Hey ,

Jannis here 👋

First off – thank you so much for being one of the first subscribers to this newsletter. This really means the world to me ✨

Some of you may remember when I made a very bold statement a few weeks ago: "I don't need a newsletter", I said, back when my friend Mattia dropped hints that he will launch his.

And look at me now. Typing these words in the editor of a newsletter tool, promising all of you the reveal of a secret.

Quick disclaimer: this first issue is gonna get a big longer. But to start things off, I want to take the time to tell you a bit about the background.

Lumos...

So, why a newsletter? And why now?

If you've followed me on Twitter (well, all of you do – so far I've only shared the newsletter signup link there 😂) you might have noticed that I dropped a hint or two: I am relaunching my website soon. Very soon.

Since I started being more active on Twitter this year, I have struggled with figuring out what I want to do. I always knew I wanted to use this channel to build friendships and a (side) business. But I had no idea how.

Initially, I wanted to build a fancy SaaS tool – that seemed to be "trendy" on Twitter. Then a high-ticket web design service. Then selling templates for Carrd.

And while none of these endeavors led to anything that could pay (part of) my bills, they all made me end up where I ended up: as a mentor in the Build in Public Mastery course – together with my awesome friend Christine.

Christine and I had a very random call a few days before the cohort of that course started. With my background in web design I wanted to help her re-build her website for her new service as an email list manager.

We used the 21-day "build in public challenge" of the cohort to rebuild Christine's website from scratch – and make an awesome Carrd template out of it.

Working with her, sharing the progress, and talking with many of you has accidentally helped me figure out where I want to go.

See, in the last 10 years I have always done "something with websites" – WordPress setups for small businesses in Austria, custom-built Webflow sites, my own blog themes for Ghost, etc.

Re-building Christine's website in public has made me realise how valuable all of that experience and knowledge is. What is obvious to me, might not be obvious to others.

So, I set out to think on a broader scale. What helps people like you – my friends – is not a high-ticket web design service. It might be Carrd templates. But fundamentally, it's quick & actionable tips to improve your websites with a few clicks. Resources that help you create more professional websites without spending thousands of $ on a web designer.

And well, that is why we are here now. And why I think a newsletter makes sense, after all, even though I said the exact opposite just a few weeks ago 🙃

A medium to share all of these tips, resources, and insights – without a big barrier but better distribution than a blog, for example.

So, once again – thank you for trusting me. Thank you for subscribing. And thank you for following along ❤️

And now...

The reveal: A new (magical) name? ✨

A new website also need a new name.

So far, I've been using "powidl" to market my Carrd themes – and while that is a super sweet name, my international friends from outside of Central & Eastern Europe have no idea how to pronounce it 🙈

Powidl is a prune plum jam – and most Central & Eastern European countries have it in one form or the other.

It's a great jam – but maybe not such a good name.

So, when I set out to find a new name a few weeks ago, one thing in particular stood out to me.

Whenever I shared an update about a website design I was working on, there was always somebody who pointed out the magic behind it.

"This looks magical", "That's some serious Carrd magic",...

And it has some truth to it. Web design and magic aren't that different, actually.

Both are considered "mysterious" and like a black box.

A magician performs some tricks – and we all know it's mostly an illusion, but still, we gasp and sit in awe.

Something similar happens when I present a custom-made web design to a client. They know it's just shapes, forms, and text – but the combination of it is just...magical. It all makes sense...but HOW???

And this is the essence of what I want to capture with my new online presence. I want to show you the magic tricks behind web design. I want to show you how they work.

And after a while, you will see that web design – like magic – isn't scary or mysterious. It's logical, methodical – and sometimes a bit of an illusion 😉

With that in mind, I want to lift the suspense of the name that will replace powidl very very soon. And I present you the...

🪄 MagicWebsiteLab

My new online presence that will house:

• This newsletter with bi-weekly actionable tips around web design
• Carrd templates that let you kickstart your website within a few minutes
• Website Audits, so you can maximize the impact of your existing site
• A blog that will dive deeper into certain topics (coming soon)

I am still working out some final details, but you can already have a look around the new website at magicwebsitelab.com (please, just don't buy any templates yet – that part is not ready as of now 😂)

Keep an eye out on Twitter – in the next few days I'll launch the new website and name there as well.

Thank you for reading, for your support, and for subscribing to this newsletter as one of the firsts ❤️

And for now...

Nox!

– Jannis