Nationwide Insurance uses the slogan, “Life comes at you fast,” and they’re right, it does.

At the beginning of 2008, I was still trying to recoup from the horrible Fall and Winter months of 2007. After going through the exercise of planning out the year once again, I told myself 2008 was going to be my most successful one yet.

The idea(s) were there. The marketing plan sketched out. The creative juices flowing. I was ready to cold-call and kiss clients, lick stamps for postcards mailings, even send out white papers. Yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill.

Then came the unexpected. Ah yes, those delightful little ventures into Mylanta® Land that we all know we should plan for, yet rarely do.

As a “hobby,” I help people survive the unexpected. Well, I do my best anyway. You see, I’ve been a volunteer firefighter for almost 20 years. So, by owning my design business in my small community, I felt I could provide a valuable design and printing service and help my neighbors. Just some of the fine services offered here at Gonink World Headquarters.

The beginning of the year was busy for both my business and the fire department. Then on February 12th, we had two house fires in less than six hours.

I rushed away from work around 4:30 to assist a nearby department on a large house fire. Tired, I returned home around 10:00 p.m. The second call came while I was finishing up with a reheated dinner.

This house fire went from arrival to extinguishing “hot spots” in about ten minutes. No sweat. Well, okay … a little swear. It was a wee bit hot in there. Then, while standing in the kitchen conversing with one of the captains, I heard a “crack.” The next thing I knew (or didn’t, as the case may be), I was out cold. I hate when that happens.

During a trip to the emergency room, the diagnosis was a broken neck with a rouge disc pressing against my spinal cord. Lovely.

My sister works in this very ER. She’s even talked about people in my very same situation … people who don’t walk out of the hospital on their own.

First up for me? Emergency surgery to replace the disc and get the vertebrae fused together to try and prevent any further damage to my spinal cord. That sounded good. “Further damage,” sounded kind of bad.

What followed, you ask? Partially closing my business to begin a grueling set of physical therapy appointments preformed by who appeared to be a student of the Marquis DeSade. For 30 days I could only work part-time.

Obviously, the business struggled. But, by early April, I was given the green light to go back to work full-time. None the less I was still required to attend physical therapy three times each week.

At this point in my life I had tasted the sweet ambrosia of local and international success. I had endured the feast and famine phases of business. And, I learned more about how to survive than I ever imagined possible.

So what’s next?: Starting over. Succeeding professionally and personally. That’s what.

Chris Tomlinson | Designer / Printer
Gonink: Design & Print | Gonink: Blog

I’ve been up. I’ve been down. But nothing prepared me for the exciting events that took place early 2007.

Successful businesses usually start off the new year with fresh ideas. Putting pen to paper, they come up with plans to make that year better than the last. I was no different. 

In my first year I went through the experience of slow times. I felt the panic of no money coming in. I also suffered through sparse, grueling and uncreative projects, just to keep the cash flowing. The reality of the design biz is that not every gig is a glamour project. You do what have to to keep food on the table.

As it’s said, “Plan your work and work your plan,” Taking all this into account, I spent time coming up with my plan and began the implementation shortly after the start of the year. 

Then one day, it happened.

Backing up … I share an office with the landlord and his insurance business. His office assistants would drop by and chat a bit while bringing my mail. Every time they did, I would complain that bringing my bills was not a part of their job and that I wished they would stop. Of course, I was joking. Thankfully they all have a good sense of humour!

So one fine day his assistant brings me a stack of mail along with a quite large manila envelope … an envelope that says “Summit Creative Awards.” If I remember correctly, it was stamped with something to the effect of “Winner!” 

My heart started pounding. Doubts started bouncing. Doubts that I had actually been awarded for my design skills. “This can’t be”.  But it was. It so was true. I had won an international design award that receives thousands of entries annually and I was going to be recognized for this! Hallelujah!

For at least a week, I jumped around having a giddy, wonderful time sending out newsletters and press releases to every single media outlet I could find. I was confident that this award would start an avalanche of work. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work with such a creative and outstanding firm such as mine? A bit naive maybe? Ha! You’d better believe it.

Once again, I fell into the stinking thinking trap of believing that because I had an office (or as my good friend, Neil, might say “hung out my shingle”), I was guaranteed loads of work.

Ok, the summer was good, I made money, purchased equipment and projects were there. But as the year went on, I ran into the same problem in early Autumn. Seems I have seasonal issue on my hands.

Business came to a near standstill … again. My phone stopped ringing … again. Panic set in … again. I started buying Mylanta®  by the case… again. And this time it turned out worse than before. But wait! There’s more!

Even though I was now at the end of the year and I’m hitting what is turning out to be my slow time, another great achievement was headed my way. Gonink  was nominated for, and won, “Business of the Year” at my local Chamber of Commerce. 

So, in less than 12 months I had garnered an international award for our design and a local business award for Gonink. You’d think things couldn’t be brighter, right? That it was going to be nothing but success for me here on out, right? 

Wrong. In the words of Dickens, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” As any seasoned business owner will tell you, life & business can and do come crumbling down. Just because things look 

In February of 2008 it did just that. Literally.

Up next: Tragedy hits. Closing the doors for good a real possibility.

Chris Tomlinson | Designer / Printer
Gonink: Design & Print | Gonink: Blog

In Part One, I was happily living the creative dream life with a full time business of my own. Being my own boss, I could and did make my own hours. Work came to me so no more chomping at the bit waiting for the phone to ring. I didn’t have to market every day, because, by golly, I had work coming in! I’m figuring this is a piece of cake. I felt like I was on the top of the world with the perfect business … a dream business … all mine.

After launching, I joined the local chamber. Soon, I found myself accepted my nomination to the Board of Directors. Shortly there after, I started developing the chamber Website. I was flying high and business could not have been better.

That all started to change in late September when my workload started drying up. By early October, my front door no longer resembled a revolving door. It was more like a steel gate locking people out. Or so, I thought.

Remember my statement, “I didn’t have to market every day, because, by golly, I had work coming in!“? Well, the truth is I didn’t market AT ALL during the slow times or the busy times. No seasoned professional at BoDo, or anywhere for that matter, will tell you that’s a good idea. 

Calling for help, I found myself leaning on business associates and those aforementioned pros. Pros who knew how to work the system and keep gigs coming in.

Thinking that my business was going to collapse in just a few short months of opening full-time, I truly began to panic. I doubted my abilities and my business experience (which was nil to none, by the way). Losing confidence in my abilities, I even thought that maybe people just didn’t like me (crazy, yes?).

Slowly, towards the end of October business started to pick back up. In November we launched the Churubusco Chamber’s website at www.churubuscochamber.org.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt that it was just one of those down times every business experiences and that we were going to be just fine. But, I also knew that not getting “out there” was something I needed to avoid. The trick, it seemed, was crafting a plan and then actually implementing it.

Around this time, I entered my business’ logo into an internationally recognized design competition called The Summit Creative Awards. I shelled out the money for the entry fee and then took my time getting around sending in the entry. So much so, the organization started emailing me asking where my entry was. In a stellar moment of blatant self doubt, I thought, “Oh yeah, that thing. The thing I won’t win because I’m not a super designer. The thing I won’t win because I’m just a dinky little store front copy shop that gets a few gigs here and there.” I finally mustarded up the courage, printed the logo on some high quality photo paper and sent it in.

That logo entry and my business networking was going to start a tidal wave of good things for me at the beginning and end of 2007.

Up next: What it’s like to win awards and feel successful. Then yet again, have business fall flat.

Chris Tomlinson | Designer / Printer
Gonink: Design & Print | Gonink: Blog

Every business goes through its ups and downs. The graphic design business is no different. The best way to survive down times and live life to the fullest is to plan ahead. But, even the best laid plans can get disrupted by unforeseen events. That’s where contingency planning comes into play. They can save your business

In the next five posts I’ll walk you through a real life business situation. Mine. Hopefully you gain insight as to how running your business can be fun, frustrating, scary and enjoyable … all rolled into one.

So, in the immortal words of Glinda, the Good Witch, “It’s always best to start at the beginning.”

In the Spring of 2005, a good friend bought a substantial piece of property which included a large building. The plan was to develop the area into a small shopping complex. You know the type; offices, fast food, etc. For whatever reason that particular project fell through.

He then came to me to see if I would move my graphic design business to his building. My “business” at that time was a haphazard attempt at becoming a full time freelancer, working from home. It’s the way most of us start out. 

Any creative reading this knows the dream of making your own hours, watching the tv while designing this or that, sitting at home amongst all of your amenities and living the “good” life. Some of you might also know that it’s not that easy. A few others might know this kind of “loosy goosy” approach to business is one reason some clients perceive us as unprofessional. It’s also pretty much a sure-fire route to reading the want ads.

After  loads of soul searching, I decided to give it a whirl on a part time basis. As luck would have it, I was sitting pretty. My full time job allowed me to work partial daytime hours. So, in late November 2005, I officially opened Gonink: Design & Print and prepared for an onslaught of work. With a waiting list of work in hand, even before my doors opened, I had lofty hopes of this being a success.

After eight months of almost 18 hour days, seven days a week, I knew something had to give. My body was taking a physical and mental beating from the lack of sleep and increased stress. So, yet again, I was faced with another tough decision – either close down the business, or quit my full time job and go full time with gonink.

To make this daring leap into the business world, I had to dig even deeper to believe in myself and my business. I planned everything out for both general business and marketing. I made sure I had enough money to cover me. I worked out contingency plans if things didn’t go they way I thought. Finally, on June 6, 2006, I made the switch. Later on I joked about how I picked an opening date of 666. But, thankfully, the next 18 months proved that number wrong.

Lessons learned: 

1. Believe in yourself and your abilities
2. Plan your work and work your plan
3. Keep focused

Before you make the leap, be sure you have enough money to cover your business and personal expenses for at least three months. Six is better. A year’s worth is great.

Up next: What it’s like to feel successful and win awards. As well as the gut wrenching anxiety of a business slowdown.

Chris Tomlinson | Designer / Printer
Gonink: Design & Print | Gonink: Blog