Getting Back Up After Being Kicked in the Teeth

I have a special Light Up Your Life post for you today as well as a HUGE announcement!

Yes, getting that email was like getting a massive kick in the teeth. Josh and I were so shocked we spent a minute just staring at the computer screen. I didn’t even read the whole email because I was so distracted with the paralyzing feeling of  absolute panic.

It was awful because getting an email like that felt almost like losing a job. It was as if our web developer had pulled the rug out from under our feet, suddenly undermining the years and work we’ve put into our business. We felt powerless over the situation, and that makes both Josh and me not happy campers!

Making Logical Decisions in Times of Shift

It’s no surprise that making logical decisions during a time like this can be challenging. Panic, anger, frustration, resentment, stress – all my monsters were wide awake and ready to run the show.

But I stopped. For four days I stopped and didn’t jump straight into the transfer. I shopped around for different website developers, shopping cart systems, and hosting services. I considered our options for moving to the other quilting website developer.

And the most important thing is Josh and I came together and honestly, and very logically, discussed what we wanted. I want to keep teaching in videos. It’s so much easier now to plan and shoot videos with the Crafty Cottage and I’m dying to get started on next year’s Mystery Quilt Along. My passion is still solidly rooted in quilting.

Josh felt much the same. We’d had the rug pulled out from under our feet and change was now forced upon us, and if anything this has reaffirmed our commitment to this business and to one another.

Working Through the Rage

The hardest thing to deal with during this transition was not the sheer massive amount of boring internet work – redirects, new page construction, image transfers, working with various tech support and IT people, etc. This is the fourth website I’ve built, and the third time I’ve transferred LeahDay.com. While it’s a skill I have built out of necessity, I would honestly much rather be quilting than stuck on a computer copying and pasting pages, resizing images, and sorting product SKUs.

The hardest thing to deal with was my simmering rage. This was a change necessitated by an company who had failed repeatedly to fulfill our needs or respond to issues in a timely fashion. I knew within six months of transferring to this developer that they were both too small and too niche to be good for us, but once we transferred, we felt stuck with them.

To make matters worse, the acquiring company was deliberately vague on the details. Our sites would be maintained for a year “more or less…” but what was the cut off date? How much exactly would it cost to transfer my site, including all photos and downloads to the buyout company?

I was angry and frustrated, but mostly angry with myself. I had made the decision back in 2013 to go with this company after all. Who was more to blame than me?

Blame, anger, resentment – this is not how I wanted to feel. Early in the work on this new site, I knew I needed to get a hold of my attitude and focus on the positive side of this change. Yes, it was unexpected – Get over it – Pull on your big girl panties and get the work done!

Finding Space for Gratitude

It didn’t take long for me to realize that feeling resentful and angry was only going to make this job worse. I avoided talking about the transfer as much as possible. When I allowed myself to vent my true feelings, I literally felt toxic with the bitterness in my words.

I decided to stop complaining and get to work. As the site began taking shape, I was able to test it and quickly became excited about the new features that were so easy to implement. I was able to streamline the shop, update the text, and make wide scale improvements on photos.

Seeing all this taking shape felt great! Here was a site I could be proud of, that I could control without middle men / young college grads who knew nothing about IT or online businesses, that wouldn’t have all that red tape in my way between me and the site’s administration. I slowly found space to feel thankful this catastrophe had happened.

We now have a new shopping cart system, an updated layout, and a gorgeous, bright design that will give you an excellent experience no matter whether you’re visiting on your computer, tablet, or phone.

Even better, the management side of this website is going to be so much easier. Josh can print orders, calculate shipping, and send download links from one page, which is making his job so much faster and easier.

No, I wasn’t expecting this to happen, but now I’m actually thankful. We have rebuilt our business on a stronger foundation that not only makes our jobs easier but will be able to grow with us in a massive way.

Please go check out the new LeahDay.com and let me know what you think!

Let’s get moving, let’s try something new,

Leah Day