Midlife Crisis or Reinvention?
- Kelly Hyde
- May 12
- 3 min read
No Botox, No Handbag… I Started a Web Design Business Instead
Some women hit midlife and go for Botox. Others splurge on designer handbags.
Me? I started a web design business.
From 9–5 to HTML & High Hopes
After years of working inside educational institutions, wrestling websites, managing social media, and surviving the latest staff briefing, I realised it was time to make the leap.
I’d spent so long helping education providers look good online that I almost forgot I had my own creative ideas. And somewhere between death by PowerPoint, spreadsheet sagas and password resets, I started wondering: What if I built something for myself?
Enter: Kate Toon (and a Little Kick)
I’d taken Kate Toon’s brilliant SEO course years ago, and something about her stuck with me. She’s an award-winning mentor, SEO expert, author, bookshop owner and a general all-around legend.
Kate didn’t just teach me SEO (though her course is brilliant). She showed me that you can build a business on your terms, with purpose, humour and heart. That it didn’t have to be “corporate” to be credible, that I could bring my flavour. That it didn’t have to be perfect to be powerful.
That was the nudge I needed.
Launch & Grow Is Born
So here I am, Digital Doer of Launch & Grow, helping UK-based small businesses create websites that don’t just look good… but work.
Think smart design, search engine savvy, and a no-fluff, growth-focused approach from day one.
This isn’t just a business.
It’s my midlife glow-up.
No needles. No handbags.
Just a lot of heart, and some well-placed HTML.
The Not-So-Glossy Bit: Perimenopause, Fog & Fandoms
Let’s be clear, this “reinvention” isn’t all inspirational quotes and colour-coded planners.
It’s hot flash HQ and brain fog Boulevard over here.
My partner Rob is permanently wrapped up in our duvet like a burrito, while I’m having a full-blown love affair with my mobile aircon unit. Brain fog is my new party trick. A perfectly normal word just completely disappears from my vocabulary, and I spend the next five minutes explaining “the thingy… you know… with the handle… not a kettle… the other thing.”
My Gen Z Holograms
Meanwhile, my Gen Z & Alpha teenage lads, Ronnie and Alfie, who I assume still live here, occasionally appear at feeding times, when snack scavenging or a dead controller battery drives them out of hiding. They’re usually fused to their Xbox or in deep Netflix comas the rest of the time. It’s like living with two very noisy, very hungry holograms.
Thankfully, my toy cockerpoos, Betsy and Honey, are fully on board with this new chapter. They love the fact I’m home more. More ball-throwing. More cuddles. More snack potential.
They don’t care about branding, bounce rates or backlinks.
They just want love and squeaky toys. Respect.
Why I Do This
While some women go for Botox or Balenciaga, I’ve chosen something that lights me up from the inside out.
Helping brilliant small businesses show up and shine online.
I build websites that feel like you, clear, purposeful, and designed to grow with your business. No jargon. No one-size-fits-all designs. Just smart, strategic websites that do the job.
This Is Just the Beginning
This isn’t just a career move. It’s a message:
Reinvention isn’t just possible in midlife, it’s powerful. Especially for women. Especially when you’re told it’s too late. Spoiler: it’s not.
Midlife isn’t the end. It’s the start of something brilliant.
If you’ve been dreaming of launching your business or taking your online presence to the next level, I’d love to help.
Let’s make your website work for you.
Let’s build something that shines.
Ready to launch (or grow)?
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