This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
Let's talk about the case of the disappearing web developer. In this week's failure Friday segment, we're going to hear from a small business owner who hired somebody to update their website, only to be locked out during a crucial sales period when the developer disappeared. This is not how it's supposed to go, you're not supposed to hire a web developer who basically changes the password on your website and then you can't change it yourself. You have no access and I think this story, I think, well, we'll hear the details. I don't believe the developer was malicious, I think they were just kind of neglectful and avoidant perhaps and just didn't do a great job with the project.
But nevertheless, even though it wasn't a hack or something like that, it created a lot of difficulties for the business owner. And we have these stories once a week, all kinds of variations, mistakes, missteps, disasters and of course, failure to highlight what goes wrong, not to be discouraging, but to offer you kind of a lens of, okay, there was a problem here and this person was able to rally or figure themselves out, figure out the problem, whatever it was, and move forward positively. So if we can prevent this problem, like in this case, you'll hear how to hire a developer without losing your access, how to hire the right developer in the first place perhaps, or also maybe just be inspired and motivated by the fact that Sarah, in this case, she's the small business owner, was able to recover her site, move forward, and now she's in a better place. So I love working on these stories, I love hearing them, so I want to get out of the way and let Sarah tell hers. She's going to share about her struggle.
I'll come back at the end with a few words of wrap up. Hi, I'm Sarah, a small business owner from Lincoln, Nebraska. A few months ago, I faced a major setback that nearly derailed a crucial sales period for my online store. I hired a web developer to update my website, but they disappeared halfway through the project, leaving me locked out and unable to access my own site. Here's how it happened, and what I ended up doing.
So first, my business was growing, and I knew it was time for a website overhaul to improve user experience and boost sales. I decided to hire a freelance web developer who seemed to be perfect. We agreed on the project, scope, timeline, and fee, and I provided him with the login credentials to access my website's backend. Initially, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The developer made a few changes, and I was excited about the improvements.
However, as the project progressed, communication started to lag. He missed a few deadlines, and when I followed up, I received vague assurances that everything was on track. Then, during a crucial sales period, the launch of my new product line, the guy disappeared entirely. My website was partially updated, with several sections incomplete and some functionality broken. Worse, he had changed the login credentials and hadn't shared the new details with me.
I was locked out of my own website, unable to make any changes or updates. Being locked out during a critical sales period was a nightmare. Customers encountered broken links and incomplete pages, which not only hurt my sales but also damaged my brand's reputation. Frustration and panic set in as I realized the extent of the problem and how unprepared I was for such a situation. After several days of trying to contact the missing developer with no success, I decided to take action.
I reached out to my web hosting provider and explained the situation. They were able to help me regain access to my site by verifying my identity and resetting the login credentials. Once I had access, I quickly fixed the most critical issues to make the site functional again. However, the experience taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of having a reliable backup plan and better vetting processes for hiring freelancers. First, always keep a backup of your website, and never give control to a single person without retaining access yourself.
Ensure that you have administrator rights and can regain control if needed. Second, vet your freelancers, check their references, review their past work, and establish clear communication expectations. And third, have a contingency plan. Prepare for the unexpected. Have a list of alternative developers or support services you can contact in case of emergencies.
Today, my website is running smoothly again, and I've implemented several changes to prevent this from happening in the future. I found a more reliable web development agency with a solid track record, ensuring that multiple team members are familiar with my site to avoid dependency on a single person. The experience, though painful, made me more cautious and better prepared. It reinforced the importance of control and contingency in managing a critical business asset like a website. If you're a small business owner, learn from my mistake and ensure you're never locked out of your own digital presence.
Good luck everyone. The case of the missing developer. Thanks so much to Sarah for sharing the story. And listeners, as always, never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. This one was rough, painful, as she said, in her words, but I made her more cautious, better prepared, and so on.
I've had problems like this before in the past, where you just can't get into a critical system. And it's always super stressful. But then you know what life goes on. So that's maybe that's another lesson to take from it is like life goes on and more important to focus on what you're making next. What are you making next?
How are you going to serve people? What's your next product or service? Think about that. Let me know if we can be of service here, sidehustleschool.com. Detailed notes for every episode, 2,792.
That's today's. And of course, new one comes out tomorrow, every day after that. Always completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School.
From the Onward Project.
