Belinda Owen in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Business consultant

Belinda Owen

Locality: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 406 955 023

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• Business service
• Web designer
• Business consultant

24.01.2022 And just like that, its school holidays again! Is it just me or did term 2 go really quickly? One minute I was rejoicing at the kids being allowed to go back to school and the next Im planning school holidays again! I want to share with you one of our day trips we did this week. I saw a post pop up in my feed of 2 characters who are very familiar to me these days. Although, with a 6 year old, practically anything thats in the form of a cartoon is familiar to me As you ca...n see in the pic, theyre Bluey and Bingo of Bluey fame! Inquisitive me read the post and discovered they were only 1.5 hours away from where we live! Bonus! So, I promptly planned one of our day trips which was to visit Bluey and Bingo (aka the most famous hay bales in QLD ) just outside of Beaudesert. Yup - these two are made from hay bales and buckets. So darn clever! I got to tell you though, I really love this! And not for the fact theyre Bluey and Bingo (which is pretty cool), but for the simple reason that these 2 famous characters are standing in front of a farm stay that had been affected by the COVID tourism stand still. With no one checking in, they needed to keep their business in the spotlight. And what better way than to create 2 characters that are guaranteed to make your posts go viral. They have created hashtags and people are posting their pics left right and centre of their kids visits to Bluey and Bingo at Stay At Kirro. They may only be there for a short time, but they will make a lasting impression on many families looking for a unique little getaway. Marketing at its best. #thinkingoutsidethebox #stayatkirro #schoolholidays #workinglateagain

24.01.2022 To my fellow Mums still working from home while trying to wrestle kids... thought this might come in handy!

24.01.2022 #blog You might think as a website designer I'd be against DIY websites. But I'm not. ... I'm actually all for DIY and learning to do it yourself if that's what fits both you and your business best. After all, that's how I started out! There's just a few things to remember when DIYing though. Like laying a new deck for the first time, what looks easy at Bunnings isn't always as it seems. I've noted a couple of DIY mistakes that I see a lot and how to avoid them. But don't worry if they're on your site... they're easy fixed too ;) PS: Read to the bottom if you're thinking you need a website and want to tackle it yourself... I've got something coming up REALLY SOON that will interest you! https://www.belindaowen.com/biggest-diy-website-mistakes/

24.01.2022 Great marketing!

24.01.2022 #ruokday2020 Asking someone how they are is something I try to do everyday. My emails always start with "How are you?" This isn't a throw away line, I'm genuinely keen to make sure the person I am emailing is ok. It's also a good breaker and can create a bit of conversation. This year more than ever it's important to remember to ask people if they are ok. When things are really crappy, people tend to go into their shells because they don't want to be a burden. Especiall...y if things are crappy world wide like they are right now. It's easy to keep thing to ourselves because we don't want to burden anyone else when they are struggling too. Or worse, we think our problems aren't as bad as someone else's so we let them be. The thing about that is it can grow. What you're feeling may not be as bad as someone who has lost their job or can't pay their bills. BUT what you are going through is bad for you. It's still eating you up and affecting your mental health. Just because it might not seem so big in comparison, it's still a big deal if it's affecting your mental health. So, remember to ask R u Ok? if you sense someone might not be ok. Or even if they seem ok, deep down they might still be struggling. Have a great day and stay strong. #ruok #ruok2020

23.01.2022 #Blog It's easy to set and forget your website - especially if it's working and all seems well. But just like your car, things could be going awry under the hood that could lead to disastrous consequences.... When was the last time you checked the back end of your website? Is it looking ok or are there 25 updates sitting there waiting for a rainy day?

22.01.2022 Did you know theres a new WordPress training course coming really, really soon? Ive been busy beavering away putting all the knowledge floating around in my head into a course to show you how easy WordPress CAN be. I know its a daunting place for so many, and I totally get that. I was daunted for a long time as well. The fear of breaking something and having the whole site disappear into the ether was all too real. And when you have luck like mine, that shiz can happen ... If youve been meaning to teach yourself how to update your website properly or the best way to upload your blog, then this is for you. Secret time... Im also releasing a teaser module that will be absolutely F. R. E. E as well as a discount to the whole shebang that will be exclusive to list members. Im also open to knowing what your struggles with WordPress are. Feel free to let me know in the comments. Happy Wednesday and stay healthy x https://www.belindaowen.com/navigating-wordpress-ecourse/

22.01.2022 So I hear there was a little Facey scare this morning! Did you heart skip a beat or 10?? I was having a rare day off with my family and didn't even realise until my husband told me. In fact, I didn't even log onto Facebook until this very moment. The website brain in me started thinking how on earth you can have a world wide outage That's one epic failure!... BUT... Then my brain went into business mode and though about the flow on effects for pretty much every business in the world. What if those 6 hours turned into 6 days? How would you cope and more importantly, HOW WOULD YOU BUSINESS COPE? That's why it's so important not to have all your eggs in one basket and why 3rd party platforms are just rental space. You don't own them and you have no control if someone just flicks the off switch one day. All your hard work is gone. So what's the solution? Take back control and ownership of your own destiny by asking yourself this question... https://www.belindaowen.com/do-i-really-need-a-website/

21.01.2022 Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy are great for starting out but they shouldn’t be your complete marketing strategy. Whilst they allow you to test the waters when you are ready to really commit to your business a full website is invaluable. The benefits include:... Potential customers will take your business more seriously when they can see you have invested time, effort, and money into it. A fully functional website, branding, and business registrations all say hey, I’m here for the long haul. So many stores come and go on Facebook, Creative Market and Etsy that people could lose faith that you will still be around in 6 months' time. You have more functionality You own your website and can customise it however you see fit Setting up a website may feel like something that is a big task but like anything in business look at the long-term goal and chunk it down into manageable pieces. If you are ready to create a beautiful, simple website you can manage yourself find my web design services here https://www.belindaowen.com/website-design/

21.01.2022 #Availability Hi everyone, Happy new year. I hope 2021 will be a better one for all.... How has your year been so far? Sinking, swimming or floating? I'm swimming my way to getting Navigating WordPress up and running this year! In some other useful news, I've had some availability come up in the next couple of weeks for a web design project or even a website refresh! So if you've been thinking your website is looking a little disorganised or dated or you just need one to take your business to the next level, feel free to email me [email protected] . I'd love to help you kick start your 2021 Pic of the Christmas cake my son and I made over the holidays. It's our Christmas tradition to make a cake each year from the lovely Cake 2 The Rescue - DIY Cake Kits

20.01.2022 #Services Happy Monday! I just wanted to share with you some new services on offer to help take the hassle out of your WordPress website ownership.... I know managing a WordPress site can be tricky at times with updates, plugins, themes and odd bod issues. But as long as you know where to go to get said issues fixed, then they're not so bad. I have the following services on offer to help you manage your website: Speed up and clean up service - for those sluggishly slow sites Infection Removal - for the sites invaded by unwanted malware or hackers 1:1 WordPress Training - to take back control of your site Website Quick Fixes - for those pesky little issues that are driving you nuts! Cheap flat rate price to have your site looked at. These services are here when you need them and have quick turn around times, because there's nothing worse than a website that doesn't work! https://www.belindaowen.com/additional-business-services/

19.01.2022 It's been a long week, month, year (enter "Friends" song here!) and after a huge storm yesterday and no power for 13 hours, I need more than a coffee LOL ps: It's amazing how much we rely on electricity! How's your Monday looking?

19.01.2022 My 5 top tips for website maintenance success. Check for updates on a regular basis - schedule it in your to-do and make it a habit Conduct regular security checks - this tells you whether your site is at risk or has been infected with malware. Perform a speed test - Check your site's page speed and optimisation to see how it rates.... Look at the new WordPress feature "Site Health" in your admin area - a recent feature added in WordPress was a site health check. Have your site "sped up & optimised" annually - a routine speed up and clean up of your website can keep it all optimised and running cleanly while improving your overall page ranking score and boosting your site speed. Do you use any of these strategies already and if not, how can you incorporate them into your routine?

19.01.2022 Ive always wonder this too! Anything over 3 is crispy-crittered on our toaster!

19.01.2022 It's back to school today!! I love having my little man home and spending time with him, but I also NEED my 5 hours quiet time during the day to work. How are you feeling? Post me an for over the moon or an for devo.

18.01.2022 Lets have a #memeoff Post the funniest meme youve seen this week.Lets have a #memeoff Post the funniest meme youve seen this week.

18.01.2022 Daylight savings ends tonight... not that it really matters lol :D

17.01.2022 #DIYWebsiteWorkshop Do you need a website but cash flow holding you back? Did you have grand plans of DIYing a WordPress website only to find the overwhelm got too much?... I totally get it. The first website I built on WordPress was over 5 years ago now and I can remember the fear like it was yesterday. I spent so much time on Google I literally should have bought shares in the thing. BUT, fast forward to now and I can confidently say Im much more comfortable in playing around with it. And even though can still happen, the good thing is, I now know most can be fixed if you know the tricks. BUT, I digress... So now Im here to help you. Im holding an exclusive DIY website Workshop next week for a very limited number of people (read very small group) to hold their hand in building their own WordPress website. I wont go through all the deets cos Ive already covered them but pop on over and have a read and see if this workshop is for you. Any questions, please message the page and Ill respond as quickly as I can (also read outside of homeschooling hours lol). Youll also notice its a bargain price and youre probably wondering what the catch is.... no catch at all. I simply want to help a few people get up and running in a time where life is hard enough already. Take care and stay safe x Belinda https://www.belindaowen.com/diy-wordpress-website-workshop/

16.01.2022 Waiting for the next

16.01.2022 No matter who you are, parenting "that" child is always the same.

15.01.2022 I've been stewing over a rebrand for a while and finally bit the bullet. It's a long road with a new website, logo, and service offerings. As someone who LOVES design and pretty colours (yes, shiny objects come my way ) I decided to rebrand both businesses. Because when I do decide to do something, it isn't by halves. ... I engaged a beautiful friend of mine to help with a new logo and branding for both Navigating WordPress and Belinda Owen Web Designs. Check out my latest blog on how Shiny Object Syndrome worked to my advantage this time and see a sneak peek of my new brand. Find the link here https://www.belindaowen.com/shiny-object-syndrome-can-work

15.01.2022 On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, we remember them. #remembranceday #remembranceday2020

15.01.2022 #AVAILABILITY Good morning!! I've had a web design job for March postpone due to personal circumstances which means I have a space to fill.... Please PM or email me [email protected] and we can chat about your project. BONUS: Get 10% off if you book this March spot

13.01.2022 All the Wednesday feels

13.01.2022 https://mailchi.mp/a5e09a389ff6/diy-website-workshop

13.01.2022 So true! We let our son watch Gremlins the other night and had second thoughts What movie did you let your kids watch from your childhood and then realised it wasnt so kid friendly?

12.01.2022 Hands up guilty on this one! And I can confirm they do last... apples used to float around in my lunchbox for weeks!

12.01.2022 Are you ready to showcase who you are, what your business stands for, and why it’s unique to all the others? That little space on social media doesn’t really give you much of an opportunity to do that. You know what does? Your own website!... You get the freedom to design it in any way you want, to include as much information, visuals and audios as you like. When social media falls down, like it did recently, your website is still there being the face of your business and allowing your customers to connect with you and most importantly buy from you. So, what are you waiting for? Is today the day you decide to get that website sorted and working for you? Book a call and let’s chat about the process of getting your website off the drawing board and into reality - https://www.belindaowen.com/contact-us-2/

11.01.2022 And that about sums it up! Please bare with me Hows your schedule looking?

11.01.2022 #worldchocolateday So I just heard its world chocolate day! I think this is a day we ALL need right now! (heads off to buy a block of chocolate!)

11.01.2022 A website is going to cost you a lot in time and money right? Well, that depends on how you choose to set it up One of the most common fears of having your own website is management costs, maintenance, and then of course the build itself. ... But have you thought about all the benefits you will get? The benefits of a website often outweigh any initial monetary or time expenditure. Over on the blog I am sharing all the reasons why a website is an invaluable tool for your small business. Find the blog here https://www.belindaowen.com/do-i-really-need-a-website/

11.01.2022 Especially on a rainy day!

10.01.2022 #QUICK - ENDS IN 3 HOURS! 93 Courses for $100! Ive just signed up for this and thought Id share it with you before it ends. There are A LOT of courses here! Check them out. For $100 how can you go wrong??? Even if you only do 3 of them, its a massive saving and big step up for personal and professional improvement.... https://business.thebundleco.com/ ps: Im not affiliate or linked in any way, just thought it was too good not to share!

09.01.2022 Ive been trekking down the rabbit hole that is CRMs for a few weeks now looking for something that will help organise my project and business life. I finally decided on Dubsado and wrote a little blog about why and how it could help you automate your systems a little better too. :) Im not going to lie, the set up is lengthy and Im still getting it all sorted, but already its looking good.

09.01.2022 How much time do you spend a month updating your website? Or Did you read this question and nervously mutter "oh shit!" under your breath? ... Whichever one it is, I know WordPress updates can be the bain of most business owners lives. And, in some cases, the reason business owners dont build with WordPress to start with. I can totally understand. Some updates can take just a few minutes and go through without a hitch. Other times, you can lose an hour or more because you have a bank up of updates or one doesnt play nice - causing all sorts of grief. Luckily, just like most things in life, theres some sucker whos offering to do it all for you. Enter, yours truly! If youre a new follower of mine, or even a long time follower, you may not realise that I offer website management as well as web designs. I have 3 packages that range from basic piece of mind to rock solid insurance policies. For as little as $49.95 per month, youre WordPress updates could become my WordPress updates and you can be free to do what you do best :D Feel free to send me an email or message to find out more or sign up via and itll be automated for you within minutes. Simples (just noticed FB really need a Meerkat emoji!)

09.01.2022 Pity years dont come with a free trial period. 2020 would be up there with the record number of cancellations!

08.01.2022 Do you need to build your online presence (like yesterday), but you just don't know where to start? Are you sick if sharing Facebook page links every time someone asks more about your business because you don't have a website? Or do you have the will and the want to build one but you don't have the budget to stretch as far as a fully done for you website?... Maybe you have a website that you want to send the trash bin and start again? Whatever your reason, I can help. As a Mum starting out in business, I didn't have the $$ or know-how to build my online presence. I spent hours and hours on Google and wasted countless on things that I now know aren't that important. Fast forward 8 years and I've learnt a lot. I've made a ton of mistakes and had some wins. Luckily the wins have been enough to pick my up from the flat on my face moments! If this is you, my DIY WEBSITE WORKSHOP is here to help you get online fast without making the mistakes I did - say hello to WORDPRESS UNLOCKED! SIX lucky people - yep, only 6 - will get front row seats at my tailor made workshop where I go through with you how to build and design your very own WordPress website. WordPress Unlocked workshop is not like a lot of other DIY courses you see around. Yes, they all share videos and handouts and all sorts of neat tips and tricks, but they still leave you fending for yourself. Not me. I'll be there for the duration of the course to hold your hand, coach you and be your cheerleader as you build your new kick-ass website. I'm calling it a workshop because we'll go through step by step how to build your own site - in real time! But don't worry if you have commitments, it'll be recorded so you can watch over and over again #mumlife If this is you and you're ready to take the plunge with me in 2021 or grow your business from Facebook and Instagram to a true online web presence, pop on over https://www.belindaowen.com/diy-website-workshop/ Course dates: 1 March - 5 March - Instructional 'how-to' part 6 March - 26 March - The doing part. And you can create your site as fast or as slow as you want. Sign up before 23 February 2021 and you'll get a nice little discount as well.

08.01.2022 #Blog A pretty design is always high on the checklist for any website. But what about the legal stuff? You know, the boring bits that no one reads usually hidden way down in the footer. Even though very few people search for the legals on your site, theyre one of the most important pieces of info that need to be on your site.... Ill explain why theyre important and how you can easily add them to your website.

07.01.2022 How are you feeling as we trek into November toward the end of what has been a VERY.LONG.YEAR? This is me... Post your meme or gif.

07.01.2022 Any smart kid: Bugger that, Ill ride my bike instead!

07.01.2022 Anyone else do this??

07.01.2022 #blog Our actions and inactions carve out the path of our lives. Some actions are good while some, fair to say, are not so good. Eating wildlife is probably not so good. Jokes aside, the situation we find ourselves in is no laughing matter. Businesses are struggling, people are scared and kids are wondering why on earth they cant play with their friends.... WELCOME TO THE CORONAVIRUS ERA. What Ive noticed is, most people are in one of two places. Place 1: Theyre trying to home-school a tribe of kids while running their business and trying to keep the house sanitised, deodorised and said tribe watered and fed. Place 2: Theyre walking up and down the hallway looking at the same white walls whilst eating their 13th chocolate bar by 10am because it literally feels like the day has been going for 3 weeks. Social isolation can be torture. Me, Im in the first group minus the tribe of kids. Thankfully I must have subconsciously predicted this only having the one child. In my spare time (haha) Ive been scrolling social media and (COVID-19 experts on how to run the country and toilet paper posts aside) Ive noticed something glaringly obvious... >>>>>>>

07.01.2022 If 2020 was a drink, what would it be?If 2020 was a drink, what would it be?

06.01.2022 How user friendly is your website? Have you ever wondered how other people view your website? As business owners, we can get so entwined in our websites that we forget to think about how they might look to others. After all, we know our business back to front, so we know what we sell or what services we offer. But do our customers?... Here's a few quick wins to help your website tell a better story.

06.01.2022 PSA. Thank goodness for Fb, because its bloody hard to keep track these days!

06.01.2022 Oh my goodness, I'm glad someone else can relate to this! All I see along my tabs now is a bunch of little coloured icons and I my Drive tab is the same as my Gmail tabs!

05.01.2022 #Divi Theme Users - IMPORTANT MESSAGE I just wanted to quickly share a security risk that was just emailed to me this morning via WordFence. There was a security threat detected in the Elegant Themes themes Divi and Extra that gave hackers an entry point into some websites on vulnerable servers. Fortunately, ET are very pro active and have rectified the issue with a theme update released a couple of days ago.... Website owners who have their websites managed by me on the website management plans need not worry as the patch update has already been completed on your site and sites checked. Please log in to your websites if you are on Divi or Extra themes or using the Divi Builder as a stand alone page builder and complete the updates immediately.

05.01.2022 {SMILE} Seriously, can anyone help me with this?

03.01.2022 I think Im just going to post some memes for a while because FB is too grim these days. Heres to laughing again....

03.01.2022 #WebsiteShare I love it when clients come back to me after a year or two or three for more work. Its refreshing to know Ive built some great relationships. I was contacted only 2 weeks ago by a lovely client of two years ago to create a new website for her husbands Heating and Cooling business. Theyre on Facebook and keeping busy with word of mouth jobs, but definitely needed an website presence to grow their customer base and generate new leads.... Theyre requirements were for a simple one-page website that was on-brand so they had a destination to send their new leads and traffic from Google and tradie boards. One page websites arent as common, but theyre a great starting point to get information to your customers and create call to actions to generate leads. Call to action buttons on a one page website would be a phone call or enquiry submission. They can work well for tradie businesses where a lot of assessing and discussion is done on the phone with the customer. Anyway, as "quick" was the brief, the website was up and running in a week. Heres the end result. https://supercoolhc.com/

03.01.2022 Its a conundrum... Being a little grade 1, my son is now back at school. But now hes back, Im having the internal battle between "I miss him and I should have done better" thoughts mixed with the "thank goodness I have 5 quiet minutes to reorganise my work life again" thoughts. How has life been for you? Id love to know how youre coping.

02.01.2022 Literally me trying to focus on the computer screen at midnight last night!

02.01.2022 Thought for the day... thanks to Creative Mum Life

02.01.2022 Definitely A - Id pay good money for that machine!

01.01.2022 How observant are you? If you have some time to kill, lets see how many hidden objects you can find... I can find:... Bat Duck Butterfly Walnut Cane But there is also a hidden pot, balloon and carrott... can you find them?