Profitable Web Designer with Shannon Mattern

Shannon Mattern

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

  1. 14 hr ago

    📣 Special Web Designer Academy Announcement

    I've got some big news dropping today that I think you're gonna love if: 1️⃣ You're a woman web designer in that mid-stage of your web design business journey where you're beyond the beginner basics, but you're not where you want to be yet in terms of income and time freedom. 2️⃣ You want to finally: Build a real client pipeline (that doesn't use content marketing or social media) so that you stop having to try to compete for attention in a saturated market Clean up zombie projects and fix time, money and sanity-draining client situations Take control of your time and to-do list so that everything stops feeling so overwhelming and like it's piling up Stay out of your clients' wallets for good, and Get your prices to where they really could and should be (without losing all your current clients or never getting another one) 3️⃣ Working together has been on your "someday" list... 📣 I'm opening up a 6-MONTH COHORT of the Web Designer Academy that'll run from September 2026 through February 2027 🤩🎉🤩🎉 Apply here: ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com/apply⁠ Up until now, the Web Designer Academy has been a 12-month program with a 12-month commitment (and a 12-month price tag). The 6-month cohort is your opportunity to get my expert feedback and guidance as you implement our advanced strategies for moving from feast-and-famine to profitable-and-consistent (with a 6-month price tag) 🎉🎉🎉 By the end of our 6 months together you'll always know how to find your next client (so you stop undercharging and saying yes to difficult clients because you're worried about where your next client is coming from), charge 2-3x more without working harder, and have made some real, solid progress toward your ideal monthly income. Together, we'll work on: 📈 Building your client pipeline: Take small, doable weekly marketing actions that compound over time to fill your pipeline 30, 60, 90 days out and beyond. 💵 Resetting your revenue: Audit your current numbers and capacity, set a realistic 1-year goal, and learn our Anchor High™ Sales Process to sell your current services at higher prices on your very next consultation. 🙌 Quick wins: Take action on your quickest wins - whether that's billing for all you're doing, converting hourly clients to retainers, wrapping stalled projects, or letting go of difficult clients - to make room for what's next. 💼 Strategic planning and implementation: Plan ahead to take real, restorative time off during the holiday season, and review your first 3 months of data and map out a clear strategic plan for 2027. 🫠 Stopping overdelivering and overworking for good: Step out of overwhelm, ditch people-pleasing, and carve out dedicated time for revenue-generating activities (and your personal life) so you can get booked out without burning out. 🧠 Making over your pricing mindset for good: Transform your money mindset, stay out of your clients' wallets, and say five-figure prices out loud as easily as saying "the sky is blue". Enrollment in the 6-month cohort is by application only so I can make sure your goals are a match for our program and that your business is at the right stage to successfully apply our strategies. After doing this for a decade, I can tell pretty quickly if your business is too young or too advanced to benefit from our strategies. There's zero obligation to enroll if your application is accepted, so if you're thinking about it even a little bit, go ahead and apply below! If your application is accepted, you’ll be invited to attend a live, private masterclass at 12PM Eastern on Friday, August 21st only for accepted applicants where I’ll walk you through: The 6 most common places web design businesses leak time and money, how to fix them - and more importantly how NOT to fix them. How the 6-month cohort works, what you’ll be doing, how support and feedback works, when live calls will be, how replays work, and what’s included. What the 6-month investment is, plus details on payment plan options. How our 30-Day Trial and ROI Guarantee work After the private masterclass, you'll have until Monday, August 31st to enroll in the cohort. We'll onboard everyone starting September 1st, and we'll officially start on Tuesday, September 8th. If you're still reading this... your next step is to fill out the application 👇 https://webdesigneracademy.com/apply The more detail you give me, the better I can assess whether or not this 6-month cohort experience is the right fit for you and your goals. I only invite people to work with me who I'm confident have the foundation needed to create a return on their investment (and more) during their time in the cohort - and who will actually learn something new and benefit from being there. And It's in neither of our best interest for you to enroll in our program and either not get an ROI in a reasonable timeframe because you're too new - or be like "Yeah, I already know all of this, I just wasted my money..." Again, there’s no obligation to enroll if your application is accepted... ...but this is the last time you'll have the opportunity to join the Web Designer Academy until who knows when 🤷‍♀️ Because after this cohort starts in September, the doors to the Web Designer Academy are officially closing so we can focus on serving this cohort deeply for the next 6 months (instead of splitting our focus between sales and delivery). So if the Web Designer Academy has been on your "someday" list, and you want the opportunity to be part of this cohort and have my expert guidance, support and feedback on growing your web design business... Then fill out the application below before your chance goes away on Thursday, August 20th 👇 ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com/apply⁠

  2. 16 hr ago

    Profitable Web Designer Tip: How Web Designers Can Charge More

    Grab our High-Converting Proposal Template and learn what to include (and what to leave out) to turn more of your proposals into higher-paying clients: https://webdesigneracademy.com/proposal Episode 207: Why Web Designers Are Already Doing Brand Strategy (Just Not Charging For It) with Sarah Robb Sarah Robb of Brand Strategy Academy has spent over twenty years building brand strategies for companies like Pfizer, EY, PepsiCo, and Oracle, and in this episode she and Shannon break down why brand strategy has almost nothing to do with fonts and logos and everything to do with four simple questions every strong brand can answer. Sarah makes the case that most web designers are already doing this work with clients, they just haven't named it, structured it, or charged for it, and she and Shannon talk through exactly what it looks like to shift from being seen as the person who executes a client's vision to the person who leads them through a real strategic process. What you'll learn in this episode: The four questions behind every brand strategy, and why they matter more than any logo or color palette Why the "discovery phase" you're already running with clients is brand strategy work you're underpricing How to shift from executor to advisor without becoming a different person, just a more structured one Why AI can speed up research but still can't replace human judgment in strategy work Why small and medium sized businesses need strategic help more than ever, and what that means for who you target next What's actually inside Brand Strategy Academy Resources mentioned: Brand Strategy Academy Rebrand Right by Sarah Robb and Rachel Fairley Related episodes: Episode 154: Strategic Branding That Pays Off Episode 143: Building a Brand with Jacob Cass of Just Creative Episode 111: The True Value of Branding with Mike Brevik of BrandRetro & Cyberdogz About Sarah Robb: Sarah is a brand strategist with over twenty years of experience, the co-author of the Amazon bestseller Rebrand Right, and the founder of Brand Strategy Academy, which has helped over four hundred designers become confident brand strategists. Website: brandstrategysarah.com | Instagram: @brandstrategysarah About 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

  3. 2 days ago

    How Web Designers Can Charge More By Adding Brand Strategy with Sarah Robb

    Grab our High-Converting Proposal Template and learn what to include (and what to leave out) to turn more of your proposals into higher-paying clients: https://webdesigneracademy.com/proposal Episode 207: Why Web Designers Are Already Doing Brand Strategy (Just Not Charging For It) with Sarah Robb Sarah Robb of Brand Strategy Academy has spent over twenty years building brand strategies for companies like Pfizer, EY, PepsiCo, and Oracle, and in this episode she and Shannon break down why brand strategy has almost nothing to do with fonts and logos and everything to do with four simple questions every strong brand can answer. Sarah makes the case that most web designers are already doing this work with clients, they just haven't named it, structured it, or charged for it, and she and Shannon talk through exactly what it looks like to shift from being seen as the person who executes a client's vision to the person who leads them through a real strategic process. What you'll learn in this episode: The four questions behind every brand strategy, and why they matter more than any logo or color palette Why the "discovery phase" you're already running with clients is brand strategy work you're underpricing How to shift from executor to advisor without becoming a different person, just a more structured one Why AI can speed up research but still can't replace human judgment in strategy work Why small and medium sized businesses need strategic help more than ever, and what that means for who you target next What's actually inside Brand Strategy Academy Resources mentioned: Brand Strategy Academy Rebrand Right by Sarah Robb and Rachel Fairley Related episodes: Episode 154: Strategic Branding That Pays Off Episode 143: Building a Brand with Jacob Cass of Just Creative Episode 111: The True Value of Branding with Mike Brevik of BrandRetro & Cyberdogz About Sarah Robb: Sarah is a brand strategist with over twenty years of experience, the co-author of the Amazon bestseller Rebrand Right, and the founder of Brand Strategy Academy, which has helped over four hundred designers become confident brand strategists. Website: brandstrategysarah.com | Instagram: @brandstrategysarah About 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

    How Web Designers Can Charge More By Adding Brand Strategy with Sarah Robb
  4. 7 Aug

    Profitable Web Designer Tip: June 2026 Income Report

    Grab our High-Converting Proposal Template and start confidently charging a lot more for custom web design projects... without hustling, overworking, or losing all your clients: https://webdesigneracademy.com/proposal June 2026 Income Report Welcome to my May 2026 Income Report where I share how much we made, how much we spent and all of the lessons I learned along the way. In This Episode: How I finally let go of the belief that I’m bad at sales. How I sold out my private coaching offers. How to untie your pricing from your time Why 10 people joining a brand new program beat out my goal of 25 The biggest myths about the Next Level Mastermind, debunked Resources mentioned: 90-Day Shift Private Coaching Next Level Mastermind ShannonMattern.com for the Package Matrix Method High-Converting Proposal Template Related episodes: Episode 200: May 2026 Income Report Episode 196: April 2026 Income Report Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects with Shannon Mattern About 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: https://webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: https://shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner

  5. 5 Aug

    June 2026 Income Report

    Grab our High-Converting Proposal Template and start confidently charging a lot more for custom web design projects... without hustling, overworking, or losing all your clients: https://webdesigneracademy.com/proposal June 2026 Income Report Welcome to my May 2026 Income Report where I share how much we made, how much we spent and all of the lessons I learned along the way. In This Episode: How I finally let go of the belief that I’m bad at sales. How I sold out my private coaching offers. How to untie your pricing from your time Why 10 people joining a brand new program beat out my goal of 25 The biggest myths about the Next Level Mastermind, debunked Resources mentioned: 90-Day Shift Private Coaching Next Level Mastermind ShannonMattern.com for the Package Matrix Method High-Converting Proposal Template Related episodes: Episode 200: May 2026 Income Report Episode 196: April 2026 Income Report Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects with Shannon Mattern About 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: https://webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: https://shannonmattern.com Instagram: @profitablewebdesigner

    June 2026 Income Report
  6. 31 Jul

    Profitable Web Design Tip: Why More Web Design Clients Won't Fix Your Money Problems

    Grab our High-Converting Proposal Template and learn what to include (and what to leave out) to turn more of your proposals into higher-paying clients: https://webdesigneracademy.com/template Have you ever thought, I just need more clients, I just need to book more projects, and then I'll be okay? But here’s the thing - you have real costs associated with running your web design business, and it’s not just your time - and if your pricing doesn't cover ALL of your costs, booking more clients doesn't fix your problems - it just means you lose more money faster. That’s the conversation fractional CFO and host of the Pivot to Profit podcast Pam Jordan and I had on the podcast just a couple days ago. We also talk about money trauma - where it comes from, how it's influencing your pricing decisions, and what it takes to break through your subconscious pricing ceiling. Pam is the founder of Pivot Business Group and host of the Pivot to Profit podcast, and she has spent 10 years helping entrepreneurs actually understand their finances after watching a multi-million dollar company go through bankruptcy early in her career.  In this episode, she breaks down why "money in the bank" isn't the same as a profitable business, what your P&L and balance sheet are actually telling you, and why doing more work at your current prices could be making things worse, not better.  Shannon also pulls back the curtain on the Package Matrix™ Method and how it helps web designers charge two to three times more than they ever thought possible... even when their own nervous system is working against them. What You'll Learn: - Why bank balance accounting is one of the most dangerous habits a service provider can have - The 3-part pricing formula (target profit + direct costs + overhead) that shows what you actually need to charge - Why it's a pricing problem, not a volume problem, when your business can't get ahead - The money trauma patterns that create an income ceiling - and how to start breaking through them - How the Package Matrix "benevolent bait and switch" gets web designers to close projects at 2-3x their old prices Key Timestamps: [03:01] The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make with their numbers [07:13] What profitable pricing actually looks like for service providers [10:34] The 3-part pricing formula [21:39] It's not a volume problem. It's a pricing problem. [22:34] Money trauma: where it starts and how to work through it [27:01] The Package Matrix and the benevolent bait and switch Resources Mentioned: Pivot Business Group: https://pivotbusinessgroup.com Pam Jordan's website: https://pamjordan.com Pivot to Profit Podcast: https://pamjordan.com/podcast Related Episodes: Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects - https://webdesigneracademy.com/how-to-price-custom-web-design-projects-with-shannon-mattern/ Episode 168: Confident Pricing and Overcoming Mind Trash with Jen Davis - https://webdesigneracademy.com/confident-pricing-overcoming-mind-trash-with-jen-davis-of-better-the-brand-designer-podcast/ Episode 102: Six-Figure Pricing and Money Mindset with Austin L. Church - https://webdesigneracademy.com/six-figure-pricing-and-money-mindset-with-austin-l-church/ About Pam Jordan Pam Jordan is the founder of Pivot Business Group, host of the Pivot to Profit podcast, and a fractional CFO who helps entrepreneurs understand their numbers, increase their profitability, reduce their taxes, and grow their wealth. After watching a multi-million dollar company go through bankruptcy court early in her career, Pam spent the last decade building a team of bookkeepers, CFOs, and tax strategists who support entrepreneurs at every stage - from cleaning up messy books to implementing tax strategy to forward-looking CFO advisory.  Pivot Business Group: https://pivotbusinessgroup.com Pam Jordan's website: https://pamjordan.com Pivot to Profit Podcast: https://www.pamjordan.com/podcast About Shannon Mattern Shannon Mattern is a pricing strategist, creator of the Package Matrix™ and the founder of the Web Designer Academy, where she helps experienced women web designers package, price, and sell their services so they can build profitable, sustainable businesses without burnout. Website: webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers: https://shannonmattern.com IG: @profitablewebdesigner YouTube: @profitablewebdesigner LinkedIn: shannonmattern

  7. 29 Jul

    Why More Web Design Clients Won't Fix Your Money Problems with Pam Jordan of Pivot To Profit

    Grab our High-Converting Proposal Template and learn what to include (and what to leave out) to turn more of your proposals into higher-paying clients: https://webdesigneracademy.com/template Have you ever thought, I just need more clients, I just need to book more projects, and then I'll be okay? But here’s the thing - you have real costs associated with running your web design business, and it’s not just your time - and if your pricing doesn't cover ALL of your costs, booking more clients doesn't fix your problems - it just means you lose more money faster. That’s the conversation fractional CFO and host of the Pivot to Profit podcast Pam Jordan and I had on the podcast just a couple days ago. We also talk about money trauma - where it comes from, how it's influencing your pricing decisions, and what it takes to break through your subconscious pricing ceiling. Pam is the founder of Pivot Business Group and host of the Pivot to Profit podcast, and she has spent 10 years helping entrepreneurs actually understand their finances after watching a multi-million dollar company go through bankruptcy early in her career.  In this episode, she breaks down why "money in the bank" isn't the same as a profitable business, what your P&L and balance sheet are actually telling you, and why doing more work at your current prices could be making things worse, not better.  Shannon also pulls back the curtain on the Package Matrix™ Method and how it helps web designers charge two to three times more than they ever thought possible... even when their own nervous system is working against them. What You'll Learn: - Why bank balance accounting is one of the most dangerous habits a service provider can have - The 3-part pricing formula (target profit + direct costs + overhead) that shows what you actually need to charge - Why it's a pricing problem, not a volume problem, when your business can't get ahead - The money trauma patterns that create an income ceiling - and how to start breaking through them - How the Package Matrix "benevolent bait and switch" gets web designers to close projects at 2-3x their old prices Key Timestamps: [03:01] The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make with their numbers [07:13] What profitable pricing actually looks like for service providers [10:34] The 3-part pricing formula [21:39] It's not a volume problem. It's a pricing problem. [22:34] Money trauma: where it starts and how to work through it [27:01] The Package Matrix and the benevolent bait and switch Resources Mentioned: Pivot Business Group: https://pivotbusinessgroup.com Pam Jordan's website: https://pamjordan.com Pivot to Profit Podcast: https://pamjordan.com/podcast Related Episodes: Episode 189: How To Price Custom Web Design Projects - https://webdesigneracademy.com/how-to-price-custom-web-design-projects-with-shannon-mattern/ Episode 168: Confident Pricing and Overcoming Mind Trash with Jen Davis - https://webdesigneracademy.com/confident-pricing-overcoming-mind-trash-with-jen-davis-of-better-the-brand-designer-podcast/ Episode 102: Six-Figure Pricing and Money Mindset with Austin L. Church - https://webdesigneracademy.com/six-figure-pricing-and-money-mindset-with-austin-l-church/ About Pam Jordan Pam Jordan is the founder of Pivot Business Group, host of the Pivot to Profit podcast, and a fractional CFO who helps entrepreneurs understand their numbers, increase their profitability, reduce their taxes, and grow their wealth. After watching a multi-million dollar company go through bankruptcy court early in her career, Pam spent the last decade building a team of bookkeepers, CFOs, and tax strategists who support entrepreneurs at every stage - from cleaning up messy books to implementing tax strategy to forward-looking CFO advisory.  Pivot Business Group: https://pivotbusinessgroup.com Pam Jordan's website: https://pamjordan.com Pivot to Profit Podcast: https://www.pamjordan.com/podcast About Shannon Mattern Shannon Mattern is a pricing strategist, creator of the Package Matrix™ and the founder of the Web Designer Academy, where she helps experienced women web designers package, price, and sell their services so they can build profitable, sustainable businesses without burnout. Website: webdesigneracademy.com For Service Providers: https://shannonmattern.com IG: @profitablewebdesigner YouTube: @profitablewebdesigner LinkedIn: shannonmattern

    Why More Web Design Clients Won't Fix Your Money Problems with Pam Jordan of Pivot To Profit
  8. 24 Jul

    Profitable Web Designer Tip: Why Your Discovery Calls Aren't Converting

    Grab our High-Converting Proposal Template and learn what to include (and what to leave out) to turn more of your proposals into higher-paying clients: ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com/template⁠ What to Do When Web Design Proposals Go Silent In this replay of our June 2026 live Q&A, I answer four real questions from web designers on some of the most common business challenges that come up again and again. We cover why proposals stall after discovery calls (and what to actually say in your follow-up), how to apply the Package Matrix Method to VIP day and sprint-based offers, how to bring in subcontractors without it becoming a client issue, and how to position the value of a website when local business clients want you to do everything. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why proposals go silent after great discovery calls and the follow-up framework that actually moves people to a decision How to incentivize a decision without pressure-selling or closing on the call How to apply Package Matrix thinking to sprint and VIP day offers when your deliverables don't change How to handle subcontracting and outsourcing when clients expect you to do all the work How to position a conversion-focused website to local business clients who want it all The leaky bucket analogy that shifts clients from cost-based thinking to value-based thinking KEY TIMESTAMPS [00:00] - Welcome and overview [05:30] - Q1: Proposals stalling after discovery calls (Sonya) [25:30] - Q2: Package Matrix for VIP days and sprints (Jess) [44:00] - Q3: Outsourcing and subcontracting (Alyssa) [52:00] - Q4: Selling a website to local business clients (Kristin) RESOURCES MENTIONED Web Designer Academy: ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com⁠ Next Level Mastermind: ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com/next-level-mastermind⁠ The Package Matrix™ Method: ⁠https://shannonmattern.com/package-matrix-method/⁠ RELATED EPISODES Episode 198: How to Make More with Less Web Design Clients - ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com/how-to-make-more-with-less-web-design-clients/⁠ Episode 194: The Daily Habit for Building a Full Web Design Client Pipeline with Julia Taylor - ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com/the-daily-habit-for-building-a-full-web-design-client-pipeline-with-julia-taylor/⁠ Episode 193: Stop Waiting for Referrals and Get Booked Out with Sarah Noel Block of Tiny Marketing - ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com/stop-waiting-for-referrals-and-get-booked-out-with-sarah-noel-block-of-tiny-marketing/⁠ About 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: ⁠https://webdesigneracademy.com⁠ For Service Providers, Consultants & Agencies: ⁠https://shannonmattern.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠@profitablewebdesigner⁠ | ⁠@shannonlmattern⁠

About

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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