If you’re just getting started with your new business or freelance endeavor and feeling PARALYZED because you don’t have a website, we’ve got a really simple starting solution for you: About.Me

Here’s why:

1. It only takes about an hour to set up from start to finish
2. No developer skills necessary 
3. It’s a place for your personality to shine (and attract potential clients)

If we’re being honest, I was told by my boss this week that I need to work on my “bangin online profile,” so here I am, primed and ready to walk you through the process of setting up one of these suckers.

One about.me rookie to another.

When you first take yourself to their sign up page, you are greeted by three cool and savvy professionals whose confident smiles say “Come on kid, you can do it.”

And by golly, you feel like you can.

Not convinced yet? Well just scroll down a little bit. You will quickly find Sofia waiting in the wings, whispering sweet nothings about how easy it is to set up your account.

When I say it’s easy, I’m being real. Enter that email address for the 754,893,895,089,048th time, your name, and upload a picture of your cute little mug.

So far so good, right?

Now it’s time to dive a little deeper. You’re more than a gorgeous face, after all. You’ve got substance, and any potential hire is going to want to see it! You’ll be asked a few questions about what you love, and this is where I ~ personally ~ got a little nervous. 

I’m clicking these tiny bubbles that say “DIY” and “travel” pushing myself closer and closer to nausea. It’s the damn cutesy stuff. The “in her spare time, Ellen loves making homemade pasta and roasting endangered coffee beans she harvests part-time in the Triángulo del Café of Colombia!!!”

I apologize if this is your go-to format, but I can’t handle it anymore. The world needs to find a new personalization lead-in.

But I digress.

Point is, this is where you pick some things that make you sound human. Even if you have some reservations like I did, let them go. This isn’t LinkedIn, and about.me is actually ABOUT YOU, so click the things you like to do in your free time.

This next step just might be the most valuable part of about.me. It’s the call to action button, and it is the most prominent feature on your page. This is where you ask yourself, “what is the one thing I want people to do on my page?” You have a bunch of options to choose from, all the way from a simple “read my blog” to a “book a consultation.”

Choose wisely, friends.

Or unwisely. I won’t tell you what to do.

I went for the minimalist color thing because my Mardi Gras banner brought enough pizazz to this profile. Don’t want to overdo it. But if you would like to notice and appreciate my coordination of green scarf + banner + button, feel free to take a moment. I would like to think that these small details could one day be the difference between me and another, less color-conscious hiring prospect.

It’s whatever helps you sleep at night, okay?

Now it’s time to sweat a little. I’ve kept it low intensity until now, but it’s not all fun and games out there. This is the real world we’re talking about. It’s cold and it’s cruel, and you have to write a bio that someone will:

1. read
2. remember
3. believe

Naturally, you’re expecting me to tell you how to do that. Naturally, I am going to pretend that I have the answer.

I jest – I’m not going to lie to you. This is the hardest part, but there are a few things that the best profiles seem to have in common:

• Humor – You don’t have to be hilarious, but you should include something that might elicit a small giggle. I can’t tell you what that might be, but for me, it was including something personal and semi-unflattering…(I  won’t spoil the surprise – you can go look on your own).
• Joy – Focus on this instead of the horribly abused, overused, and inflated concept of “passion.” It’s an intimidating word, and we don’t all identify with it. Instead, ask yourself what about your career you find the most fulfilling. What brings you joy? If you focus on these aspects, you’re more likely to show your audience the genuine you.
• Confidence – Gross. Scary. Ick. This might be the worst part because who wants to sound like a jerk? Only jerks want to sound like jerks. The good news is that you won’t if you do it right. Just be honest. What have you done in the past that you’re proud of? What have you done that has brought a client or a colleague value and made them sing your praises? This is the stuff other people want to hear about.

Okay. That’s all I’ve got.

My three point system is not fool-proof, but it might just help you get through the soul-crushing moments of self-reflection we love so well. Don’t be scared to give it a shot, upload, and edit often. The best bios are living creatures that change as we do, so don’t forget about the poor thing.If you do it right, you’ll end up with something kinda sorta like this.

Cool, right? Now go make your own and stop judging mine. I never said it was perfect.