Web sites. Grrrr…

Let me share a story with you that is very much alive and current. I know that's true because I have measured my blood pressure and heart rate and they are still right up there as though I were competing for my country.

I'm currently working with a personal branding and communications guru and I'll let you know about her at the end of this piece. Let it suffice to say that she has been very mean (objectively constructive) about how I present RegenerationHQ and my role in it.

It's led to a process that involves among other things, a different web site to capture the essence of what I am trying to say. Fascinating if gruelling process.

Now, here is the lesson for me. Yesterday was the day to move from the old to the new. My man Nick (operations/systems guru) pushed the button, or whatever happens when you you repoint a url to a new site.

The old website disappeared and all of a sudden there was a stony silence on www.regenerationhq.co.nz. Nothing. Does not exist.

I've been having one of my days in my own office today and had a great deal to get through. Instead, I spent 4 1/2 hours on chat with GoDaddy trying to get the issue resolvced and got nowhere except very wound up.

I talked to Nick at the end of the 4 1/2 hours and I believe I may have threatened someone's future, but not his. He politely told me to get out of the way, give him remote access to my computer and even more sensibly advised me to take my dogs to the park for a period of decompression and quiet reflection. I was out of there.

I'd been at the park for no more than 500m when I got an email with the RHQ url presenting itself to me and upon clicking, there was the new site. Nick spent 4 1/2 minutes with GoDaddy and solved the problem.

The lesson? It's great to want to be a generalist and know "enough" about everything to do it yourself, but it can come at a terrible cost. My day was decimated because I fell into a trap.

Next time I look at the list of things I need to get done and "doing things I know little about" comes up, I will reach for an expert. Good for my mental health and good for my wallet.

Why am I telling you this? Because I genuinely believe that this experience mirrors what so many SME owners go through. We get side-tracked in places we add no value and if you have any concept of the principle of "opportunity cost", this is a shining example. What could I have productively achieved if I hadn't gotten involved?

So, just a couple of things. First, the new web site isn't finished, but it's up anyway because I feel it reflects me and my philosophy around business even in its raw state.

Second, I talked about my brand and comms guru and I want to give her a shout out because even though she has pushed me hard in areas I'm uncomfortable in, that is the nature of growing and developing.

courtneyhainesofficial.com hello@courtneyhainesofficial.com +64 277 886 886

Shameless plug? Yes. RegenerationHQ can be that expert that takes care of the things you aren't expert at in your business. Think about it.