• Word of The Day: Confectional

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    con·fec·tion·al [kuhn-fek-shuh-nl] noun An isolated place set aside for work, which drives specific urges for constant munching, often followed by bloated vocal remorse. [See cubicle or home office] A cathartic apology, often to a loved one, that is driven by the guilt of having ignored them while gorging on the sweet fruits of one’s labor [See workaholic] A place where creative inspiration, which drives the process of compounding, preparing, or making something delectable, begin with …

  • Freelancer’s Guide to Sales: Making Friends

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    We had one of those epiphanies on Sunday while walking down the street to surf Sharks (inspiring name huh). Peter & I were discussing the value of attending TED in 2008 and whether it is worth the $12,000 it costs if we manage to get tickets. For a 12k entry cost, he wanted to make sure that beyond learning, we drove some business from that investment. As we walked along, Peter wondered out loud how …

  • All-Nighters Suck, Overtime is a Myth

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    Don’t wait to deliver bad news hoping that you might fix everything with a mad sprint to the finish. All-nighters suck. And if you lead a team, overtime is a myth. There are times when optimism has gotten us in trouble. I’ve noticed this in a lot of freelancers. After all, we can do it all! We think, “gosh this deadline is looking tight, looks like I get to do another few all-nighters. No worries, …

  • Bring People With You – A Recipe For a Small Business Revolution

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    This is a guest post from our friend, Jarkko Laine. Jarkko is Insanely Interested In Everything, and single-handedly starting an entrepreneurial revolution. When I think of a billionaire the first image that comes to mind is that of Scrooge McDuck. An image of someone who has earned a big fortune through hard work, but lost the most important treasures along the way: his friends, family, and good will.

  • 2008 Goals: Scare Yourself

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    We just finished our business retreat and I am pontificating our one year goals. Last year was a huge year for us as we transitioned from two professional technicians to budding entrepreneurs. A little time in the woods, some long walks on the coast and we come out of seclusion with a strong vision and some big goals. All right, let’s do this: In 2008, we are going to gross a million dollars and still …

  • Next Gen Tech: A Cautionary Tale

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    Yesterday, my iPhone became the latest victim of a wave of buggy units. About 3 months after unboxing the phone I lost the entire bottom strip of touch sensitivity. For those of you who don’t have an iPhone, that means no call button, no email, no Safari, and no iPod. Add that to a number of other functions that are tied to being able to touch the bottom of the screen and you begin to …

  • Make Mad Money by Leaving Comments on a Blog?

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    I’m going to start off by actively apologizing to Eric. I was a doubting mustafa and I was wrong. In my 10 steps to generating new business, I stated the number one key to success was to get out of your house. What ensued was a calm debate between Eric and I on whether or not you can network and build a viable client base without leaving your house through the medium of communities on …

  • Word of The Day: Techneurotic

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    tech·neu·ro·tic [tek-no-raw-tik] adjective A blogging disorder in which feelings of ranking anxiety, obsessive “do they like me?” thoughts, compulsive stats checking and even physical complaints in various degrees and patterns dominate the personality. Compulsive gadget buying behavior fueled by the impossible ideal that you can own a piece of technology that is not already obsolete. An obsessive character trait that drives most avant guard technological inventions such as the robot roach and the Moller Sky …

  • Single Author Blogs I Read

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    The blogosphere is attracting some great people. In September, I shared the entrepreneur blogs I read. The stuff put together by teams, with editors and money (with a few exceptions). I love those blogs because they represent a phenomenal resource for all of us who are learning how to run a business. I have a second stash, my little private stash. The people out there writing about life, work, and business, who I personally like. …

  • The Million Dollar Question

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    If you don’t keep score, how do you know when you are winning? Now there is your list of dreams, an indispensables road map to happiness. Some of us though, happen to like big neat targets we can obsess over. Like ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Peter: Ahem…well, don’t you think we should maybe ask for *more* than a million dollars? I mean, a million dollars isn’t exactly a lot of money these days. Virtucon alone makes …