Building Web Agency Habits

Marcus:
Well, hello everyone. Welcome to the very first episode of a new show here on Do the Woo called WP Agency Tracks. My name is Marcus Burnett, and I’m part of the advanced hosting team at Bluehost, focused on the agency experience. I’m also the creator of The WP World and have been a co-host here at Do the Woo for the last couple of years on another show called Woo BizChat. Katie Keith and I are handing over the reins to Emma and Adam to keep that going, so be sure to continue to check that show out. But Katie has moved over to a different show, and I’m starting this one. So that is what we’re doing going forward.

Although a month has passed already in 2025 as we’re recording this, it’s still a great time to talk about some ways that you can start the year off on the right foot. To do that, I wanted to invite one of my WordPress besties that you can see on the screen here today, who happens to be an expert at creating good habits for your agency. She’s the owner of WebCami Agency, the popular WebCami Cafe Facebook group, and the weekly Web Designer Habits newsletter. Welcome to the show, Cami McNamara! How are you doing today, Cami?

Cami:
I’m doing great, Marcus. I’m starting off my day fantastic. I got to talk to both Bob and you, and I’m so excited to just spend time with you today.

Marcus:
Oh, that’s so sweet. I’m so happy to have you here. Thanks for joining me. I know Bob is on one side of the planet and you’re on another side of the planet, so making the schedules line up is a little bit of work, but I’m so happy to make it happen.

Cami:
Yeah, me too. I am still not used to having Bob on the other side of the planet. I was spoiled having Bob in my own area, so any chance to connect is great.

Marcus:
He’s a few time zones away, but he is always lurking, so…

Cami:
Yes, that’s right.

Marcus:
You have a newsletter that you started at the beginning of last year called Habits WP. At that time, it’s been rebranded to Web Designer Habits.

Cami:
Yes.

Marcus:
I wanted to ask you about some of the habits that you shared throughout the year. First though, would you tell us just a little bit about yourself, your agency, and the Habits newsletter?

Cami:
Yeah, sure. My name is Cami McNamara, and I have been running my own agency of one from Seattle, Washington, for 23 years next month—so quite a long time. I really take pride in the fact that I’m a solopreneur, and the only way I can be successful is to have really good habits every single day that I run my business. Along the way, I’ve taken some great trainings from people who have taught me tips, but I’ve personalized everything that I’ve learned so it works for me.

I decided to start the newsletter last year because I knew that there were other people, especially those in my Facebook group, who might enjoy seeing how I run my business and what habits really work for me. I’m also dabbling outside of WordPress a little bit, which is why I decided to rebrand it to Web Designer Habits. It really could be used for anyone using any platform or coding old school. It’s more about running your business than it is about the details of web designing.

Marcus:
Yeah, that makes sense. I believe the first edition went out January 1st last year. Was that just kind of a natural starting point—the beginning of the year, let’s start here?

Cami:
It’s when everybody has resolutions and everything else, and I just decided to start it on the calendar year because I knew that’s when people start thinking about changing their ways.

Marcus:
Explain maybe a little bit of the difference between resolutions and habits. I mean, I think the words mean something slightly different, but if you’re starting at the beginning of the year like we are now, you might be inclined to set some resolutions. Why didn’t you go with Resolutions WP for your newsletter?

Cami:
Well, I believe that a resolution is kind of like a big dream, but you’re not thinking about all the little tiny parts of what it takes to make your resolution happen. If you are thinking about being more fit and your resolution is to “get fit,” you need to go to the gym, watch what you eat—it breaks it down into small habits.

I remember reading a book a long time ago called Tiny Habits, and I’ve read them all—Atomic Habits, all of them—but if you break things down into tiny little steps, you might be more successful. But if you think about that giant resolution, it’s easy to get derailed.

Marcus:
Yeah, it feels to me like habits are maybe a little more maintainable. A resolution is just like, “I set this thing one time, I try to do it, and then it’s done.” Whereas habits are, “Here’s something that I want to keep doing. I want to pursue it long-term, not just something that’s one and done. I’m building these habits because they’ll change what I do indefinitely, not just until this resolution has been accomplished.”

Cami:
And you can have a habit that’s a daily habit, a monthly habit, or something you only do once a year. If you just break it down to the tiniest step you can take, it gives you a win. Having those small wins makes you want to continue to do those small habits. All of these are things that I do, and all of them are things I have to routinely practice because I fail to follow through on my habits just like everyone else does. So it’s always just every day starting over—Groundhog Day.

Marcus:
And building on top of the habits and the accomplishments of the habits from the previous days.

Cami:
The more you do them, the less you fall off track. And it’s kind of like an 80% rule. I think a lot of people go into trying to manage their workday to perfection. My mornings always start out great, but my afternoons are always a struggle. As long as I end the day with most of my habits in place, then I consider it a win.

Marcus:
Nice. We’ll definitely touch on some of the specific habits. Before we dive in, were there business goals to starting the newsletter, or was it primarily just that you built up this set of habits and thought, “These are working for me, I want to share these with people”?

Cami:
Well, yeah. This goes back to when you and I met through GoDaddy long ago. Way back in 2017, I was interviewed for a Garage article. At the time, I was just doing web design, and I said I wanted to start doing coaching and speaking. Pretty much everything I said in that article has come to fruition.

So I started the newsletter because I was trying to give more value to the folks in my small Facebook group—basically friends, many of whom I met through my experiences as a GoDaddy Pro ambassador. It was just a way for me to connect with people. I’m trying to build my reach in helping new web designers and really trying to be a mentor to people who may struggle every day to run their business. I’ve definitely been there, and it makes it much harder and more discouraging. If somebody can just help point you in the right direction with some tiny changes, I think that’s what my goal is.

Marcus:
Yeah, that’s great. And you say that your group is small because you’re a modest person, but WebCami Cafe is fantastic.

Cami:
Well, thank you.

Marcus:
If people haven’t been, definitely go check it out because there’s always so much great stuff. I mean, you pour lots of great things into there, but you’ve built such a community that I see other people always posting really great, helpful agency content there as well. So I absolutely would recommend people check that out.

Cami:
Well, thank you so much. And it is—well, we have The Admin Bar to compare to, which I’m always in there too. I love that group. It’s a much bigger setting, and it just has a different vibe. This feels like a little networking group where everybody’s just in there helping each other out.

Marcus:
There are advantages to not being as big as The Admin Bar, though.

Cami:
Yeah, I’m a boutique.

Marcus:
I went through your newsletter editions from last year—obviously, I signed up from the very beginning—went through the editions and could pretty much fit them into four buckets that I called basically financial responsibility, business operations, mental health, and community. Was that kind of intentional from the start? Were those things that you focused on, or did they kind of organically end up being the things you cared about the most?

Cami:
Well, I had a spreadsheet that categorized everything. I had five buckets. I planned it all out for about half the year, and then the second half of the year, I was more like winging it. But I was making sure I was going across my spreadsheet. I am kind of a spreadsheet geek. I love to use them for everything.

So I kept track because I knew I would be able to reuse them. I wanted to be able to have that tracking so I knew what worked and maybe what I could swap out. For this new year, I kept 36 core habits and then added 16 new ones. I figure I’ll do that every year too because we all need new habits. But there are certain things like time blocking and my daily work journal recommendation that I would consider core.

Marcus:
Out of curiosity, were those buckets that I listed close to the buckets that you had?

Cami:
They were very close. Instead of “community,” I called it “networking.” And then some of them were just more operational tips. But yeah, you nailed it.

Marcus:
As I was copying and pasting them from the subjects into a list for myself, I was like, “I could kind of group these together and those together.” And they sort of fell into these natural groupings, I think, for an agency.

So I was curious whether that was intentional. They do seem to be the things that agencies should be focusing on. You have to think about the financial aspect, obviously. You have to think about your processes. But I thought that mental health was definitely one that’s become more important. I’m glad that you addressed some habits to help with mental health throughout the year as well.

Cami:
We’ve known each other a while, so as you know, I lost my folks in 2022. Prior to that, for about five years, I traveled to California at least three times a year to help them with life. They had no internet at home, so I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, go to Starbucks, and work so that I’d be back when they woke up, allowing me to spend time with them.

I discovered during that time that taking care of myself and making sure I wasn’t so overwhelmed that I couldn’t be present with my parents was super important.

Marcus:
Yeah, that’s so great. I’m so glad that—and again, it was like a bucket. It’s not just, “Oh, I mentioned mental health this one time.” It was an actual, “This is so important that I’ve made multiple editions of the newsletter talking about different ways to maintain mental health.”

And it wasn’t just “unplug and go outside,” which—obviously, you’ve got to get away from work—but there are actionable things within. I’m trying to remember a couple of them—like stepping away from your email, not replying back immediately, or having a focus week? I don’t know if you want to talk about a couple of those.

Cami:
Yes! Oh, I love my focus week. When I first started doing that, it was only once a quarter, and now I do it once a month. Basically, I close off my calendar to appointments. My public calendar that my clients can book with me is closed. I usually time it around the first of the month because that’s when care plan reports go out and when I work on invoicing—since I’m the accountant, I’m everything.

Closing off my calendar doesn’t mean that if a client needs a meeting, I say no. I just don’t have it open for them to schedule. That naturally decreases the number of appointments I have, and I’m able to focus on all those projects and tasks that have been interrupted the rest of the month. So a focus week is great.

Another one that I shared that got a lot of feedback was “hire a housekeeper.” If you can do that once a month, once a quarter, whatever fits your budget—every six months, once a year, or once a week—you’re going to benefit from having the time and a nice, clean house. It’s worth the investment because it frees up your time for your own work.

Marcus:
And for a lot of us who work from home, having a clean home noticeably reduces stress when the house isn’t a mess.

Cami:
Yeah, my husband and I both work from home, and that’s something that is a necessity because we’re not arguing over who needs to clean.

Marcus:
As far as I can remember, you sent out a habit each week of 2024, which is over 50 habits—that’s a ton. Well, you said that your focus week stood out as one that was super helpful. Were there any that you later decided were maybe not worth sticking with? Something that you had been doing for a little while but kind of fell off, and that was okay? Or had negative effects or anything?

Cami:
Like I said, I dropped off 16 of them. I don’t think any of them were bad, but I had habits for trying things I didn’t plan on—like “explore new platforms.” That was born in the fall of last year, and I probably won’t introduce that one next year.

I do think I’m able to move them around. I’ve never had a habit where I was just like, “This is a bad idea.” Sometimes they’re not right for me, but that doesn’t mean they’re not right for someone else. I really believe you have to modify everything someone teaches you to work for you.

I learned that early on. My very first online training was WP Elevation with Troy Dean. It was very helpful, but it was really meant for a big agency focused on scaling. I picked up what I needed and used it for my business. But the training as a whole wasn’t really intended for the solopreneur who wanted to stay a solopreneur.

Some habits came from things my friends taught me. Michelle Frechette did a talk at WordCamp US about stopping the habit of saying “I’m sorry” all the time. I sat in her talk going, “Oh my God, I do this all the time—I need to break this habit.”

Marcus:
Apologizing in your head to Michelle for saying “I’m sorry.”

Cami:
Oh, exactly. Some habits are breaking bad habits—like checking your email all day. You’re training your client to think you’re just sitting there waiting for their email. And when you don’t respond on a Saturday and they get upset, well, whose fault is that?

Marcus:
Those were two that actually stood out to me that I implemented and have also tried to get my wife to implement—checking your email three times a day, I think, was one of them. And that’s roughly what I do. I check in the morning to see if there’s anything I missed overnight that needs attention, check around lunchtime, and then I’ll check before I’m done for the day—just to make sure there isn’t anything crucial to get done before the next morning.

Cami:
And that continuously is the hardest one for me because your mind wants to just tick the box and take whatever quick win you can get. I’ve utilized tabs—I added an extension onto Chrome where I can make a tab that says focus and it’s an inbox with nothing in it. Literally, I have to put that on so I don’t check my email because I’m a cheater, and I’ll try to check it in the middle of the day.

The more disciplined you are with that, the happier your life is—especially off hours. I never check my email on my phone. That is off-limits for me.

Marcus:
That’s the one for my wife. She’s a teacher, and she’ll answer emails at eight or nine o’clock at night. I’m like, “You can’t train the parents to think that you’re still in work mode at eight or nine at night. That’s not realistic or maintainable—and it’s not good for your mental health either.”

Cami:
Well, and here’s how I deal with it: If I just can’t let it go, I use Mixmax to schedule my email. It’s kind of like Boomerang. So I’ll go ahead and answer, get that satisfaction, and then schedule it for nine in the morning.

Marcus:
Yeah, that’s a great idea.

Cami:
That really helps too. But email, I think, is the biggest time suck we all have. Most of the time, not everything needs to be in an email. You could send a recap at the end of the week instead of having a back-and-forth all week.

Marcus:
That makes sense. We’ll talk about a few more things for 2025, but I’m curious—since we’re turning the page—how much time do you think agencies should spend reflecting on 2024 versus looking ahead to 2025? Or in any given year, how much time should be spent reviewing habits and past performance versus planning ahead?

Cami:
I think you don’t want to be looking in the rearview mirror so much that you’re not moving forward. People tend to look back and dwell on mistakes. I think it’s far better to look back and focus on the positive things.

Everyone is experiencing nerves about AI and other changes in our industry. But if I look back at last year, I had a very successful year. I think if you do nothing else, write down everything you’re grateful for that happened in the past year—do that first. Then address your pain points.

I wouldn’t spend more than a few hours in January reflecting. By February, you need to have your plan ready. A lot of people say, “Do this in December, start thinking about January.” But I don’t know about other agencies—I’m buried in December, trying to wrap up as many projects as I can. I really don’t get a chance to take a breath until January.

But come from a place of gratitude and believe in the abundance of your business. That mindset will do more for you than looking back and trying to fine-tune every problem from the year before.

Marcus:
I love that. That’s great advice. I love the gratitude aspect—looking back to see what worked well, bringing those things into the coming year, and leaving behind whatever didn’t work.

Cami:
Yeah, trying to force something to work that just didn’t—it never works.

Marcus:
Yeah. Let’s talk about the best New Year’s habits since we’re still at the beginning. Where should agencies start as they look at this coming year?

Cami:
Well, I’ll tell you what my first four newsletters were this year—I was a little more intentional with the order this time:

1. Be open to change. A lot of people think the way they’re doing things is the only way. Many times, it’s really hard to move away from something—like my invoicing system. I’ve been using it since 2011, and moving to another system would be very difficult. But I try to stay open to change and learning new things each year.
2. Look back at your sales from last year and know exactly how much money you brought in. That’s going to help you determine where you want to go.
3. Set up time blocking. To me, this is the key to everything. If you have a calendar and tasks to complete, time blocking helps you plan exactly when you’re going to work on things.
4. Don’t sit at your desk for five hours at a time—use the Pomodoro technique. Work in 25-minute increments with a five-minute break. Maybe you get into a flow and skip a break now and then, but we’re all going to hurt our long-term health if we sit at our desks for eight hours straight.

Those are my top tips for the whole year. If you only do those things…

Marcus:
Yeah, you’re already in a good place.

Cami:
Exactly.

Marcus:
That’s great. What are some of the most common obstacles that agency owners face when trying to establish new habits? It’s easy to read a habit and say, “That’s obviously something that would be beneficial,” but then life happens—people get too busy, distracted. What are some obstacles, and how can agencies get past them?

Cami:
The number one obstacle is feeling like you’re playing whack-a-mole all day—where your clients are in charge of your schedule. That happens a lot because you feel the pressure of timelines. You’re working on something, and they’re constantly pinging you for updates.

That can be the biggest downfall—not taking control of your schedule. If you let go of control, you’ll always feel like you’re behind. Just accept that you will always have a full inbox. If you’re busy, that means you’re successful.

People think, “I’m going to start my day with 54 emails and end it with zero.” Well, you’re probably going to get 25 new emails. It’s impossible to clear everything. Just accept imperfection—no one has a perfect workday.

Marcus:
That makes sense. I know you’re a solopreneur, but are there ways for agencies with teams to get their team members involved with habits and help keep them accountable?

Cami:
Yeah. I kind of consider my little Facebook group my team—we support each other. I used to work in corporate retail, so I have experience working with teams. The key is supporting each other, setting expectations, and sharing progress.

That’s why telling others about your habits and checking in with each other can help. Even just having conversations about what’s working and what’s not can make a big difference.

Marcus:
All right, final question—what’s one habit you think every agency, no matter its size, should adopt in 2025?

Cami:
I’m going to say time blocking. Whether you’re a solo agency like me or a team of six, if everyone has their calendar figured out and knows how much time they need to work on different tasks, it helps tremendously.

Time blocking lets you get an incoming request and immediately know when you’ll work on it. If you dial in your calendar and tasks with time blocking, you’re going to be successful.

Marcus:
I love that. Well, thanks so much, Cami! This is usually where I thank you for coming on and ask where people can find you, which I’ll do in a moment. But we’ve been sitting on a little secret—the fact that you’ll actually be co-hosting this show with me!

Cami:
Yes! I’m so excited about this. I get to hang out with you once a month and talk with other great agency owners. Learning to be a web designer is one thing, and learning to run a business is another. When you put those two things together and can help others be successful by sharing your experiences, it’s really rewarding.

Marcus:
Yeah, Bob and I chatted over the holiday break about my role and how my focus has shifted more toward agencies and the agency experience. We discussed what that would look like for my involvement with Do the Woo, and we decided to launch WP Agency Tracks.

The first person I thought of to have on as a guest was you.

Cami:
Thank you, Marcus.

Marcus:
I love what you’ve done with the newsletter, and starting the year with habits just made sense to me. So I immediately told Bob that you were who I wanted on the show.

As we talked more about having you on, we started thinking, “What if Cami just joins as the co-host?” We had always planned for me to have a co-host, but we didn’t know who that might be. After our conversations, it just made sense. So I’m really glad that you said yes.

Cami:
I’m so excited. Bob first introduced me to podcasting in 2017 at WordCamp Portland. He had a little portable mic and was doing the pod off his iPhone. That was my first experience with it.

I used to get so nervous whenever he asked me to be on a podcast—at WordCamp Seattle, for example—but over the last few years, that fear has faded, and a lot of it is because of my interactions with you and Bob. So I’m really excited to be here and to meet other agency owners, hear their stories, and learn how they run their businesses.

Marcus:
Yeah, absolutely. I love what you’ve built with WebCami Cafe. If people haven’t checked it out, they definitely should. I’m sure we’ll jump into discussions there about things we talk about on this show.

I’m really happy that you said yes, and it didn’t sound like Bob had to twist your arm too much to convince you.

Cami:
No, all he had to do was ask! I’m just honored to have the opportunity and to get to hang out with you once a month.

Marcus:
Likewise! I’m just as honored to get to do this show with you. Thanks, and thanks to Bob for being convincing.

We’ll do this once a month, bring in some great agency folks, and see where it takes us. I’m glad we got to feature you in the spotlight for this first episode.

Cami:
Thank you so much, Marcus. I really appreciate it.

Marcus:
Well, that’s it for us this time. You’ll hear from us both again next month. Topic yet to be determined, but I’m looking forward to the next episode and to doing this show with you moving forward.

We’ll see everyone next time. Bye-bye!