About Get Started Websites
Technology has changed.
Our basic philosophy hasn't.
Start with what you actually need. Keep it affordable. Add more when it makes sense for your business.
Get Started Websites helps entrepreneurs, small businesses and growing organizations use practical technology without feeling like they have to become technology experts first.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO START BIG.
You may need a simple, affordable website today. Later, you may need better customer follow-up, communications, automation, AI assistance or a more connected business system.
We can start where you are and grow with you.
Where GSW Began
Get Started Websites began
of learning, building and helping businesses make better use of websites and technology
It started with one person helping people get online.
What eventually became Get Started Websites began with a practical need in Chad's own business, then quickly became a hobby he genuinely enjoyed.
A business grew out of something Chad simply enjoyed doing.
Years ago, Chad needed websites for his own business activities. He caught on quickly, enjoyed the work and became fascinated with what a good website and good marketing could do for a business. He studied, read books and articles, went through training and kept learning by actually building.
Before long, what started as a practical necessity became a nights-and-weekends hobby. Chad began helping friends, family, church and ministry relationships, close business relationships and others who needed an affordable way to establish themselves online.
That hobby gradually became a real business. Many of the people Chad enjoyed helping were exactly the kind of people the name Get Started Websites describes: entrepreneurs getting a new business off the ground, small businesses without a website, and people who needed professional help without an overwhelming price tag.
A Lot Has Changed Since Then
What once took days or weeks can now be part of a much bigger solution.
Building a website well used to require a tremendous amount of hands-on time. There was planning and architecture, page-by-page construction, marketing strategy, and often helping a customer develop the words, ideas, brochures and other content needed to tell the story of the business.
Those fundamentals still matter. What has changed are the tools and the possibilities. Today's technology, including AI-assisted tools, can help accomplish parts of that work dramatically faster. Work that once consumed hours, days or even weeks can sometimes be completed in a fraction of that time, while still requiring good planning, sound judgment and human oversight.
That change has allowed Get Started Websites to grow far beyond building attractive websites. A website can now sit at the center of customer information, communications, lead follow-up, landing pages, workflows, automation, marketing technology and selected AI capabilities.
Experience Beyond Building Websites
GSW brings years of practical business experience into the technology.
Over the years, Chad's experience has included much more than designing websites. Running his own business activities and working alongside business partners has meant dealing with many of the same things GSW customers deal with: customers and leads, sales teams, CRM systems, marketing, landing pages, follow-up, workflows, business processes and the everyday challenge of getting technology to actually help people do their jobs.
That experience now comes together inside Get Started Websites. The goal isn't to pile technology onto a business. It's to understand the business first, then use the right combination of tools to solve real problems, reduce unnecessary work and create room for growth.
What Hasn't Changed
Chad still enjoys helping someone get started.
A startup or small business shouldn't have to remain years behind larger competitors simply because it has a smaller budget or doesn't have its own technology department.
One of the things Chad still enjoys most is helping that business find an affordable starting point, then giving it the opportunity to grow into technology that once might have seemed out of reach.
Sometimes that means a simple website. Sometimes it means a connected package of website, customer management, communications, automation, marketing and AI-assisted capabilities. The point isn't to sell the biggest solution. It's to help build the right one.
Growing Beyond a One-Person Operation
What started with one person became a team effort.
Today's GSW is a founder-led business supported by a growing team.
Get Started Websites began as a one-person operation. For years, Chad personally helped businesses, organizations, friends and others get websites online and make better use of technology.
But as technology changed, so did what GSW could offer.
Building a broader business technology platform with websites, customer management, communications, automation, marketing technology, AI-assisted capabilities and other connected services was simply too much for one person to do well alone.
So GSW grew beyond its one-person beginnings. Chad began working with other people, technology partners, specialized support resources and implementation professionals who could bring additional knowledge and capabilities to what GSW provides.
That collaboration has helped GSW develop a much broader collection of products and services while keeping the philosophy that started the business in the first place: help people start with what they actually need, keep it affordable, and add more when it makes sense.
Chad continues to guide the direction of GSW and work directly with customers, but delivering today's GSW capabilities is a team effort.
Today's GSW is supported by a growing combination of
No one person needs to be an expert at everything.
That is true for GSW, and it is also one of the reasons GSW exists for its customers.
Behind every good app, AI solution, automation or workflow is a human.
Technology and AI are powerful tools, but good implementation still depends on people, judgment, planning, support and specialized knowledge. That is why GSW is built around a long-term technology relationship rather than a one-time software purchase.
The Same Heart, a Much Bigger Toolbox
Having a website is no longer enough.
A good website still matters. But today's businesses often need their website to work alongside the rest of the business, not sit by itself.
START WITH A WEBSITE
For some businesses, a professional online presence is exactly the right first step. We still believe there should be an affordable way to begin there.
CONNECT THE BUSINESS
As needs grow, customer information, CRM, forms, communications and follow-up can work together instead of living in disconnected places.
ADD TECHNOLOGY WHEN IT HELPS
Workflows, automation and selected AI capabilities can reduce repetitive work and help people respond more consistently, when those tools genuinely make sense.
Technology should make running a business easier, not make the business owner feel like they need to become a technology expert.
Three Ways of Working Together
How much you want us to handle is up to you.
DO IT YOURSELF
Use the tools and resources while keeping more of the work in your hands.
WORK TOGETHER
You handle some. We handle some. Build a partnership around what makes sense.
LET US HANDLE MORE
Put more of the implementation and technology work in our hands so you can focus elsewhere.
Where GSW Is Today
A website can be the beginning of a connected business system.
GSW has expanded beyond website design because the needs of businesses have expanded. Depending on the business, that can include:
You don't need all of it. The goal is to understand what would actually help your business now and introduce additional technology when it becomes useful.
Why the Human Relationship Matters
You're not simply buying software.
Apps, automation and AI can be powerful. They can also become confusing very quickly when nobody takes the time to understand the business behind them.
Behind every good app, AI solution, automation or workflow is a human.
GSW is built around the idea of a long-term technology relationship. We want to understand what you're trying to accomplish, help you choose an appropriate starting point and introduce new technology at the right time instead of overwhelming you with everything at once.
Examples for Businesses at Different Stages
For Someone Just Getting Started
A very inexpensive website may be enough right now. That's okay.
For a Growing Small Business
It may be time to connect the website, customer information, communications and follow-up.
For a More Established Organization
More capable automation, AI and integrated technology may help reduce repetitive work and improve how the business operates.
THE PRINCIPLE STAYS THE SAME.
Use what helps. Add more when it makes sense.
Start Where You Are
You don't need to know which technology you need.
Tell us what you're trying to accomplish. We'll help you sort through the options and identify a practical place to start.