Personal Site · Writing & Newsletter
Jay McBride
One person, real business. My personal site tells the story behind Bunker41 and sends readers to my newsletter, with the latest issues pulled in from Substack automatically.
The challenge
A personal site for someone who also runs a business has to do its own job without competing with the business site. Mine isn’t a CV or a second sales page. It’s where the story lives — why I started Bunker41, what I’m working on, and what I’m learning — written for people weighing up doing the same. The writing itself is published on Substack, so the site has to point there without going stale every time a new issue goes out.
What I built
- A homepage built around one line: one person, real business
- The latest four newsletter issues, pulled from the Substack feed at build time, with their cover art
- My Story, Now and Magpie pages
- A “What I’m building” section linking Bunker41 and my own products
- Subscribe buttons that send readers to Substack
- A fast, static Hugo build
Highlights
What makes it work
The Newsletter Updates the Site
Every time the site builds, the homepage reads the Substack feed and shows the latest four issues, with their cover images fetched and resized on my own domain. A new issue shows up without touching the site, and if Substack can’t be reached the page still builds, just without the list.
One Message, Said Plainly
Big type, a black-and-white portrait, and one line: one person, real business. Everything below the first screen backs it up with specifics — years building software, the first client shipped, and what’s in progress.
It Points Somewhere Else on Purpose
The site isn’t trying to keep readers. Its main buttons go to Substack, where people can subscribe, and to Bunker41 for anyone who needs work done.
Behind the scenes
How I approached it
Keep the Story Apart From the Sales Page
Bunker41’s site is for people who need something built. This one is for people interested in the business behind it. Keeping them separate lets each one speak plainly to its own reader.
Let Substack Do What It’s Good At
Email, subscriptions and the archive live on Substack. The site doesn’t copy any of it; it reads the feed and links out, so there is one place to publish.
Specific Over Impressive
Real numbers and real projects instead of a list of skills: twenty years building software, the first client shipped, products in progress, and what each one actually took.
Restraint
One typeface, black and white, and plenty of space. It keeps the page fast and puts the words first.
Got a project in mind?
Tell me what you’d like to improve. The first call is free, and you’ll know the price before any work starts.