Donnie Cooper's got mad SEO skillz. But he doesn't want to keep them all to himself. In fact he wants to teach you how to do your own smart search engine work. Donnie's learned a lot growing his business and shares the good and the bad in this interview.
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Jay Fanelli and the crew United Pixelworkers often get recognized for their t-shirts. But in part 2 we decided to step back and look at their client services business, how they're growing and where they're headed next.
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Jay Fanelli and the crew at Full Stop Interactive know a thing or two about growing a side project into a full fledged beast. United Pixelworkers exploded onto the scene in 2010, setting the bar for a design shop selling their own t-shirts. Fast forward to today and they've launched several other projects as well. In part one of our interview we talk about the t-shirt biz, how all their businesses are setup and bottlenecks. Oh, the bottlenecks.
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Jason Blumer of Blumer CPA's is a smart guy. He knows it's wise to have more than one leg of your business. That's why he started a membership program for other creative accountants called Thriveal. In Part 2 we talk about how his team runs their membership site and makes sure it stays profitable.
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When Jason Blumer says he's a "creative accountant" it's not what you think. Jason and his team have chosen to focus on the creative community, pouring into them to help them run smart businesses and make money. In Part 1 of our interview, we talk about how important it is to stay laser focused on a small community and why you should do it.
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In Part 2, We discuss how to keep profitability high, billing ideas to ensure a regular stream of income, and ways to diversify.
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Lea Alcantara of LeaLea Design tells us what it's like to run a one person webshop and how to thrive doing so. We'll talk about what it takes to get started and how she got noticed by giving back.
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Molly Ledford and Jay Barry started Lunch Money Music 10 years ago. Their goal? Indie rock for the whole family. Multiple albums, tons of shows and lots of happy kids later, they're watching their passion project grow into a full time job. In the second interview with Molly and Jay we talk about where they make money, their plans for the future, and a freaking puppet musical!!
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Molly Ledford and Jay Barry started Lunch Money Music 10 years ago. Their goal? Indie rock for the whole family. Multiple albums, tons of shows and lots of happy kids later, they're watching their passion project grow into a full time job. In the first interview with Molly and Jay we talk about the road to profitability, how their business is setup and some of the amazing opportunities they've had playing all over the country.
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Jenn Lukas is Lead Interactive Developer at Happy Cog by day and writer, teacher and globe trotting speaker by night. In other words, she spends all of her free time pouring into others, teaching and inspiring them to do this whole web thing right. In Part 2 we talk about the balance between side projects you love and side projects that make money. Also how being nice and honest will set you up for success.
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Jenn Lukas is Lead Interactive Developer at Happy Cog by day and writer, teacher and globe trotting speaker by night. In other words, she spends all of her free time pouring into others, teaching and inspiring them to do this whole web thing right. In Part 1 we talk about all the projects she's involved with, and how she finds time for them.
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Val Head not only runs her own web design shop, she also does tons of workshops and runs conferences and meetups like Web Design Day, the Loop and Refresh Pittsburgh. Basically she doesn't sleep. Val takes some time to tell us how she balances two businesses, what she's done right and wrong, and why having multiple legs on your business is a good thing.
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Have you ever thought about starting your own conference or meet up? Then Val's the one you need to talk to. She has years of running projects like Web Design Day, the Loop and Refresh Pittsburgh under her belt and she was gracious enough to spend some telling us how she does it. Find out how she got into running conferences, when it was time to start making money from them, and how to minimize your risk.
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In this week's Inspiring Interview, Santiago Jaramillo of BlueBridge Apps doles out some tips for recent college grads about freelancing, landing that dream job, and facing your fear of failure. He also has something to say to experienced freelancers about the dangers of comparison, the double-edged sword of modeling other people's success, the value of certain mentors (and not others), your definition of success, and the difference an honest, creative sales process can make for your business long-term. Kicktastic members should put this stuff into practice immediately!
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What do portable water, music camps for kids, and mobile development have in common? They all represent business niches that Santiago Jaramillo of BlueBridge Digital has tapped. Santiago sees a need. Santiago starts a business. But over the past several years, he has also learned when to stop chasing unicorns, how to grow intentionally, how to lead well, and why numbers matter. You'll want to take notes.
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In Part 2 of our interview with Leslie Camacho (former CEO of EllisLab), we talk about a huge problem in the business world - how leaders (perceived or otherwise) deal with problems and failures both publicly and privately. We also talk about when it's time to quit, how to prepare for that and how important it is love what you do.
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Leslie Camacho was CEO at EllisLab (makers of CodeIgniter and ExpressionEngine) for nearly 7 years, and worked with the company 3 years before that. He's been with them from humble beginnings to wild, ridiculous growth and has learned so much along the way. In Part 1 of our interview we talk about distributed teams, respecting the way others work, why silos are terrible, and how to hire.
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Creator of Ugmonk Jeff Sheldon is back for Part 2 of his interview! This week we talk about how Ugmonk gives back, what makes them the most money, how they screwed up and what they did right. Not to mention a few tips on working with your family (and your wife!).
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How do you take 4 t-shirt designs and turn them into a multifaceted, perfectly branded product line that shows up on major design sites and film/television spots? That's a good question. Fortunately we got to talk to Jeff Sheldon - creator of the Ugmonk brand. Besides having an affinity for monks that say "ug" (I know, that was terrible, sorry), Jeff knows when to take risks and when slow and steady wins the race. In part 1 of his interview, we talk about how Ugmonk started, how he moved from a side project to a full time gig, what he's using for shipping, inventory and his store and how he finds the manufacturers to produce all his awesome stuff. Check it out!
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This week, we'll hear more from Leo Knight, Chronic Early Adopter and Chief Shark Jumper at a variety of businesses. Tune in to hear Leo's practical advice on creating stuff that you can sell more than once, identifying the needs BEFORE you choose the business, creating multiple streams of revenue, and bringing an engineer's perspective to bear on creative work. At the very end, he also dishes some of his favorite tools and services. Order up.
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Leo Knight is truly a serial entrepreneur. He starts businesses. He sells some of them. He buries others, and he keeps his favorites. But he had to get started somewhere. In True Confessions of Leo Knight, Volume 1, he talks about losing his "real" job, landing that first big client, learning the importance of mentors, and pursuing strategic partnerships.
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How do you start a coworking space in a bustling metropolis like Nashville, Tennessee? How do you grow it from 0 to 100 people in only three years? How do you respond when other coworking spaces (that is, competitors) open their doors? Kailey Faber is the Founder and CEO of CoLab Nashville, which is the place for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who desperately need to get out more. Kailey talks about hospitality, creating and stewarding a vibrant culture, staying on track with big goals, and a little company called Patagonia. Get out your Moleskine because you'll want to take notes.
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Chris Guillebeau is a man of many exploits. He has published two books, The Art of Non-Conformity and The $100 Startup, and is working on a third. He founded the World Domination Summit, which will welcome 3000 people to Portland this year. He has visited every country in the world except Norway where he will travel this April. Chris's ability to dream big dreams and bring them to pass, step by step, is surpassed only by his humility when discussing those dreams. He took some time out of his busy schedule to share how he plans, how he deals with discouragement and failure, and who inspires him—twenty minutes of helpful advice and fun.
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For our final company profile this year, we have a special treat. One of our Kicktastic members, Danielle LeComte of Spark Creative, decided she wanted to interview Jon and Nate from FortySeven Media. Think of it as interview inception, if you will—but with lots more fun and less cities rolling in on themselves. Enjoy!
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Eric Dyck and Todd Dunlop are what you might call "serial entrepreneurs." They start businesses. But what's different about these two guys is that they also know how to play well with others. The quirky culture that they have created at Tap for Tap, a mobile advertising startup, includes coding contests, patchy facial hair, and the "Helmet of Shame." Eric and Todd were kind enough to riff on hiring for personality, the importance of overcommunication, how to react when people blatantly copy your stuff, and two quite eloquent Business Dares for 2013. This is one you don't want to miss.
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Much like FortySeven Media, Focus Lab started with two guys with day jobs and big dreams. Just a few years later they're making a name for themselves with top notch branding and web development work all over the world. Erik Reagan takes some time from his busy schedule and tells us what they've done right, what they've done wrong and where they're going next.
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Seeing a great opportunity is hard. Seizing it and making a new business out if it is even harder. Robert Wilder was part of a successful web firm that saw an opportunity for a product and turned it into a growing, thriving profitable business managing cloud based data rooms for law firms, investment bankers and more. And while the story of how Firmex began is a great one, the culture they're creating is even better. Don't miss this one!
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Derek Webb is a lucky man. He figured out that he was built to make music before he turned 10. And so began his path - as a part of the group Caedmon's Call back in the 90's to a thriving solo music career to building a little something called NoiseTrade. Derek is a fiercely independent artist who knows how to ship work he's proud of and put products on the market that make a difference.
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Daniel Allen is the brains and heart of The Life-Giving Leader. Over the past three decades, he has coached everyone from recent college grads to C-Suite executives. Daniel believes that the world rises and falls with leaders. When there's so much at stake, how do you restore balance, create healthy boundaries, and stay focused on the big "Why?" of your work? Daniel offers some simple yet profound practices for recharging your passion and leading with clarity and purpose.
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Shawn Van Dyke is a man who understands the importance of a professional looking, consistent brand. He also knows when you've reached the limits of what you can do yourself as a business owner and it's time to grow. Join us as we talk to Shawn about how he's taken Redbud Construction and grown it into a full fledged business.
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Jay Baer of Convince & Convert is a social media maven, consultant, speaker, author, coach, and angel investor. Phew. What's not to like? Jay was kind enough to share why some people and brands do so well with social media (and why some don't), what he looks for in a startup, and how blogging about left-handed vampire movies could be your ticket to world domination. Your mom may not know who Jay is right now, but she will one day. Enjoy the show.
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How does a Montana boy with a degree in Geography start a web hosting company, grow it to the 99th percentile of all hosting companies, and sell it while keeping the money and jobs local? Steven Sundheim, formerly of ModWest, explains how overconfidence, getting laid off, generosity, a healthy dose of pessimism, banner ads, and a finance sharpshooter helped him succeed in a very crowded marketplace.
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Allan and his partner Steve started LessEverything just a few short years ago, grew their consultancy into a million dollar beast, and used that to fund the creation of LessAccounting, online accounting software that doesn't suck. Four years later, their product is the king of the hill, they run their own conferences and have started several other projects. These guys know how to make money and have fun doing it.
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If you're looking for big ideas in running a business, Carl's your man. He's not afraid to change up anything inside the company - from abolishing contracts (and later reinstating them) creating a culture that doesn't rely on their leader. We dare to peek inside the mind of nGen Work's head honcho.
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How do you make money in the music industry when no one else is? First, you grow an epic beard. Second, you turn the concept of a label on it's head, surround yourself with brilliant friends & creatives and make a community of awesome. Third, you come up with a plan to change how bands make their money and build your own platform. That's how Chris Garmon does it, and we think it's genius.
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Chances are if you've gotten stuck coding HTML/CSS you've found help at Chris Coyier's CSS-Tricks. We talk to Chris about how he got started in the industry and how he's built multiple streams of revenue to the point where he doesn't have to do client work anymore. Pretty awesome!
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Matt Weinberg tells us how he started Vector Media Group when he was only 13 and then later grew the company to 14 employees in just a few years.
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Ever wonder how you crawl your way out of client work and into side project heaven? With lots of blood, sweat, tears, honesty and innovative business ideas. Gene Crawford of Period Three, Unmatched Style, Bizcraft and the Converge conferences tells us everything his companies have gone through, and how they're planning to make that transition.
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