I’m thrilled to even be nominated, it is a great validation of the 4 major things I try offer my clients: great communication, unique design, professionalism and a personable relationship.  Plus it would be cool to win an award called a “Wenny.”

Local Chambers can be a huge help to any business, I know I’ve benefited tremendously from being a part of the one here.  They are a great resource, advocate and networking opportunity.  I’ll see you at the networking event of the year – the 2010 Wenatchee Valley Chamber Banquet.

Or, read one of these:

1. Best Professional Service Business Nomination
2. Apt Design Co-Sponsors Seminar
3. gee whiz: a movie premiere

original image by drewbsaunders

Recently at my house we’ve made a few small changes: rearranged the couches in the living room, moved a light in a bedroom. Little things really, but it made the whole house seem new and different. We have plans for some bigger changes on the way, but for now just those little things are enough.

It got me thinking about making little changes to keep things fresh. In business, not changing means you’re not growing.  Not changing oftentimes comes from a static mindset.  And that kind of mindset can often be changed by just doing little things.

Even small changes can make a big difference – in your mood, in your employees job satisfaction, in what you offer your customers.

What are some small changes you could make right now really quickly?  Maybe rearrange your desk just a little bit? Be more ergonomic, more minimalist?  Add a plant?  If you need some help try this quick ebook from ZenHabits.

Get in the habit of keeping things fresh, fluid and organic and your business will reap the benfits.

—

Speaking of change, I’m currently working on a redesign of my website that should be launching here shortly.

Or, read one of these:

1. Burn Your Company
2. Young Business – Part 3

Here’s a description of the workshop, from the Write on the River website:

The web is no longer a fad for part-time HTML hobbyists. Authors as much as anyone need to look at how they can leverage the internet to connect and communicate. This workshop will begin by exploring one of the basic building blocks of the internet – the blog. We’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages blogs hold for writers. After finding out if creating a blog is right for you, we’ll look at how you can choose what to write about. We will also look at ways social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more) can benefit authors. We’ll examine ways writers can make money using the web, including the feasibility of income from blog-writing. Practical tips will be given as the important differences in writing for a web audience are considered. Lastly, we will touch on new experiments and opportunities for writers in an ever-changing online world.

I’ll be presenting May 15th at 2:15.  Terry Brooks is the keynote speaker this year!  So come in for the workshop or drop me a line here if you have any topics you’d like me to make sure and address.

Or, read one of these:

1. Write on the River
2. Write on the River
3. Two New Sites

My whole family is coming into town this year for Christmas (drawn to what I wonder?) and like many of you I’ll be taking off work to spend time with family.  For that I’ll be unavailable from December 24th – January 1st.

I’ll then jump right back in and be happy to help you finish up some projects and make sure everything is running smoothly.  I will then be taking another break to recharge, work on some personal projects, look at my business over the past 2.5 years, and plan for times ahead.  For that I will be unavailable from January 14th – 20th.

After that I look forward to providing you with more great design service that connects you to your clients!

I hope you have a relaxing and restful holiday break as well.  (Don’t ignore it – You Need a Break)

Or, read one of these:

1. Make Your Premium Services Wow
2. You Need a Break
3. Young Business – Part 2

A Broken Mac

A few weeks ago my Apple MacBook Pro went on the fritz.  I did have the AppleCare Protection Plan, so I called up my special number and let them know the problem.  After trying a few fixes my support guy decided the laptop needed to be sent in for repairs.  The next day a return box was dropped off at my house.  I pulled out a few tabs and had a package that custom fit my specific computer.

Apple paid the for overnight return to them, and I could track exactly how my repairs were progressing online at all times.  On the third morning a box showed back up at my house with my perfectly fixed computer.  Wow, that was worth paying for.

The Moral of the Story

The moral of this story?

If you have a premium service or product it better wow those paying extra for it.

Your products and services should always be excellent, that’s how you draw customers and clients in.  But if someone is paying extra for a premium service or product they deserve extra speed in your step, extra value in your service, extra quality in your product.  Make sure you are providing them with it and you’ll go from just having customers to having loyal fans.

Or, read one of these:

1. On the Way

photo by Al_HikesAZ's

I’m talking about a controlled burn.

Controlled burns are used in forestry as a method to “reduce fuel buildup and decrease the likelihood of serious hotter fires.”  Maybe its time to do a controlled burn with your company, to clear out the underbrush that’s getting in the way of your growth.

Burn Your Old Files

The longer you are at any job the more you accumulate a pile of junk.  Old files stack up, in-boxes overflow, receipts and scraps of paper litter your drawers.  Take a few hours, or even a whole day, to go through your entire office and trash what you no longer need.  If you’ve put those files onto your computer do you really need to keep the storage devices they came on?  Do you have piles of old computer equipment that can’t even be used any longer hanging out, cluttering your workspace.  Clear it out!

Burn Your Old Systems

Old systems can clog a smooth running business engine faster than just about anything.  There are certainly advantages to sticking with a system you know, but new business tools are being created constantly that can help you be more streamlined, mobile and efficient.  Try and view your systems from a mindset of a new employee.  Are there things you could be doing faster or better?  Take a broad look at how your business progresses through work and see if you can simplify and speed up your systems using new tools and technology.

Burn Your Old Mindset

Working at a job for awhile can also get your mind in a rut.  When you first started you proabably had lots of great ideas for ways to do things better and faster.  Bureaucracy or an overload of work can strip that mindset away from you pretty quickly.  You need to get that mentality back.  What are ways you can change your thinking to have a more positive state of mind towards your job?  What are some good ideas you had at first that have been sitting on the back burner?  How can you motivate your employees or coworkers to make your company better for yourselves and your customers?
If you keep meaning to do something like this and never can find the time, schedule it out in the future.  Pick a date on your calendar and make it “Burn Day.”  Then don’t let anything else get scheduled for that day.  Shut everything down until you let this fire do its work. Clear out the junk that keeps getting in your way and see new growth appear in its place.

Or, read one of these:

1. Young Business – Part 3
2. The Importance of Being Honest
3. Change

When I was a wee child of only 7 my dad started me on keyboarding lessons.  He envisioned a future where everyone used computers all the time – and he was right.  So, I was drilled on one of the fundamental basics of interfacing with computers – typing.  Be a fast typer has been invaluable to me and my business over the years.

We spend so much time typing every day that even a small increase in typing speed could save us loads of time in the long run (especially if you are still hunting and pecking for each key, ahem).  I’ve found a great and fun way to work on your fundamentals – get over to Addicting Games and try out Word Frenzy.  Or, if rabbits and monsters aren’t your thing, try the classic Space Invaders turned typing game.  However you get them in don’t forget the fundamentals!

No related posts.

Robot calligraphy

A robot that does calligraphy?  Affirmative.  This robot is rewriting the entire Bible, one character at a time.  Next up: outsourcing all things that take patience to robots.

ISO50

If you ever need to get that retro feeling just head over to the ISO50 blog.  They are masters at making the old seem new and the new seem old … making it all look good.  Take this photo for instance, shot on a recent trip to Norway.  Looks like it could have been taken 30 years ago.

Old Henson Creatives

Jim Henson was a super creative guy.  In the 1960’s he made some commercials for Wilken’s Coffee.  They precede the Muppets, and while they might not be ok to show on tv now, they are still brilliant.

This old barn

Here’s a great photo of an old barn in Waterville, Washington (very near my hometown of Wenatchee).  The barn still has an old advertisement painted on it and is really cool to see as you drive into town.

The Future

This video is a few months old but has some stunning discoveries about the future.

No related posts.

Don’t read this post. Instead, think of the closest access you have to outside and get there as quickly as possible. Winter is approaching quickly so now is your chance to get out before dark.  Take a break from work and get outside!

If you only have two minutes just take a deep breath and look at the sky. If you’ve got five minutes take a quick walk and try to notice something in the natural world around your office. If you have some more time try going for a walk somewhere new.

Reading blogs to learn about new things, find out how to be better at your job or grow your business is very important. But so is enjoying what you already have around you all the time – free!

Speaking of which, why are you still reading this? Go outside!

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

Or, read one of these:

1. Young Business – Part 5
2. Low Information Diet

If you are an author and you need a better website (one that would make this list) please contact me today.  I can help you create a custom-designed site that is easy for you to update yourself.  Let’s not let this industry wallow in 1998 any longer – its time for authors to embrace good web design!

For inspiration and to offer a bit of hope here are a few stand-out websites for authors I’ve found on the web:

Absolutely stunning site that makes great use of a minimal design approach and limited color scheme.

Peter goes big and bold.  You definitely know whose site you are at, and the navigation is well done too.

Brash and colorful, Augusten certainly has the best use of illustration of any author website I’ve seen.

Mr. Brown’s site perfectly mirrors the mystery in his books.  Navigating the site is like unlocking a great puzzle.

Clean, simple, beautiful and functional.  Not much to go wrong with here.  Nice emphasis on the books right from the start as well.

Trevor gets extra points for his use of social media and blogging.  The way these are sorted and posted down below is brilliant.

Many sites try to be too artsy and leave the user behind.  Rachael’s site pulls off the scattered design well.

Spark’s site is clean and pretty and does a great job appealing to his target audience.

Or, read one of these:

1. 18 Beautiful Websites built with WordPress