Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Hassan.
Derek, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Growing up, I didn’t fully know what I wanted to do, but I knew it had to be something both technical and creative. I enjoyed photography, creating videos, and coding games. Originally I wanted to be a video game programmer. My first “official” paycheck came from YouTube. It wasn’t much, but it was so cool to see my hard work pay off.
I got my start doing web design for businesses at my role at a small managed IT services company I was working part time at during college.
I graduated in 2020, which wasn’t really a graduation at all. My “graduation ceremony” was sitting in bed, closing my laptop after my last class.
At the start of 2021, I left the IT company to become a software developer for a software consulting company based in Ann Arbor. My mindset began to change during my time there, and I knew I wanted to start making the most of my dreams and goals.
One of those goals was to start my own web design business. I was lucky enough to meet a mentor that helped guide me.
After 3 years at that company, I made a decision that shocked a lot of my friends and family. I decided I was going on a year long trip overseas to New Zealand.
That January (2024), I gave my manager an ultimatum: either I take a year of unpaid leave, or I was going to leave my role.
Surprisingly, my job approved me for the full unpaid year.
So I went to New Zealand for 6 months before returning for a family wedding. And although I had the option to go back, I decided to stick around and work on my business full time for the remainder of the year and see where I could get it before going back to my job.
And to be honest, this is the part where most people expect some sort of success story, but the truth is, my business didn’t gain much traction at all. It was more difficult than I had anticipated. As the end of the year approached, I knew I’d have to go back to my job and continue my business in the evenings.
But I was getting prepared to go back to my job, a God given opportunity opened up for me where I was able to take on a part time app development contract through my business, which would open up the door for me to leave my full time job.
So I went back to my job for a few weeks before the app development contract started, and not long after I got back, over 20 people get laid off in my department, which further reinforced in me the desire to build something myself.
Since starting the app development contract, I have been full time on my own. It’s been very challenging, but also extremely fulfilling, and this past year has been one of amazing personal growth. I’ve met so many amazing individuals and clients in just the past year, and I’m excited for what’s to come!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been an extremely bumpy one! To be honest, I was extremely disappointed in myself during those 6 months I worked on my business full time. What I imagined in my head about getting enough traction going to leave my full time job was not at all where I ended up.
I faced multiple rejections, and doubt began to creep in. I’ve had months of long days as I’m sure most small business owners can attest to.
The biggest battle is with myself. I’ve had to fight self doubt and keep pushing on, even when it felt hard.
We’ve been impressed with Five Lights Web Design, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The business I own is called Five Lights Web Design. We specialize in helping service businesses get found online. You know for when someone searches for a service near them, we want our clients to be the top choice. We specialize in building websites, local search engine optimization (SEO), and marketing analytics.
What sets us apart is our communication and plain language explanations. A lot of people aren’t exactly sure what their web design or SEO company is actually doing, and they hear all this jargon like “backlinks”, “responsive design”, “keywords”, without it ever being explained to them why it’s important for them. I love to educate people on complex things and break them down in an easy to understand way, so they know exactly what they’re getting.
Any big plans?
First, I’m excited to see where the future of search and SEO are headed. With AI tools like ChatGPT slowly eating into Google’s dominance, there is an amazing opportunity for businesses to be an early adopter of AI search, or sometimes called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which we are currently working into our SEO services.
Second, we are planning on expanding our offerings to also include online ads on platforms like Google/Facebook. This gives our clients another channel to get found by customers!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fivelightswebdesign.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fivelightswebdesign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fivelightswebdesign
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/five-lights-web-design/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fivelightswebdesign
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhPTbmFHkzY
