Digital Solutions Success Story: Rachel Jane Design

Rachel Clark knows how to make things grow.

The Healesville local spent years working in her family business, which started as arboriculture services before moving into forestry regeneration, whilst pursuing her passion for web design on the side. But in 2020, Rachel took the leap into making her passion project her full time job and launched Rachel Jane Design. Now, she generates growth of the digital kind by helping busy small business owners achieve the perfect website in days, not weeks, through intensive VIP design days.

“Most websites take 6-12 weeks to complete, but the actual design time doesn’t change,” Rachel explains.

“It’s the emailing back and forth and waiting for approval that takes the time. I’ve removed this by working in a day rate method.”

As a mum who values balance, Rachel loves the flexibility and control that self-employment offers.

“I can fit my working life around my children and still be at school pick-ups and any event they want me at. I can take off school holidays and be more present for my boys,” she explains.

“I also love that everything I achieve is through my own hard work, and it’s my decisions that take me there. I don’t want to be too busy and stressed and so I don’t hire staff, or take on too much work.”

As the very nature of Rachel Jane Design is digital, Rachel has always run her business online. Though she didn’t have any formal strategy in place, she ‘just started marketing and networking’.

Growing online with the Digital Solutions Program

In a bid to improve her online presence, Rachel joined the Digital Solutions - Australian Small Business Advisory Services program with some particular goals in mind.

“I wanted to seek out help with my digital strategy, specifically SEO. I’d been studying it for a while and wanted to improve my understanding so I could then pass it onto my clients.”

Rachel found a number of services from the program helpful, but found the mentoring to be most transformative to her skillset.

“[My mentor] Brett Melville’s advice was invaluable. He answered all of my questions in easy-to-understand terms and made the things I’d struggled with suddenly seem very simple. The mentoring sessions I had with Brett were one of the best investments I’ve made in my business”

Working with Brett, Rachel was able to construct a strategy to help achieve all of her business goals.

“Using Brett’s Digital Action Plan, I was able to easily follow steps after our sessions to implement the changes and digital strategy my business was lacking.

“I worked my way through and continue to reference it.”

Would Rachel recommend the Digital Solutions Program to other small business owners?

“Definitely. Such great value with the mentorship as well as a broad range of topics to get your teeth into.”