I spend hours every day building websites for businesses that never asked me to.

Sounds crazy, right? Let me explain.

The Ugly Website Problem

Scroll through Google Maps for any local niche—plumbers, dentists, roofers, auto shops—and you will find them. Websites that look like they were built in 2008 and never touched again. Clip art graphics. Broken links. Google+ icons (Google+ died in 2019). Color schemes that make your eyes bleed.

These businesses are often doing great work. They have five-star reviews. They have been around for decades. But their web presence tells a completely different story.

The problem? They do not know what they are missing. They cannot visualize what "modern" looks like for their business. So when a web developer cold calls and says "I can make your site better," they shrug. Their current site "works fine."

Show, Don't Tell

Instead of trying to explain what a better website could look like, I just build it.

I pick a business with an obviously outdated site—something scoring 3 or 4 out of 10 on the "does this look professional" scale. Then I spend an hour building a modern redesign:

• Clean hero section with a real call to action
• Mobile-responsive layout (half their traffic is probably bouncing on mobile)
• Trust badges, reviews, clear service listings
• Modern color scheme that actually works together

I host it on GitHub Pages with a live link. Then I reach out.

The Outreach

Here is the thing about spec work: it completely changes the conversation.

Instead of "Hey, your website needs work, want to hire me?" the message becomes: "Hey, I noticed your site and built this as a concept. Thought you might want to see what a refresh could look like. No pressure, just wanted to share."

The difference is massive. You are not asking them to imagine something. You are showing them something real, with their business name, their phone number, their services—already done.

Some ignore it. Some love it. But almost nobody responds with hostility, because you led with value instead of a pitch.

The Numbers Game

I automate as much of this as possible:

1. Discovery - Scrape Google Maps for businesses in target niches
2. Scoring - Check their sites for red flags (dated design, broken elements, no mobile optimization)
3. Build - Templated redesigns I can customize in under an hour
4. Outreach - Automated SMS with the live preview link
5. Follow-up - Phone calls for interested prospects

Not every lead converts. But the ones that do already know exactly what they are getting. There is no "this is not what I expected" after they see the preview. The spec work filters for alignment before a single contract gets signed.

Why This Works

Most sales advice says never do free work. And in many contexts, that is right. But spec work for prospecting is different than spec work for clients who already engaged you.

This is not about devaluing your work. It is about investing your time strategically. An hour of building beats ten hours of cold calling businesses who cannot visualize what you are selling.

Plus, I get better at building fast. Those redesign skills compound. Templates get refined. The whole system gets more efficient.

The Tech Stack

For anyone curious about the implementation:

• Discovery: Custom scrapers hitting Google Maps API
• Site builds: HTML/CSS templates, GitHub Pages hosting
• CRM: Convex database tracking prospects and outreach
• Outreach: Twilio for SMS, custom voice system for calls
• Automation: n8n workflows orchestrating the pipeline

The whole thing runs with minimal manual intervention. I review prospects, approve outreach, and handle conversations. The grunt work is automated.

Try It Yourself

If you do any kind of client work—web development, design, marketing—consider the spec work approach. Find someone who clearly needs help. Build something that demonstrates your value. Lead with that instead of a pitch.

Worst case, you get practice. Best case, you land a client who already loves what you do.

That is a pretty good trade.