This month, Digital Media Butterfly turns 13. That’s thirteen years of websites, logos, late nights, and plenty of “I can’t believe they changed that again” moments.
When I started DMB, I didn’t have a grand plan. I just wanted to help small businesses tell their stories online, with clarity, honesty, and heart. Turns out, that simple idea can take you a long way.
Here are 13 things I’ve learned along the way:
1. Clarity beats clever every time. Fancy words might impress, but clear ones connect.
2. Good design is quiet confidence. It doesn’t need to scream to stand out, it earns attention by simply working well and feeling right.
3. People don’t buy websites—they buy peace of mind.
Most clients just want to stop worrying about tech and get back to running their business.
4. Process keeps you sane.
Systems aren’t boring, they’re freedom disguised as a checklist.
5. You can’t be everything to everyone.
The faster you decide who you don’t serve, the easier everything else gets.
6. Waco is full of talent.
Big-city polish can come from a small-town zip code.
7. Nothing replaces real communication.
Emails and CRMs are great, but a good phone call solves in five minutes what a thread might drag out for days.
8. Your team is everything.
The right people make the hard seasons bearable and the good seasons unforgettable.
9. The internet changes. People don’t.
Algorithms shift, but authenticity still wins.
10. Growth looks different every year.
Sometimes it’s more clients. Sometimes it’s better systems. Sometimes it’s learning to rest without guilt.
11. Charging what you’re worth isn’t arrogance.
It’s sustainability. You can’t pour from an underpriced cup.
12. Celebrate the wins, even the quiet ones.
The small victories, like a client’s first lead from their new site, matter most.
13. You’ll never “arrive.”
There’s always another challenge, another skill to learn, another story to tell. And honestly? That’s what keeps it fun.
Thirteen years in, I’m more grateful than ever, for our clients who trust us, our team who shows up with heart and humor, and the Waco community that keeps cheering us on.
Here’s to the next chapter with equal parts creativity, clarity, and Dr Pepper.
– Caryn Brown, Head Butterfly
