Doing your time

Regardless of having one writer or multiple writers for a blog, it’s going to take a hefty amount of effort and time to build up your blogs content and traffic. One of the areas I attribute a lot of the success of this blog to is the time dedication I’ve had. I dropped other hobbies like playing guitar and watching TV to start blogging and reading more. This has been the key to my growth as a person and having one leg of my stool strong as steel. To make sure you put in the right amount of time, trying pacing yourself, or joining in a group like project 52, where you dedicate to writing one post per week. Just remember one important rule.. too much will cause readers to flee and too little will fail to attract them. I think once a week is a good frequency for a new blog.

Putting in the effort

You may be thinking, “isn’t putting in time the same as putting in effort?” .. and the answer is NO. Putting in effort usually means research, capital, and marketing. To run a successful blog, you need a few ingredients to help you along the way such as a professional design, an understanding of SEO, and the right marketing tools such as twitter and facebook. Putting in effort is somewhat misleading, because some of the effort is external, but it all comes back to you. Any money or learning you put into your blog is an effort that will help you keep this leg balanced. As I mentioned with time.. a weekly schedule to teach yourself something new will really help you along.

Remaining Consistent

I see two very common mistakes relating to consistency:

Scenario A involves traffic, a blogger (whether new or veteran) sees the blog as a failure because traffic is low and doesn’t seem to be climbing. The worst thing you could do in Scenario A is give up on it. Think of a blog as real estate or stock.. it’s value may fluctuate significantly, but if you look at the course and direction of the internet as a whole, it’s value is always increasing. If you look at the short term, you’ll see failure, but dedication and consistency will almost always prove successful (combine that with a good exit strategy and you have yourself a business plan).

Hype is like dessert: most of the time it’s incredible, but too much will make you sick

Scenario B involves lack of time or effort. Yes, I’m aware I’ve already mentioned these two points, but bare with me. If you’re putting a lot of time into your blog and it’s not growing you may be focusing on the wrong areas. I see lots of blog focus on social media or spend loads of money on advertising, and they feel highly successful because they see their numbers jump.. for a while. The problem is people get bored with hype, it’s like dessert: really great, but too much or too often will make you sick of it. People need meat and potatoes in their diet. Many loyal readers will favor quality over quantity. My site for example rivals others that have 300+ posts and write daily.. yet it only has around 60 posts.

Put it all together

The last piece is a not-so-secret ingredient, and doesn’t need a paragraph to explain.. you have to be passionate about what you share. Blogs can definitely be profitable, but if you content doesn’t communicate passion and true interest, people aren’t going to be interested in what you have to say. Write to share about what you love, not to make money. Once you’ve built up a successful blog of loyal readers, then try and strategize the financial successes. I’m sure other bloggers would tell you differently, but I’m telling you from my experience that heart has more value than profits. If you enjoy what you do, there’s no price that can replace that.

Forward thinking and positive attitude

Often times when facing grim circumstances, its easy to get caught up in the problems at hand. Instead look beyond the current situation to the solution that lies on the other side. You have the ability to overcome.

Use technology to get ahead

Regardless of your state in this economy, its important to recognize the simple fact that paper and pencil are less popular. You should have some form of digital presence or website if you’re going to compete.

Set goals and plan for the future

It’s naive to think that the economy is going to improve over night or that it won’t effect you. Take the steps necessary to ensure the quality of living you’d like to retain even if you lose your job or business.

Avoid the easy way out

Right now is the opportune time for someone to take advantage of you. Don’t buy into a service that is sounds easy and promising. Make a point to investigate and consult with someone that has your best interest in mind.

Surround yourself with positive people

We all know that times are tough, but if you focus on the problem, it just seems to get bigger. Avoid getting caught up in the poverty mentality by surrounding yourself with successful and optimistic people.

Starting a business without Capital Investment

It’s easy to say that it can be done, but it’s a whole different story to actually execute. Like I mentioned before, take notes from the Getting Real plan. Start your business by moonlight.. don’t quit your day job and jump right in (of course we’re hypocrites saying this because we jumped in, but I wish we had moonlighted first). Either negotiate with your employer to work part-time for a while or start your business at nights.. that way you have the income still to support your bills, but you can start planning and developing your business. Begin networking with other businesses in your field and going to seminars on weekends, because one of the greatest tools in starting a business is connections.

Along with the moonlighting, establish a budget. You may not know all of the costs to operate your business, and you may not be able to prepare for every road block or pitfall. What you can do, however, is give yourself a cushion. Depending on your liabilities (bills), you may want anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 saved up before you quit you job and go full-time as a business.

[podcast format="video"]http://thinkclay.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/business-sense-with-a-few-cents-desktop.m4v[/podcast]

About our Web Company

This post is based on our opinions and testimonials with starting our Web Company. Thinkclay is a blog by Clayton McIlrath based out of Lansing, MI. You can find more us by searching: Lansing Web, Powered by WordPress and Graphic Design Portfolio

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Lansing Web and Technology

If you are a web design or web development firm in Lansing, MI then talk to me personally about an even better version of this application. I’m offering it only to Lansing Web Design Companies because I believe in giving the Lansing Area a competitive advantage when it comes to technology. Feel free to contact me at the email in my header.

Validators

• Total Validator: simple HTML/CSS Validator with browser plugin support
• W3C Validator: the organization that defines markup standards, and validates according to those standards
• Cynthia Says: screen reader which will help you with accessibility in mind

Accessibility

• WebAIM: Introduction to Accessibility
• WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
• WCAG Overview: Overview of WCAG Standards
• WCAG Tutorial: A useful educational resource to learn the standards
• Section 508: Federal requirements for web accessibility

Javascript Libraries

• jQuery
• Prototype / Scriptaculous
• MooTools

Firefox Plugins for Developers

• CSS Validator
• CSS Viewer
• Web Developer Toolbar
• Firebug

Tutorials

• W3Schools: Very in-depth, free tutorials on the most commonly used web markup and programming languages
• A List Apart: Articles and tutorials on an extensive list of topics
• QuirksMode: Good articles and test pages concerning javascript and CSS

Find your strengths and excel above the rest

So many web developers claim to know all when it comes to web, but when put to the test someone that can write “hello world” doesn’t meet the standards the client expected when they said “Do you know PHP?” All developers whether primarily front-end or back-end, should know at least a C level amount in both. To be an awesome back-end developer you need to be able to structure your content in something other than tables or invalid HTML, and to be an awesome back-end developer, you should at least know how to make simple variables and includes to make your job quick and efficient, rather than copying/pasting your doctype and head information on each page. If you want to do well in the next few years, then succeed by being a GURU in at least two of the following:

• XHTML and CSS – with clean and valid markup that works in FF, Webkit, and IE7+
• Flex and ActionScript – flash/animation/design are a huge plus
• JavaScript – with and without frameworks, jQuery or MooTools knowledge a plus
• PHP – cakePHP or codeignitor frameworks will take you to the next level
• .NET – IIS and server administration a plus
• Ruby – Rails will take you to the next level
• JAVA – desktop publishing knowledge a plus

Learn new and trendy technologies

While following trends isn’t always a good idea, trends that have been around for more than just a year and have high demand are usually worth taking a second glance at. In the past 5 years, there are a few major trends that are really growing. I highly recommend picking one of the trends and learning as much as you can about the technology on the side of your current studies and work..

Rich Internet Applications (RIA)

Adobe Flash has always had a strong presence on the web, and that presence is only increasing along with other RIA platforms like Microsoft Silverlight, JavaFX, and the future HTML5. There are almost no major disadvantages to sites built entirely in Flash or other platforms now that search engines like Google are making more of an effort to index RIA content. To top that, Adobe has now adopted a markup language geared more towards developers called FLEX. Flex allows developers to markup their code in MXML while also using ActionScript for animation and then simply, with the click of a button plublish the application in either a SWF for web or as an AIR application for desktop. I strongly believe this is the future of not only the web, but future Operating Systems as well. Google and Ubuntu have already shown a heavy interest in using web applications on the desktop, and phone operating systems are following a similar pattern. While mobile and desktop development are entirely different from web development, learning FLEX is a great way for web developers to cross that threshold and succeed.

Agile Development and Object Oriented code

As the internet reaches the far corners of the Earth, boundaries and barriers are being broken for working remotely on projects. In fact there are many businesses that operate entirely on remote collaboration. This means you need to learn a versioning software and systems (CVS or SVN using Tortoise is a good place to start), how to organize your thoughts and communicate them quickly and effectively over IM or email, and most importantly how to comment and structure your code (for programmers OO principles are a must) so that others can quickly pickup where you left off.

Web Services and Cross-Platform Markup

UML, XML, JSON, REST and SOAP, just to name the most common languages, are becoming a must for nearly every developer. Almost every RIA and API use a language like this to communicate. Any site that is dynamic is probably using at least one of these technologies. I can’t specifically tell you which is more relevant or popular, as it varies per project, but I can tell you that they’re all fairly simple to learn, so I suggest doing your homework or ready a book on each to know at least base knowledge and markup for each of them.

Refine your Interpersonal Communication Skills

As you climb the corporate ladder, or step out into the world of business, it will become more and more important that your written and verbal communication skills are sharp and effective. The gap that used to exist between sales/consulting/design/IT is now closing, and more businesses are switching to an Agile model. This means from the start of a project or team, you may be communicating directly with a client, or with others that don’t know or understand the technology. You’ll need to learn how to explain things so that others can easily understand and relate, as well as sound professional and well educated. These skills are not easy to hone, and require a lot of time. I highly recommend actively getting involved in forums/blogging to improve written communication, perhaps join a local business group or Chamber of Commerce to learn how to communicate better in a professional business setting (another perk to this is the networking), and ask others to correct and help you identify bad habits and mistakes.

Identify your Audience

The absolute first step in the marketing process is to Survey and Explore your target audience to establish your marketing tactics. In this phase you’ll identify your Target Market by asking yourself.. Who specifically am I trying to speak to? and then compare that answer with your geographic, demographic, and psychographic analysis results. Then you will discover your Market Segmentation by defining how you niche the market to speak directly to the consumer you want to target. This is usually figured by looking at the geographic, demographic, and psychographic results, and then simply asking yourself.. What makes you stand out from your competitors in the target’s mind?

Geographic

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Location, Location, Location!”, so identify that first. Often times defining your Geographic location of the consumer will affect your marketing the most, especially if your business is mostly offline or without a web presence (check out my web development business and our services if this is the case).

Demographic

Demographics are simply the basics that make your consumer such as age, sex, martial status, education, income, race, religion, etc. There are many websites that will easily allow you to research by city, zip and radius to help you identify the ideal demographic in each location.

Psychographic

After you’ve established Geographic and Demographic, you should then analyze psychographics, which are the he underlying things that make your customer who they are (sexual preference, specific religious beliefs, Lifestyle, how they view/carry themselves, etc).

Self Discovery

I think the most important aspect to starting a business is knowing yourself. This phase should have the most time spent on it, and should never be considered “complete.” Self discovery is an ever changing process and is needed in nearly every situation when it comes to business. Here are some keys to consider when doing some self discovery that are specific enough to business:

Passion

It’s such a short and simple word, yet can mean everything. Passion is the heartbeat of a business, and if it’s not beating strong, the business has little to work with. When you’re considering starting a business, ask yourself why. If you’re answer doesn’t fall along the lines of, “it’s what I love to do,” than reconsider. Passion can come in many shapes and forms, and people don’t often get to choose what they’re passionate about. Look at me for example.. I simply stumbled onto web development by chance while in college for graphic design, and my passion overtook me and drove me to succeed and grow in unmeasurable ways. Once you have passion, you have the main ingredient and should move on to goals and motivation… because passion can fade without them.

Self Discipline

Passion by itself is a strong tool, and provides ambition, but without direction and discipline its hard to focus and accomplish what you NEED to do. At times passion doesn’t cover every nook and cranny of a dream, and it takes self-motivation through discipline to accomplish those petty tasks. For example, with Chosen, I had the dream of starting my own Web Development company. My passion for web design and development are enough to motivate me in both, but starting a business is more than just design and development. I’ve had to learn more about taxes, been the consultant, salesman, project manager, etc. I’m not passionate about all of these tasks, so I must discipline myself to accomplish the tasks that need to be done just as much as that tasks that I want to do.

Goals

Many studies have shown that roughly 97% of the people in the world do NOT have goals, and that the other 3% that do almost always succeed in meeting them… this statistic is so true and I can testify to it. People often ask me how it is that I was able to start a family (wife and kid at the age of 20) and still purchase a new home, renovate it, buy new computers/toys/frig/etc all in the same year, while only having been a year out of college. No, I didn’t have any help from any family. I did this on my own by setting goals. I started Chosen by setting goals. They’re very real and they work wonders. I could go on and on about goals, but I think it would be best for you to simply read my post about goal setting.

1. What’s the rush? A lot of times impatience is set in because you’re in a hurry. Force yourself to slow down and try to figure out why. Are you trying to multitask too much or have a pressing deadline? If you’re overwhelmed, try cutting something out or re-arranging your task list before reacting how you normally would. Try to spread out your tasks so that you’re focused on one thing at a time, this is easiest with task manager.
2. What’s your trigger? Find out what really sets you off, impatience is often masked by other emotions such as anxiousness, anger, bitterness, etc and needs to be identified in order to be fixed. Find out the events, people, or circumstances that cause you to snap and then try and trace it to impatience.
3. Do you have attitude? At times, we just have bad attitude that causes us to be impatient. Sometimes, you have to simply force yourself to cool down. I recommend learning some anger management techniques as these generally apply to being patient and understanding as well. Learning to calm yourself in a frustrating situation is one of the most valuable and important assets you can have, especially when it comes to customer or client relations
4. Are your thoughts organized? Getting organized can greatly reduce impatience almost as soon as you start. When you sit down and spend time to refine, collect and re-arrange your thoughts you begin to let go of the other emotions caught up in your impatience and can logically analyze and resolve conflicts.
5. Are you making the same mistakes? One of the keys to solving your impatience is to identify and correct patterns in behavior. Look for patterns. Being aware of your impatience also gives you a chance to learn from it and perhaps uncover a relationship or circumstance that is simply not healthy or constructive, and that you may have the power to change. Figure that out, and you can then think logically about the problem issue and decide whether or not your impatience is warranted or helpful. It usually isn’t, but when it is you can then figure out ways to fix the root problem rather than simply feeling stressed about it.

Can anyone say, “Misleading title” ?? While this title may be misleading, there’s a good explanation for it… it’s called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is a process of structuring code and content in a way that Search Engines and other tracking software can easily recognize, categorize, and parse. It’s an important tool in marketing a website and getting your rankings higher on google.

SEO in Lansing Web Design

As a freelancer and web developer, I have to market myself well. Part of my marketing strategy is to target specific areas and locations so that I can use keywords that may not be as common in that specific area, but that are important and strong keywords related to what I do in the web industry.

My Goal

Plain and simply put, I want this page to boost my SEO and target specific keywords AND teach those that are interested something too. Rather than go into detail about WHY I structure, write and target the way I do, just look at my source, read through this post, and follow up with some other blogs to see what SEO is all about. I think learning by example is the easiest, and hopefully people will be able to reference this page and see how and what I’m targeting.

Web Design and Development

I’ve been freelancing as a Web Designer and Web Developer in Lansing, MI for some time now, and it’s about time that i put myself on the radar for SEO. I held off for a while because I didn’t want to compete with other Web Design Agencies in Lansing or Michigan, because many of them were my source of work. However, now that I’m growing as a freelance web developer, and my Creative Advertising business is taking off, I figured it would be best to market myself as such.

Web Design

If it’s not obvious already, I work as a freelancer and manager of a Lansing Web Design Company, Chosen. Chosen is a Creative Advertising Agency specializing in marketing and advertising using tactics that are out of the box and extremely creative. At Chosen we aim to be trend-setters and on the cutting edge of both design and technology, so come to us and make “what if” a reality.

It’s exciting to be a part of such a successful business in Lansing, and though we have offices in Saint Johns, MI and Los Angeles, CA already, I would like to eventually branch down to the Southern Kentucky or Northern Tennessee area. Those areas are ready for a professional web design company to come in and grow the community.

Lansing Web Design

As you’ve read, Chosen is run primarily out of Lansing, MI but I personally live and work in Saint Johns, MI which is where our main office is. Having a Web Design company in a smaller town like Saint Johns might seem like a bad area to market web services, however I’ve found that the internet is not bias and allows me to be anywhere at any time globally. So Chosen and myself are best represented as being located globally with our office on the web. That’s the way we play the game, so check us out, and stop in to say hi!