Scope Creep:
The “thing” I want to talk about is a term called “Scope Creep“. Let me just say from my past experience it is not a wise idea to take on a project and give a price for an entire website without creating a contract or statement of work. Why, you ask? Because then it is easy for the client to want to add a bunch of features to the project that may not (and more then likely were not) talked about previously. The reason this happens is because the more your client thinks about their project the more ideas they come up with. Usually clients do not fully know what it is they want and are more or less looking to you for guidance.

This could also happen within your business. Marketers have been known to “scope creep” a lot. They have the best intentions though, all they want to do is make the client happy and make more money. But this can and WILL end up biting you in the ass. The results of scope creep are obvious. It will take you much longer then anticipated and it will cost you money out of your own pocket. Remember in web design time is money.

Dont be a fool like me, and better yet learn from my mistakes!

What I Have Been Learning In School:
Web Development Technologies is the name of my program. It consists of basically the entire array of what it takes to run a web development business. We cover website design (html, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, & flash), programming (php & logic), database management (MYSQL), networking, marketing, and leadership (project management &customer relations).

So far I have learned more about CSS and PHP. I have been CIW certified in Internet Business and Web Development. I am working on my Dreamweaver & Flash certifications from Adobe. I just learned how to set up a local host and am working with PhpMyAdmin more and setting up a mysql database. I am also learning a lot about WordPress and all of its features. I have learned how to use Google Chrome in a developer mind state and have made it very efficient and customized to help me work faster and easier. I learned about “site scooping” which was the biggest killer of the relationship I had with the gentleman I spoke about earlier. Basically it means that you expand on the project (usually done by the marketer) and not taking into mind about the extra time, money, and effort it would take. I didnt even know it existed and was a victim of it haha..

Im pretty sure that everything I have learned this year I have used and it has made me so much better at what I do. I just started the second semester and I am super stoked to see what all I can learn and apply to my business! I guess you can say I have been saved by the bell. BE EASY

Lately business has been BOOMING! Honestly I didn’t think I would be this busy this fast. I hooked up with a buddy of mine that I met from the Idaho Web Marketing Meetups and he is throwing constant work at me, not to mention I’m getting plenty of clients from my website and craigslist posts.

Its great but at the same time its a big stress trying to keep on top of every project (13 to be exact) and keep everyone happy and treat them all equally. I don’t do most of the work ( I outsource it) but the managing is still enough to keep me busy all day everyday. My mind set on work kinda changed a little throughout this and work was becoming less fun with every passing second. I guess the main reason is because I haven’t had a work load like this yet, so I’m adjusting and trying to get comfortable with all this stuff on my plate. I’m getting better now, and I’m able to handle it all but at first (which would have been a little over a month ago) I was breaking out with zits from stress and wasn’t sleeping or eating right.

Ok enough with complaining, now for the goods…

I have been hiking every Sunday with my pal Jon Waraas and it has been a blast!! Probably the biggest stress reliever ever! I loving the outdoors and I got a new camera so I have been taking millions of pics to save for memories. I have seen a ton of animals while hiking but my favorite for sure was the mountain goat I saw two days ago. Here is a pic so you can see why… He is WAAAY up there!!

One of the top concerns is spamming. No one likes or appreciates junk email, and it is also now illegal. To avoid this, customers need to have opted in to receiving your messages. This means that they specifically request them, and have the option to not receive them at any time they wish. Having them sign up for your communication can be done by placing a box on your site in which they submit their information. This method is ethical and safe.

Emails should be well designed and attention getting. With only seconds to grab the attention of the reader, a spectacular heading is called for. Additionally, your best stuff should appear at the beginning of the message, and items of less importance should appear in the lower areas. New products, announcements, and sales should always be placed near the top, as they will keep the reader interested and wanting to visit your site.

Email marketing can take many forms. Some of the best are calls to action, in which the reader may be asked to participate in a survey, or are invited to visit a site for some incentive such as a sale, or to print a coupon. Newsletters also do well as they break information down into easy to read segments that hold the readers attention. There is no easy answer as to which customers want which type of emails, but tracking tools and sales numbers will show which emails were well received.

With so many things to take into account when it comes to email marketing, it may be advantageous to utilize a program like Mailchimp. This autopresonder program can help organize and execute effective campaigns that are spam compliant. There is no denying the power of email, and if your company is not currently taking advantage of it, it is time to get on board.

First of all let me explain what a QR Code is; for those that are not up to date. Oh and FYI they are not “new” they were created in Japan almost 10 years ago.

They are a 2 dimensional code that look similar to a bar code on products in a store (but they can hold way more information due to their design). The purpose is to allow mobile phone users the ability to simply scan the code and have it direct them to your website. They are intended to be placed on any kind of print graphics; such as business cards, fliers, magazine ads, etc. In fact they are very popular right now in the magazine world, I see them everywhere I look. You can also add them to sales receipts, on the side of work vehicles, and even sites on the web such as Facebook and Twitter.

All you need to be able to scan these codes is find the free app in the app store within your phone. Scanlife is one of the more popular apps to use for QR Codes, but there are dozens of other programs you can choose from.

So… how can they help your business??

The simple answer is that they can easily link to digital content on the web, email, IM and SMS; and connect the mobile device to the web. This means that consumers can now interact with your business easier and faster then ever. And people are getting lazy these days, lets just admit it. The best way to use the codes is to have them set to link to a custom landing page that provides business information as well as stating a “call to action”. You can create multiple codes that link to various places, depending on the campaign that you have in place.

Most QR Code generation programs offer an analytics system so you can track the traffic that the code brings in.

In conclusion QR Codes are going to bring people and technology closer together similar to the ways that social media is doing it….. but BETTER!

I was making a big mistake with the way I was running my business. That mistake would be getting too caught up in client work and not spending enough time networking myself and selling my business. I just one reason I have yet to do that, is my lack of self confidence. For some reason I always feel like I need to learn more or get more clients in my portfolio. SO I choose not to pursue any local business around town.

This creates two problems within itself. For one I was not getting enough work to sustain myself and also save money; so I guess you could say I was in idle. Another conflict it created was making me dislike my job. I’m not one for repetitiousness and busy work. I love designing and thinking about campaigns I can create for myself and my clients, but thats about it.

Another thing I am doing wrong is, as I said, not having the confidence I need to actually make a big time sale. For some reason I feel guilty when I try to push a big project on a business so I tend to short myself. Plus I need to remember that no one knows how much I actually know about my industry but me. And I actually know quite a bit about web design, development, and marketing. But for some reason I always doubt myself. So I plan on building up the confidence to start connecting with local businesses and selling them a stupendous web package that will help their business dramatically.

So those are the two areas of my business that I am going to really focus on and improve on… Hopefully some of you out there like me will benefit from this post:)

For one, the economy is about as low as it can get, and gas prices are the exact opposite (and raising). Not to mention inflation is quickly making its way towards us.

On top of that big corporations are earning big bucks daily and getting stronger and stronger. So what can we do to gain our ground against these monsters of commerce?

Team up and work together!! We cant make it on our own no matter what resources we have at your disposal.

There are an endless amount of ways to team up with like minded small businesses in our area or industry. The first thing I would suggest is participating in a meetup group for entrepreneurs. I would check out meetup.com or a chamber of commerce to find out more information on these meetups.

If your business doesnt rely on local clients then you can get involved in online community’s such as LinkedIn or The Small Business Web.

The next step I would recommend is getting into the Social Media aspect. Facebook and Twitter are great places to meet small business owners and create either formal of informal relationships that create a win win scenario. I have personally meet dozens of individuals, that I have helped and in return gotten help from, through Facebook.

“What if I cant find a meetup in my area?” Create one! With Meetup.com they give you everything you will need to start a meetup, so dont wait around for one to be created!

I cant stress enough the importance of working together to successfully achieve your business goals, whatever they may be.

Now that they have been online for a year with juicy content I think its time to start a decent campaign. Once I get to the number one spot I will start to closely follow the traffic and conversions to see if these niches are worth going forward with.

The most amazing part about this entire ecommerce beng I am about to go on is, that I finally have all the resources I need to create a great back-end for drop shipping and very professional looking sites. At first I didn’t have this comfort and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I was going to do exactly. Not to mention I was broke as a joke; haha I still kinda am but business is going well and I will soon have a decent sized stash to invest back into business.

The sites are going to be made in magento, which is a great ecommerce platform that is full of awesome features and will cut our construction time in half. The only thing that is left to do is persuade the manufacturers to drop ship for me. It shouldn’t be too hard seeing as how one of my really good friends does it already, and I will have a great drop shipping back-end to show them.

Im pretty excited about getting this thing going finally. Client work is getting to be a pain in the butt! However, it does pay the bills:)

Last year wages were pretty pathetic, if you were to break it down hourly its about a buck an hour or so. But this year I have already (or am on the way to) made as much as I did ALL last year! Its the biggest weight off my back, but at the same time it adds more wight, kinda hard to explain. But I would rather have to stress about having too much work to do, rather than being worried and stressed about getting work and wondering how im going to pay this months bills.

So this post is just some motivation to say don’t give up! I have had the thought of throwing in the towel many times. But something inside said it would work out, and IT IS! Im glad I made the choices I have made so far and I feel that im on the right path to achieving whatever it is that I want. Oh and did I mention that you can do it too. Anyone can, with a little effort and a lot of dedication…

Google places is a platform created by Google specifically for small business. It is constructed around a location based search. It uses a map view to inform viewers of your business location. It also allows for you (the business owner) to add additional information, such as operating hours, a brief description, categories, photos, special offers, etc. It also allows your customers to write reviews about your business and products/services.

How Does it Work?
When you create your listing, it will ask for the address of the business (state, city, street). Your business will only show up for searches that deal with your category in your area. So, if you are listing a cleaning business in Boise Idaho; when someone types in “cleaning in Boise Idaho” your listing should appear. Now it probably wont be in the number one spot, or close to it, even if you have a website listed in a number one spot for a regular Google search. The reason is because Google’s process for placement is different in Google Places. They go off of the most up to date, most complete business profile. They also rank you depending on the traffic your listing gets. If people are always viewing your listing of coarse it will improve.

How do I Improve my Listing?
Easy, all you need to do is make sure that your profile is completely filled out. This means that you have filled out every bit of the form they provide. It also means you have uploaded several photos, videos, and even special offers (which is new). Also if you get your previous clients to write a good review on your listing that will help.

Be sure that you are always updating your profile; changing out the special offers, adding and removing images of your products/services. The more up to date your listing is the higher it will rank in the search results.

*just a small tip; it doesn’t hurt to have multiple listings in surrounding areas, cities, or states. The more the merrier!:)