Business Bestie

Sometimes, when running your business, you know that the time has come to update your website. For me, I knew the hardest part was going to be finding someone who understood how our membership directory works and how?Facebook groups?work, as our business directory is an extension of our 5 Facebook business groups. It wasn’t just updating some of the functionality but also it needed a cleaner and fresher design. I knew what I wanted in my mind’s eye but that was with my own understanding of the finer points and wondered how I would get all aspects across to potential developers and designers.

I found a talented and charming bespoke coder and we chatted for nearly a year, going through the workings of the directory, what functionality I was looking to improve and an overhaul of the design whilst keeping the branding. It just didn’t happen though. The task was daunting for both of us, he had so much to get to grips with, made harder as he didn’t use Facebook. Such a personable and knowledgeable guy but our hands missed when we clapped.

My company is all over Facebook (as well as?LinkedIn,?Instagram,?Twitter?and?Pinterest), not just in our own groups but we consistently advertise in other groups and one day a chap called me having seen a post of mine in a random group.

I can’t recall now why he phoned now but we ended up chatting and I discovered that he was an IT expert and Ethical Hacker. He was just delightful and full of knowledge and we ran the gauntlet discussing everything and nothing. We just couldn’t stop talking and, as time went by, I started to entrust him with my IT issues.

The guy was brilliant and I don’t say that lightly. I am one of those people that if it can go wrong it will and, on top of that, I just missed the computer generation at school, I didn’t grow up with them, we had one telephone at home and 4 TV channels, then 5 when channel 5 appeared (you’ll relate depending on your age)! Everything I know has been self-taught via YouTube, asking someone or questioning Google. Using new platforms wasn’t intuitive and I often had questions, some would say very basic ones but we all need someone to help us answer those……. without laughing!

Luke became my trusted IT provider, he patiently answered all of my questions and, if thought me dumb, he never ever let it show. One day, I discussed with him how I was struggling to update my website and he casually told me he could achieve everything I was looking for. I admit, I was skeptical, I mean a top coder had struggled, I’d lost faith that I’d ever find anyone. The next day I received a mocked-up site, he’d picked some aspects of my website to improve and it looked exactly what I was looking for. So we began the huge task………….

My new website went live this week and I couldn’t be more delighted with it. Moreover, Luke is just great to work with………. always available and ready to answer any of my concerns. He got to grips with the inner workings of the directory in record time which was so important because he was then able to show me how he could improve it. He also has the added advantage of being an admin of a Facebook group so was totally clued up and able to join the dots between the directory and our groups.

Luke never shirked from anything I asked of him, if it wasn’t possible then he would explain his reasoning and it always made perfect sense

In my experience, every freelancer, sole trader or anyone that doesn’t have a huge team behind them, needs a Business Bestie and I’ve truly found mine. And, he loved our directory so much, he joined it.

I may have to amend Business Bestie to just Bestie having been invited to his wedding next year.