We assist small businesses to define and refine their processes, plan and build their web presence using current and emerging technologies.
We provide ongoing support and advice to assist businesses to
maintain and grow a crucial path to market and focus on growing your business
This last week or so, my team and I were working on generating some marketing materials so I could attend a busines expo here in Ravenshoe. It meant that some of the team have been working extra hours for me.
I ASKED them to do the work and I expected that my invoice for this last week would be higher. No issues there.
It got fed back to me that one of the team was concerned about the hours they were racking up and what they would have to invoice me for the work. It was a lot of hours.
Now, I've been in that position with my own clients. They keep asking for things, I do the work and submit an invoice. However, sometimes my tummy does flip flops as I worry if they'll be upset with the amount! I'm sure we've all been there an will be there again.
The question is, can you alleviate that?
The answer to the question I just posed is ... yes and it's it sort of a simple answer with the execution being perhaps a little more difficult.
The answer is COMMUNICATE. I know right? Simple. Just talk to your client. "Hey, just letting you know that this work we've already done is some many hours and we've got xyz things left to do. Did you want me to keep working on those this week, is there something that you'd like me to give more priority to, etc etc etc."
That does a couple of things. Firstly it lets your client decide if the budget can stretch for this time period and the priority of the things left to do. Secondly, it says that you're responsible and you care about their business too.
It really is a win / win.
Now, you might that the client is a bit ... surprised ... by how much time has been spent and that's ok - that's why we communicate. Managing perceptions is the other side of the coin here. It's difficult to understand how much work goes into something, if you're not familiar with doing it yourself.
By going back and giving your client that information, you're also educating them on the value of your work.
Of course, this approach goes to other things too. Asking questions, communicating, providing feedback are invaluable tools to understanding your clients communication style and their business. It also might help them structure requests to you in a way that is clearer and provides the details you need.
Overall, I've found that it makes for a great, long term, working relationship. And ... creates a team!
I'm sure you've all had some experience with this, why not drop over to my LOCALS community and leave it there ... start, or join in, the conversation.
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Life is busy and there's just so many things to remember. What tools do you use to help you keep on top of ALL the things?
It's easy to react or respond quickly to messages and the like. It's better to do that mindfully. That's why I try to Practice The Pause.
Scam emails are getting sneakier — especially ones that pretend to be from Microsoft 365. In this episode, Charly breaks down a real phishing attempt forwarded by a client and explains why this time of year is peak season for attacks.
📌 You’ll learn:
✅ What red flags to spot in “Microsoft” scam emails
✅ Why end-of-year fatigue makes people easier targets
✅ The role of compromised WordPress sites in phishing
✅ What NOT to click and why even legit-looking messages can be fake
✅ How to build a safe process for checking suspicious emails
🛡️ If in doubt, always ask your tech team or support pro before clicking anything.
📢Join the discussion in my community: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.com
Follow us:
Locals:
https://askcharlyleetham.locals.com
Rumble:
https://rumble.com/askcharlyleetham
Odyssey:
https://odysee.com/@askcharlyleetham:4
YouTube:
https://youtube.com/askcharlyleetham
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/askcharlyleetham
Twitter:
...
Charly nearly fell for a scam email that looked like it came from Cloudflare — until he took a breath and had a proper look. In this episode, he walks through how he spotted it and what to do if you receive one just like it.
📌 You’ll learn:
✅ The telltale signs of a phishing email (even the sneaky ones)
✅ Why acting too quickly is a trap scammers count on
✅ What you should never click on without checking
✅ How to report scams and protect others
✅ Why even secure businesses can get hijacked
🔗 Check your domain’s safety with Charly’s recommended tool:
https://askcharlyleetham.com/likes/scamcheck
(Charly receives a commission for purchases made from this link)
📢Join the discussion in my community: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.com
Follow us:
Locals:
https://askcharlyleetham.locals.com
Rumble:
https://rumble.com/askcharlyleetham
Odyssey:
https://odysee.com/@askcharlyleetham:4
YouTube:
https://youtube.com/askcharlyleetham
Facebook:
...
Think uploading big, beautiful photos helps your website? It might be slowing it down and killing your SEO.
In this episode, Charly dives deep into how compressing and resizing your images can drastically improve your page load speed, boost search rankings, and lower bandwidth use — all without sacrificing quality.
📌 You’ll discover:
✅ The difference between lossy and lossless compression
✅ Why image size impacts SEO, bandwidth, and mobile user experience
✅ Which formats to use: JPEG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF?
🛡️ Real tools to optimize:
- TinyPNG, ImageOptim, Smush for WordPress
- Lazy loading, responsive image sizes, and CDNs
🔗 Learn how Google’s Core Web Vitals factor in image size
Set it up once and let image optimization silently boost your site’s performance — every single day.
📢Join the discussion in my community: https://askcharlyleetham.locals.com
Follow us:
Locals:
https://askcharlyleetham.locals.com
Rumble:
https://rumble.com/askcharlyleetham
Odyssey:
...
