Influential Woman · Web Design and Digital Marketing

Rebecca VanDenBerg

Owner, VanDenBerg Web + Creative

Grandville, MI

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Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Member Local Chambers of Commerce Member CEO/Business Owner Roundtable Group

Her Story

About Rebecca

I've been in web design and digital marketing for over 25 years, having started my company in 2001. My journey into this field came through my involvement in the livestock industry, where my family had several businesses. When I saw the internet take hold, I recognized an opportunity for those businesses to promote themselves with websites. Most of them didn't have the resources or technology to do it themselves at that point, so I knew that was something I could bring to them. It was something I saw they needed - every business needed a website, and it just clicked right away. That was the group of people I was most connected to, so that's where I started. Today, I oversee all of our strategy and sales calls with clients, develop action plans, and hand those off to our team. Sometimes I'm developing and then handing them off to our team to build out full sites. I handle all of the oversight of the business, from strategy to marketing, operations, sales, and administration. We've got a team of 5 that work with us and help execute all of those things.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Rebecca

01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I think being passionately curious is probably the thing that could benefit anybody the most. Don't just settle for what you know - there's always more to learn. When I asked one of my young team members what advice I've given her, she said asking questions, and that falls into that curiosity. I think developing your skills is critical, and by developing your skills, it's also then knowing your worth. That's a big self-confidence piece. You have to believe in yourself, because how you project yourself impacts your trajectory. So I think self-awareness and self-improvement are probably the areas I would say are the most critical. Knowing your worth helps you develop self-confidence in how you project yourself.

02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The biggest thing is keeping up with the change in technology. You have to be extremely curious, a researcher, and willing to try new software, new technology, and new approaches to things. You've got to be adaptable - that's the biggest struggle, but it's also the reason why we're still here, because we have done those things. You've got to be flexible in your approach. You need to be very curious about your client's business and industry to really understand it, to deliver products and strategies that really help them. When asked about the best ways to work through struggles, I would say having trusted people you can talk to is essential. One of my best groups that I'm a part of is a roundtable group of other CEOs and business owners - it's not a leads group, it's basically a kind of a brain trust, a sounding board. It's a place you can share struggles, and they can share what they've done to get through those struggles. Having a supportive network of people that you can trust is one of the best ways to work through those struggles.

03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Customer service is probably one of the top ones for us. Relationships are very important, being responsive with quick responses to our clients. The business being grounded in our faith is also fundamental to how we operate. We have our formal documented core values that guide everything we do.

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