Some time ago I started to question the direction my business was taking. I had developed Social Light to be an online branding shop, yet it seemed as though we had grown tremendously in the web design and development area.
I love to work with clients on how to use their website strategically, but the amount of time I was spending on tech support was increasing. I was aware of this change, but the work kept me busy and clients were happy, so I kept going.
But all of the sudden things were no longer so rosy. My clients’ sites were getting hammered by bots trying to hack in, databases weren’t acting as they should, conflicts between plugins were causing problems, and the list just went on.
Admitting Defeat
I found myself frazzled and questioning how the heck I got here. I am a marketing strategist, so what the heck was I doing providing web support?
When I finally stepped back and took stock of the situation, I made the realization that some of my clients sites had grown beyond my ability to support. So I admitted defeat.
Think I gave up on my business or my clients? Not by a long shot.
Here’s what I realized:
- The websites had grown BECAUSE of the marketing strategy work. That was good news.
- I hate doing web support.
- I needed to bring someone in at a strategic level that could provide the necessary technical support so that I could concentrate on the things I was good at.
It was actually necessary to admit defeat to move forward.
Though it was with despair that I threw up my hands and screamed, “I don’t know!!” That was actually incredibly freeing. Had I not conceded that I simply didn’t have the knowledge, I would still be slogging through support issues and trying to find the answer on Google.
Instead, I expanded my team to bring in a dedicated web developer who was much more capable of not only handling issue when they arise, but keep up with site maintenance so that we avoid problems before they start. This not only freed me up to be focused on strategies that would help my clients grow, it also created a whole new line of business for us.
The moral of the story? You can’t be everything to everybody
Believe me, I’ve tried.
Focus on the things you’re good at and find someone who is good at the things you’re not.
If it just so happens that one of the things you’re not so good at is web development, give us a shout. Social Light has a great team to give you a rockin’ design and support you in the long run.
