really is it's hard to know, how to get paid and but what people will actually pay for. Like, where's the market. And I think [00:13:00] the market is everywhere for what I do. There's template websites, which I really love. I always start with a template and then I customize.

And then people charging a hundred grand for websites, which if you have, it's huge in a function for that, great, but sometimes it's just what do you, what? So I just have been having a hard time, figuring out . How do I help small businesses? But get make a living

Michele Cook: Yeah.

Heather Lipe: SEO to me, there's high level thinking in that, especially how it all goes together and what you should put your time to.

But also in SEMrush I can run a report of what exactly on your website needs fixed to help Google, not ding you. And I can train my 15 year old son to do that. But I can charge, people are charging 300 bucks an hour for this. It's crazy, but I cannot charge. I only charge 55 for my graphic design skills, which is different that's

Michele Cook: anybody can do.

Heather Lipe: Yes, isn't that funny?

I don't know. Or, and I have been trying to like, [00:14:00] because I have a lot of clients that I want to I'll, I want to build your website, but it's better if I do the maintenance too. And not just the hosting maintenance, but I can put up a new picture or text so much faster than you can if you don't do that every day.

And I charge by the minute for that stuff and I charge a lesser rate because that's something, again, I can train someone else to do for me. Just these easy things, but I'm not going to mess it up, I don't know. I'm always having a hard time figuring out what to charge.

Michele Cook: Yeah. That is tricky.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. And I have too many different services. I'm like, how is this all coming together?

Michele Cook: Yeah.

Maybe you could do, you probably already know, do like groupings, like this level.

Heather Lipe: That's what I'm working on. That's cause I really love helping. Like when I think I'm the best at, it's like big picture thinking. So I can see how all your content can go together. I'm not just a graphic designer. I'm not just a web designer. What I love is entrepreneurship and so I [00:15:00] like to try and, I want to figure out packages where I can help you with everything like my best clients, I feel like, I love them all, but are the ones that I'm helping you with, your MailChimp, your social, your website, because then I can make sure it's all consistent and I can do it pretty fast once I get a, Template system down of we have created five buckets of template types in Canva that now I can just go in and switch out images or different content for so that I can execute really fast, like your content, but it's all consistently branded.

Michele Cook: Yeah. So you

Heather Lipe: so I'm trying to get

Michele Cook: with branding too.

Heather Lipe: Yes.

Michele Cook: You're a one stop shop.

Heather Lipe: Yes, but I need yeah, to figure out how that all goes together. But I definitely, because that's what I want to do, is packages.

Michele Cook: Yeah. I think that would be really good

You can use me as a dummy because I think I need to hire you.

Heather Lipe: Oh, I would love that.

Michele Cook: Yeah, because we're, we're [00:16:00] moving so we want to rebrand when we

Heather Lipe: Yes. Oh, I think that'd be so fun.

Michele Cook: Yeah, we want a logo that can go in the letters of our name

Heather Lipe: Yes. That'd be really cool.

Michele Cook: outside of the name. Yeah,

Heather Lipe: Yes. Yeah. We'll definitely have to talk about that.

Michele Cook: okay.

Share, share a really successful project that you worked on and what were the results of it?

Heather Lipe: Oh man. I did have a client I just built a membership site for, and I did it like, See this, he didn't have a ton of money. I'm like, okay. So I used tools I already own and put it all together so he didn't have to pay a subscription. And I was really proud of that. 'cause I consider myself an art person before tech and I was like, yes, I can do it though.

I'm a problem solver. So I was excited. But I think my biggest excitement right now is I have a client STO mission in central Ohio. They're awesome. If you wanna donate through tomorrow, they're the best. They help a lot of homeless people in Columbus, but so [00:17:00] they are one of my clients now that I'm doing like their website.

I just did that. And I do their email marketing and I do their social media. And I don't consider myself a social media expert as far as like how these platforms perform or like that. I'm like, I'm not young, 45. So this is not natural to me, but I like it as far as trying to figure out I love human nature.

So I love trying to figure out how to make it do something. And I love designing for it. And actually I work with a woman, Elizabeth, that helps. She writes all the copy for her still but we've been doing the social media for them and I got all their templates designed and I've been executing every month now and they do one to two posts a day.

And now I can do it in five hours, like for the whole month and and they're doing so well. I know this is they had one got 400 and some likes and like hearts. So I was like, so excited. So I feel like, Oh, I'm starting to figure this out. And They've gotten a lot of compliments from, corporations on their new branding and everything.

And they're getting a lot more donors, they say, and they believe [00:18:00] it's from their new marketing. I will happily hope that's true. But it's been a really fun group to work with. And I just love doing all of it together because I think I could be more efficient. And helping them see how fast I can do it, 

Michele Cook: That's awesome. 

What are your favorite tools to use to help business owners with their digital marketing?

Heather Lipe: Canva now I got into it. I was, at first I was a little bitter. I'm like, oh my gosh, this thing's going to steal my job. But then I was like, no, it's just a tool. And it's an awesome tool because I just, you can do so much with it. And I'm obsessed with again, making templates for businesses like that.

They can then either have me execute faster or they can , then switch out things and make it look good. And it can, it has this magic switch thing now, and it's not perfect, you have to rearrange things, but or it can resize for you, and I love creating reels in there because the animation is so easy.

I used to do that stuff in Photoshop, and it was hard to make a little video, but I love making [00:19:00] little videos in there and I don't know, but I love Canva.

Michele Cook: Yeah, I I do too, but, so I talked to you last time we saw each other about using a copyrighted image and.

Heather Lipe: Yes!

Michele Cook: Some lawyers coming after me,

Heather Lipe: Yes! How is that going?

Michele Cook: I'm not sure I had my lawyer contact him and I haven't heard anything back.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. So I got in copyright trouble before. I made a free website for my family's diner and then ended up paying like 900 bucks. Cause I usually use only one, two, three RF. com my subscription site or Adobe stock period. But this one time I needed some onion rings or mushroom. I don't know.

I need it. And it looks like it was a free image website, but it wasn't. And these are scams that , they'll try and they'll put something in the photo when you download it and then come after you later. But I have a client actually just emailed me last week and said that he was trying to get sued for an image that I pulled off 123RF.

[00:20:00] com. And there's no way. The licensing is valid. They're not going to get anywhere. But it is scary. You really cannot you got to be really careful because

Michele Cook: Yeah.

Heather Lipe: they're actually trying to scam

Michele Cook: that can't images from Canva are safe or do you think? No, you got to be careful with that.

Heather Lipe: There's if you especially have the pro or whatever and if you're using most of those are fine, but I guess not always for logos. I wrote a blog post about this. I will find it. But now I can't remember exactly what it was. But you can't there's imagery some of the elements in there, you can't directly use in a logo, but you can use it apparently in flyers and posts and

Michele Cook: Cause I, yeah, I go there all the time when I write a blog, that's where I get my pictures from. I'm just praying that it's all right.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. I actually have been using that too, so I hope it is too, because I still love my 1 3RF and all that, but Canva, I pay for Pro, which is so cheap, and then you can , just size the pictures however you want them, [00:21:00] and then

Michele Cook: know. And you just drag it over and it pops in there. It's so convenient.

Heather Lipe: Yes.

Michele Cook: Maybe if you change the image just a tiny bit, they won't be able to.

Heather Lipe: No, I think those are okay,

Michele Cook: Okay.

Heather Lipe: for blogs. Logos were the only one I remember reading about that was sticky.

Michele Cook: Yeah. So tell me about more about working with you. What's the process when a client says they need your help?

Heather Lipe: Okay, so I guess it depends on what it would be. But most things, if it's a longer project, like a logo sometimes there's two different kinds of logos to me. One we're going to develop from scratch. You have no idea what you want. We're going to do colors, etc. Or you could say hey, I drew this out.

Can you make this? Actually into a logo. That's usually a faster process of we'll just have a chat and then I'll do that and give it to you. And, I have a, on my website, like a proofing section of like a, you'll have your own website page where you can look at your [00:22:00] stuff,

Michele Cook: Oh,

Heather Lipe: but if it's a longer project, typically I'll meet weekly and have certain goals we're going to meet and then we'll do a either a zoom or in person to go over.

Thanks what you think I used to even for logos, send just a proof it once in a while still do that, but it's not a good idea. I find it's much better for everybody involved. If we talk I can see your real reaction, on a zoom room person or answer any questions.

Cause people get hung up on stuff that , I wouldn't think they would. I just remember one time I did design a billboard. And the client hated it and I could not figure out why. And I finally figured out it's cause she hated how the couple looked like I used a stock photo and she thought they were ugly, but it had nothing to do with the design.

So here I am redesigning this. billboard over and over again, and

Michele Cook: Using the same image.

Heather Lipe: was just an image change. So I found that's really a lot better when I talk to people once a week. And it's more [00:23:00] collaborative, and that's what I really love, because I'm trying to get your business and your vision out.

It's not it's more than just what I think you should do. I want the client's input. That's when things get really good.

Michele Cook: Yeah, I agree. Speaking of clients coming to you, what's the best way that you found to get clients?

Heather Lipe: networking, even though I was so scared of it, like forever. I didn't want to do it. It's not, and I love people, but I just, it's just terrifying. But then I have a cousin. And they live in up in Dublin and they were, he was always trying to get me to go. And I was like, Oh, I don't want to go. And then I started going to innovate new Albany.

That's a really good group. We got to go

Michele Cook: Yeah. Is that the one with the tiger talks?

Heather Lipe: Yep. I started going there and it was such a lovely group of people and Neil who runs it is so awesome. And I just started to realize Oh, they're just regular people, and then started Dabo and then. I don't know, I started going a couple things around where I live [00:24:00] and yeah, I think that's the best way.

And then it becomes word of mouth and then the clients, referrals.

Michele Cook: I agree. Just meeting people in person and getting to know them and then liking you and I want to help you out and give you business.

Heather Lipe: Yes.

Michele Cook: Do you see any new future web design changes coming in the pipeline?

Heather Lipe: I really haven't seen anything new. I just think I think websites are completely underutilized a little bit right now. Because there's, a lot of people are just like, oh, I just need a Facebook page or I just need there's so many other ways to. Get out there. But I think again, it's about you can tailor it however you want to, and show people like who you are.

Cause that because I just think as we can connect more with all different people, it's going to be more about, I know it's so cliche, but authentic connections. So it's getting your real self out there. So people know who you really are and getting questions answered before, they find you so they don't waste each other's time.

So I feel [00:25:00] like as the technology is getting easier to do and it's easier for everybody to have a website I think it's going to be more about . Tailoring it to you, more customization and more thinking through the user experience. I think that hopefully gets more common.

I think it is. People are like, okay why do I like And because analytics is so much easier to see they can see what's working and what's not so hopefully more Customizing to actually have it help their business.

Michele Cook: Yeah. What do you think is more important? The Google search console or the Google analytics?

Heather Lipe: I use them both. what do you think?

Michele Cook: I have only used the search console. I used to use the analytics and then they did this update and I've never set it up.

Heather Lipe: Oh, yeah, it is totally different Yeah just of what it reports, but it's actually simpler in a way, but yeah, it is I don't know. I do tend to use them both, though. It depends what the client wants to see, too what [00:26:00] information. Although, I think you can get most of it from console, really, 

Michele Cook: Yeah. Isn't one of them future and one of them's past or what's the difference?

Heather Lipe: That's a great question. To me, console tells you more errors on your website. That is what it is. It'll tell you more of the backend stuff that it sees and and the analytics is more towards marketing, I feel 

Michele Cook: Oh,

Heather Lipe: but even though there's still a lot of the same information, console tell you the keywords people are using also, to find you and stuff like that, but it also tells you .

Your sitemap's wrong, your robot's TXT isn't there it tells you all these things I don't think you see in analytics.

Michele Cook: True. However, that report you gave me for SEMrush, Google search console did not tell me any of that.

Heather Lipe: Yeah, that thing gets deep!

Which is helpful.

Michele Cook: yeah, I think I figured out how to migrate my site.

Heather Lipe: Oh, [00:27:00] good!

Michele Cook: Yeah. I, instead of having hosting or do it through their portal or whatever, I just downloaded it and uploaded it. So I don't have to worry

Heather Lipe: it a WordPress one?

Michele Cook: a

Heather Lipe: Have you ever heard of ManageWP?

Michele Cook: plugin?

Heather Lipe: Yeah it's like a website. It's actually owned by GoDaddy. I use it all the time. And you can put a plugin in your website called Manage WP Worker. You just sign up for it. And it's free. They have paid stuff too. And then you can clone your website. Back it up totally. So I, when you host with me, I back up every single site on this thing.

And then also on this W M P U dev, because if you mess it up and I'm a risky troubleshooter, so I need to be able to restore that site in one click,

Michele Cook: I know. 

Heather Lipe: If you need help, maybe I can help you. But that thing that's how I usually migrate is it'll clone it and then you can move it to wherever you want it to, but it does the database and everything.

Michele Cook: Okay, I'm writing it down [00:28:00] the when I tried to initially migrate with hosting or installed something on my site Backed it up. So I just downloaded that

Heather Lipe: Oh yeah. That should probably work.

Michele Cook: Yeah, I forget what it was called though where do you see the future of witch huck arts going

Heather Lipe: Man, I'm really working on that one. I know and I think I really would like more collaboration. I, I do miss having a partner, whether I go that full route again, probably not, but I really do want to work more with other people. For one thing The best service is not going to be me doing everything is I actually have some really great contractors I work with but when Jean was talking about branding I was in how she does the subscription photos I could think of so many ways I could maybe help her get clients or have our clients fine I don't know like I don't know.

I think I would like to collaborate more. I still think about our SEO website I'm not giving up

Michele Cook: I know. [00:29:00] I know. It's I think about it too. I'm like, we should do something with that.

Heather Lipe: Yes, I that's still in back of my mind and how to like I don't know, teach people somehow,

Michele Cook: yeah. How to not break your website. All right, so we've gotten through all the. Work related questions, I'm going to ask you some fun questions. Now, they're just supposed to be , quick response questions. Okay. What is the book you've most given as a gift or the book that's made the biggest difference in your life?

Heather Lipe: I haven't given as a gift, but , when I was 12, my dad had me read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and that book changed my life. I'm sure, who knows

Michele Cook: were 12?

Heather Lipe: me do that thing. I loved it. Ever since then, I remember looking at the picture. It was either an old lady or like a young lady and like about perspective and it just blew my mind and it really did. I was [00:30:00] able to get the concept of personal responsibility from that book that I was not going to get from my mom and dad. No offense to them, but I just loved that book. And ever since I read it. I loved reading self help, basically books or how to improve. And I don't know. I just, I loved that book.

I still do to this day, get my own kids to read it.

Michele Cook: Yeah. I always remember the one, begin with the end in mind.

Heather Lipe: Ooh

Michele Cook: That was one of the points, I know. Yeah. Okay, what purchase of 100 or less has most positively impacted your life?

Heather Lipe: Okay. That was, that's very strange, but it's my husband bought me a grounding mat. Okay. What is this?

Michele Cook: I've heard of those.

Heather Lipe: It's this, it's, it was by Keith Oberman and he got it cause I was having all these stomach problems and I was going to all these doctors and. But my, I never I was a bad sleeper. And so [00:31:00] this thing is supposed to help you, I don't know, somehow the body's electrical and it grounds you to the earth somehow.

It's have you heard of that barefoot movement or you walk around barefoot? It's that, but like with your sleep and I was skeptical, even though I'm a hippie medicine person. So I love weird medicine stuff, but I was what the heck is this? And that thing has hands down. Been a game changer for me.

I sleep through the night. I might have to pee here and there, but cause I'm old, but I've never slept through the night. Like that in my life, except for this grounding. Isn't that crazy?

Michele Cook: That's awesome. I was trying, I saw grounding sheets.

Heather Lipe: Yes. Now I have a grounding sheet.

Michele Cook: Really? Okay. So I'm going to have to tell Joe that it actually works because I was trying to convince him that we needed to spend like whatever, 300 on sheets. And he's no. I was like, yeah, they plug into the grounding port in a socket or whatever, an [00:32:00] outlet,

Heather Lipe: Yes. I

Michele Cook: what happens? You plug it into the grounding.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. It's crazy. And the first one I got was this little one that I'd put my feet on and I just could not believe it worked. And it really seemed to work. Who knows? It might be out of my mind,

Michele Cook: Maybe body ache escape should get some to sell. It sounds amazing.

Heather Lipe: I actually told, cause at the time I was going to a functional medicine doctor and I told him about it and he was telling some of the people about it and said it helped them.

It's like a new thing. It comes if you get the Keith one and. Sometimes it comes with this book and I read it. I read it twice because I just what got me to believe in was even though like my own sleep, it was, I don't know, I'm going to say it wrong, but these old Norwegian, builders, from like old school, early 1800s, he had learned about them and they would tell new workers to every single morning, go walk barefoot by the water because you will be able to handle the job. Your body will be able to heal. And I was like, what? I'm [00:33:00] always down for an old I don't know, people knew something. They were more connected back then, right? So I was like, oh my gosh, this got me excited. There's something to it. And then this guy's story of , how he, I don't know. It's just crazy. Yeah, that is weirdly, I feel like, the biggest game changer for me lately. But it's been like three years and I still talk about it.

Michele Cook: Oh, that's awesome.

What's an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

Heather Lipe: Obviously weird medical stuff. I do. I love reading about Ooh, old diseases too. Ooh, like tuberculosis, the black plague, Henry VIII's like smelly leg. This man he had an infected leg for years that reaped up a whole castle. No wonder he was mad. I just, I love that kind of weird stuff.

Michele Cook: know what I want to get for Bodyache Escape, which you would love in both of those cases is a red light bed.

Heather Lipe: Yes! My husband made [00:34:00] himself one. He bought the lights and made a contraption that he can put over the bed and he lays under it. But yeah, it would be cool to try a real one.

Michele Cook: Yeah. Cause they're supposed to help with wound healing. So I bet,

Heather Lipe: Yes.

Michele Cook: who'd you say Henry the eighth would have

Heather Lipe: Yes. You needed that for that leg. Can you imagine having an open wound for like years? I don't know.

Michele Cook: probably was like diabetic and didn't know it.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. Cause he just kept eating and he couldn't move.

Michele Cook: What is your proudest accomplishment?

Heather Lipe: I Don't know if I'm really anywhere yet, but I do try and always improve, like I'm willing to take that responsibility from back in the day, read that book and admit fault and keep trying. And so I feel I don't know my immediate family. I think we've done we're complete disaster in many ways, but my kids are pretty emotionally intelligent.

I feel like, cause it's like a pretty open environment. So I feel like just [00:35:00] always trying to keep improving, maybe, but I haven't really got where I need to be.

Michele Cook: Yeah, that's something we have in common. That's one of my top values, too, is continuous improvement. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's why we met in a class. What is your current passion project?

Heather Lipe: I think it's actually I'm trying to redo my own website to practice what I preach and I'm trying to figure out a system to really help small businesses figure out a way to generate like actually high quality content that is unique to them, but in an efficient way, somehow with website, email, Canva I'm trying to figure out how this all goes together, but I'm trying to do it for myself, I haven't really started, this is behind the scenes so far, so nothing to see yet, but , that's what I'm excited about, because I feel like in this world where we're supposed to create all this content, how can we do it in a way that makes sense, and maybe like share content somehow, [00:36:00] like little clusters of businesses that help each other, I'm not sure yet.

Michele Cook: Oh, I'm interested to hear more about this when you

Heather Lipe: That's all I have, but I'm trying, cause I feel like, I don't know, that's people's biggest barriers they get completely overwhelmed by content, and it's scary to put yourself out there, so , that's what I'm trying to figure out.

Michele Cook: Yeah. I know a lot of people don't want to be like the face of their business. They

Heather Lipe: Yeah, like me included.

Michele Cook: behind something. Yes.

Heather Lipe: Yeah.

Michele Cook: Yeah. What is one skill you would like to master?

Heather Lipe: Besides like truly moving the needle on marketing all the time, which I don't even know if it's even possible. I would love to design patterns. So that's like a random, like I want to design like like maybe wallpaper I don't know, like fabric design or something like I really love patterns and I actually love templates of all kinds, get more into website templates [00:37:00] that I know would be good for people.

Michele Cook: You know what I was just thinking of when you said that maybe you could help be a designer for these people. I was just looking up. These things called felt squares. It's felt right. com is the website and they make these like pattern squares that you can hang on your wall to help soundproof it.

Heather Lipe: That's awesome.

Michele Cook: Yeah. So they have I don't know, seven pages worth of these layouts that you can hang on your wall. That's something that.

Heather Lipe: That would be really fun. Yes. That's that. I think that'd be really cool.

Michele Cook: yeah, we have this problem in my house. Joe and I go to bed at different times, a lot of times. And one of us will usually be watching TV while one is trying to sleep.

And the way that our TV is set, it's like it bounces off the wall and the sound goes straight up the stairs. So I said, maybe if we get some of these [00:38:00] felt squares, the sound will just stop. I

Heather Lipe: I could use that in my house too.

Michele Cook: know, right?

Heather Lipe: Yeah.

Michele Cook: Our new massage place. Or location is going to be pretty soundproof, but we may get some felt squares for there too.

That would be,

Heather Lipe: Yeah. Like custom business felt squares. Wouldn't it be fun? That would be really fun. That

Michele Cook: New business idea. All right. What was your very first job?

Heather Lipe: Burger King.

Michele Cook: Oh, food

Heather Lipe: wasn't driving through cash here. I did babysit of course, but yeah, that was definitely My dad was like, you need to get a job. And I was like, all right. And then it was like, where's the easiest place I could find? What I thought would give me one. I had fun there though.

I liked the challenge of the fast paced. Like, all my jobs that I had I worked at MC Sporting Goods, Golden Corral it's a random, but I loved seeing how [00:39:00] fast I could do it. I always thought it was fun.

Michele Cook: Efficiency

Heather Lipe: love working Black Friday in retail, like a

Michele Cook: Oh. Yeah. You worked at Golden Corral. I worked at Ponderosa.

Heather Lipe: Oh, yes! Were you a waitress?

Michele Cook: I worked myself up to being waitress. I started as the buffet girl.

Heather Lipe: Yes, I did buffet it sometimes too and funny it I've made more money there I worked also as a server at a nice Mexican restaurant and I made more money at Golden Corral Just I think the turnover.

Michele Cook: Yeah. Cause people, yeah, it goes pretty quick. Cause when they can get their food instantly. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Heather Lipe: Man I hope I Get like some type of collaboration or like something. I want a cool network of people I'm working with like I don't know what that looks like, And Hopefully I figured out how to I'm sorry, I seem to be trying to be a [00:40:00] remote marketing department for people so somehow figuring out how to put all that together and traveling and enjoying my family as well.

Somehow, work life balance would be good.

Michele Cook: Yeah. When is your birthday?

Heather Lipe: It is in two days. It's Wednesday, sadly.

Michele Cook: We're going to be 50 the same year. No, wait, you're about to be 45 or 46.

Heather Lipe: Six.

Michele Cook: Oh,

Heather Lipe: When's your birthday?

Michele Cook: October 5th,

Heather Lipe: yeah.

Michele Cook: turned 45. So maybe we should take a trip sometime between October 5th and November 29th and celebrate 50.

Heather Lipe: I'm down for that. I'm definitely down for that.

Michele Cook: Okay, because that's, we'll be at the same age for two months

Heather Lipe: Yes. And we need to like, also be celebrating some milestone.

Michele Cook: yeah,

Finally starting our all in one digital marketing.

Heather Lipe: Yes! It is educating people. It is making us money in our sleep [00:41:00] as well. It is a win.

Michele Cook: Yes. We're going to have to really celebrate tomorrow. Good thing we're coming to Granville. So you won't have to drive so

Heather Lipe: Oh, no, I didn't even mind though. I felt that I was like, Oh, that would be fun. But I was like, Oh, you guys shouldn't both have to come my way. It's not your fault. I

Michele Cook: Not that far. It's not that far. Okay, do you have a pump up song that you like to listen to that gets you like fired up?

Heather Lipe: Hell I do some pretty cliche classics. I like that fight song. I like roar. I like but I have a weird taste in music too. I love like old school Garth Brooks. But Queen, I love Queen. And like Snoop, always been a big Snoop fan since 97. So I don't know you never know.

Michele Cook: How do you feel about that slick marketing

Heather Lipe: my God. I did not fall for that at all.

Michele Cook: It took me a few days to see what he was actually doing. For those who don't know, he made a post that said he was giving up [00:42:00] the smoke.

Heather Lipe: Yeah.

Michele Cook: come to find out he was just advertising a smokeless fire pit.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. It's hilarious. I really liked how funny he was. Like, I remember me and my roommate in college. His album had come out and we listened to it. And we're just like these little punks from like nowhere country, Michigan. And just he'd say stuff like, you better recognize it. We just thought that was so funny.

Like that. Somebody would talk like that about them. He just funny, like

Michele Cook: I know. 

Heather Lipe: clever. 

Michele Cook: Joe and I went to this conference a few years ago in Miami, the 10 X conference, and one morning we like, every morning there was like a long preamble to it starting it just wasn't seemed important to be there right at the start time. Like the third morning we went late and we walk in and Snoop was just finishing performing.

Heather Lipe: Oh

my 

Michele Cook: so mad at me. [00:43:00] I was

Heather Lipe: Oh my gosh. But how would you know? He is everywhere. He's so versatile, 

Michele Cook: my friend one of my friends knows his blunt roller.

Heather Lipe: Is that real? Is that real? I guess it would be if you were him. That is crazy.

Michele Cook: she makes pretty good money doing it too.

Crazy.

Heather Lipe: that is wild.

Michele Cook: All right, since we're called Cosmos and Commerce, Cosmos being the drink, what is your drink of choice?

Heather Lipe: I Really like most drinks, but I really, I'm into Moscow mules right now.

Michele Cook: Oh, nice. I will have to buy you one tomorrow, and I just had one of those for the first time on Thursday night.

Heather Lipe: Oh, really? What did you think?

Michele Cook: They're good

Heather Lipe: Yeah. Very good, right? What do 

you like? 

Michele Cook: very refreshing.

Heather Lipe: Sometimes you like wine. But what do you like for a cocktail?

Michele Cook: I don't necessarily [00:44:00] like it but the thing I always order is vodka and Diet Coke 

I oRder it for the low calories, not the deliciousness.

Heather Lipe: Yeah. I do Tito's, because it's easier on your stomach.

Michele Cook: Oh, yeah.

Heather Lipe: Nice clean alcohol.

Michele Cook: Nice. Alright, Heather, tell me where our listeners can find you.

Heather Lipe: Oh yes woodchuckarts. com or Facebook, Instagram. I started doing TikTok. I'm trying. I think it's fun. I'm not, I need to do more. But yeah that's about where 

Michele Cook: all over the place, Woodchuck Art?

Heather Lipe: Yep.

Michele Cook: Alright. Thank you so much for joining me today. I really

Heather Lipe: Thank you.

Michele Cook: interview you. I always have a blast with you

Heather Lipe: Same.

Michele Cook: and everybody, you can find all of our episodes at cosmosandcommerce. com and I hope you all have a fabulous day. [00:45:00] Thank you, Heather.

Heather Lipe: Thank you.

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