She said, “I have to have the full account number to look up your account.”

Whaaaa???

I said: “You can’t look up the account by my name or EIN?”

Her: “No, I have to have the full account number or check card number.”

Me: “So you’re telling me there is no way in your system to look up my account without one of those two numbers?”

Her: “Right.”

Me: “No one there can look up my account?”

Her: “No”

Me: “Let me speak to your supervisor, please.”

Supervisor: “Hello sir can you give me your EIN so I can look up your account?”

When you’re dealing with customers, don’t say you can’t do something if you technically can. Don’t say something isn’t possible if it is. Don’t lie to your customers.

I specifically asked her if it was technically possible to look up my account another way and she told me no. She also told me no one else would be able to help me. Two blatant lies.

Had she told me it was simply a policy not to look up accounts with anything other than an account or check card number, I would have asked for her supervisor much quicker (and more pleasantly) and the overall experience would have been completely different.

By the way, that’s one of the main reasons I’m no longer a customer of said bank.

Next weekend I’ll be giving a presentation at IndieConf about effective networking for independent contractors and solopreneurs. Everyone says word of mouth is the best way to get new clients, but who can just sit around and wait for word of mouth to start bringing in the business?

I’m going to be talking about how to use effective networking strategies to land new clients and more work from current clients. I’ll be discussing several different strategies – both online and off.

Why should you listen to me about networking for independent contractors? After spending two years as head of web development and sales for a small company, I started my own (solo) consulting firm that I later sold to Kelsey Advertising & Design in 2006. I have owned or worked in small web consulting firms for the past ten years.

There’s still time to register for IndieConf. Register online and enter discount code “25off” for 25% off regular price. I hope I see you there!

The True Cost of Free

Nothing is free… everything comes with a cost. There are monetary costs, productivity costs, opportunity costs, and risks (which can turn into costs later).

Before you choose a free (or paid) solution, look at all the real costs associated with it.

If you download a free open-source word processing software, it may take marginally longer to build a document than in the popular commercial software equivalent. That time different and frustration from a slightly less-usable interface can add up over time. At some point, it may be worth it for you to just spend the money on a commercial application.

Another cost to consider is your privacy. When you use free web services, such as Google Anallytics, you are giving another company access to sensitive information, and trusting them to keep that information safe. Giving up privacy is not necessarily a material cost, but it is a cost nonetheless. But there are real costs if that information is compromised or lost.

Tools

Below are the tools we discussed in my presentation. I will add screenshots from the presentation when I get a bit more time.

Productivity and Collaboration

• AVG Antivirus
• Google Apps
• Evernote
• Skype
• LogMeIn
• OpenOffice
• DropBox
• InvoiceBubble
• Google Reader

Marketing Tools

• Google Analytics
• Google Keyword Tool
• Google Trends
• Google Website Optimizer
• Google Places
• Google Alerts
• Google Reader
• MailChimp
• Hubspot Website Grader

Web Design & Development

Gimp
Pixelmator (mac)
VectorDesigner (mac)
Filezilla
TextWrangler
Eclipse
WordPress
Drupal
Adobe Browser Labs

E-Commerce & Web Hosting

I didn’t talk about e-commerce software or web hosting specifically, but I just want to stress that this is an area where you do not want to go the cheap route. I get asked a lot about free or open source e-commerce packages. Yes, there are several platforms available, one being Magento Commerce, but none of them are really free.

E-commerce software is very complex, and holds very sensetive information such as customer details, thier payment information, and your financial information. One security flaw that allows someone to access sensetive information can open you up to severe liabilities.

And both the software and the hosting are critical in being able to make money and reach customers. If a software update renders your website unusable, or your webshite hosting goes down frequently, you could lose thousands, or hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales.

It’s my personal opinion that these are two areas where spending money is definitely appropriate. We have managed dedicated servers with ServInt and Rackspace, and use several different e-commerce packages including Interspire and ShopSite.

Slides

Often times we are so busy with the daily grind that we forget the basics. We forget how to be gentlemen. All it requires is a friendly reminder (the book above is an excellent refresher).

Getting Back to the Basics

Sometimes we get off-course in business, too. In our haste, we sometimes forget how to act. I have always thought of businessmen in very much the same way I think of gentlemen. Handshakes. Principles. Honesty.

Yes, business is about making profits, but it’s much more important to do something you love. To make a difference. To do something your children will be proud of.

Businessmen don’t abdicate responsibility by saying “I just work here” – they take responsibility and show initiative. They choose not to complain, because complaining doesn’t do anyone any good. Real businessmen take pride in their work, and make sure it’s done right. They truly enjoy what they do.

I think it’s about time we got back to the basics of business. I think it’s about time we acted like businessmen (and women).

There isn’t a book titled “How to Be a Businessman,” but maybe there should be.

I know the video below is a little old, but I still see way too many choices presented in registration forms, online shopping websites, and in day to day life. If you want to increase sales, consider either reducing the number of choices, or making intelligent choices by default so your visitors don’t have to.

And if you haven’t seen the video below, watch it. It’s excellent.

The problem with this kind of opportunism is that in a very short time, you can find yourself overloaded and spread too thin. I’m talking about literally overloaded, in terms of the shear amount of time devoted to different projects and priorities.

You might find that your mind is also overloaded. With too many parallel initiatives, it can be difficult to focus and think critically about them. They all suffer individually because of the mental weight of the collective.

But opportunism also has another, even higher, price. The opportunity cost of taking every great opportunity that comes along, is that you will soon be confronted with one you simply cannot take because you are overcommitted. And it may be the one opportunity that could have meant the most to your career or life goals.

So next time you are presented with an opportunity, think carefully about your other obligations before jumping in and saying “yes.” Although it’s difficult, sometimes the most valuable opportunities are the ones we said no to.

Save Your Local Economy… Three Stores at a Time

Saving the Brick and Mortars Our Nation is Built On

3. Think about which three independently owned stores you’d miss if they were gone. Stop in, say hello, and pick a little something up. That’s how they stay around.

50. If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned stores, their purchases would generate $42,629,700,000 in revenue.

68. For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. In a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

1. The number of people it takes to start the trend… you.

The premise of this campaign is to encourage people to support (i.e. spend money) in local, independent shops and restaurants. The first time I saw this, I didn’t think that much of it, but then as I was eating lunch the other day (in a locally owned restaurant) I actually read the flyer and it just didn’t sit right with me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for shopping locally. I don’t like the huge chain stores or “big box” retailers any more than the next guy. But I’m also the owner of an small, independent online store and I’m friends with several entrepreneurs who have been fortunate enough to grow their businesses into regional and national businesses.

The Problem with “The 3/50 Project”

The problem with the 3/50 project and any other projects like it is simple. It’s not my (or your) responsibility to save local businesses. It’s the business owners’ responsibility. Initiatives like these put the responsibility on the individual to support businesses that often times are poorly run.

Lots of small businesses will go out of business. They are running on outdated business models, with nothing unique to set them apart from their bigger, or more nimble competition.

Local independent business owners need to find a way to differentiate themselves. Whether that’s based on service, product offering, or some other factor, they are going to have to find a way to make themselves valuable to potential customers.

Customers are never going to shop with someone just because they feel obligated to support them. It’s simply not enough to guilt someone into buying from you.

It’s Not the Internet’s Fault

Another issue I have with this program is that it seems to place a little bit of the blame on Internet companies. One of the key points is that if you shop with Internet companies all of the money leaves the local economy. While it does leave one local economy, it also enters another local economy. And it almost always stays in the United States.

As the owner of a small, independent, but online retailer, I take offense that just by being online and not traditional brick-and-mortar I’m somehow causing these small, local companies go out of business.

The truth is a lot of these local independent retailers and service providers have gotten lazy. They’re used to just doing business the way they’ve always done business, and they’re scared of changing. No amount of community involvement is going to save the business that stuck in the Stone Age.

It’s Just Postponing the Inevitable

Let’s say this initiative works. What happens in five years or 10 years after these companies have been saved from extinction by local patrons who give them money instead of cents spending money with big-box retailers and Internet companies? What happens if these companies ignore the reasons why people were not shopping with them to begin with? Are their customers expected to just buy from them for ever with no regard for price, service, selection, or any other market-driven factors?

Business owners need to take a hard look at why they are suffering, and why big-box retailers are thriving. If it’s not possible to compete on price, and there’s no way they can bring any other value, maybe it’s time to close up shop and go get a job.

How Do You Save Your Small Business?

So what do you do if you own a small, local business? Instead of spending your time and energy trying to guilt people into supporting local shops, look for ways to differentiate yourself. What makes you different? Better? What is your USP?

In some cases, you may not be able to differentiate enough. Local general stores simply couldn’t compete with the big box retailers like Walmart. It seems people just don’t care enough about service or convenience when it comes to some products (like commodities). It may be sad, but it’s just a fact of life. How many local music stores do you see around? I occasionally see a Fry’s in a mall, but they’re few and far between. The vast majority of people are buying their music online now.

Should we still be shopping at local CD stores, just to support local business? Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? You have to keep up with industry trends. Change and grow with your industry. Sometimes that may mean drastic changes to a business, or even the hard decision to get out of an industry.

So, take a hard look at your business and your industry. Are you ready to compete with the big guys? Can you offer something they can’t; can you do something better or faster?

Business is Just Like Poker

People who can’t play the game will tell you it’s all the luck of the draw, but it’s really much more about skill, practice and knowledge of the game.

So are you the type of person that just complains about not being lucky enough, or are you the one that gets in there and learns the game?

I always thought something was wrong with that. I had better grades than most of the students and spent only half the time there. Sure, if I was there every day I might have made a 4.0, but who cares? Is the difference between a 4.0 and a 3.66 really worth half a year?

You might say I was just lazy. Why spend all your time sitting in class when you can find better things to do? While others were sitting in class, I was learning to design, running a printing press, or something else I thought was interesting.

I didn’t do well in college either. By the time I graduated high school, I was already dabbling in different business ventures. My senior year I took an internship and the only thing that saved me was that my boss (one of the coolest bosses I’ve ever had) made it pretty simple… as long as I did my job and met my deadlines I could come and go as I pleased. No set hours.

I was in heaven. I would work until 3am some nights, and not show up for days. For a Fortune 500 company, this was odd to say the least. I think my boss got a good bit of push back from management when HR noticed my odd time logs. She didn’t care, I was getting the job done. After the internship was over I was offered a full-time job in another department, but it quickly turned downhill. I was expected to be there “8 to 5″ and was punching a clock whether there was work to be done or not. I was miserable, and quit to start 2BigFeet.com shortly after that.

I started 2BigFeet and college at roughly the same time. It was obvious which I was more interested in, because I’d excuse myself from class to take calls from vendors or just miss class altogether because I was busy. It didn’t last long, and I left college after just over 2 years. (Side note: 2BigFeet just turned 10 years old in April)

I’ve always thought I was an oddity… I know I’m intelligent but I never quite fit in to the stereotypical mold. Society tells us to do well in school, go to college, and get a “good job.” I always thought that was bullshit… who wants to work for “the man” for 30 years and retire with nothing to show for it?

I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that way. I found this Ted talk by Cameron Herald about education and entrepreneurship. I got chills down my spine watching it. It’s nice to know there are others like me out there…

I know I’ll be giving a lot of thought to what I teach my children (now 4 and 6) about business, finances and entrepreneurship. They’re already earning money (I don’t believe in an allowance) and they’re required to save some and give some away. It’ll be interesting to see if they get the E-gene like I did.

If your children don’t fit the stereotypical mold in school, instead of disciplining them or labeling them as “ADHD” why not take a step back and think about how you can nurture their differences?

• Online Marketing Inside Out ($29.95 value)
• Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog eBook ($19.95 value)
• The Web Site Revenue Maximizer Kit ($197 value)

At a value of $226.95, it’s a great deal at only $99.95 + shipping. The only downside is it’s only good today, December 4, 2009. You can order the bundle here.

(Disclaimer: NOT an affiliate link but it does include my book so I am a little biased)

I really enjoyed writing the newsletter and told SitePoint if they ever needed another guest author, or had a more regular position come available, I’d be very interested and would like to be considered.

I’m excited that SitePoint has asked me to coauthor the Tribune with the current host, Miles Burke. I’ll be writing every other weekly issue, starting with the very next issue, coming out this Thursday.

I’ll be writing about the business side of our industry, client dealings, productivity and anything else that comes to mind. If you’re not already getting the Tribune, go subscribe now.

Below are the slides of the presentation hosted on SlideShare:

I also recorded the audio of the presentation and exported it as a movie synced with the slides. Below is the complete presentation (slides and audio) hosted on Vimeo:

Using Social Media for Brand Awareness and Marketing from Brandon Eley on Vimeo.

I don’t know what company Seth is talking about in his post, but I’ve heard that a number of times myself. It’s not uncommon for employees who know something is wrong to simply cop out by saying “Ah, I can’t do anything, I just work here.”

Well, I completely agree with Seth. If you cash your paycheck then you are responsible. You are as much at fault by saying and doing nothing as the people who are driving your brand into the ground.

Take responsibility for your brand, especially when things get bad. If you care so little about the company you work for and its culture to step in when things are bad, quit. Find a new job. But don’t continue to work there all the while refusing to acknowledge you’re a part of the problem.

The presentation is open to the public, but there is limited seating and only about 15 spots left. It’s free to attend, or $10 if you would like to eat lunch. RSVP at the IPSA website. It will be hosted at Innovation Depot by CommonThread.

Yesterday I was in Mobile, AL speaking at the monthly Mobile Bay AAF chapter meeting about Social Media. Specifically, I was talking about using Social Media, namely Facebook and Twitter, for businesses.

I was expecting a crowd of about 35-40 people, typical of most monthly Ad Fed meetings. We had a great turnout, and approximately 80 people showed up! It was so packed, there wasn’t enough seating or food for everyone. I’ve since found out that it was the largest crowd for a monthly speaker in two years! (I’m honored)

Thank you to Laura Burton and Sarah Jones for being excellent hosts. I really enjoyed dinner and conversation at Felix’s Fish Camp. It was great meeting you both, and all the members and guests of the Mobile Bay AAF.

Below are the slides from my presentation.

Thank you to everyone who came by and congratulated me, it really meant a lot. Special thanks to cousins David & Christi Burroughs and Scot & Debra McEwen who drove down from north of Atlanta to be there. And thank you to our good friends Rick & Donna Beauford who came down from just south of Atlanta.

Thank you Charles and Chase Hudson of C’sons for all you did to help make the book signing a success. The hors d’oeuvres were delicious, and the service was excellent. Some family and friends stayed with us after the book signing for dinner and they were all extremely impressed both with the quality of food and the service.

Below are some photos my wife Tracy took at the book signing.

Back in February I mentioned that I was writing a book about Online Marketing with Shayne Tilley. I’m excited to announce that the book, now titled Online Marketing Inside Out, has been released and is now available for purchase on SitePoint.

If you have a web site and you want to promote it but are unsure where to start, this book is for you. It covers all aspects of Online Marketing including press releases, search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media, email marketing, and more.

Special Bonus from Darren Rowse of ProBlogger

As a special bonus, if you order from SitePoint direct you’ll also get ProBlogger Darren Rowse’s “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” workbook FREE (a $20 value). Darren’s workbook is packed with valuable content from his recent “31 Days” series on ProBlogger.net, plus over 6,000 words of new content in a professionally designed ebook. Hear what Darren had to say about Online Marketing Inside Out:

It is a great resource for those wanting to market products or services on the Web. This book shows you how to reach customers through podcasting, blogs, social networks, video, email, and contextual advertising and much more.

You’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing you helped me feed my family… SitePoint giving me a generous commission on books sold through the links on my site.

Here’s a peek at the Table of Contents:

1. The Changing Face of Marketing
2. 21st Century Public Relations and Media
3. Turn Page Views into Profit
4. Search Engine Optimization
5. Social Media
6. Email Marketing
7. Affiliate Marketing
8. Online Advertising
9. Tying It All Together

So what are you still doing here? Go over to SitePoint and buy Online Marketing Inside Out today!

Still with me? Okay, if you’re still not convinced, check out this awesome shot of the book after it arrived at SitePoint headquarters earlier today, fresh off the presses…

• State of the Industry
• Online Advertising
• Email Marketing
• 21st Century PR
• Social Media
• Monitoring Your Brand

I indented to talk for 1 hour, then open up for questions/discussion. I ran a little over, and the Flip camcorder we used to record the presentation only recorded the first hour, so it cuts off about 10 minutes before I stop talking.

Below is a video of the presentation and the downloadable slides:

Online Marketing Presentation (long) from Brandon Eley on Vimeo.

I love going to conferences, but there are so many and with a busy schedule I can’t always make it halfway across the country. Either I can’t afford to take the time off because I’m swamped with projects, or I have conflicting plans. The Social Media Success Summit looks like an opportunity to learn from the experts without the expense or inconvenience of traveling to a conference.

Chris Garrett has posted a chance to win a free ticket to Social Media Success Summit on his blog. You can enter up to five times by posting the following tweet to your Twitter account:

Win a FREE ticket to Social Media Success Summit 2009: http://cli.gs/Grq8RX #smsuccess

You can also enter to win the grand prize (two tickets to SMSS, Darren’s book, Mike’s book, your site critiqued by Chris, and a social media marketing consultation with Michael) by writing a blog post detailing why you want to win the ticket… which reminds me!

Why Do I Want to Win?

I bought Michael Stelzner’s book Writing White Papers when it was first released back in 2007, in both hardcover and PDF versions. While I haven’t met him personally, I follow his blog and respect him immensely.

I met Darren Rowse at SxSW in March, 2008 and bought his (and Chris Garrett’s) book Problogger as soon as it was released (pre-ordered it actually). Darren is a role model for any aspiring blogger or online journalist, and is also a genuinely good person. I’ve been reading Copyblogger, Brian Clark’s blog, for as long as I’ve had an RSS feed reader. Darren, Chris and Brian are the definitive experts on blogging.

Gary Vaynerchuk just might be my biggest inspiration in business. I discovered Gary’s Wine Library TV several years ago, and have been following Gary’s show, blog and @garyvee Twitter account ever since. I’ve seen Gary keynote or speak half a dozen times and he knows his stuff. He just landed a 7-figure 10 book deal to write about succeeding in business and life, and his first book Crush It! is due out in October.

These are not a group of wannabe “social media consultants” who just appeared out of nowhere to sell something. These guys know their shit. They were in social media before there was an industry or name for it. Most of them were in marketing before there was even a Web 2.0, much less social networking websites. They’re thought leaders… they’re rock stars.

I want to win because I want to know everything these guys know. I want to soak up that knowledge like a sponge and apply it across my companies and those of our clients at Kelsey. I want to win because you can actually speak with these social media superstars. Yep, it’s a live event and you can interact, ask questions, discuss the materials. You can network with other attendees and with the presenters themselves. Who doesn’t want to rub elbows with the likes of these guys?

I should probably have written a SxSW recap when it was still fresh in my mind, but after being out of the office for more than a week I was swamped. I also came back to a few small changes for the book, which didn’t take long but still added to the overall workflow.

Four of us from Kelsey Advertising & Design trekked down to Austin this year, up from just two last year. It was myself, Brant Kelsey (Principal and owner of Kelsey), Brian Handley (illustrator and web developer), and Roman Alvarado (graphic and web designer). Overall, I would consider South by Southwest to be a big success. I really didn’t feel the conference itself was as energized or had the impact it had on me last year, but the people and parties definitely made up for it. I spent a lot of time just hanging out and meeting people, one on one in small personal settings.

I met a ton of people, and saw a ton of friends and acquaintances from other conferences. Some of the highlites are below… I’m sure I’m forgetting someone (it has been over a month). If we met at SxSW, drop me an email! I probably just didn’t have your card and my memory is aweful.

I spent a lot of time hanging out with Brant Kelsey, Patrick O’Keefe, and James Dasher, especially in between sessions and at lunches. I met up with James, who I knew back in the early days of SitePoint, and ended up hanging with him for a good part of the trip. Patrick introduced me to Wayne Sutton at Mohawk at one of the first parties. Wayne’s a cool guy, and I’m looking forward to seeing him speak at future conferences.

I saw Wendy Piersall of Sparkplugging at a party, and even though we’ve met twice at other conventions, last year at SxSW on the Chitika Beer Bus and again at Blogworld, she still didn’t remember me! It was actually pretty funny, and I don’t think she’ll have as hard of a time remembering me at the next one… I actually think Wendy felt pretty bad about not remembering me. At any rate, I enjoyed talking to Wendy as usual, and look forward to seeing her again at Blogworld in October. I saw Rick Calvert of Blog World Expo at the same party, and also met him at SxSW last year. Rick talked me into going to Blog World Expo last year when I met him, and I was glad he did! I only spoke to him briefly, but look forward to talking to him more at Blog World this year again.

I saw Jason Falls at one of the many parties at Mohawk (a bar in downtown Austin). He threw a small unofficial party for Maker’s Mark. I said hello, but it was nearly impossible to hear due to the loud music. I did run into Jason later in the Blogger Lounge at the conference, and enjoyed talking with him about social media and picked his brain for a few minutes about the best way to “pitch” a blogger. I’m hoping his tips will come in handy as we promote the book in the months to come.

One day at lunch, Ted Murphy, founder of IZEA, tweeted that he was looking to grab some lunch. After a series of tweets and DM’s back and forth, we finally met up with him and Ashley Edwards of IZEA for lunch. We tried two or three different locations (one closed, others packed) and ended up at Buffalo Billiards. Ted’s a really cool guy, and also runs IZEAFest conference, which I’m seriously considering for this year.

After an amazing panel, I spoke to Gary Vaynerchuk who was kind enough to give me a quick 30 second video interview. I still haven’t gotten the video up, though remembering it now I think I’ll go do that… I also met Gary at Blog World Expo where he was keynoting. Gary is an amazing speaker, but he’s a more amazing person. See him on camera? That’s Gary, all the time. I met him in the halls of BWE and walked with him to his keynote. He’s truly one of the most down to earth “superstars” I’ve met, and I wish I had 10% of his DNA. I’d love to be able to stay that positive and always “kill it” as he says.

I almost got through the entire conference without meeting up with Aaron Brazell or Jeremy Wright, two old friends from SitePoint. There are so many different panels and parties, it’s entirely possible to never even be in the same place at the same time. Fortunately, the last day of the conference I ran into both Jeremy and Aaron in the Blogger Lounge. Though it was a hectic day with people in meetings and such, I really enjoyed talking to both Jeremy and Aaron. I was able to pick Jeremy’s brain for a bit about book marketing, a subject he knows well having published Blog Marketing way back in 2005.

Chris Brogan was hanging out at the Pepsi Podcast Lounge one morning and sat down next to me at the bar. I think I met Chris last year at Blog World, but I can’t remember for sure. Anyway, he’s a very approachable guy

I’ve been an author, member and Community Advisor of SitePoint for 8 years now, so when I heard Matt Mickiewicz, the founder of SitePoint, was coming to SxSW I was pretty excited. For some reason, we just couldn’t seem to hook up at the conference. I’d see Matt tweet that he was at one room, and I’d be on the exact opposite side of the convention center. On the last day of the conference, I heard someone talking on a mobile phone… he said “This is Matt with SitePoint.com…” He was sitting right next to me. It couldn’t have worked out better. Matt didn’t have a lot of time, he was running off to a scheduled appointment in about 10 mintues, but we talked for a few minutes and he introduced me to Jason Aiken of 99designs. Matt also interviewed me about my new book coming out in May, published by SitePoint, “The Art & Science of Online Marketing,” co-authored with Shayne Tilley. It was great to finally meet Matt in person.

I almost met Guy Kawasaki. I’ve seen him at several conferences, and he’s a very engaging and entertaining speaker. When we were at the airport waiting on our flight home, Guy was sitting at a terminal just down the way from ours. He was on a phone call when I walked past to grab some lunch, and when I came back he was already boarding the plane. I would’ve loved to have met him, but I’m sure I’ll get a chance at another conference or event. My favorite quote from his keynote, “If you live for the weekends and vacations, your shit is broken!”

In addition to all the great people I met, we also had a few funny or embarrassing, all captured on Twitter for posterity of course! The first full night of parties (which included the Madison and Mohawk) we ended up at Stubs. I don’t remember it all too well, and not because it’s been a month since SxSW. I do remember eating the best smoked wings I’ve ever tasted, which seemed to arrive 30 seconds after we ordered. I also vaguely remember offering to take a photo of two ladies with their camera… and apparently I couldn’t even figure it out because after about 5 tries they just took their camera back. I think Brant may have gotten it on tape, too, but fortunately I haven’t seen the footage.

The next night after a few hours at the Google party, I ventured out alone and ended up at the Pure Volume Lounge. I made it back to the VIP area without a VIP pass, just wandered back not knowing what it was. The second time I tried to walk back I was stopped by a security guard. He was really cool and gave an interesting perspective about how locals perceive SxSW’ers. I did manage to find my way back to the VIP area again, just before someone apparently sprayed a fire extinguisher, ending the party early (at 3:20 AM). I walked about a block before realizing it was really late. Fortunately the cabbies were out in full force, so I made it back to the hotel fast and safe.

Brant rode a mechanical bull at the closing party, which was caught on video! Unfortunately, I’ve been told I can’t post it on YouTube, but it is posted on my Facebook. All you have to do is friend me to see it… The closing party was a pretty good closing to the trip. We had a great time, even though I had a lot of party left in me it’s probably best that I called it quits a little early (i.e. 2 AM). Travel days are no fun.

I was pretty excited about this particular trip to South by Southwest because it couldn’t have come at a better time. With my book being released in May, it was a great chance to talk to people who’ve done it before and get some advice. I’m extremely thankful to everyone that stopped for a few minutes to answer a question or just lend a word of wisdom. I learned so much and met so many great people! We had just a blast, and every day (and night) was an adventure.

Cuban’s stance is that getting innovative ideas out there, for anyone to try (the business plans are all visible to anyone looking at his blog) will help spark more startup businesses and in turn the economy.

I have to say – I completely agree with him. Throwing money at big banks and the failing auto industry only helps a very small segment of the economy (and they’re obviously not using the money wisely by what I’ve seen so far). I’d much rather see the government do something like Cuban – fund small businesses.

Small businesses are the largest employer in the Unites States. Reducing small business taxes for new startups, for instance, could spark some innovation. Chances are that a lot of the businesses would be started by people who were recently unemployed, and they would create jobs.

While I think it’s far-fetched to think the government will try to help small businesses (it seems only multi-billion dollar corporations are worthy), I think Mark Cuban is on to something. Just spreading some ideas and seeding a few small startups could start something, spark some growth.

On November 20, I placed an order for three pair of Levi’s 559, size 33×34. I’ve lost a bit of weight, so my 34×34 jeans are a little baggy. I have already owned several pair of the style 559 jeans, and have been very pleased with them. About a week later, I received the jeans and tried them on to find that one of the three pair didn’t fit. They were extremely tight (I couldn’t even get them close to buttoned), but the other two pair (exact same style and size) fit perfectly. I thought, “must be a manufacturing defect.”

“No problem, I’ll just exchange them,” I thought to myself. I called Levi’s and explained how they were way too small and how it had to be a manufacturing error, since I had several pair of the same style and size that fit perfectly. The customer service representative instructed me to send the jeans back using a prepaid return label, and a new pair was on the way to me. Great!

Several weeks later, I was shocked to notice a credit on my credit card for the jeans I returned. I immediately picked up the phone and called Levi’s customer support to see what happened. I didn’t want a credit, I wanted my jeans! I got a semi-helpful representative who told me that she would look into it and put in a request to get my replacement jeans shipped and the credit reversed. A month passed with no jeans and no contact from Levi’s.

I called Levi’s only to get a confused representative on the phone who insisted Levi’s “did not do exchanges” but only issued a credit. I would have to reorder my jeans, she insisted. When I looked at the website, the same jeans I’d ordered prior to Christmas for around $30 a pair (on sale) were now $60 a pair plus tax and shipping. After arguing that the jeans were incorrectly sized, and the return should have been an exchange in the first place she explained the “exchange process” at Levi’s.

Here is the process a customer must go through to exchange an item at Levi’s according to their own customer service representative:

1. Place order (online or phone)
2. Receive order in mail
3. Contact Levi’s to initiate exchange (paperwork in box only covers returning for credit)
4. Send package back to Levi’s
5. Get credit on card for returned item less return shipping
6. Call Levi’s and place re-order (most likely for more than original item)
7. Request credit for difference

Does that process seem a little convoluted and impractical? I had now called Levi’s a total of 5 times, in addition to several customer service emails. I wasn’t happy but I placed a reorder over the phone, charging over $60 to my card (the representative was nice enough to waive shipping charges.)

I started to get a little nervous, because the representative explained the return/exchange process and instructed me to place a reorder before knowing exactly what credit (if any) would be issued. I reluctantly placed the order anyway, but then the representative quoted Levi’s policy, something like “Do you authorize Levi’s to charge your card for $XX.XX? After an order has been placed, it cannot be changed or cancelled.”

That makes me feel at ease… talk me into ordering the jeans again at full price, then tell me I can’t cancel or change the order even though I still don’t know if I can get a credit for the difference.

Well, a week later the jeans arrived. I was excited to have the whole ordeal just over with… so I thought. The replacement jeans didn’t fit either. I cringed at the thought of another interaction with Levi’s customer service. At this point, I was willing to send them back for a partial refund just to be done with it. I’d rather go to a store and buy a pair of jeans!

I called customer service again and this time got a pretty nice representative. I explained briefly what happened with the orders, the problems I had so far, and that I just wanted to be done with it. Amazingly, he said he’d ship me another pair of jeans immediately, and would email me a prepaid return label to send mine back. Sure enough, 5 minutes after I got off the phone with him, I had two emails: a receipt for my replacement jeans (pair #3) and an email label from UPS to return the second pair of mis-sized jeans. In just a couple of days I received the jeans and they fit well.

Why So Complicated?

As an e-commerce store owner, I am absolutely amazed at how complicated Levi’s has made the process of exchanging an order, especially when it was a manufacturing defect that caused the error. After talking with more than 5 different customer representative, I was explained (in detail) three completely different return/exchange policies.

It’s completely possible that Levi’s employees simply don’t understand the policies and procedures… which is the main reason I didn’t include any names in this post. It’s not necessarily their fault. Had I received one representative that didn’t understand policies, I would think they were simply new or imcompetent… but after speaking with countless representative it was clear there were serious problems with the policies and the organization itself. There was absolutely no consistency in my interactions with the ccompany. The only consistent was chaos.

Lessons to Learn

Levi’s, please understand I’m a huge fan of your products but I will never buy direct from you again. It was my worst online retail experience, and I buy almost exclusively online. As an e-commerce business owner I have taken this opportunity to take a serious look at our own customer service policies. Are we making returns or exchanges difficult on our customers? Are our return and exchange policies simple and easy to follow (for both customers and employees)?

So what lessons did I learn about this experience?

• Make returns and exchanges easy for your customers, even if that makes it more difficult for you.
• Make policies so simple, it’s easy for employees to understand and convey them to your customers.
• Make sure your employees understand policies and procedures. Quiz them… often.
• Above all else, make it right. Take care of the customer.

What is a Qualified Google Advertising Professional?

A Google AdWords professional is an individual that has met the following requirements:

• Managed an Adwords account for at least 90 days
• Met a minimum spending requirement by Google for at least 90 days
• Passed the Qualified Google Advertising Professional exam

The certification program is meant to show potential clients and employers that you have a solid understanding of Google AdWords and pay-per-click marketing.

Why Get Certified?

I wanted to get certified for two reasons:

1. Learn more about Google AdWords so I can better manage client’s and my own accounts
2. Use the certification as a marketing tool to show off our skill set and competency with online marketing

I’m not sure how many accounts we’ll land because we’re certified, but I think it will reinforce our expertise with our current clients and maybe even help to drive home the fact that online advertising continues to grow and become more prominent.

Other Certifications

Google has two other certifications I would like to get this year:

• Google Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant (WOAC)
• Google Analytics Authorized Consultant (GAAC)

Those will be a little more difficult to acheive. They don’t require a formal exam, but do require individual verification by Google (and require that you are a Qualified Google Advertising Professional). I’m looking forward to the challenge.

I was a little surprised when Shayne contacted me and asked if I would co-author the book. I’ve been involved with SitePoint since 2001, so I think it’s only fitting that my first book is published by them. I have wanted to publish a book for a couple of years now, but life has always gotten in the way. Things have really just fallen into place for this to work out…

I’m extremely excited about the book… it will be an excellent resource for people who are interested in online marketing but don’t know where to start. The book will cover online advertising, search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media and PR, email marketing, and affiliate marketing.

I’ve owned an e-commerce business since 1999, and have been consulting with clients on online marketing since 2000. In that time, I’ve seen Google grow from a tiny search engine to the most powerful force in online marketing in the world. I’ve seen search engine optimization change and evolve to really focus on quality content and incoming links. And I’ve seen Facebook and Twitter spring up and create an entirely new market, social media.

Online marketing is exciting, but it can also be complicated. Hopefully, Shayne and I, with our years of combined experience, can explain online marketing in a way that anyone can understand.

Things are still in the early stages, but I’ll post more details (such as links to preorder, book cover, etc.) as they become available.

Thanks to Patrick O’Keefe, for his advice and encouragement (having done this before) and Brant Kelsey, for pushing me to set ambitious goals this year.

This is a great deal for anyone thinking of incorporating soon…

I’ll be posting updates to Twitter, Pownce and Qik throughout the conference and expo.

So why was I happy to get a call last night at 4 AM? Well, it seems when I was working on one of our servers last night I made a change (deleted some directories) that I shouldn’t have done. When the log rotation script ran it’s weekly cron job, Apache didn’t start back up.

Rackspace monitors all the major ports on our server, and in the event that one of them is down they not only assign a technician to it immediately, but they also follow whatever protocol we ask. I asked them to call my office and then cell numbers (in that order) to let me know the server was down.

So Rackspace called me at 4 AM to let me know that they noticed the server went offline and that they were working on it. Then they entered a trouble ticket and updated it 5 minutes later when the issue was resolved and the server was back up and running smoothly.

Rackspace touts “fanatical support” and I’ve found that to be true on a number of occasions. It could have easily been this morning before we noticed the site was down (or longer, since it’s a weekend it could’ve been a whole day). We could’ve lost thousands and thousands of visitors to that client’s website, but we didn’t because Rackspace took care of it.

So when the phone rang at 4 o’clock this morning I was only upset until I found out what it was… then I was relieved. I sleep better at night knowing I don’t have to worry — if something goes wrong I know my phone will ring and someone will already be working on the problem.

If you’ve got a community on your website, then you need to read Patrick O’Keefe’s book, Managing Online Forums: Everything You Need to Know to Create and Run Successful Community Discussion Boards. I have started a handful of (rather unsuccessful) communities in the last few years, and wish I’d had Patrick’s book then. Maybe I would have done a better job.

Patrick pours years of community management experience and firsthand real-world examples into what could be called the manual for online community managers or owners.

The book is broken down into chapters in almost the same order as the lifecycle of a community… planning & development, guidelines, promotion, staff & user issues, keeping it all running, and (finally), making money. In each section, he outlines best practices while also giving personal advice just as he would if he were talking to you face-to-face. His candid, personal writing style makes you feel like you’re reading advice from a friend more than a typical management book.

The chapters are broken down into sub-headers, which make it an excellent reference book later, when an issue comes up and you just need a little advice. Just flip to the index and you’ll instantly find out how to deal with vulgar language or find an interesting idea for promoting your community.

Managing Online Forums also has numerous examples of forms, guidelines, notifications and more and they are all downloadable from the book’s website.

If you run or are thinking of running an online community, you owe it to yourself to buy Patrick’s book.

About a week ago I noticed that an EFT payment I should have received was not showing in my checking account. We’re not talking a lot of money, so it wasn’t that big a deal. I am a member of an affiliate program and get recurring commissions, which have generally been very small. So small, in fact, that I haven’t even noticed not getting them for the past 2 years. Completely my fault. After noticing that I had missed an EFT deposit (I get an email once a month letting me know it’s coming) I decided to check on last months, and then the previous and the previous. I got back to May 2006, over 24 months, before I found the last successful EFT deposit! Whoah.

Some would say that it’s clearly the company’s fault for not catching the error. Sure, they have some responsibility, but they did in fact initiate the EFT transfers. I had changed banking account information back in May of 2006, and somehow that change wasn’t successful. I should have made sure I was successfully receiving the transfers after the change.

When I contacted them about the issue, the support representative looked into it as much as she could, but I’m sure she didn’t have access to all the information or access needed to resolve the issue. She got another representative involved who got one of the management team involved. It took a total of 10 days to resolve and 14 days – 2 weeks – to get an EFT payment of the total owed for over 2 years.

Some might say, “What took so long?” Not me. They kept in close contact with me, updating me every step of the way. They were polite and understanding, even though a brunt of the blame was on me for not noticing sooner. They were happy to give me my money, even though some of it was from over 2 years ago.

The company, CDG Commerce has earned my respect. I appreciate that there are still companies out there who know what “customer service” means.

If you want to get extraordinary customer service, here are a few tips:

• Don’t overreact. It’s most likely not this particular representative’s fault, they’re just trying to help.
• Always err to the side of accepting blame instead of dishing it out. It’s much more likely that you’ll get help if you’re accepting part of the responsibility (even if it isn’t your fault at all). People like humility.
• Give it time. Don’t expect resolution in one hour or one day (depending on the issue, of course). Understand that there are hoops to jump through and simply ask to stay informed.
• Be polite and always thank them for everything they are doing to help. This is self-explanatory, treat them how you want to be treated and they will probably bend over backwards to help you. These people get yelled at all day, day after day. Speaking to a compassionate and thankful person will really make their day, and could make yours too.

Just remember that most companies and support representatives want to help you.

We would map out all of them and make an order we’d hit them, the best ones we’d hit as early as possible. I remember waking up when it was still dark and getting to the best yard sale by 7 AM so we’d get the pick of the best stuff.

Fast forward about 20 years.

I have gone yard selling a few times in my adult life… most of the time by accident. I’d just drive by and see a sign, so I’d stop to see if there was anything good. Most of the time, the good stuff was gone because someone got there early.

This morning I woke up at 4:30 like I usually do and worked for several hours. Wrote a few blog posts, worked on a couple websites, had some coffee, got ready. Then I decided to see if there were any yard sales. I hit the road, filled up with gas and grabbed a biscuit. I pulled up the newspaper website with my iPhone. I jotted down some of the better looking addresses and mapped them using Google Maps.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find any good stuff… the only thing I bought was a $0.50 book. But it got me reminiscing about when I was a kit yard selling with my grandmother. And it gave me an idea…

I got an idea for a web application that’s a mashup of other web services like classifieds, Google Maps, and of course, yard sales. I actually thought about it a while back too, and just dismissed it as another one of those ideas I’d never actually do. But I think it might be a pretty good idea… and am going to look into a bit more.

As I began doing research into financial management (which has always fascinated me), I thought of so many ideas and tips that could help our family get out of debt, build savings for retirement and kids’ college education, and eventually build wealth for our children after we’re gone.

DebtFreeBlog.net is a blog about these ideas, tips & resources. I’ll be posting book reviews, tips and tricks, resources and more. Check it out!

I first met Darren at SxSW in Austin in March on the Chitika/ProBlogger Beer Bus and at the b5 Blog Network Camp. Darren and Chris are both full-time blog publishers and know their stuff. If you’re interested in making money from blogs, you should seriously consider buying this book.

The book is fairly concise, at only 220 pages you can read it in a weekend in your spare time. It is filled with the same type of useful information you’d find on Darren’s blog, ProBlogger.net.

Among the tips are examples of successful blogs and things they do to get to and stay at the top of their niche. It covers everything from getting started to the best ways to monetize your blog. Whether you can install WordPress from a shell prompt or have never even heard of Blogger, you’ll find the book useful.

In the trenches of everyday work, it’s understandable to make a mistake here and there, but if you’re paying for an ad, you should make it a habit to check the display of that ad before you submit it.

I’m also curious about why Google can’t figure out what the user meant, considering there is just an extra space in the formula. I would assume this is a fairly common mistake.

I’m back from Austin and while I definitely have enough catchup work to keep me busy, I thought I’d post a quick review since it was my first time at the conference.

First, I finally got to meet a lot of people in person that I’ve known for years… Patrick O’Keefe, Chrispian Burks, Jeremy Wright, Aaron Brazell, Stephan Segraves and more. It was great hanging out with you guys.

This was my first trip to Austin and my first SXSW conference. I had a great time, and wish I could have stayed for the whole week, but we stayed only for the Interactive portion. I learned one thing almost immediately — SXSW has two worlds — the panels and conference during the day and the parties and networking events at night. I’ll give a brief review of each.

The SXSW Conference and Expo

All of the panels and discussions were between 30 minutes and 1 hour long. It seemed like in many of the discussions we were really just getting started and it was over. In a way, this is good because it gets you thinking about a subject and asking yourself questions, and leaves you to finish on your own. Hopefully you go back with some unanswered questions and continue the discussion online and with colleagues back home.

The layout of the convention center made it difficult to get from one room to another. Several times we just could not physically make it to another panel in time because it required walking clear across the convention center (which was big).

The trade show itself was a bit smaller than I expected. Since it is an Interactive, Film and Music conference I expected to see a fairly large trade show, maybe divided into sections for each. The exhibitors had fairly small booths and were giving out schwag like t-shirts, pins, stickers, etc. I saw companies like O’Reilly, Opera, Mapquest, Google, and Yahoo. A few people I expected to see but didn’t: Mozilla/Firefox, Microsoft, Apple.

Overall it was very organized and the panels discussed interesting topics related to our industry. I learned a good bit and enjoyed bumping into interesting people on the show floor.

The Parties and Networking Events

I was fortunate to know a good number of people going to Austin for SXSW, many whom I have never met in person. Several of us got together Friday night to meet and have dinner, and had some discussions on industry topics and generally just hang out.

Every night after that it seems there was a party or networking event planned that seemed interesting. There were a few blog-specific events that I enjoyed in particular, including the Chitika/ProBlogger Beer Bus and the b5media Blog Network Camp. I learned a lot about blogging and met some great people.

I realized quickly that the sessions and panels are great but they just spark your creativity and get your wheels turning. It’s the Austin night life that really makes SXSW what it is. I had a great time at SXSW and can’t wait for next year.

• Crocs up to size 17.
• Men’s house slippers up to size 18.
• Dress shoes up to size 18.
• Casual shoes to size 17 and 18.

We also met a few manufacturers who were interested in doing some custom production for us up to size 20. That’s where the real promise is — we’d love to relaunch our own shoe brand (P. Bunyan Footwear) but after the attempts to manufacturer in Mexico both using a broker and by ourselves, we put those plans on hold. We could never get the factories to take our small quantities (by their standards) seriously.

We’ve got a LOT of new shoes coming in the next few months, and I’m excited about all the new brands and styles.

I’m hoping we find a few manufacturers that can supply us with:

• Dress shoes up to size 20
• Athletic shoes up to size 20
• Men’s slippers — hopefully to at least size 18
• Rubber steel-toe work boots

We’ve got a list of potential manufacturers to meet with, so it should be a busy show.

When Starbucks first opened several weeks ago I didn’t even stop by, instead opting to support local business. But then, local business dried up and withered away. Slowly, as I went into the locally owned coffee shop, I found shelves and drink cases empty. Then one day I went by to find them closed at 2PM on a Saturday afternoon.

Instead of pumping up marketing prior to Starbuck’s opening, they did nothing. So many small business owners chastise chains for putting them out of business. Starbucks’ brand recognition may have had a small effect on the local business, but it didn’t drive the nail in the coffin. So what killed the local coffee shop? They should’ve taken a class in Business 101.

Never get comfortable – being the only substantial coffee shop in town, they were always afforded the luxury of not having to advertise to get business. They were never really busy, but they “made ends meet” as some business owners would put it. Instead of spending money on marketing and promoting their business, and building their own brand, they chose to hire help to man the store and do other things.

Unfortunately, all it took to knock them off their pedestal was a company that knows how it’s done. Starbucks didn’t start out taking all the business away from the local shop, but when people did try Starbucks they never went back. Why?

Easy. Starbucks masters personal service and delivers the perfect experience every single time you walk in. Within days they knew me by name, knew what drink I ordered and every time it was consistent – perfect temperature and perfect flavor. The store is always clean (impeccably so most of the time) and the staff is always courteous and helpful.

You might say that all businesses should be consistent and friendly. You’re right, but that doesn’t mean they are. Starbucks drives it home to employees again and again that the customer experience is all that matters. Make them happy, period.

Had the locally owned coffee shop had this attitude they might still be open today, because none of the customers would have dared to try another shop.

Unfortunately between the Starbucks opening and other factors (poor management of years past, possibly) the local coffee shop is closed for good, and I’ve converted into another Starbucks fanatic.

Don’t worry, it’s not hard. “Networking” and building relationships is as easy as sending a birthday card or referring someone business. It comes down to one principle: Think of how you can help them, not how they can help you.

It’s really that simple. Instead of going to business functions looking to hand out 100 business cards, or sell your services, think of all the people you can help in some way.

Basically, people know when you’re just out for yourself. We all have agendas, businesses to run, things to do. No one wants to be “sold” on something. But when you talk to people for the first time, many of them do just that. They “sell” themselves.

Next time you meet someone, don’t say one thing about yourself (other than your name) unsolicited. Instead, ask questions about the person you are meeting. Learn everything you can about them and see if there is a way you can help them out, either by referring them business or just by getting a card and keeping them in mind.

One thing I’ve found about networking is that it’s much easier (and more effective) when you focus on them and not yourself. Try it.

Well, if you know me at all you know I’ve been a partner in an e-commerce company, 2BigFeet.com, since late 1999. I just bought out my business partner and now my wife and I are the new sole owners of 2BigFeet. Tracy will be handling the day-to-day operations and customer service, and I will still handle the web development, marketing and overall strategic planning.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but I’m excited about bringing in new lines of shoes in extremely large sizes and taking 2BigFeet to the next level.

A few months ago, I came across a help-wanted ad on a competitor’s website. I have thoroughly enjoyed owning a small web development company, but it was time to move on to the next level. I really only saw two ways to do that. I could hire full-time employees and expand my company. We’d need a new location, marketing and a lot of business. Or, I could grow quickly by acquiring or being acquired.

I initiated a dialog with BKD, and with Brant Kelsey, the owner. From the start it was clear that we would make a good team and our companies had many complimenting strengths. Their focus and a great deal of their experience has been in branding, print design and traditional marketing. Our focus was web development, e-commerce and online marketing. Together we could offer a full-range of services to our clients.

After several successful meetings and negotiations, BKD acquired EleyTech in November of 2006. In addition to acquiring the business and clients, BKD hired me full-time.

As a full-service ad agency, design firm and web development company, we now have the capabilities in-house to tackle just about any project, large or small. We have a full-time staff of 6, which includes award-winning graphic designers, programmers, and a marketing and e-commerce
consultant.

I’m excited to be a part of such a talented and diverse team, and look forward to providing our clients with amazing service and proven results.

I plan on using my personal blog to write about my experiences at a growing advertising and design firm, about personal productivity, and about building businesses. I will share experiences from the field, and from my personal endeavors. I will continue to build my own websites, as I always have, and will continue to write. In fact, I hope that I will have more time to focus on my writing and personal ventures now that I do not have the responsibility of running a business atop developing successful websites for our clients.

So stay tuned… I’m embarking on a new and interesting journey. It has been a long time since I’ve been gainfully employed, and I’m looking forward to the potential for growth and positive change that this brings.

I have been “settled in” to my current lifestyle and career for some time and I think it’s about time for a change. So I’m in the process of making that change and look forward to the directions it takes me. I’ll be outlining it here, so stay tuned (all 2 of you)!

So what is my definition of success? Not having to work.

Don’t laugh, I’m serious. I’ve realized that the only way to build a growing, sustainable business is to not do the work yourself. In addition I want to spend time with my family, go on vacations, possibly go back to school and still make a comfortable living for me and my family.

So how do you make a comfortable living without working?

It was up above if you were paying attention – don’t do the work yourself. Oxymoron? No. Most self-employed people I know (notice I didn’t use “entrepreneur”) are really just owners of a job (including me most of the time). We do all the work we used to do, plus accounting, bookeeping, receivables, marketing, filing, secretarial work and more. The only way to get out of that cycle is to break out.

I’ve been trying for a few years to break out of the cycle, but keep getting pulled back in to doing more and more work. I’ve recently found myself working 60-70 hours a week trying to make deadlines and please clients. I realized that there were two things wrong with what I’m doing:

1. I’m doing client work. It makes much more sense to work on sites that will generate long-term recurring revenue for me than to work on projects that will make clients money.
2. I’m doing all the work myself. I’ve recently found myself doing almost all the work myself… mostly just because I’m trying to meet deadlines and occasionally because I think I’m the only one that can do it right.

Of course, I’m not the only one who can do it (nor the only one who can do it in time to make the deadline). To move to the next level, I’m going to have to break that mindset and start outsourcing more work and start working on more internal projects.

I’m making it a point to not take on any more client work where I will have to work 50% or more of the billable hours. I’m also going to find some competent designers, programmers and developers to subcontract some of our client work to so I can focus on finishing some of our internal projects that can generate some long-term residual income.

With so much to do, how are we supposed to effectively manage the information overload? I constantly have 5-10 projects for clients, 5-10 internal projects, writing, and all the personal projects like clean out the garage or pressure wash the porch. In addition, I get hundreds of emails a day and at least 10-20 phone calls and voicemail messages.

If I don’t respond for a single day, I’ve overloaded and feel buried under a pile of catch-up work. So how do you effectively manage projects and still find time to have a personal life?

I don’t know, but over time I have been getting better at prioritizing exactly what I really need to be doing. The first step, I believe, is to determine if it’s really even worth your time at all. If it isn’t, don’t do it. If it is, then you  move on to managing all the important things on your to-do lists.

I have read some of the big productivity books such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The E-Myth Revisited, and while the concepts in these books is sound, there is no practical information on how to apply them.

My wife just gave me Getting Things Done by David Allen. I have been wanting to read it for some time, and from what I have read so far it has some solid, practical advice on how to actually get stuff done. I’ll post a more thorough review once I’ve read and applied some of the principles and recommendations.

Check out the site and if you like poker, subscribe to the RSS feed. I’m going to try to post at least twice a month, maybe more and will include tips, how-to’s, and my experiences (good and bad).

If they weren’t real enough, they now have a personal investment from Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos and his investment company.

Will this be the end of “Getting Real” and the 37 Signals philosophy? I don’t think so, but I am a little puzzled about the announcement. They’ve been apparently been fending off VC companies for a while; I guess they just got an offer they couldn’t refuse.

I have to say, if Jeff Bezos wanted to invest in our company I definitely wouldn’t say no!

Historically Apple has not made a big deal out of their anniversaries, with the exception of the 20th anniversary Mac, which in my personal opinion was a flop. Will Apple do anything spectacular this, their 30th, anniversary?

I don’t know, but I do know I’ve got apple.com set as my home page until then… just in case.

Online “Web 2.0″ Software (yeah, I said “Web 2.0″)

Basecamp by 37 Signals

Simple, effective project management software. It works, and works well. I use it for all my projects, internal and with clients.

Writeboard also by 37 Signals

Online document collaboration software – lets you write (or paste) a document and keep track of revisions by you or multiple authors.

Google Customized

I have this customized to show my favorite blogs, Gmail account, local weather and even a few frequently visited website URL’s. Very customizeable; very cool. Quite possibly the best thing that’s come out of Google since, well, Google.

WordPress

Blogging software that is beautifully simple yet has all the features I need. I’ve tried just about every blog software, including the hosted solutions. WordPress is the easiest and nicest I’ve seen. And it’s free.

Blogs & Websites I read

I have an RSS feed coming to my customized Google home page for every one of these sites. There’s some good insight here.

• Signal vs. Noise by 37 Signals
• SimpleBits
• SitePoint Blogs (yes, all of ‘em)
• Authentic Boredom
• ParticleTree
• Whitespace
• A List Apart
• Slashdot

Not all of them are “blogs” but they are all worth visiting daily… or at least subscribe to the RSS feed so you know when a new post is made.

Productivity Tips and Tricks

Okay, here are a few bits of insight from my short time on this Earth. Take them for what they are – I’m constantly reading new books and trying a new approach. But over the years a few things have remained consistent no matter what.

Base Everything on Solid Principles

Read Steven Covey’s ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ and ‘The 8th Habit – From Effectiveness to Greatness.’ They aren’t just good – they’re great. I’ve had ‘The 7 Habits’ since around 1998 and have read it cover to cover more times than I have fingers (and maybe toes). Its basic message is that there are certain fundamental principles (like trustworthiness, honesty and integrity) that are self evident, and that living life by those principles is a great step toward effectiveness and greatness. Great business and life advice.

Franklin Covey Planning System

I’ve been using a Franklin Covey planner since I was 18 years old. My first employer sent me to a seminar and gave me my first planner. I’ve had the same binder for almost 7 years now, and it’s old leather look is aging nicely. But it’s not the soft leather binder that I want to draw attention to – it’s the methods of planning. Instead of just making a “to-do list,” Franklin Covey has a system of determining what is really important and urgent – and prioritizing our life around those things that matter the most. Goes hand in hand with the books above.

Put Family First

Building a business is hard; so is climing the corporate ladder. No matter what your profession, it’s easy to put family on the back burner with an eye on “success.” Take a step back and think about what you really want – and what’s really important. You might find that ladder is up against the wrong building. Family is the most important thing in my life – and spending time with my wife and children trumps everything else. I could put in 80 hour weeks growing my company to a “success” but at what cost? You can’t “put off” time with family… once it’s gone it’s gone.

Take Care of Yourself

Somewhat in line with the tip above – take care of yourself. Life is short, and we don’t need to make it shorter. Eat well, exercise and get outside once and a while! Treat your body right and it will reward you with clearer thought, more energy and more effectiveness. Don’t and not only will your health suffer – but you’ll be sluggish, you won’t think clearly, and you’ll likely cause long term health problems.

Read Everything

Read business magazines, industry publications, blogs, books, manuals, and anything else that can give you an edge. Read when you’re on the plane, instead of watching TV, taking a break from work, or anytime you have 5 minutes. In our fast paced society knowledge is everything, and keeping up with it is almost impossible. Pick a few publications to read regularly, subscribe to a few blog feeds, and try to read a book at least every few weeks (every month minimum). Not only will you be smarter, but studies show that the more you use your brain now, the longer it keeps working.

Set Goals, and Deadlines

I’ve heard people suggest to set unrealistic “dream” goals. That’s just silly. Set attainable goals and then determine the best coarse of action to acheive them. Make deadlines and work to accomplish them, one at a time. By the time you know it, you will have acheived your goal. Repeat.

Backup Everything, All the Time

Backup your family photos, your business documents and files, your email. Backup everything because it’s not a matter of if, its a matter of . Computers and hard drives are just mechanical devices, like a car’s engine. Use them enough, and they’ll eventually die. They can die anytime, even brand new. Take it from someone who’s been there – backup everything you want to save.

Conclusion

Well, I could probably find a few more points, software, or l inks to share. But that’ll do for now – my small piece of advice and insight into productivity for the next year. All the best for 2006; may you acheive true success.

I think brandoneley.com will be a good place to post these, and I will probably also post them on my company website, www.eleytech.com.

I’ve been debating on whether or not to just shut down the website at brandoneley.com and just post the articles and blog entries directly to my comapny website. This would allow me one place to put everything, without duplication. I could just put a bio on the website here, linking to the busienss site.

My business site, www.eleytech.com, is undergoing a complete redesign at the moment, hopefully to launch by October 1. I don’t know how I’ll get the time to finish it htough, as I’m really swamped with client projects at the time also.