Don't make this mistake
Ever felt like your email was playing a game of hide-and-seek with your business success? Let me tell you a tale that'll make you laugh, cringe, and maybe even learn a thing or two!
Grab a ☕️ cup of coffee or your favorite kombucha. Let me tell you a sad taleofmy wild ride through the digital wilderness.
I'm Mary-Claire, your friendly neighborhood barefoot massage expert and accidental email archaeologist. 😉
In the late 1990's, I created my very first email account: [email protected]. Hey, now. Don't make fun.
I needed a "professional" email address 🤣. My last name is "Fredette" and I was becoming a massage therapist.
That worked pretty well until it glitched on a regular basis. At some point in time, I switched to Cincinnati Bell's email service, Fuse.net.
They'd been around for something like 100 years, so they seemed trustworthy.
Until they weren't. More on that later.
When I first started teaching barefoot massage in 2004, I didn't even have a website.
The beginning of my troubles
In 2006, I decided to dive into the deep end of the internet pool. No fancy Wix or Squarespace back then, no siree Jim Bob.
I went with a company called iBuilt. Spoiler alert: I'm trying to "un-build" it 18 years later!
Everything was kind of new back then. At least it was for me.
Back then had an old fuse.net account, and they're no longer in business.
This has created more headaches for me than you can possibly imagine.
As in, it's tied to my Paypal account. So I don't get notifications for anything.
Yes, I was able to change my login, but I'll have to start all over if I want notifications. Honestly, it doesn't seem worth it.
2010 - sashaying into blog posts.
Remember Blogspot? And it became Blogger? (Or was it vice-versa?)
In 2010, I dipped my toes into blogging with my first post titled "To Affinity and Beyond!"
Clever, right? (My massage practice is Affinity Massage Studio.) But guess what? That blog is also stuck in the fuse.net black hole. I can’t reset the password because, well, the account doesn’t exist anymore.
But there's literally no fuse.net account anymore. #hosed.
2014
Then there’s my old WordPress site from 2014. Can’t get into that one either! It’s like a treasure chest of outdated posts.
It shows up when I Google my name.
✔️I probably wrote stupid stuff
✔️ everything is out of date,
✔️ at least one of my "headshots" is ridonckulous.
Let's cut to the chase: your email provider can make or break your business. It's not just about sending messages; it's about building a digital foundation that grows with you.
Here's the scoop from my years in the trenches:
- Reliability is key. You need a provider that's as dependable as your morning coffee.
- Flexibility matters. As your business evolves, your email needs will too.
- Integration is crucial. Your email should play nice with other business tools.
I've found my match with MailerLite. It's like upgrading from a flip phone to a smartphone – game-changing! Just remember to use your professional email (mine's [email protected]) to keep things legit.
Time for a Reality Check
If you're still rocking AOL, Yahoo, or Hotmail, it's time for an intervention. Your business deserves better!
Choose an email provider that's in it for the long haul. Trust me, your future self will high-five you for making the switch.
And here's a fun fact: If your email address is older than some of your clients, you're either a digital pioneer or it's seriously time for an upgrade.