Raul Mercado
How I Became A Wix Expert

How to become a Wix Expert has many different answers depending on who you ask.
I have been with Wix since I started trying to build websites for people.
I was initially learning HTML, CSS, and Javascript to transition myself out of my terrible service industry management job into something more sustainable for my soul.
I had purchased an online course through Coursera that was hosted by the University of Michigan so it seemed professional enough and I received a good foundation.
About a month into it a friend asked if I could build their site for their new public speaking they were getting into.
I immediately said yes. I was so desperate to move out of my situation and confident in my ability to work long hours that I knew I could get something done.
That's when I immediately began doing my research....
I went straight to Google and began searching "what is the easiest way to build a website for a client" and started reading.
I saw a theme between all the different articles that I was reading that said Wix was the friendliest platform on the market to use and it was also pretty advanced.
I signed up for an account and starting playing around and decided that was it....
I was going to work with Wix.
Mindful Vagabond
Learning Wix has been the same as learning anything else in my life.
I played guitar seriously for around 5 years and learning an instrument was extremely rewarding, frustrating, and fulfilling.

I get the same feelings when using Wix.
The platform is constantly changing so learning is a matter of keeping up to date. Knowing what is possible and experimenting with what I think isn't possible.
At first I learned a lot about building on the platform. What all the rules were for using and building like gridlines, strips, corvid, apps, etc.
I remember building like 15 different gallery pages all one-by-one. Readjusting each page individually when I needed to make a change because of my friends feedback.
Now I know I could have used a dynamic page with a database in order to create the same effect and only would have to keep up with a single design instead of 15 different ones.
I remember spending good money on building, at the time, a unique function where you for a client and about a month after I completed the project Wix released a new feature doing exactly what I had just spent time and money completing.
These types of situations helped me learn that knowing the Wix platform and becoming an "expert" is more about a continual dedication to learning and finding answers.
It is part of the reasons I love writing this blog. The more articles I write and the better the articles become, the greater value I bring to Wix users.
I am now starting to reach out to other Wix experts I know and Wix employees for quotes and information to provide better help to the community.
I believe this is what makes someone a Wix Expert.
Lots of developers are willing to find an extra comma or a missing parenthesis in your code and charge for it but who is writing comments in the code to help you understand it?
Lots of designers are willing to tell you something isn't possible using the Wix platform because of certain rules but did they tell you what they did try in order to get what you wanted?
Working on the platform and continually pushing what I can learn has felt like learning the guitar in that there is no time where I feel I have everything figured out.
There is no point in which I finally say I am the ultimate expert because I have all the answers...
Instead it feels like that place doesn't exist...
Like finding a home in the chaos is really how I can bring the most value to my audience.
The first site I built for my friend was under his business name, Mindful Vagabond and the more I consider myself an expert the more I feel like this idea of the Mindful Vagabond.
How I Grow From Here
When I started working on this platform I was under the idea that it meant I was immediately an entrepreneur and businessman and I was working everyday towards that.

And in a way I am...
But what I was really doing was expanding my thinking past the idea of working the set hours, with a set paycheck, with a boss looking over my schedule holding me accountable.
I was really learning how to work for myself and sure that helped me learn to be more open to learning about entrepreneurship but I was simply freelancing and trying to make it.
I was taking any gig I could and trying to make any relationship possible just to get a foundation in Wix.
And struggling through that process is what has helped me distinguish the different between growing a business and freelancing.
I still need to freelance and build sites and try to code small projects if I can but now I want to find out how to work with others who are much better than I am and can do things tasks in half the time I could.
I am learning how I can create several drips from creating websites where I can bring value to businesses and they compensate me for the services.
How do I define those services and how do I promote them and how to I get more leads and how do I find the time?
I think there is a point every freelancer goes through where they make a decision on if they want to be the person working all day completing the task or working all day on creating a system for the task.
As I continued to work and build sites I realized early on that my biggest challenge was going to be creating a system for all of this and in order to quench my insatiable boredom and ambition that I needed to make that my focus.
So where I am I going?
I am dedicating myself to a path at this point. I had a little bit of shiny object syndrome where every new video and program made me think that I needed to purchase and try.
Now I am committed to working with the Wix platform, to helping entrepreneurs develop quick and efficient systems to grow their small businesses, and to learning and developing more services that help with that process.
I am working on developing easier ways for clients to get websites built from me. I believe building and designing a website is only a small fraction of what is actually important when creating a website.
Creating a website is like building a house, and if you build a house where you have a lovely outside exterior and the insides are deteriorating, it is only a matter of time before that seemingly beautiful house falls apart.
The foundation has to be strong, the inside structure has to be in good shape, the design has to be fantastic, the house needs to be located in a great location, the yard needs to be upkept, etc.
But focusing on all of this is overwhelming both for the house owner and for the developer. It takes continual focus on each part individually and an understanding of how this leads to the overall vision.
So that's what I'm doing.
I focused on building sites for and learning code to be able to have a strong foundation and understand how a business could be created around the Wix platform.
Now my goal is to have create an quicker, easier way for entrepreneurs to access premium sites and getting one built for their business in a fraction of the time and cost.
With some initial investment I believe there is a need within the community for beautifully designed sites that are catered to specific industries that can be easily accessed and implemented for a business.
I think this is the reason for using Wix to begin with.
I also want to develop SEO services for Wix specific sites and get them to the front pages of Google.
I am slowly developing this service by doing LOTS of research and implementation in my own business and others.
I will slowly develop these services and grow them individually while still thinking about my vision to develop systems that quickly and efficiently grow businesses for entrepreneurs by using the Wix platform.
This career vision ultimately leads to my bigger life vision of creating an abundant, sustainable remote life with my life partner.
Some days I feel like a Wix Expert and other days I feel like I am just trying to make it.
But committing to a path and focusing on the different areas I believe will grow my life to what I want it to be helps me know that I am committed to living an expert way of life.
If you are already a Wix expert and reading this then comment "Expert here" and if you aren't an expert then type "Expert In Training" because I am curious how many of us here are actually experts.
Like and share this post if you feel it can be helpful for others and if you need any advice or help then sign up for a free, 10 minutes support session here. Don't hesitate to message me or comment any questions you have and I'll try to answers them. You deserve support and I know your business is awesome and I want to prove it.