Five weeks ago I was frightened. Today I’m happy to say the fear is gone. Andrew Hurl     (my IT Guy) has delivered a new Empire website that exceeds all expectations. He did it on budget. And would’ve nailed it last fortnight, had I coughed up my content on time.

Andrew’s firm is SilverDimension. He should call it SilverBullet, because it slew my bête noire!

As presaged in Physician Heal Thyself, my website turned out to be the hardest piece of writing I’ve ever done. I had dreadful performance anxiety; all I could think was, ‘They’re all watching. This is where I stand or fall. What good is a copywriter who can’t write his own site?’

After I’d faffed around with every task except this critical one, Andrew broke my inertia by asking for one small paragraph. Like a breadstick diced, the massive job suddenly seemed digestible.

I still worried about clients, peers and prospects. Yet Andrew was operating in a much harsher glare. I’d named him and was describing his every move to the global business community … inviting every person and their pet to rifle his unfinished pages … crying about how hard and costly and time consuming the project was. Yet Andrew was unphased.

• When I couldn’t sleep for worry, my 3.00 am emails woke him via his mobile.
• When I requested four tiny changes (in a row) to one image, he didn’t complain.
• When he got the flu towards the end of the project, he kept on working.
• When I sent huge additional work samples at the last second, he barely murmured.

Now the site is live. I warmly invite your visit and double-barrelled feedback. Should you spot any errors or inconsistencies, please let me know. Given my profession, a quiet word via paul@thefeistyempire.com might be best.

I also wish to thank Adam Wilson at Logo Pogo who did the beautiful graphic design work. And Adam Finlay, who told me for years that I needed a new website. You were right, Mate!

I’m also grateful to you, dear reader, for taking the time to follow these posts and make helpful comments and suggestions. I’d like to thank God, my wife and (especially) my ISP, but it looks like we’re out of time…

Andrew Hurl     has served me well. All that remains is to not pay his invoice for as long as possible per our recent discussion!

J

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer

The NEW & IMPROVED Feisty Empire, NOW WITH ENZYMES

Today I commissioned a $2500, scorched-earth rebuild of my entire website. I expected a faint pang of apprehension at this point; now that it’s here, I’m downright scared. I’ve written dozens of sites for clients, but this is different. It’s my site, my brand, my business and my money, um… line of credit, actually.

In short, it’s my a**e online. I’m literally trembling as I type. Will I triumph, or come a cropper? Let’s play the fortunately/unfortunately game to see:

Fortunately  I have a good man in my corner. He’s been my IT Guy for a couple of years and his service is second to none. He’s fast and smart and reasonably priced. He’s got offsite backup thingys coming out of his serial port, so that’s got to be good.

Unfortunately  my years of experience with web projects have taught me that they’re longer and stringier than the longest, stringiest bits of string. What starts as a five-page walk in the park can turn into a 15-volume Grimm’s fairy tale. Overnight.

Fortunately  I did things by the book. I wrote an explicit, four-page plan of what I wanted in terms of content, structure and functionality. I also wrote a creative brief, complete with sample images, to give the designer a clear sense of my vision. I even gave the URL of the site I wish to emulate – a site, ironically, whose content I edited with supreme confidence!

Unfortunately  until you see everything on screen, you don’t know how (if?) it’s going to work. And even if it’s all done right and I love it, my clients may not. They range from sole traders to corporate juggernauts; what pleases some may repel others. It all comes down to my professional judgment which, though unerring to date, feels strangely frail today.

Fortunately  I have a small circle of gifted, trusted, objective advisors. To these generous people I will send the site mock-ups that precede the main event.

Unfortunately  until we go live, I won’t know for sure whether all this time, money and effort will pay off.

Fortunately  the Empire is soon to be mentioned in a major magazine and featured on myBRC. It’s possible that hordes of new visitors will give me the feedback I crave.

Unfortunately  the site may not be ready in time for this exposure, and these rich, new prospects may hit (and flee) my tired, old site which is so in need of a makeover.

Fortunately  if the whole thing collapses in a screaming heap, I’ll at least get some amusing blog posts out of it.

All this goes to show that when you’re reinvesting your own hard-earned cash, even decades of expertise offer scant comfort. Do you trust yourself? Whence comes your confidence?

Your advice, warnings and hilarious anecdotes are invited at this point.

Wish me luck!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, www.thefeistyempire.com