Choose your goals and design a site that creates serendipity for you
Dec 11, 2024
Yesterday at 11:05 am I hopped on a 15-minute call with a reader who came across an article I wrote online.
This person was forwarded my personal website article and then booked a time to chat from my site.
For some of you, this flow isn't unique.
Yet, this serendipity engine feels like magic to me.
This past week, three strangers have reached out this way.
In the past year, 87,700 people have visited my personal site, and I have had hundreds of calls from people worldwide with little effort.
Many have become clients.
Some are friends.
Some are future question marks.
Some have silently joined and read this here newsletter.
What people get wrong about personal sites is they think they are just digital business cards, and not worth investing in.
Or they are nothing more than a digital journal.
Both of these can be true if that's what you design them to be.
But I'd argue there is a more thoughtful way to build a site essential to getting you what you want.
And it's not about having a home page no one reads, a blog with an apology post stating you hope to write more, and a generic contact form destined never to be filled out.
All while using your web host's default black-and-white theme with zero personality except for the picture of you and your pets.
Websites work for hundreds of millions of businesses. So why is your personal website not taking cues from that world?
Choosing what you want in your life is a key part of this equation, and how your site is structured depends on your choice.
I believe there are three paths to choose from:
Personal Serendipity: You feel intellectually isolated and desire to expand your social circle, increasing luck and serendipity in your life.
Professional Pivot: You're bored with your current career, and want a low-risk way to test out other areas of interest without blowing up your life (and paycheck).
Solo Business: You want to sell products or services and build your solo business by attracting the right clients.
Which path are you on for your own site?
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