This week, our Pen Men hot topic seems to be all about perception. Some issues are elements that James and I have been aware of, and some others are subtle observances of what lies below the surface.
The moment of introspection has given me a few Refrigerator Moments.
A new client of ours asked a question recently. She had concerns of the time it took to launch a new site – it seemed a big job. It’s no wonder she thought that; like many of you have experienced, our client has seen announcements of redesigns and launches hyped up…
… and then nothing.
Are You a Garage Band?
The client’s perception made me think of how the situation must look to the outside world. Do others also wonder how long it takes for Men with Pens to complete a custom design? They must ask themselves, “What’s the hold up? Why hasn’t this upcoming site launched yet?”
Trust me – it rarely takes longer than 7 to 10 days to create a beautiful design that makes our clients happy. We work well, efficiently and quickly. We minimize the time so that people can get their blogs up and running – with all the quality they can handle.
Once that design is out of our hands, though, it’s all up to the client to launch the site. This situation sometimes reflects negatively on our business – and that of any designer out there.
It’s a lot like some garage bands I’ve seen over the years.
I had a circle of friends back east who were part of the local band scene. These friends practiced for weeks to get the sound right. They had big ambitions – they’d be the best thing to hit the Route 6 circuit, that handful of bars dotting the stretch of road from Westchester to Putnam.
My friends spent more time in the garage than they did playing in the bars. There was always something that wasn’t quite right, some conflict happening, some issue going on that prevented them from diving into their ambitions.
They suffered the same fears all creative people have, with a healthy dose of perfectionism thrown in.
Am I good enough? Could I be better? Is it enough? What will people think?
Suck It Up
The reasons for not launching big plans are often valid enough. People have day jobs, family and a life that just seems to get in the way.
But is it really life getting in the way or are you just making excuses? A new venture can suddenly seem overwhelming, sure. You feel a moment of reality and you wonder if you can actually handle it all.
Well, let me tell all you garage band bloggers something: You can handle it.
You have the support of a community that already loves you, and you’ve already built it up. They’re not going to judge you, you don’t have to be perfect and they’re happy to settle in while you work out the quirks.
Nothing is perfect right out of the gates. So get out of the garage already and get a move on.
Geez Harry, this is a pretty motivating piece of writing today – thank you.
(Wanna write a guest post for me?)
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..participant.
Anybody that makes a reference to fridge logic get’s a star in my little book.
Excellent topic.
Is it possible that you have. quite unintentionally,, let your image be dictated by your clients?
The Chatty DM’s last blog post..Chatty’s Review: The D&D 4e Player’s Handbook
Here here!
Mark Dykeman’s last blog post..With great social media power should come great responsibility
Harry,
I enjoyed this post (and the link to Chatty—love the fridge moment article!). I’ve had this issue with clients also. They are wild for the planning and prep stages, but wither at the execution stage. Planning and prep should give you a lot of insight, direction, and dreams for the future. No doubt that’s as overwhelming as it is exciting. So they freeze.
There have been moments like that for me, too: what if I fail? what if I succeed? We can always make excuses to fill every hour of the day. Pushing yourself past your fears is tricky business, and no one can do it for you.
I hope your clients who read this will realize it’s time to give themselves the push. I’d like to see what you Men have cooked up for them.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Steal Dave Balter’s Secret!
@Kelly: Had I known that it would have been picked up outside of the Role Playing niche, I’d have gone lighter on the gaming jargon.
Still, thanks so much for the kind words.
The Chatty DM’s last blog post..Chatty’s Review: The D&D 4e Player’s Handbook
I think there are two negatives that come of the situation Harry discusses – and he’s clearly said them but I think they’re worth stressing:
Perfectionism harms your business and your life.
Perfectionism harms other people’s business and their life.
If we stressed over perfectionism, this site wouldn’t exist. I say it often: The shoemaker’s son goes barefoot.
Do you think I’m 100% happy with our copy? Do I think it’s perfect? Of course not. It’s full of faults – but it’s there and live, and no one is chasing us with a big stick for the tweaks. When we can, we’ll get there. But we won’t let that need hold us back right now.
Do you think Harry is 100% happy with the design? Does he think it’s perfect? Of course not. In fact, he said it best the other day. “This isn’t even our best work!” But it’s there, it’s live, it’s ours, and we’re not letting the little tweaks we could do (but don’t have the time to) hold us back.
We strive to provide quality service with a fast turnaround – and then feel a little disappointed that our clients, who came to us with goals and dreams, suddenly lose their determination and a beautiful site sits idle. (We still love you, guys. Honestly. But you need a butt-kick.)
Great post, Harry! I’m reading it after my own exciting coming out (of the garage). I feel as though I’ve been liberated, seriously. Well, I have, in some ways, liberated myself from the fear of getting my writing out there. I still fight the perfectionist thing, the feeling of not measuring up, and I love that you both touched on that topic, because that’s my main issue and you’re helping drive it away.
Thanks for such a motivating post. Keep me running…
-S
steph’s last blog post..To English Degree Students Everywhere (and to those who make fun of them)
I can say from first hand experience with you guys that you not only encourage and help your community, but you also encourage and help your clients (even when they don’t ask, it’s just in your generous nature).
In my personal experience, I’ve seen the hesitation to actually launch a website with new entrepreneurs who know just enough about websites to get them in trouble.
They feel:
a) they want to hit the online market with that perfect first impression
b) always find one more thing to add or tweak before the launch
These days I don’t personally design many websites, but when I have, I think it helped me in that I usually would upload and make my customer’s site go live when I was done creating it.
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It’s suddenly clear to me why I stick around here. You’d think not being a blogger or writer I would find very little value in your posts, but that’s not the case. In fact, so much of what you both write can be carried through into all aspects of life, that this site isn’t really about web business tips at all. More often than not you supply tips for living., and I find value in (almost) every article.
Today I can relate the “get off your ass and don’t be such a perfectionist” message, and even the examples, to what I’m fighting with (internally) over at Escaping Reality. At the risk of sounding repetitive, thanks.
Nicole’s last blog post..New Addictions and Getting Organized
You know Harry, as I go through this process with you all with my site redesign, this line hits on all the things I’ve been feeling: “They’re not going to judge you, you don’t have to be perfect and they’re happy to settle in while you work out the quirks.”
Not that I fear being judged — except by myself. It’s the having to decide ONE MORE THING on any given day that gets me.
As for not being perfect — heck, I’d settle for being ordinary.
Working out the quirks: This is the killer. I think most of us want to wait until we can either afford to have someone “just get it done” for us, or until we figure out hwo to do it ourselves. Because, once that redesign is done, then it’s up to you do “deal with” the new site. You can literally spend hours trying to figure out one little thing. Why deal with that when your old clunky outdate site worked just fine.
This is what kept me from getting a new site.
BUT,
now that I see your fantastic new design, I’m more excited than ever. Although I know it’s probably going to take time to work out all the quirks, I stay focused on one year from now — when I’ll be able to look back and be glad I “went through the fire.”
Thank you and James for holding my hand so much through it. I will write a formal, awesome testimonial for you guys once I can show every body your amazing work. This is just a precursory thank you.
Yuwanda
The Freelance Writer’s Blog’s last blog post..Have Freelance Writing Rates Degenerated into an Elitist/Classist War?
You do need to have an initial plan, but then you just need to “fire”. Once your blog–or whatever–is out there, you start getting feedback. With that feedback you can make a different tweak to your product every day and soon you’ll have a great product. I think it was Michael Bloomberg who said that his business success is due in large part to the fact that while others were still planning he was already on the third version of his product since he had launched it and then kept perfecting it through user- feedback. Great post.
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@Brett The Banana Viking: You’re very welcome!
@Chatty: I loved that fridge post and now I have fridge moments about fridge moments!
There’s a lot of things about this business that the client ends up dictating, ’tis the nature of the beast. All we can do it get them out of the nest and encourage them to fly.
@Kelly: It’s human nature, we all get those doubts from time to time – even the best of us.
@Steph: You’re welcome!
@John: We love our clients, we really do and just because a job is long off our desk doesn’t mean we stop keeping an eye on it.
@Nicole: You shouldn’t worry so much, you’re a fantastic writer!
@Yuwanda: Thank you so much! Your new design is beautiful and I can’t wait to see it live, too!
@James: Exactly.
Harold! I like my garage. It’s fun in here.
Amy’s last blog post..Dear Mr. Schnickelfritz
@Pandora: Ah, but if you stay in your garage, how will the world know your greatness?
Harry,
I have a huge smile on my face right now.
Here is my promise to you. When its done and all of my current copy is uploaded, it goes live. Period.
The rest can be done later. I don’t care if it looks naked. It can grow with me as I grow.
It takes me awhile to jump, but once I do, I jump with both feet in and I never look back. Onward. I trust you both.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Saving Summer
I like to keep my greatness a secret.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….
Seriously though, I like your advice. For business folks and money-seeking bloggers, and those who use their blogs as a way of promoting their services/products/selves, it only makes sense to get out of the garage. Those of us — ok, maybe it’s only me — who do it just for fun… does it make sense for us to get out of the garage? (I’m honestly asking, because I’m not so sure it does.)
Amy’s last blog post..Dear Mr. Schnickelfritz
@Wendi: You got it. And thanks for sparking the inspiration for this post
@Amy: Of course it makes sense. Like my mom is fond of saying, “You never know when you’re going to be discovered.”
Harry, You are very welcome
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Saving Summer
‘Fridge Logic” I like that. Back later, but for now these points are really crucial to lots of projects. Successive approximation is a good thing.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..Lines Are Lyrical
When I work on a new post, I try to put all my mind on it, not thinking about how it may be received. Of course, when I’m coming up with ideas I look for the most compelling one possible. But once the writing process begins I don’t allow any thoughts of fear to creep into my mind. Once the writing begins, fears and trepidation will only get in the way.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..Being Happy for Others Makes You Happy