Meet Cortney Robinson | CEO and WP Web Developer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cortney Robinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cortney, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I actually didn’t specifically think about starting my own business. I began working from home as a transcriber back in 2008 in order to stay home with my son. After transcribing for the better part of a decade, I noticed that I kept hitting an income ceiling and that was not comfortable. I began to look into Virtual Assisting and realized that the CEO of the agency that I transcribed for needed a virtual assistant. I offered my services and he accepted. About a year later, I reached out to a friend who works in networking and collaborating and asked if I was familiar with the backend of websites. I went to college for Computer Networking so I told her yes. She asked that I assist with a project that expanded to include colleagues who were in a course with her and my Web Development service began to take off. I took a few courses to update my knowledge and in May of 2020, HerWebBlooms was its own entity.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
HerWebBlooms is the platform from which I am able to translate technology for small business owners, primarily female C-suite officers, executive directors, and office managers. I have been deciphering and translating technology since I was 7 years old for both friends and family. I get very excited about analogies to use to explain to persons about technology, whether it be likening a website to a brick-and-mortar building or APIs to locks and keys or the fact that all machines, both mechanical and digital, work under the same principles generally. Explaining has always been easy. I love to work in person because then I can read her facial expressions and body language to tell if I’m using too much jargon and where an analogy can fit in. I also would rather be hands-on as my eyes and brain sometimes notice things that I didn’t know I was looking for.
Business, on the other hand, has not been easy. I have a very technical brain that finds things that are complex to be simple and the simple to be complex.
Wherever possible, I outsource the challenging parts of my business, whether that be the legal aspects, the routine administration, social media, or accounting.
Along the way I’ve learned that no one is independent. We all need one another. Every single human was designed into the world with a talent and a leaning toward a skill. It may take some of us longer to find our happy place, but it exists. It is often easier for those around us to see our talent and our skill than it is for us to see it because our talent comes natural to us. Many times we think everyone can do what we do. That’s 50/50. Many people CAN do what we do, but they don’t want to because it is not enjoyable for them. Other people are not able to do what we do and they may feel embarrassed about that or just not realize that it is not in their wheelhouse. Being kind allows us to be of service to others when they are in need, which will bring us great joy.
HerWebBlooms was born of necessity, necessity of others. We are here to serve as translators and the voice-activated “hands” for chief officers, directors, and managers whose businesses are not quite ready to handle a full time IT department. We are here to streamline, automate, and secure the digital side of your company to lessen the stress that naturally comes with running a business. As an individual and the CEO of HerWebBlooms, I’ve been translating technology for over 35 years and have no plans to stop.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t live in a city. I live in rural Upstate New York, about 3 hours South of the Canadian border and 3 hours North of NYC. This area has lots of interesting things to do here. In the spring, summer, and fall, there’s four-wheeling and in the winter, there’s snowmobiling. Upstate New York has the best landscapes as we are nestled in the foothills between the Adirondack and the Catskill Mountains, along with beautiful lakes, rivers, and canals. Monday, we would go up to the park with swings, and go visit the local waterfalls and take pictures.
Tuesday, we would drive around and see the cows, goats, and sheep at the local farms, the llamas, the peacocks.
Wednesday, we would hang out with local friends around a bonfire, listening to music and playing in the pool.
Thursday, we’d go skateboarding and grab lunch from Mariachis in Albany.
Friday, we’d rest at the local riverfront, watch boats go by, and order really great chef salads and wings from the local bowling alley, and that night watch a double feature at the local drive-in.
Saturday, we would go visit a local winery, join a wine tasting, and come back with a couple favorites.
Sunday, we’d rest up and have a late brunch at my home using eggs from my local friend’s chickens.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to my entire business and life support team: Dina, my business mentor; Bethany, my favorite scrum master and ADHD handler; Tania, my creative right brain and soul twin; Alicia, my favorite graphic designer and social media manager. All of these amazing women have assisted me and HerWebBlooms along our journey, and sometimes we’ve been able to assist them also. HerWebBlooms could not have progressed so far without them.

Website: https://herwebblooms.com

Instagram: instagram.com/herwebblooms

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/herwebbloomsllc/

Twitter: twitter.com/herwebblooms

Facebook: facebook.com/herwebblooms

Other: Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cortneyflrobinson/