Name of your website?How to be happy in midlife, a must have guide for women over 40
Your name?
Gale Lennard
Your Location (city, etc)
Jupiter
Please give us a short summary of your website?
A guide for women over 40 searching for how to be happy in this time of great change and transition in life. You can be happy in spite of dealing with midlife challenges such as caring for aging parents, menopause, divorce, empty nest syndrome, career change and health concerns.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I was inspired to start this website after I was fortunate enough to attend the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. It’s hard to articulate how it felt to be in a place with over a million people who were all in a positive, hopeful, happy state.
We were smooshed together like sardines in the freezing cold for hours and hours. You can image what these conditions could have been like on any other day. But because the energy was so great, we didn’t even notice these things. The positive energy in that crowd was palpable - you could feel it. It didn’t matter what anyone’s political affiliation, background, race, or religion was on that day; it just didn’t matter - we were all the same that day. What could be better than creating a website about happiness and thinking about being happy every day?
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was about my dog Luc. He's a Coton de Tulear which is a very rare breed. I was frustrated with the lack of information available about this breed so I decided to create a site where people could share information. I still have this website. It's fun and I hear from people all over the world who are lovers of this breed.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
It just came to me. My site is primarily focused on women in midlife so HappyHalfway seemed perfect.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
My goal is to always focus on the positive and help others see that happiness doesn't depend on any outside influences. I want women to understand that they deserve to be happy and that they can be happy.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Keep it for income
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
It's a labor of love - I can't put a price tag on the labor. Writing and researching happiness help me as much as I hope it will help my readers.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would get help with web design - I am definitely not an expert in html
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
There's always a way, even if you have to ask for help
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None so far
What has been your biggest challenge?
Traffic, traffic, traffic. It's a slow and steady process to get your site seen.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
I just keep writing content.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
This site is very new (just a couple of months). I'm focusing on staying positive right now instead of thinking about the negative "what ifs". Everyone wants to be happy, right?
What is your website address?
www.happyhalfway.com
