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Hi! I'm Rachel, the Left Brain of Drio.

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Does your website work as hard as you do?

Hi Reader, Building websites isn’t exactly life or death. Still, the longer we do it, the more I see how far the impact can go. While Hazel and I nibbled on pupusas and soaked up the view of San Salvador last month, we couldn’t help but reflect on that. Time and time again, we’ve seen how a solid website can change a business’s trajectory. Even during tough seasons (*cough* 2025), your website keeps showing up, telling the world who your business is and why it matters. When done right, it...

Hi Reader, November was a month of bold moves and big milestones for Drio. From taking WholeSite across borders to stepping into the spotlight here at home, we kept the creativity flowing and the momentum strong. Here’s a look at what unfolded: 🌎 WholeSite Takes a Big Step Forward - From El Salvador to a New CTO Last month, we hit pause on our usual routine and headed to El Salvador for a change of scenery and a full creative reset. The goal was simple: step out of the day-to-day, immerse...

Hi Reader, Staying optimistic is hard when you can see a storm on the horizon. By February, Rachel and I could see that 2025 was going to be a different year. You probably felt it too. Clients lost funding, and business owners started to feel nervous about the state of the economy. When we heard “no” on multiple big contracts, we realized how severe those repercussions would be. We were going to have to weather some storms. The thing is, when you weather a storm, you don’t curl up in a ball...

Hi Reader, I don’t know about you, but when I’m in my own little world for too long, my brain starts to overthink everything. I get caught up in all the tasks I should be doing, or should be doing bigger and better. When I finally step away from my comfort zone (i.e. my computer screen) for a while, the overthinking evaporates. I remember the world is, in fact, quite large. The opportunities are endless. And, usually, unexpected. That’s partly why Hazel and I went back to El Salvador in...

Hi Reader, When you look at Martha Stewart, you see someone who made cooking, homekeeping, and decorating mainstream. When you look at Michael Phelps, you see the world’s most decorated Olympian. When you look at Damon John, you see an A-list CEO and charismatic Shark Tank personality. As I listened to each of those very successful people speak at this year’s Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit, it was the reality of their low-lows that really stuck with me. Martha went to prison for...

Hi Reader, October was one for the books! From silver wins to national stages, Hazel and Rachel have been busy creating, connecting, and celebrating. Here’s what went down this month: Drio Wins Silver for Our Work on ReBUILD Metro’s Website On October 8, we joined Baltimore’s best creative minds at The Winslow for AMA Baltimore’s 40th Annual MX Awards, a celebration of marketing that makes you go “Oh wow!” We’re thrilled to share that ReBUILD Metro’s website took home Silver, honoring work...

Hi Reader, The first time our website server had a serious security breach (circa 2012), damage control was a nightmare. I essentially had to manually rebuild every client website. Hours and hours and hours of work… If I hadn’t done that, however, I wouldn’t have accidentally become an expert in website security. I’ve been able to apply everything I learned to every other website project, which means we’ve avoided a ton of threats. While it’s much less of an ordeal to problem-solve nowadays,...

Hi Reader, I recently spoke at Loyola University’s event, Beyond the Algorithm: Human Insight in the AI World. As the name suggests, the conversations were about how we can keep leading the way with our human experiences, even though it feels like AI’s everywhere you look. I know many people, whether they’re young scholars or seasoned business owners, are reading the headlines about AI and wondering if they should be worried. And I get it. Some of the changes are nerve-wracking. While we...

Hi Reader, September reminded us just how powerful human connection and purpose-driven work can be. From Hazel inspiring the next generation of business leaders at Loyola to Rachel running in support of women rebuilding their lives at Marian House, this month was all about using our skills and energy for good, both inside and outside the office. Website Launch: IBEW Local 26 We’re thrilled to unveil the new IBEW Local 26 website, built for the hardworking electricians powering the D.C.,...

Hi Reader, “Beating the competition” is a big talking point in the marketing world. And hey, at Drio, one of our goals is to give you a strategic website that makes choosing you a no-brainer. That said, I don’t think “beating the competition” is the full story. Instead of just asking “How can we beat them?” we should also consider, “How can we boost them?” How can we make each other better so it benefits all parties, including our clients? We’ve been extra focused on forming partnerships with...