Lessons Learned

Arghhhhhh! I am so incredibly frustrated.

As you know, my dad, sister and I have been working on ways to promote my Mom's book. It has been very slow-going because we all got busy with our lives, and we weren't really sure what or how we were going to promote it. We have a lot of ideas but just not the time to implement them all.

One crucial aspect of whatever marketing plan we have is a website. We look at a website as a place to send people who were looking for information, not necessarily as a tool that we are going to initially use in a full-blown web marketing campaign. My dad and I met with a web designer way back in September; it turns out this guy also has experience promoting books, so we were very pleased with what he said he could offer us. Well, fast-forward three-and-a-half months and I'll tell you what he can offer us: NOTHING. Hence, the title of this post.

I do not believe in a public bashing, so I won't mention this guy by name; I'll just call him Louis (but if you want to know who he is, drop me an email and I'll tell you about my experiences with him). My dad and I first met with Louis in the beginning of September - he came to me as a referral. He is a small business owner who designs websites as well as invents things. I don't know much about his work - and I didn't know much about his working style then. We had a good talk and he gave us some decent ideas of how to promote the book. My dad told him that we were looking for sponsors and Louis told us he'd be our first; he offered to design our website for free. Of course, my dad offered - and wanted - to pay him, but Louis declined. He wanted to donate the site to us.

I took the next week or so drafting the components of the site and emailed it - along with just a couple of pictures - to Louis. At first, the communication was open and flowing, but as time went on, I noticed that when asked for an update on the site, or the status on when it can be launched, it took him days to get back to me.

He eventually did get a 'sketch' of the site to me and I thought it looked great. I was excited that things were moving along and we would have a professionally-looking website to act as an 'anchor' of information. I was waiting for the site to be complete - and online - before I started sending out press releases to the local media, etc. But as time went on, I found myself waiting and waiting.

Louis and I did get together in early November; he wanted to talk to me about some cool things we could add to the site, such as ring-tones to download. I thought that was fine...but it was the site itself that I was interested in. I wanted to get it online, tie it into the blog and then talk about next steps. At this meeting, Louis also asked for more photos of my Mom, which I sent to him the following week. Since then, I hadn't heard from him.

Until now. I am not going to get into the details, but I tapped Louis to work on a piece of collateral for something completely different, that has nothing to do with Hands Off My Hope! When it came to light that what he produced was not what we were looking for, I simply told him that we were going to complete the project ourselves even though we had paid him. Apparently, Louis didn't like this answer and he asked for more specific feedback. I emailed him that what he provided was not what we asked for and we were going to finish it ourselves. Apparently this bruised Louis' ego a bit too much.

About four hours after this correspondence, he sent me the Hands Off My Hope! website files and told me never to contact him again. I couldn't believe it...I was flabbergasted. Actually, I was pissed. I couldn't believe that after 3 1/2 months of working and waiting, he was cutting this project loose. Actually, I don't mind that we are not working with him; I'm rather happy about that. What bothers me is that we wasted all of this time waiting on him...and he doesn't have the professionally courtesy to finish what he told us he would do because I hurt his feelings on a completely unrelated topic. It's rather unbelievable to me.

I think that what bothers me the most is that in this case, I did not follow my instincts. When I first met Louis and saw his work, I was a bit 'iffy' about his abilities. And during that meeting my dad and I had with him, I remember thinking 'this guy is full of shit.' He seemed to be all talk and no action. I didn't say anything to my dad about it and decided to give Louis the benefit of the doubt. After all, my dad seemed fairly impressed and my dad's opinion carries a lot of weight with me. Clearly though, my instinct was right, as it usually is. 

I'm sure there are a lot of lessons to learn in this episode with Louis, but I'm really not going to play and replay the elements in my head. But what I will remember is what I've always known...and that is to trust my instincts.

So if anyone knows the name of a web designer please let me know!

Comments

[Erick Lewis (Louis) if you're going to bash me spell my name right]

Wendy,

If you're going to make this a public matter, your audience should hear both sides of the story.

1. My name is Erick Lewis not Louis (website designer for over 13 years).

2. Website Sample: Your website sample was completed and ready for you to "review" within a matter of a 48 hours.

3. Website content: Photos are a big part of a website, I've asked you on 3 occasions to please send me all of the photos and text (copy) that you wanted to use, you were slow getting it to me, if you remember correctly you were only available Mon, Wed, and Fri thus you would only return emails during those days, and sometimes I would receive your emails once a week .

4. As for payment - Why were you so uncomfortable with the fact that I was DONATING my work to you? I offered simply because I believed in your cause, work and your love for your Mother? I have a Mother as well, I can't even imagine her going through what your Mother did, I'm not sure but maybe your pain is why your lashing out at me.

I understand that you may have been uncomfortable accepting my work for free, however as a business owner I possess that opportunity and right, When I TRULY believe in something I jump in with both feet and it for free.

You mentioned the fact that I'm a new product designer / Inventor, since you brought this up I'll take this time talk about my passion to "give".

About 9 years ago a young child (Darnell Martin) fell through the ice at Powderhorn Park (in south Minneapolis) Darnell drowned while attempting to rescue his Sister and friend from the icy pond water.

I was informed of this tragedy and immediately began to think of how I could help, and yes I was going to help for FREE. Within a day I designed a warning sign that incorporated a motion sensor, and a voice chip that when the sign sensed motion it would activate an audio warning message - "CAUTION THE ICE IS NOT SAFE, PLEASE MOVE AWAY".

I presented the sign to the City's park board, and the Mayor (at the time Sharon Sayles Belton) in an effort to have the warning signs placed on all city lakes. My goal was to never hear a story like this ever again. In short all of this work was done out of love, passion and my desire to help, and yes for free, wait no that's right I used my money to develop this sign.

The sign was installed at Powderhorn Park 1 year later on the anniversary of the tragic event. The mayor came down to present the sign in an unveiling ceremony. Television channels 2, 5, 9, & 11 were all there, the Mayor gave an incredible presentation and it was a memory of a life time. I have to say that the thing that completely knocked me off my feet was when after all of the excitement died down and the camera's were all packed up, a woman and young child walked up to me to thank me for my work, what made this so memorable was that she said that she was there when the child was drowning, she saw the entire incident, she was racing towards the edge of the pond in an attempt to save the drowning child, just then her young son grabbed her hand and said “ No Mom don't go, I don't want to loose you”. I still get emotional reminiscing about her experience.

After inventing the Talking Thin Ice warning sign I incorporated the same technology into a sign that would hopefully eliminate car / deer collisions. In short I did create a sign that MnDot is currently using on Highway 23 (outside of Camden State Park southern Minnesota). At last check I was successful in my goal to reduce collisions (and to hopefully save lives), When we spoke to the Park Ranger (They're responsible for cleaning up the dead animals) they stated that the car deer collisions were reduced by 50% in a result to my signs being in place. Note This strip oh highway was the # 1 collisions area for car deer collisions in the state of Minnesota.

Here's the short list of live saving devices that I've invented and there status:

Anti Shark attack / notification system: Once again I heard about a swimmer (Florida beach) that was bitten by a shark while swimming. I immediately began to think again “how can I help?”, and I designed a system that would help, I presented it to the State of Florida they reviewed the concept and wasn't able to move forward with the idea due to budget restrictions. I unfortunately was not able to fund this project, however I presented it to them at no cost, other than for the materials that it would take to build.

2 years ago I wanted to donate a wild fire accelerated notification system that once again I designed after hearing about about a California wild fire. In this case a Fire fighter lost his life while attempting to extinguish this fire – I can't put into words how this made me feel.

I'll stop here because I have a very long record of giving, so long I'm embarrassed talking about it.

In both cases your website and the Gift certificate that you wanted me to design, I wanted to help, I charged you for the design because I could sense that you were uncomfortable in receiving anything for free. In the case of your website, you really should tell your audience that I did email you all of the master files for your website and you are ready to take the site live.

In closing I wanted to suggest that you mention my Daughter 8 year old Daughter Sarai, and please feel free to mention her Penny drive for the Lance Armstrong foundation, and how I teach her to give. Sarai started her penny drive because her Grandmother was taken by cancer. Sarai was a “Special Presenter” at the Lance Armstrong Silent auction because of her willingness to give – if you do the math Sarai was only 4 at the time.

Wendy I know that you don't know these things about me you really should regroup and re-think your position, I think that if you take a moment to think you'll see that maybe you made a mistake.

As for your comment about the “customer is always right”, when you ask my opinion about my work, I'm going to give you my professional opinion, if you had not asked for my opinion I wouldn't have given it.

As for your gift certificate project, I asked you on multiple occasions to provide me with the master files for your companies logo etc. you stated that you wanted to only talk to them only one time, It sounds like you have a bad relationship with them as well?, thus the job was presented to me.

I truly understand that the holiday season can be a hard time for people that have lost a loved ones (my family experiences it at this time of the year as well), but please find another way to relieve the pressure, I haven't done anything other than try to be a person that believes in you and that simply wanted to support your efforts.

One last word of advice, hopefully after reading about how passionate I am about contributing, giving and using my God given gifts to create products to help save our Children, Parents, Grandparents, Family, Friends and complete strangers from tragedies, maybe you'll understand that me donating a website to your cause is just in my nature.

My advice is to learn to receive, I don't know you well at all, but by reading your blog and book it sounds as if you and your family have already given enough, it's time to receive some positive things and memories. Not everyone is bad, learn to trust again, learn to listen, learn to recognize that all things are not to be understood at this time. As I stated in my previous email to you please feel free to use the website files that I have given you – no strings attached, no commitment, I have a huge list of people that you can contact to verify my generosity.

Sincerely,

Erick L. Lewis
President / CEO
E. L. Lewis Enterprises Incorporated
www.ericklewis.net
elewis@ericklewis.net

[Wendy Jacobson]

I have been toying in my mind how I wanted to respond to this comment. To be honest, when he first made a comment, I deleted it. After all, he asked me never to contact him again. If that's what he wants, why should I allow him to contact me? But after deleting it, he reposted it. So, I deleted it again and emailed him respectfully asking him to let it go. He refused; he then spammed my blog, leaving the above comment after each and every post.

Honestly, I have better things to do with my time than police my blog, so I deleted every comment except this one. I will leave it and I will not respond to it (and you should know that he did threaten to smear my name and my family's name to his contacts if I did delete his comment again. That is not why I left it; rather I left it so he would leave me alone).

I will not respond to any of his remarks other than to say he does not know me, he does not know my family, and as of November 7, 2008 he hadn't read my mom's book so I don't really think he knows her cause, either. Funny how someone can help promote something they don't really know about, but that's another story. He has no idea what my relationships are in the community and what my family's relationships are within the community. He can pontificate all he wants, but what he thinks is far from reality.

Finally, I will publicly ask him one more time to let this drop. Please, stop spamming me, stop emailing me and stop with the comments. If he feels the need to create a blog and/or website to bash me and my family (as he said he might do), then so be it. This is my blog and I get the last word.