I knew the time to renew my contract with the company that built and maintains my website was coming up and I was dreading it. The annula fee was exhorbitant. Besides that, I wanted a new look, something that felt more me. Don Lutz, the husband of my friend and fellow writer, Jane Willan, had built a beautiful author website for Jane so I asked him how much he would charge to build one for me. His answer - ice cream. That was a fee I could afford.
Don and I met to discuss what I was looking for, what feel I wanted, how I envisioned presenting my author brand. I gave him a quart of chocolate ice cream. He built a basic site. We met again for a training session in which he taught me how to design the pages, create links, upload pictures, and whatever else I thought I might do on the site. He also linked the sign up box for my newsletter to my email marketing platform creating a smooth transition and worked with my previous site host to get my domain name transfered to me. I gave him another quart of chocolate and a quart of black raspberry.
I now have a website I love, one that I feel reflects me and my brand perfectly. I have one more meeting with Don coming up so he can help figure out how to design the rest of the pages I want to add. I will bring more ice cream.
This, by the way, isn't just any ice cream. For years I have purchased my milk from a local dairy farm. They make other dairy products as well. Their ice cream is beyond belief. Hancock Dairy Farm uses primarily Ayershire cows which give the creamiest milk so everything they make from it is utterly (udderly??) delicious! Don's reaction to his first taste of their chocolate ice cream was, "Now this is what ice cream is supposed to taste like!" Once a week during the season, I stop on my way home from work at the farmer's market to pick up my milk which allows me to avoid the delivery charge I pay during the rest of the year. At the same time, I pick up Don's ice cream (and maybe some for myself). Hmmm...if they have it, perhaps I'll pick up some of their amazing chocolate cheese for Don to go with his ice cream. Maybe some for me, too.
Check out my new website here!
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