[Letter from the Editor] If we build it, will they come?

In my 20 years in web development and search engine optimization for businesses who are looking to grow their customer base, I have learned hard lessons about expectations. The “If they build it, they will come” mentality isn’t always true. This isn’t Noah’s Ark or Field of Dreams.

When I interviewed Duane Adams regarding the need for medical facilities, he was clear: in his eight years of working toward bringing medical care to Lake Anna, and with numerous studies and countless conversations with providers, the response was always the same— “No.” “No.” and “NO!”

So, is it hasty to think that just because Lake Anna wants, needs, and is dead set on getting a medical facility… that we will? Some would say it’s a pipe dream—an unsustainable hope. But here’s my question: when did we stop making dreams a priority? Andrew Carnegie and Napoleon Hill believed that dreams are the seedlings of reality. That without passionate dreams, we’d never create tangible change.

But isnt it also true that nothing comes for free? Whether it’s an exchange of money, time or resources… you can’t get something for nothing. You can’t create energy or matter out of thin air.

So, what are Lake Anna residents willing to exchange? If we don’t want more population, don’t want more traffic, don’t want more noise…

Do we even want change?

I implore every resident who wants medical solutions—both in our area and within our current healthcare system—to stop complaining. Stop focusing on what we don’t have and, instead, join with your peers and start dreaming about it. Become passionate. Start advocating.

And don’t forget to ask the real question—what are you willing to exchange for it?

Jen Bailey

Hi! I’m Jennifer Bailey and I partner with entrepreneurs who have massive ideas that could change the world. Most marketing is meaningless. Filled with empty promises, its only job is to bring in new traffic, new leads, and new customers. But I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and I’ve learned that marketing can do so much more than reach business goals and build profit. My methods give businesses the fire and soul they need to reach the right people, set the groundwork for sustainable relationships, and offer true value to the people on both the giving and receiving ends of marketing.