If you’ve been in business for a while, you already know: your website matters.
It got the job done when you launched. Or maybe it was never quite right, but you didn’t have the time, money, or energy to deal with it — and it was fine enough.
But now? It’s dragging behind the rest of your business.
You’ve put in the work.
Your services are clearer.
You’ve raised your rates.
You’re showing up more confidently, booking better clients, and figuring out how to scale.
Then someone says, “Hey, what’s your website?” And you hesitate before sending the link. Or you just send them to your Calendly and skip it altogether.
You aren’t alone.
That space between “I’m not a beginner anymore” and “I’m not ready to drop five figures on an agency” is exactly where I live.
And it’s why I created Storycraft — a website offer for business owners who’ve outgrown their DIY build but still want someone who gets what it’s like to be solo, scrappy, and serious about doing this right.
Let me tell you how I got here.
Why I reject templates: the wedding website that broke me
The first site I ever tried to build was my own wedding website on Zola.
Spoiler alert: I failed. Hard.
Zola is supposed to be user-friendly. Pick a template, plug in your info, and boom — you’ve got a wedding website.
But I hated all of the templates. None of them looked or felt right.
The colors were wrong.
The fonts were blah.
The vibes weren’t vibing.
I wanted to tweak them — move a section here, change the layout there — but Zola wouldn’t let me.
And because I already had years of experience managing a WordPress website, I knew exactly what was possible and exactly how boxed in I was.
Eventually, I gave up and let my partner build it. It wasn’t what I envisioned, but it worked.
That experience stuck with me, not just because I was annoyed (though I was), but because it taught me something big:
Templates are great until you outgrow them. Then they’re just in the way.
Becoming an expert in WordPress led me away from using it
You may be wondering what my “years of experience managing a WordPress website” look like if I couldn’t manage Zola.
I’ve spent the last 7.5 years working on the web team at the U.S. Department of State.
That includes leading the team that runs www.state.gov — a site that peaked with over 47,000 published pages and 79 million visitors in 2024. (Yes, you read that right.)
I’ve managed editors, coordinated with developers, handled sprints and content strategy, dealt with accessibility requirements, compliance, contracts — the whole works.
Honestly, it all sounds a lot cooler than it is. But it taught me how to think holistically about digital strategy, user experience, and long-term maintenance.
It also taught me something else: Big doesn’t always mean good. And complexity doesn’t always equal quality.
Sometimes, it just means bloated systems and bad processes that no one wants to touch.
When I started my business, I knew I didn’t want to build websites like that.
So I learned how to build clean, high-performance static sites using custom code and a static-site generator. No bloated plugins. No hidden backend chaos. Just fast, secure, thoughtfully built sites that are easy to maintain and hard to break.
The result? Websites that feel intentional, not over-designed or over-engineered. Just clear, strategic, and (most importantly) built to grow with your business.
What do puzzles, cats, and history have to do with web design?
At first glance, not much. But honestly? Everything.
Let me explain.
Why puzzles?
Because I love figuring things out. I get genuinely excited about escape rooms and puzzle boxes. My husband once gave me a Japanese puzzle box — I solved it in one sitting, not because it was easy, but because that’s how my brain works. I need to understand how all the pieces fit together.
That’s exactly how I approach websites.
You come to me with bits and pieces: your services, your goals, your audience, your offers. Sometimes the pieces are clear. Sometimes they’re a mess. I help you lay it all out, make sense of it, and build a structure that ties everything together.
I like to make things click. That’s the job.
Why cats?
Have you seen my website? Of course I’m a cat person.
But the name Neva Masquerade didn’t come from a branding workshop or some clever play on words. It came from me googling cat breeds at 1 a.m. when every “normal” business name was already taken.
I found the Neva Masquerade — a blue-eyed, Siberian cat with dark points and a cool name. I liked how it sounded. I bought the domain. And I leaned into the cat thing hard.
Why? Because it makes people smile. It’s weird, it’s memorable, and most importantly — it feels like me.
This brand is built on clarity, but it’s also built on personality. The cats are my way of saying, “This doesn’t have to be boring.”
Why history?
For years, I didn’t think my BA and MA in history had anything to do with what I do now.
I was wrong.
Historians are trained to take messy, scattered, unorganized material and find the story inside it. We sift through the noise, figure out what matters, and build a narrative that helps people understand something clearly.
That’s literally what I do with websites.
I take your raw material — your voice, your business model, your values, your goals, your love of [blank] — and I craft a site that makes sense to the people who land on it. Not just structurally. Not just visually. But narratively.
That’s why I call it Storycraft.
It’s not just about pages. It’s about telling the right story — the one that turns browsers into buyers.
So yeah — puzzles, cats, and history.
They’re not just quirks. They’re part of how I work.
And they’re part of why this offer is different.
Who Storycraft is for
Storycraft is for people in the messy middle.
- You’ve outgrown DIY.
- You’re not ready for an expensive agency.
- You want clarity, not just pretty.
- You’re doing real work, and your site needs to reflect that.
You’re most likely a coach, consultant, or service provider. You’ve been booking clients, making money, and building a legit business. But your website? It doesn’t feel like it represents you anymore.
Maybe it’s a mismatch visually.
Maybe the copy is outdated or cringey.
Maybe it’s just a pain to update.
You want a website that’s custom, but not complicated. You want something that looks good, reads well, and doesn’t fall apart if you change your mind six months from now. And you want a partner to manage it all for you.
That’s exactly what I build in Storycraft.
What you can expect inside Storycraft
I named my signature offer the Storycraft because that’s exactly what I do: take everything you bring to the table — your experience, your offers, your voice, your people — and turn it into a clear, thoughtful, and strategic website.
Not flashy. Not fussy. Not trying to game an algorithm.
Just a website that feels like you and guides your dream clients to take action.
Here’s how we build it:
Phase 1: Share Your Story
We get clear on your brand, your goals, and what your site actually needs to do.
Phase 2: Shape the Site
I design and write every part of your site. No templates. Just what fits you.
Phase 3: Ship and Support
We launch. You breathe. And we meet quarterly to check in, make updates, and keep things fresh.
What you get:
- 5 custom-designed pages (plus 2 extra per year)
- Strategic copywriting
- Hosting + lifetime updates
- Unlimited content edits
- Quarterly check-ins
- Design refresh every 2 years
- Optional blog integration
Oh, and dark mode. Because yes, that matters.
What people are saying
While I’m still in the early days of launching this offer, the feedback I’ve received from prospective clients and fellow creatives has been incredibly affirming.
One prospective client said:
“I wasn’t even in the market for a website… until I saw yours.”
She loved:
- The bold “ditch the DIY disaster” messaging
- The homepage that lays everything out clearly (with pricing up front!)
- The thoughtful, relevant FAQs
- The cats. Always the cats.
And perhaps most importantly:
“Your site is memorable. It looks different. It feels like you.”
That’s exactly what I want your future clients to say about your website.
Not a mass-producer. A craftsperson.
We’re entering a strange phase in the online business world.
Thanks to AI, DIY is becoming more accessible than ever. You can generate a logo, build a site, even write copy without ever talking to another human.
At first glance, that sounds empowering. You can build something without hiring a team. But that promise of convenience often leads to compromise. And the compromise? It’s showing.
What we're already seeing is a wave of websites that feel... the same. Not bad, exactly. Just bland. Templates with swapped-out colors. Vaguely inspirational copy. The same headlines you’ve seen on five other coaches' websites this week.
When your business is based on real relationships — when people hire you because of your voice, your perspective, your approach — a generic website doesn’t help you. It holds you back.
And honestly? The people you're hoping to work with can tell. It’s like walking into a sterile office versus being welcomed into someone’s beautifully lived-in home. You feel the difference, even if you can't name it.
What stands out now is depth. Personality. Story.
I don’t build websites like a production line. I build them like an artisan. Carefully. Intentionally. With an eye for how every part supports the whole. The difference is kind of like IKEA vs hand-carved oak. One is fast and functional. The other? Unmistakably yours.
And that level of care doesn’t just create a beautiful website. It creates trust. It makes people want to linger, to explore, to say, "This person gets it."
That’s what Storycraft is about.
Ready for a site you’re actually proud of?
If you’re tired of cringing every time someone asks for your website…
If you’re done with the template phase and not quite ready for agency pricing…
If you want a website that sounds like you, works like it should, and grows with your business…
Let’s talk.
No pressure. No pitch deck. Just a real conversation to see if this is the right fit.
Because you’ve grown. And it’s time your website caught up.
