For four plus years I have been hiding a secret in the digital world. I’ve officially dubbed it as “the greatest oxymoron of my digital life.”
Professionally for over ten years I have worked in marketing and communications. I am a lover of all things digital. I speak, train, strategize and plan with groups, coalitions and businesses. I work alongside smart strategists and specialists that are my colleagues and dear friends. I soak up their knowledge as best I can. It’s my job and the foundation of my career.
But at the end of the day, I am exhausted and have personal commitments. Kids. Hungry mouths to feed. Volunteer work. This little blog that is my outlet. After talking communications and strategy during the work day, I don’t apply the “best practices” I learn professionally to my personal commitments.
Therefore, I am a living oxymoron.
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Since we moved to the prairie and my husband joined his family business, he had a few marketing requests of me. Seemed easy enough. I know marketing. I do it every day. I live it. I breath it. I love it.
The website was at the top of the list. Sure I can get a website project done. I’m a digital strategy loving girl. I work with an entire digital team professionally. Of course I can get that done for my husband’s family business.
But then my day job consumed me. Jobs do that. Then there was a baby. A house to build. Another baby. A busy teenager. Those things that happen in real life.
Every early morning I have driven west to the airport or every late night I have returned home, I drive past the small town business with our name on it. The business that my husband’s parents took over 34 years ago, the business that drove our decision for my husband to plunge off the corporate wheel so he could be the 2nd generation in the family business. I am intensely proud of the business.
But I am reminded whenever I drive by that the website is not done.
I can plan, strategize and make recommendations for other businesses but not get work done for the business with our family name on it.
I compare it to going to the personal trainer I started seeing about once a week 6 weeks ago. She is fit. She is trim. She once weighed over 300 lbs. but practices what she preaches and is a walking testament to her word. Would I believe in her word if she didn’t practice what she preached? Would she be my personal trainer to tone me up post babies if she still weighed 300 lbs.? No.
Therefore, I am breaking free. Releasing the greatest oxymoron of my digital life. Embarrassing but true.
My married name is on a business that doesn’t have a web site. I have to practice what I preach.
My husband or the business doesn’t have a blog. Or a Facebook page. Or a Twitter account.
The business has a fax machine, two phone lines and a few email addresses. It has digital drafting, point of sale systems, accounting and much more, all of which my father-in-law and husband have updated and kept ahead through the years. Our business is growing like many small businesses in our state. My husband, his dad and employees are trying to stay ahead.
My job is to get their name out into the digital world. I have failed.
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But that my friends is about to change. Drum roll, please.
Tonight I purchased our domain name. Our small business on the prairie is taking up real estate in the World Wide Web.
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My secret is out. Soon and very soon the greatest oxymoron of my digital life will end, thanks to a fabulous digital designer friend of mine who is working on the web site project for me. I brain dump ideas and photos to her. She creates…and is compensated. My mind is at ease.
The small business owner husband of mine can smile and be assured that indeed his “pro bono marketing director” wife can actually get a project done…sooner or later with a lot of help, prodding and guilt.
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I think we each probably live out oxymorons in our life. Definitely. Maybe. Don’t you think so?
… then perhaps soon you can embed Tweet and Like buttons so we can easily express our urge to share your experience with the world. Oh, I can truly personally relate with it 🙂
Ha! Thank you. I don’t know why those buttons aren’t there! But I’m trying to fix it.
Yep relating, just like this homemade, organic food fanatic can easily serve Schwans corn dogs to her kids. 😉
OMG! What a cord this struck! I, too, am supporting my husband’s business and am not nearly as knowledgeable in the areas of marketing (thank goodness for twitter & online articles), but am struggling to get it all done as well. I may even be working from the same to do list from 2 weeks ago. Thanks for sharing this and inspiring me to get it done!
Thanks! I can’t get it all done..ever. But I think we have to pick and choose what we can do and when we need to lean on others to help get the jobs done. The sharing function is now thankfully showing up on my blog again. I at least can fix minor details in blogger.
I think your biggest step is to realize you can’t get it all done by yourself. Projects the closest to us seem to be the hardest to do. It’s not always easy to work for and live with and love the boss all at the same time. In the best of situations, it’s still a bit of a stress. Ask any farmer’s wife! 😉 SO glad you asked for a little help. Isn’t that what Mr. Lennon and the Beatles told us? “We get by with a little help from our friends.” Great choice!
Oh Katie, I am the same way. So many people have criticized the way I’ve run my various blogs, saying things like “You should know better” and “You should do this or that, you do it at work.”
At the end of the day, I don’t want to spend my free time doing the exact same things I do at work. My blog is my “happy place,” why would I stress over the small stuff when I spend my billable time doing that for other people?
I love my job(s) and wouldn’t trade in what I do for anything…but at the same time, when I take off my strategist hat for the day, sometimes it’s nice to leave it off for my own personal enjoyment. 🙂
Very definitely. Good luck!
I agree with everyone else! It’s so hard to get it all done and none of us should be beating ourselves up about what we can’t get finished. It’s all about balance. Kudos to you for getting help though; digitally and working out! Keep up the great life you lead because you are an inspiration to me everyday I read your blog!
My dad is a carpenter and he always joked that when something needed done around home, that was always the hardest job to get done.
Ironically, after a near fatal accident this last year, he has taken a lot of time and is now adding a whole addition to the house.
Good for you for taking the time to get it done and off your mind.
Hurray for you (and your family business!) i’m glad you’ve got it coming together! better late than never!
You are very smart to have someone do it for you. Not that you couldn’t do it. It’s something you know needed to be done and found away. I applaud you.
Welcome to the World Wide Wizzle 🙂
Kind of like this Stay at Home mom who would love to hire out bathrooms and floors. I get it!
Congrats on finally moving forward. Can’t wait to see what kind of masterpiece she whips up for you!
http://www.crystalcattle.com
I use my blog as an outlet too. It’s not my job, and I don’t plan on it becoming one. Farming is my full time job and passion and I aim to keep it that way. If some opportunity comes along because of my blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking that’s cool, but you’ll always be able to find me at the farm. I used to try to get into all the SEO, keywords, blah blah blah, but I really do just like having a little place to put my thoughts out there and see what happens.
Classic and too true. We all live those oxymorons. It’s part of being alive. What’s more classic, however, is the look on your husband’s face in the photo. You should print that one out and tape it to your rearview mirror until the site is up and running.
you know…i always love a good oxymoron! 🙂