Today we’d like to introduce you to Seth Forte.
Hi Seth, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I think everyone has something they were made to do. Not in a mystical way… more in a quiet, practical way.
Something that makes time disappear. It’s something that pulls you forward even when no one’s watching.
The tricky part is finding it. Or rather, being able to put it into words. And then having the courage to build a life around it.
When I was young, my parents always said I was observant. Quiet. Just looking around, taking things in. I didn’t think much of it then.
That curiosity followed me everywhere. School, friendships, jobs. The funny thing about curiosity is it can leave you feeling like something’s missing even when everything looks fine on paper.
I did what you’re supposed to do. Got the degree, had the career, it was the whole picture perfect path. And it wasn’t bad… I wasn’t necessarily unhappy…. But I wasn’t lit up either.
I think a lot of people know that feeling where you’re doing well enough that you really can’t or shouldn’t complain, but deep down there’s this quiet voice inside asking, is this it?
Not “is this the right job” or “is this the right city.” It’s deeper than that. Is this what I’m supposed to be doing with my time here? Am I building something that actually matters to me?
I’ve learned that you can chase success and still feel empty. You can check every box and still feel like you’re living someone else’s life. The goal was never the career. The goal was alignment and finding the thing that makes you feel like yourself, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.
I don’t think that voice ever fully goes away for anyone. You just learn to listen to it or you learn to ignore it.
So I started listening.
And listening meant getting honest with myself. What did I actually want? Not what looked or sounded good. Not what made sense to other people. What made me come alive?
That kind of honesty is harder than it sounds. It requires stripping away expectations you’ve been carrying… even some you didn’t even know you picked up.
For me, it came down to something simple. I really wanted to build things that mattered. Things that made someone’s life easier, lighter, more free.
So I started with websites. That’s how Forte Web Designs came to be. Nights, weekends, whenever I could find the hours to work and grow this thing. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing business wise and I definitely did not have it all figured out, but I knew I wouldn’t figure it out by standing still.
You have to start somewhere. Sometimes you have to take the first step before the path reveals itself.
And the discipline came naturally because the purpose was clear. When you’re building toward something you actually believe in, the hard work doesn’t feel like sacrifice, It feels more like alignment.
And then something unexpected happened.
Clients started asking for more. “The website’s great, but can you help with this other thing that’s driving us crazy?”
Processes that didn’t make sense. Hours lost to work that should just happen automatically.
At first I thought these were distractions. But the more I helped, the more I realized that this Was the real work.
The websites were just the door. What people actually needed was someone who could see the whole picture. Someone who would sit with their problems long enough to understand what was really broken.
That quiet kid who used to observe everything? Turns out that was training.
I wasn’t just building websites anymore. I was helping people get their time back. Their clarity back. Their freedom to focus on what actually mattered to them.
That’s when everything clicked.
I’m in Grapevine now with my wife Sophia and our daughter Leah, and when I think about what I’m building, it’s not just a company. It’s a life that reflects what I actually value. Presence. Intention. Doing work that means something.
No matter where this journey takes me, I want my daughter to grow up watching someone who listened to that quiet voice and had the discipline to follow it. Someone who proved you don’t have to choose between meaningful work and being there for the people you love.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? No. But I don’t think smooth is the point.
The obstacle isn’t IN the way, rather, the obstacle IS the way. Every wall I hit taught me something a clear path never could.
Doubt was the first one. That voice asking who do you think you are? And honestly, I didn’t have an answer. I just knew I’d rather fail at something that mattered than succeed at something that didn’t.
Fear was the next one. Fear of looking stupid. Fear of not being ready. Fear of what people would think. But fear is a liar. It disguises itself as logic. It tells you to wait until you’re ready,,, knowing full well that “ready” never comes.
And then there’s the trap of feeling productive without actually moving forward. I spent way too long picking the perfect business name. The right colors. The right logo. Tweaking things that didn’t matter while avoiding the thing that did – actually helping people. It’s easy to hide behind preparation. It feels like progress. But at some point you have to stop building the stage and start performing on it.
I’ve learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s deciding that something else matters more.
There were seasons where I felt like I was running in two directions at once. Pouring into the business while trying to be present at home. Saying yes to too many things because I was afraid to say no. Learning the hard way that not every client is the right client, and not every opportunity is worth the cost.
The struggle is the curriculum. You don’t get the lessons without the mess. You don’t build resilience in comfort. You build it in the fire.
So no, the road wasn’t smooth. But smooth roads don’t make strong people. And I’d rather be shaped by something difficult than protected from it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At its core, Forte Web Designs exists to give people their time back.
That might sound simple, but think about it. Time is the one thing you can’t manufacture more of. And yet most business owners I meet are drowning in work that shouldn’t require them at all. Manual tasks. Repetitive processes. Systems held together by memory and stress. They started their business to build something meaningful, and somewhere along the way they became a slave to the machine they created.
I help fix that.
What I actually do has evolved over the years. It started with websites. Now it’s automation, integrations, custom software – whatever the problem requires. But the service was never really the point. The point is solving the right problem the right way.
What sets me apart? I think it’s that I care more about whether something should be built than whether I can build it. I’ve talked people out of hiring me. I’ve told clients their problem wasn’t a technology problem at all. I’ve walked away from money because the project didn’t make sense for them.
I’m not trying to collect transactions. I’m trying to build relationships with people I actually want to help.
What am I most proud of? The clients who forget I exist. Not because they don’t value the work – but because what I built just runs. Quietly. In the background. While they focus on their family, their customers, their craft. That invisibility is the whole point.
If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s this. I’m not here to sell you something. I’m here to understand what’s actually costing you… time, energy, money, sanity, and make it go away. If I can help, I’ll tell you. If I can’t, I’ll tell you that too.
Simple as that.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I’m a big believer that what you consume shapes how you think. So I’m intentional about it.
Books – I keep coming back to Atomic Habits by James Clear. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s true. The idea that you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems – that rewired how I approach everything. I’ve probably read it three times and I’ll read it again.
Podcasts – How I Built This is one I never skip. There’s something grounding about hearing people tell the real story. Not the highlight reel. The mess. The doubt. The moment they almost quit. It reminds you that everyone’s figuring it out as they go.
Apps – ClickUp runs my life. I just need a place where everything lives. Tasks, ideas, client notes, random thoughts at 2am. If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist.
I also use Forest when I need to lock in. Something about watching that little tree grow makes me not want to touch my phone. Simple, but it works.
But honestly? The best productivity tool I’ve found is knowing what actually matters to you. No app can give you that. You have to figure it out yourself. Once you do, the discipline comes naturally.
The tools just help you stay out of your own way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fortewebdesigns.com
- Instagram: seth@fortewebdesigns.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-forte/
- Other: https://sethforte.com
