If I Were You... – Honest Advice, Like a Good Friend (Who Codes)

Trust Doesn’t Come From Talking Fancy

One of our unofficial mottos at Rainmakers is simple: “If I were you…” Because that’s how we operate. We believe in giving honest advice for businesses from developers who care — the kind of advice we’d take ourselves, if we were in your shoes, with your goals, and your constraints. That’s what friends do. Good ones, anyway.

In a world filled with sales talk and buzzwords, building trust comes down to one thing: honesty. And that means being transparent about what works, what doesn’t, and what’s worth your time, energy, and hard-earned money.

Honest Advice for Businesses Protects What Matters Most

Time. Energy. Budget. These are precious resources in any project—and we treat them like gold. We won’t sell you on a solution that sounds cool but doesn’t move the needle. We’ll never recommend the expensive option just because it’s shiny. And if we think you’re better off doing something simpler, faster, or even elsewhere, we’ll say it.

We’ve told clients to hold off on redesigns because their website was already doing its job. Sometimes their branding was stronger than they realized, or a cheaper tool could do the trick just as well. And there have been moments when we’ve advised people not to work with us — because the best service isn’t always selling; it’s knowing when not to.

That’s not just good karma. It’s smart business—for both of us.

Your situation. Shaped by your context. Grounded in your reality.

We don’t give cookie-cutter advice. We look at where you’re standing, right now. Not where you wish you were, or where others might be. Context is everything, and our job is to help you move forward from exactly where you are—with solutions that make sense in the real world, not just the whiteboard.

You’re not a use case. You’re a person running a business. And we’re here to help make that business better, more sustainable, and more aligned with your goals.

Why Honest Advice Is Part of the Craft

At the end of the day, honesty isn’t just a principle for us—it’s part of the craft. When we take care of our clients, we’re also taking care of the quality of the work we do. The truth will set you free. That’s why we give you honest, actionable advice that leads to real outcomes.

So if we challenge an idea, it’s not to be difficult. It’s to protect your vision, your resources, and your future. We’ll always advise you the way we’d want to be advised: with clarity, integrity, and genuine care.

That’s what friends do. And we happen to be the kind of friends who also know how to code — and give honest advice for businesses that need it most.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt

This article is part of our “How We Do Business” series at Rainmakers.

We believe building websites should feel like working with a good friend — someone who listens, gives honest advice, and makes things clear (and maybe even fun).

Explore the full series:

1. Building Relationships in Web Development: Why It Matters at Rainmakers
2. Curiosity Builds Websites: The Power of Listening in Web Development
3. If I Were You… – Honest Advice, Like a Good Friend (Who Codes)
4. Lock It In – No Chaos, Just Clarity
5. Enjoy & Be Happy – Building Websites, Minus the Headaches