Join Me Tuesday!

I will be speaking at the Winter Biz Session (sponsored by Indie Biz Chicks) on Tuesday at 9:00 pm. Come join me for an hour of fun and business! My topic is "What NOT to do when starting your web site" and I just finished up 2 pages of notes so there will be plenty to talk about. I think I will be speaking first and then taking questions at the end of the session. I am a little nervous because I have never done a session like this but I am sure that Crissy will walk me through it. ;) Hope to see (well, hear actually) you then!

Ahhh Love is in the Air

I took my original Christmas freebies and redesigned them for Valentine's Day! I included the pyramid goody box, pillow box and I added a new one...the matchbook notebook. These make great projects and can be used for a variety of things. Each PDF comes with instructions and the printable template. Print as long as your heart desires but I do ask that you keep this personal... no commercial resale please. I would love to see pics of how you use them. :) You can click the photo for the PDF and I have also included links on the sidebar for easy reference.

Biz Monday - Simple Tool

Ok, so I completely forgot that my kids were home from school today that is why I am a little late in posting this week's Biz Monday. In fact, I am a little behind on everything since this threw me for a bit of a loop since I planned by schedule on Friday. Oh well, I will make it up...no worries!
For this week's post, I thought I would give you something that I use all the time in my business. Notebooks...yes, notebooks, it's that simple. I don't know what I would do without mine. I used my notebook to jot down ideas, keep up with new projects, sketch something if I feel the need, keep notes on phone conversations with clients and so much more. Needless to say, I can go through a notebook pretty quick so I always have a few backups waiting for me. For the beginning of the year, I got a new notebook so I could start fresh. If you have trouble keeping organized then a simple notebook may be exactly the baby step you need in the right direction. I believe that organization is key to running a successful business so grab a notebook and start down the right track for 2010!

The Week in Review

Wow, this week has flown by! There has been so much going on that I just haven't had a chance to get over here and blog about it all. On Wednesday I went to my first acupuncture session and was surprised at how much it didn't hurt...at one point it was even relaxing and I forgot where I was. ;) My second session was on Friday and I am actually starting to feel better. I stopped taking my stomach medication and I haven't been in pain at all. I have two more sessions scheduled so we will see how it goes. The only downside I see so far is the fact that my hands and wrists look like I have been shooting up something awful because I bruise easily. Oh well, I am willing to deal with that until they get used to it because at this point it looks like the pros clearly outweigh the cons.

I have been working hard on clients projects and have a few of them coming to a close. One of my favorite parts in the design process is seeing everything come together on a live site. I will be sharing a few of those shortly. I also sent out the first Moxie Email. I have been working on it through the week but didn't get a chance to send it out until today. I am super excited about being able to offer this freebie to small businesses. If you haven't signed up, I recommend you do so. Oh and speaking of freebies...I have some cute Valentine's Day crafts coming soon! I am actually getting ready to take photos of the process in just a few so hopefully I will be able to post them on Tuesday so you have plenty of time to craft them up in time for VDay.

With the helpful of my creative assistant (aka Xander) I made my first full stop motion video. I decided that I wanted to document my web design process so this is the first of several movies to come. I love the look of stop motion and I plan on applying this to a lot of future projects. :)

Biz Monday - Knowledge is King

With the new year comes new features! Each Monday (now Biz Monday), I will post something helpful pertaining to starting, running or building your small business. There is so much information out there and I really want to focus time on helping small businesses that may not realize the vast amount of knowledge that there is. You may even see me pop up on a video or two. ;)
Working from home can sometimes be less than exciting. It's great that you can work in your pj's and no one cares or you can stop and grab a snack (or the much needed caffeine) any time you feel the need. You have all sorts of freedom, which is sometimes the problem. Have you ever become hum drum with your motivation to get the day started? I have been there in the past and thought I could use a kick in the pants with some accountability. Yes, I realize that I am accountable to my clients with project deadlines and I am usually really good at nailing those down. The thing I have difficulty with is all of the behind the scenes stuff that I should (and really want) to be doing at moxie pear. I am so glad that I found Crissy (from Indie Biz Chicks) and her accountability sessions. We meet on Monday mornings to go over that weeks goals then the next Monday we come back and to see what we have accomplished. It is also in a group setting so you have a bunch of accountability buddies. This runs for 6 weeks but I am seriously thinking about participating in the next one too and keep this something throughout the year. Don't worry if you can't make it to the accountability group because Crissy has all sorts of other classes and services for small businesses. It is so important to focus on ways to build your business, no matter what field you are in. You should always be growing your knowledge and practice of small business.

*Just so you know these are not the same tips as the ones that are in the weekly moxie email so sign up for that and you will have tons of new information for 2010!

Have you signed up?

Well, have you? If you own a small business then you definitely want to. I am talking about my new mailing list for moxie pear. For 2010, I have decided to send out newsletters with tips and helpful info for starting and running your small business. Just click back to my home page and scroll down to the bottom. You will see the sign up there. I am getting ready to send out my first email within the next few days so you may want to get a move on. :)