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My domain name inspirationimport.com is up for renewal. I have had it for several years, but in recent years I have directed any traffic from there to my name site. LesleyFletcher.com

I registered my name site following a seminar for Canadian writers in which two sides were offered – the Pro Indie (that would be me) and the Con Indie (that would be the remainder of the fully packed room). This was a few years ago and traditionally published authors were thrown off-kilter as they were no longer being wined and dined by publishers. I had already published independently and couldn’t see myself hobnobbing through the pretension I witnessed that day. That is a whole other story. They have likely moved on by now but there will be some old guard that would rather not be published than take on the bourgeoisie role the loud Pro-man with the head mic was presenting.

Long story, shortened is that day the Mic Man made a huge impact on me and my long-term plan for both writing and for my artwork. He stressed how important it was to claim your name and I listened and did so immediately.

I had already registered Inspiration Import both as a website and a Quebec company. Because it needed to be a French name in this province, I spent a great deal of time trying to get it just right so that it read well in English also. I needed a name that had the potential to include any number of products, visions, artworks and writings.

A few months later, still very, very wet behind the ears, I extended on my ideal dreams by registering as a visitor to a gift trade show. Here, I planned to map out my future and make contacts and, and and…

On my list was to check out where I could get cards printed, how to set up and sell them and a market study of what buyers wanted. It was very ambitious of me given my adversity to large groups of strangers and my tendency to be, for lack of a better word, useless at being assertive and equally intimidated by the task at hand, but what’s life without tremendous risk?

Luck was with me as I spotted my perfect person. A woman, dressed as an angel. I believe in angels, she must too. I would like to sell cards, she is already doing so. She is a woman and so am I so what harm would it do to try?

Rule number one is to get them talking about themselves and their work. That was easy. Apply to the ego not the business person. She was beautiful, dressed in white with a fine set of feathered angel wings, a floating halo, gorgeous blue eyes, plump soft pink lips and perfect blonde hair with child-like texture in her bouncing curls. The type of woman that any other woman would feel like Broom Hilda standing next to her, but I had a purpose so I could put all that aside for the greater good.

angel-028

And then it happened – she glanced at my name tag which had my business name ‘Inspiration Import’ and her devil horns came out of nowhere. Her eyes narrowed and her tone went cold and I was brushed off like the stardust she was surrounded by (or was that my active imagination?). I was getting kicked to the curb by an angel in disguise. Since she was staring at ‘mine’, I decided to stare at ‘hers’ – It read ‘Inspire Import’.  Ha! Gotcha, I thought as I sashayed away with my confidence somewhat not shattered, too much anyway…

And that is why I feel compelled to renew a domain name I don’t need. 

I’ve always said it’s interesting to watch devils cry when angels want to stab you in the back. I like that mixture. Norman Reedus

Lesley Fletcher is a writer (freelance, books, content, lyrics,stage plays) as well as a visual artist specializing in monoprints. To learn more about her please visit the tabs here on WordPress or her website at http://www.LesleyFletcher.com or Artist Site.