From side hustle to a 6-figure automated system.
How we turned our client's passion into a passive income generating over $10,000 each month.
Project Overview
The Client:
Perdure Carter (CEO and Managing Broker of Dream Spots Real Estate in Chicago, IL)
Client's Vision:
In addition to running Dream Spots Real Estate, Perdure also had 17 years of experience as a very successful fix and flip real estate investor. Having never lost money on a flip project over the course of his career, and averaging $50,000 profit on each flip, Perdure knew he was onto something and created a new business called Flipping with a Purpose.
Through an online educational course, Flipping with a Purpose would enable any level of investor to learn Perdure's process for flipping real estate from the comfort of their own home.
The Objective
Create the client a web platform, automated systems, and digital content for Flipping with a Purpose, including, but not limited to:
Website Design & Development
Sales Funnels
Lead Generation Funnels
Agent Portals
Client Portals
Automated Webinars
Email Marketing Design
Email Marketing Automation
System & Software Integration
Process Automation
CRM Account Setup
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Account Setup
Social Media Content Creation
Business Goals (Year 1)
January - December 2020
Year 1 Community = 100 members
Year 1 Sales = $100,000
Problem
The client was excellent at a high-value skill (flipping real estate for large profits consistently over 17 years) but had trouble training people and duplicating that skill set.
Our objective was to create a digital platform and automated system that would allow the client to effectively communicate and share their knowledge, while also creating a community in the process.
Solution
By creating the envisioned web platform, we were able to swiftly build a foundation for a strong online community centered around fix and flip real estate investing education and rebuilding the local communities in South Side Chicago.
Once the website launched, our focus shifted to driving traffic to the new sales and lead generation funnels.
By creating and implementing a social media action plan that outlined strategies for digital marketing and online advertising - tailored to the business goals and target market - we were able to consistently grow the business and accomplish the client's goals.
Keep reading to see our process and results!
My Roles
UX Design
UX Research
Website Design
Website Development
Website Management
Graphic Design
Brand Identity Design
Social Media Management
Marketing & Advertising
IT Advanced Solutions
Tools I Used
MockFlow
Wix
HubSpot
Zapier
Zoom
Facebook
Instagram
Meta Ads Manager
Affinity Photo
Affinity Design
Affinity Publisher
Project Timeline
TOTAL = 3 WEEKS
Research & Plan: < 1 week
Design & Development: 2 weeks
Testing & Iterations: < 1 week
Personas
We wanted to form a deeper understanding of our users' goals, needs, experiences, and behaviors. So, we created two personas for each of our user segments. They were based on user interviews and surveys, and we kept updating them throughout the project as we gathered more data.
We used these personas whenever we wanted to step out of ourselves and reconsider our initial ideas.
User Journey
With the business goal in mind, we make sure that our users reach the checkout screen without any hiccups. So, we sketched a current-state user journey map, to identify opportunities for improvement.
We identified 2 unnecessary steps and potential dropoff points in the flow. By eliminating these from the new design, we ended up with a much faster checkout experience that contributed to conversion rates.
Customer Journey
We created a customer journey map to build a better understanding of how customers find and interact with the service and to discover opportunities for improvement.
This process revealed many user problems and opportunities at the consideration and loyalty stages of the customer journey. Therefore, we paid special attention to these stages during the design process.
Sketches
I began the design process with low-fidelity sketches and wireframes to accelerate decision-making through visualization without losing time. My sketches were based on the initial user interviews, the business goals, and a variety of marketing and sales systems. They each pointed to the fact that there were too many distractions in the flow.
We came back to the sketches throughout the entire design process to make sure that we don’t lose sight of our primary goals and ideas.
Wireframes
Using MockFlow, I translated my first sketches into low-fidelity wireframes. I improved them by adding copywriting and a few relevant stock images. At this stage, the wireframes were defined enough for some user testing. Based on 4 tests, I’ve made a few alternations and moved on to creating high-fidelity prototypes.
Usability Testing
I created a fully-functional, high-fidelity prototype of the new flows using Wix. At the same time, we started recruiting subjects for the test who fit our criteria. We did four usability tests in the first round and three after iterating on the issues that we’ve identified:
ISSUE 01
Through the initial usability tests, we were able to determine a consistent issue where users would often lose interest and exit the landing page when viewing text-heavy design variations with longer paragraphs.
SOLUTION 01
To keep the users engaged on the landing page, we broke down the big paragraphs into bite-size pieces of information so that the user could quickly absorb the most important details and then move on.
Additionally, we added a variety of visuals and creative elements to draw attention to the most important information and engage the user (e.g. interactive before and after renovation photo slider).
After making these adjustments, our conversion rates increased by 42% throughout the final three rounds of testing.
Brand Identity & UI Design
Once the usability issues were resolved, I moved on to design the final screens. I also checked the competition and took a deep dive into my catalog of references for inspiration.
My goal was to create a visual brand identity that aligns with the brand’s values and mission to educate real estate investors while also rebuilding the local South Side Chicago community.
Theme: Dark
Style: Modern, High-Tech, Fresh
Guidelines: iOS Styleguide, Material Design
Website Design & Development Iterations
Once we received feedback on the final screen designs, we moved onto the final design revisions, website development, software integration, and process automation.
We conducted a total of five rounds of our design sprint iteration cycle:
Design & Development > Test & Learn > Adapt & Revise (REPEAT)
This process was swiftly conducted over three days, continually receiving client feedback, then optimizing the website design and back-end development.
After this process was complete, we conducted our final rounds of testing and launched the new Flipping with a Purpose website!
Next Steps
Once the website launched, our focus shifted to driving traffic to the new sales and lead generation funnels.
I then set up social media accounts for Flipping with a Purpose and created a social media action plan that outlined strategies for digital marketing and online advertising, tailored to the business goals and target market.
01 - Website Management
Services Provided:
Website Design
Website Development
Search Engine Optimization
System & Software Integration
Process Automation
CRM Management
Advanced Tech Support
02 - Content Creation
Services Provided:
Photography
Videography
Drone Photo & Video
Video Editing
Graphic Design
03 - Marketing & Advertising
Services Provided:
Content Creation
Ad Strategy Development
Launch & Monitor Ads
Split Testing (A/B Testing)
Data Analysis
Ad Creative Optimization
Email Marketing
With an ambitious Year 1 goal of generating $100,000 and building a community of 100 members, we launched with a strategic game plan and never lost sight of the client's vision.
These were our results:
Year 1 (2020)
Year 1 (2020)
Year 2 (2021)
Year 2 (2021)
Thank you for reading my case study! I take pride in going above and beyond for my clients.
Want to work with me? Reach out now!