Articles

Hey folks, sorry for the delays in posting but all the BAP stuff is being/has been moved to new servers. In the doing, there have been a few technical hiccups which, combined with a new (and more than usually buggy) version of WordPress (which I use to blog), and, well, you get the perfect storm of non-postingness. Most things seem to be up-and-running now, however.

This switch *may* have caused an email here and there to astray as well. While doubtful (my tech guru is quite good at keeping track of such things), let me just say that if you sent me something in the past 24 hours or so and I have yet to reply, you might want to send it again, just to be sure.

Thanks for everyone’s patience, and please stay tuned–more information on the upcoming Speaking Tour will be posted very soon!

There are more and more people in business who seem to be realizing that being nice, polite, positive, pleasant, etc., are good ways of doing business. It can even be found in advertising agencies…or at least one.

Just what the title says…there’s a new podcast episode. Click here to subscribe…it’s free! Share the link with your friends.

A great post on “clients” who want it done for free. Brilliant.

From a blog on the housing bubble, a commentor posted these words from one of his high school teachers:

The only thing you have to do in life is die. Everything else is a choice, so choose wisely.

 And a quote from STEP magazine, as listed on a humor blog site and pointed out by Jane G. (oh, and I think you can substitue any creative profession for “designer”):

What’s the difference between a designer and a prostitute?
The prostitute will NEVER work on spec.

If you think about it, those two quotes work together well…

I just got an email from a photographer, Stephanie Hager. It was a little email promo, to drive targets to her website, but instead of only saying something like “I’ve got new work” or “Look at my website” she also included the following:

Here are a couple of very important and fun holidays you may find of interest:
January 27 – National Chocolate Cake Day
January 31 – Inspire your Heart with Art Day

What a hoot! Odd, weird “holidays” to celebrate. I bet that increases her hits. It’s always fun to get something unusual like that. Creative clients especially love this sort of “weirdo” lore, so it makes a good connection. Way to go, Stephanie!

We’ve made another series of minor tweaks to the main BAP website and one major one: it’s got a new section called “Vroom!” where you’ll find some comments from past clients, colleagues, and people who have seen my presentations.

You all know that I take the idea that we are all in business quite seriously. I think you should too. But that doesn’t mean we should get so bound by that that we get too afraid to do anything, lest we make a mistake. News flash: you are going to screw up.

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. Sometimes they’ll be big, but mostly they’ll be little and pretty easily correctable. Mistakes give us the chance to learn and to grow. Also, as has been noted before on this blog, if you don’t take a chance (which means potentially making a mistake) you can’t really be successful.

But just in case you’re still feeling bound by that fear of screwing up, just take a look at this list of the biggest business blunders of 2006. You can’t possibly screw up as much as them. No way…not even close.

Next time you have an agency or client complain about using usage to figure your price, just point them to this article.

This is a fantastic sign for non-employee creatives who participate in the creation of the creative for agencies and their clients. Agencies are finally realizing the importance and VALUE of their creative work, and charging for it rather than the time to create.

Just like photographers (and some others).

Woo hoo! A good sign for the future!

(thanks to Peter Schafrick for emailing the link)

Seriously…why don’t you just get a “regular job” like most folks?

If you can’t answer this question, you shouldn’t be in business.

As a self-employed creative professional (I like the term “self-employed” almost as much as “freelance,” which is to say, not at all), what you really are is a small businessperson. To be a small businessperson, a successful one that is, you need to believe completely in your product and yourself.

If you can’t say why you’re not working for someone else, then you shouldn’t be working for yourself.