Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb Sanchez.
Hi Caleb, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I actually started right out of high school, thanks to a little luck and a great teacher. My senior year at W.B. Travis High School, I caught a case of “senioritis” and ended up in detention with a new teacher named Mr. Platt. Instead of giving me busywork, he decided to turn that time into something productive and had me help build the basketball team’s game schedule for the school website. That’s how I learned HTML, and it instantly clicked. Seeing code turn into something real on screen was an incredible feeling and I was hooked.
In my community, tech wasn’t something we grew up around. Most of us didn’t even know careers like web design existed. But that spark pushed me to explore more. With Mr. Platt’s guidance, I started experimenting by building websites in Geocities and learning new design tools, creating small sites just for fun, and that curiosity stuck with me.
After high school, I went to St. Edward’s University planning to become a chiropractor, since my siblings and I were the first in our family to go to college and that seemed like a solid path. But after a year of advanced biology courses, I realized it wasn’t where my passion was. I switched to a PhotoCommunications major to get closer to creative work, but it still wasn’t quite the right fit. Then one night while working part-time at Office Depot, I saw a commercial for the new Art Institute of Austin that was opening soon and offering a Web Design & Interactive Media degree. Everything lined up. I enrolled, earned my degree, and found the path I’d been looking for all along.
What started as a detention project turned into a lifelong career and my business, CS Web Design, which I’ve been running for nearly two decades. It’s a small Austin-based agency built purely on word of mouth, and I still love every part of it, from solving problems in code to helping small businesses grow their online presence.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but every challenge taught me something valuable. When I started CS Web Design, I had to figure out everything myself, registering the business, filing taxes, writing contracts, and managing clients. My family and friends were incredibly supportive, but this was all new territory for us, so I learned it through research, persistence, and a lot of trial and error.
Early on, I struggled with imposter syndrome. I wasn’t sure how to price my work or whether I was worth what others were charging. But I stayed focused on helping people, especially small business owners and startups trying to pursue their dreams and get their idea off the ground. That purpose kept me motivated and helped me grow my confidence over time.
I was lucky to have a strong support system at home. My mom and dad were always there with solid advice, reminding me to keep pushing and believe in myself. That foundation made all the difference.
Over the years, I’ve also made it a priority to give back, contributing my time and web design skills to community projects and social good initiatives that have helped others find their own paths. No matter how busy things get, my wife, Rachel, and son keep me grounded and remind me why I started all this in the first place.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about CS Web Design?
CS Web Design is a local Austin web design agency that helps small businesses create their digital presence and bring their ideas to life. Over the years, we’ve worked with all kinds of clients, from concrete companies and law firms to event planners, t-shirt printers, and barbershops. Each project has its own story and personality, and that’s what keeps the work interesting.
What makes our approach unique is that we deliver agency-level results but with the personal touch of a freelancer. Clients work directly with me throughout the process, so communication is easy, budgets are realistic, and every project feels like a true collaboration. Even after launch, we stay connected. Many of our clients continue to have us host and maintain their sites, and those relationships have lasted for more than a decade.
I’m proud that CS Web Design has been around for nearly twenty years and that so many of our clients continue to trust us with their online presence. Watching those businesses grow and knowing we played even a small part in their success is something I’m genuinely grateful for.
More than anything, I want people to think of CS Web Design as an Austin agency with heart, one that cares deeply about its community, its clients, and the craft itself.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was the funny kid in the family, always doing impressions or cracking jokes just to make people laugh. As I got older, I became more observant and quiet, but that creative energy never really went away. I’ve always liked puzzles and problem-solving, which probably explains why web design fits me so well.
I grew up in Austin’s east and south sides in a tight-knit Salvadoran family and community. My dad taught me the value of hard work by having me right beside him delivering materials with his dump truck or fixing roofs, or mixing cement, while my mom showed me creativity through decorating events and making something beautiful out of whatever she had available. That mix of work ethic and imagination shaped everything about me.
These days, I try to pass those same lessons on to my son and keep building a life with my wife, Rachel, that balances hard work, creativity, and family. Even today, I still carry those lessons in how I build, design, and collaborate. It’s the same foundation that drives CS Web Design and the way I approach every project.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cswebdesign.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSWebDesign/
Image Credits
Caleb Sanchez
