Oh, I feel this one in my bones 😅 Twenty business days for a full website build is tight-especially when you're new and still learning the brand inside out.
You've absolutely nailed the approach: get a kickoff meeting on the calendar ASAP. Define scope, timeline, budget, goals-the whole project management shebang. If the deadline's firm, you need to map the full site they want, then figure out what's feasible in 20 days. Prioritise like crazy, build a realistic 20-day plan around the essentials, and leave a roadmap for the rest.
I do this kind of work all the time, and part of my job during kickoff is helping the higher-ups understand what actually goes into building a site. I'm about three-quarters through a similar project right now that originally had an insane timeline. For the kickoff, I came armed with a project blueprint: rough timing for planning, wireframes, content writing, image creation, page builds. It really made the timeline look ridiculous and forced the conversation-either adjust the scope or the deadline. In my experience, they'd rather push the deadline than give up features. They always want everything, but it's rarely as urgent as they claim.
Being new is the hidden killer here. I've been at my company for years, so I know the brand voice, the image library, who to go to for approvals. When you're fresh, everything takes longer-navigating brand guidelines, learning internal processes, figuring out who actually signs off on copy. Factor that into your plan. Don't be afraid to flag it early. Better to under-promise and over-deliver than burn out trying to meet an impossible date. You've got this 👍
