When I first decided to launch my website, I was full of grand ideas. I imagined myself as the calm, collected architect of a digital empire. In my head, I was Richard Branson, surveying the chaos of life with an unruffled gaze, making choices that aligned with my higher purpose and vision. What I didn't account for, however, was the reality of back pain, a car on my driveway that had ceased to be a car, just sat there goading me and an accidental "discount" strategy that saw me give away all my products for free.
Let me take you through the chaos that was my website launch.
The Road to Launch Was Paved with No Water
On launch day, I was sitting at my kitchen table, prepared to oversee the digital unfolding of my vision. But in true northern stoic fashion, I was reminded that life is suffering—in this case, that suffering came in the form of a complete lack of running water. It’s the kind of inconvenience that makes you wonder if the universe is trying to teach you patience and whether you really do appreciate the things you have in life. The burst water pipe, somewhere in the land opposite my house, had decided to rebel for the last 24 hours. Intermittent texts would advise ‘we are working on fixing the issue’ , but in the meantime I kept repeating to myself the phrase "What does it matter?" I revisited this question when I automatically went to the toilet, and emptied the contents of my previous evening meal - A chicken madras and garlic naan. I concluded, It really does matter.
So, with a stiff back, a dry throat, and a three wick white blossom fragrant candle lit, I cracked open my laptop.
The Back Pain Saga:
As I checked over product pages, blog posts, and setting up my payment gateway, I was also attempting to recover from a back injury that had seen me miss all the booked activities of Half term. If the universe was giving me a lesson in appreciation, then I got it. As I lay on the floor (later lifted off by my lovely and very strong neighbour) I really did understand ‘it takes a village’ and I felt so grateful for the offers of help. So, while my lower back was staging a coup, I told myself that this too shall pass. The launch would come. It might not be glamorous, and I might not be standing tall to see it, but the work had to be done.I'd just lost a week. Not my tenacity.
The Abandoned Car Situation:
As if the website launch wasn't enough of a metaphor for life’s unpredictability, my car decided it no longer wanted to cooperate. So there it sat, abandoned. The RAC would be coming in a few days to fix it, which, in itself, was a lesson in patience. In a perfect world, I'd simply screw open a bottle of the local garage special offer red wine and celebrate my launch. But no, I couldn’t fix the car and therefore couldn't even drive to the garage. I couldn’t force the water company to speed things up (running out of fragrant candles) . But I could launch a website, come hell or high water, or even dry pipes and broken-down vehicles, I was doing this.
The Accidental Freebie Debacle:
Finally, the website went live. A moment of triumph, right? Well, yes... except for one minor detail. Somewhere in the myriad of product listings, pricing pages, and launch celebrations, I had mistakenly listed all of my products as "free." I had unknowingly created the world's most generous giveaway, with a very special coupon.
To be fair, I was still adjusting to the pain in my back, the plumbing situation, and the vehicle abandonment drama. So, this little oversight felt almost... fitting. Did I feel embarrassed? No. Did I contemplate hiding in the basement until the internet forgot about my mistake? No (I don't have a basement)
Conclusion: Dreams are good
In the end, launching a website with no running water, a broken car, a sore back, and a generous pricing error was just another lesson in life. It’s unpredictable. It’s painful. But it’s also beautiful, in its own way. By accepting the things that you cannot control—and even laughing at the things you could never have predicted—you can turn the most disastrous day into a memorable one.
The water is back on, my sister- in -law looked at my site, tweaked a few bits and then boom - she placed her first order with actual digital British pounds ! I had to take a screenshot because seeing order number 0000001 was the start of the journey I have worked so hard to get on.
As I was about to finish writing this blog, my daughter came in and asked me to lay on the floor. She wanted to create heart shapes in my hair. And so, here I am, ego a bit bruised, a little wiser, and ready to roll with whatever comes next (if I can get up off the floor) The website is live and the products are priced correctly (for now) and I have beautiful heart shaped hair.
Dreams are good.
p.s - currently signing off as Travers10 as I have no idea where to change it...
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