+ WalkingStick Design +

This is how Donovan Beery made the leap to full time independent work for his own firm.  If you don't already know Donovan, then it's my privilege to introduce you to him here today. Get to know him here: http://eleven19.com/ http://36point.com/ Before Going Independent: • What did you do for a job? Before starting Eleven19, I was the web designer for Union Pacific Railroad. I did that for over two and a half years before following the head of the Web team over to one of their subsidiaries, where I did both print and web design for. Since I was working in-house jobs, where freelancing was not considered a conflict of interest, I started doing some small freelancing projects at night and on the weekends. • What convinced you to make such a drastic change in your life and career? At the time I didn't see this change as being as drastic as it probably is. I had been at a technology company during the end of the dot com boom, so the place was changing rapidly. The first few mon...

I’ve read a bunch of books about how to run a successful small business. So far, none of them ever come out and tell you what to avoid and why or what to do to avoid what you should avoid to succeed. So, here you go. Wildly increasing your chances of success in running your small business is a 2 step process: 1. NEVER go into debt 2. ALWAYS pay your taxes -- We’ve all heard that dooming statistic that 90% of small businesses fail within the first 5 years and 80% of that remaining 10% fail within the first 10 years. Would you like to know why? There are 2 reasons why this statistic rings true today. 1. Folks go into huge personal debt to start their business. 2. Folks don’t hold back a third of every dollar they earn. Let’s take a moment and talk about these reasons. 1. Folks go into huge personal debt to start their business. You’ve got a great idea, you’ve acquired a needed skill set, you’ve found a way to solve someone’s problem that they, for some reason or another, can not solve f...

I've been taking a minimalistic approach with my wallet a-la http://www.money-band.com/ and used my FN-09 General-Purpose Band of Rubber to do the job right. I sent in some pics to my friend Aaron over at www.draplin.com He wrote up a mighty kind blog post about it and it's posted here for you to enjoy: http://fieldnotesbrand.com/2010/02/11/just-about-the-best-name-ever/ I can't say enough great things about Aaron or about using this minimal wallet. Give it a try, if you hate it you can always go back to using your Costanza http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=costanza+wallet. Me, I'd rather not have the back problems. Posted via email from Eye Say • The Web Log

<script src="http://twtpoll.com/js/badge.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="http://twtpoll.com/badge/?twt=wg78ps&s=250&b=1&bt=1" type="text/javascript"></script> Posted via email from Eye Say • The Web Log

Or, overcoming the "I want a professional logo and marketing materials but don't have money right now because I'm a small business" excuse. I have a friend who will be entering the heat and air contracting business within the next few months. He is starting from zero except for the fact that he will inherit a book of business from his former employer. He is committed to moving forward with his business debt-free which is awesome. He has asked me to coach him and help him market his business effectively. As of right now today, he has zero dollars for design and marketing. So, I came up with an idea which may end up serving us both very well. First of all, I only do business under contract with folks who have a positive track record of integrity in their business dealings. That way, I'm more comfortable and creative when helping them out. Knowing this, we'll plan out his design/marketing needs for the next year. For my services I will charge him a percentage of...

I wrote this story yesterday for a friend of mine who is 4 years old. And, because I wish someone would have told it to me when I was 4. The drill, the hammer and the wrench by Clint Walkingstick As the sun began to rise one morning, he spotted a construction site. The tools on the site were already hard at work building a house. The sun began to focus his attention on what was going on between all the tools as they worked. He listened in on their conversation and was a witness to the following events. At the construction site there was a wise old drill who had completed many houses. He was well-known among the tools for his positive attitude and was admired by many construction sites because of the skill and expertise he’d show as he did his work. One day, as he was working, he heard a strange sound. Whack, WHACK, CRACK! The wise old drill looked around to see where the sound was coming from but all the other tools on the site just kept working on what was in front of them. He heard ...

It’s my job to obsess over your message to achieve your goals for your business. I can’t do that if my kids are hungry and the mortgage payment is looming over my head. So, to ensure that you’re getting my best work, I ask for 50% down. That way, you gain the benefit of my full attention to your project. 50% down also ensures your spot in my work calendar. Eye Say favors the prepared. This means if you’ve done your homework, you’ll get your project in your hands for the best price at the best pace. I absolutely love working with folks who are as prepared as I am. If you don’t know where to start, that’s okay. I totally dig walking through the proper print project planning process with new folks. Again, doing this will ensure that you’ll get your project in your hands for the best price at the best pace. Let’s make something great together! Fill out a project estimate form today. Simply visit www.eyesaydesign.com Posted via email from Eye Say • The Web Log