Okay…I’m bad. I know it. It’s been a month since my last post, and I’m sorry! However, my delay has been for good reason. And, as it’s been nearly three months since first getting “Down and Dirty” and putting my 3-month plan down on virtual paper, I thought it only fair to give you an update.

So let’s start with the bad news first. For starters, while I have written most of my book proposal (and by most, I mean I have an outline done), I have yet to type it up and send it off. But in all honesty, that has been put on the back burner. Second, and this is a big one, I have not yet finished my website. Ugh…I know, I know. That should have been priority number one…but hey, have YOU finished yours? Seriously, though, my problem is that once I get going, it’s hard for me to stop and switch gears, so I put it off until I know I’ll have a good chunk of time to devote to it. Obviously I have yet to find that chunk…

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s time for the good news: what I HAVE been doing, and why I’m so excited about it all.

First off, I did manage to get my press release about the launch of this column written and submitted to Create Magazine by their deadline. And even better, I just found out that it got a mention in the Scoop section of the Sept/Oct 2007 Northeast edition. And BoDo got a plug in there, too!

Second…no, I didn’t finish my site (specifically the portfolio section), but I did figure out how to customize a WordPress theme to match my site. So I’ll be launching my official business blog soon.

I’ve been pretty good about connecting with prospective and former clients, which hasn’t brought much in the form of new business yet, but I think that’s not unusual. These things take time.

Speaking of taking time, the monthly networking group I run is finally starting to pay off! After 15 months, I’m starting to get business and referrals from the members in my group. Of course, now that I know more people, I’m also able to give business and referrals, so maybe that has something to do with it, too…

What else…I’ve gotten a few big projects lately that I’m really excited about, and a few proposal requests – also for big projects. And I’ve finally determined my geographic target area, and have been developing a plan to market to that area.

Also, I’ve been meeting my goal of sending out one press release per month, most recently for winning two 2007 American Graphic Design Awards – yup, I can finally cross “Win a Design Award” off my to-do list!

And finally, after much thought, I’ve decided to go back to school to finish my degree. I received my letter of acceptance into the degree program at the beginning of the month.

So see? I’ve been a busy little bee…and everything that I have accomplished gets me one step closer to my goal: moving my office ‘Out of the Bedroom!’

Okay…Maybe I haven’t stuck strictly to my original goal (or guideline) plan, but by giving myself those guidelines, I’ve been able to accomplish other things…like determining my geographic target area, and getting more referrals through my networking group. Now it’s time to revisit my plan, and figure out what my priorities will be for the next three months..until something unexpected comes along and changes the course.

Now if only I could finish that darn website…

Join me next time, as I continue my journey Out of the Bedroom,
Tamar Wallace | Principal, TAMAR Graphics

In my last post “Bringing You Up To Speed” I told you about my recent short comings and how I would begin a series on things I have learned from these experiences. The Honest Truth series will discuss my various experiences during my mistake ridden first few months as the new owner of Pulse Creative Partners.

In the first few months of my Presidency, I found myself making, what I thought, were good strategic decisions. We had changed our name early on to combat some looming perceptions of our firm as a sign shop. The goal was to get people familiar with us as skilled designers rather than just craftsmen. This has actually turned out to be one of my more successful decisions. What followed, however, were some of the not so great decisions that resulted from the name change. Because our name changed, we had to get new stationery and business cards to the tune of around $5000. Then, because I felt they deserved it, I gave everyone (including myself) a raise. This basically raised our monthly operating costs by about 20%. While the intentions were good, and of course I thought it would make everyone want to work harder, moving too quick to raise salaries actually turned into a bad thing. (I also had added expenses of asset purchase payments each month because I purchased the company on an installment plan.) Then, because I am an aesthetically driven person, I felt it was necessary to go through a renovation, albeit, minor. The renovation was to the tune of around $15,000 +. One bright spot in the renovation budget was that we actually sold off some equipment that we really didn’t need which helped to fund the renovation, almost entirely.

While all of this was happening, we were operating almost entirely off of one project’s revenue we had billed early on in the year and which we had yet to pay for the printing bill associated with it. This is where I made another mistake called American Express Gold Card. I thought I was pretty smart to pay for the sizable printing bill with my Gold Card to take advantage of the points I would receive as a result. Plus, it would give me another 30 days to pay the bill. I thought I was so smart. Good idea, in essence, if you can guarantee that you will have the funding to pay the bill when it’s due.

So, my worries were put on the back burner for at least one more month. And as business was rolling in, and I was anticipating the completion of a few other projects, I thought there was really no reason to worry. Of course, I wasn’t really doing any less spending to be sure I would have the money to pay for it. The AMEX bill rolled in and, as you can probably guess by now, I didn’t have the money, in fact, some of the projects I was going to be relying on were not complete yet and they were going to end up providing less income than I had originally banked on. Go figure. So, I had to let the AMEX bill lapse and I had to do the most miserable thing I have had to do in a long time, ask a client to pay their bill before completion so we could make the payment. Which put us in a bind with another printing bill, but we had to get this one taken care of first.

Needless to say, I put our company in a very tight and overwhelming spot during probably one of the most stressful times of my life. Had I held off on a renovation, which wasn’t entirely necessary, put the money we made on selling equipment into the bank, paid the printing bills when they were due, and kept salaries where they were until I knew for sure we were in a sound financial position to give more money, I might have avoided this situation. Hindsight, as it is, is always 20/20.

We did change our spending habits, worked out a deal with our printer to repay over a few months and had to drop salaries for a short period of time to get us back into the black, but it was worth it, despite countless mornings where I thought I was going to throw up.

I hope this will help someone out there avoid similar situations. I do believe I learned a lot about myself and areas I needed to address which has ultimately made me a stronger business person and Pulse a stronger company. As a result of my mistakes we have actually come away with a much better understanding of how to spend (or not spend) only when it will actually benefit the company. That’s not to say that taking risks is a bad thing. Risks sometimes end in negative results but can also create some tremendous rewards. In this case I took some risks which turned into tragedy but delivered us into a very rewarding and new mindset.

For now, good luck and better spending!

Stefan Bean | President/Creative Director
Pulse Creative Partners, Inc. | BoDo Author | Bean’s Biz

Have you ever had one of those days where you were super busy, doing a bunch of little things, but by the end of the day you felt like you hadn’t accomplished anything? A day where the pile of work on your desk didn’t get any smaller… and nothing really got crossed off your to-do list?

Well, I had that day last week.

When I first woke up, I assumed I had plenty of time to get everything done. Sure, throughout the day I had small interruptions, like a sink full of dirty dishes, breakfast/lunch/snack for my son, and plenty of potty breaks (oh, the joy of working from home while potty training!). And of course, because I had so much to do, the kiddo decided to not take his nap.

So… in between food and potty training, I managed to get some little things knocked out. I returned some important client emails, and sent out some follow-up emails to a few people I met at an event earlier in the week. I organized the details for my next networking group event, and sent out an announcement email to my member list, as well as to those who’d requested the information. I finished a client project (a day ahead of schedule, I might add!), invoiced the client, and even made a pact with a friend to finish our websites (by 8/1!). Then before I knew it, it was time to wrap everything up for the day, and go make dinner.

Looking back over it all, it seems like I DID get a lot done… but the only thing I was able to cross off my list was the client project. So how is it that I got a lot done, but managed to accomplish very little?

And then I had an epiphany… an “Aha!” moment, if you will.

All those “little things” – emailing clients, organizing my monthly networking group, following up with new contacts, invoicing, etc. – those are all things integral to the daily running and marketing of my business. The problem is, that while I continue to do those things every day, I haven’t been accounting for them in my to-do list. Heck, I didn’t even account for writing this article! And yet these tasks are just as important as the bigger items on my list.

So between this, and realizing that my to-do list is merely a set of guidelines, I’ve come to a new conclusion. Yes, it’s true, I don’t have the best time management skills… yet. But I’m getting better. And I’m going to go over my upcoming weekly to-do list, and see where I need to start fitting in the “little things.”

Yeah, maybe this all seems like a no-brainer, but honestly, I’ve never sat down and thought about it. Those things just get done, and then at the end of the day, I look at my list and wonder, “What did I do all day?“. Well, now I will wonder no more. Because now I know that in order to stay on track, it really is all about the little things.

Join me next time, as I continue my journey Out of the Bedroom,
Tamar Wallace | Principal, TAMAR Graphics

Well, I’m back. The good news is that being terrified apparently didn’t scare me off. Bad news is I’m still terrified. Possibly even more so now. But hey, what’s a little fear amongst friends, acquaintances and a cyber-sphere of complete strangers, right?

Speaking of fear, it has become blatantly obvious to me that this – the idea of setting goals and making, or rather committing to, plans in order to reach them – is a major roadblock for me.

Case in point: what you’re reading right now…NOT my original post! This is, in fact, my third attempt at writing this bad boy. A good (and honest!) friend read my second version, only to come back to me, saying, “I get the feeling you are dancing around your subject, not taking the plunge.”

Wow. Talk about being called out! And of course, she’s right. Maybe it’s my lack of confidence, or my fear of failure. Whatever IT is, it’s making it hard for me to take that plunge.

So…what do I do? I know what I would tell someone else in my shoes: Get the bleep over it! Yet, I can’t do it myself. Funny how emotions aren’t controlled by logic. Darn them!

Okay. So how about I try to approach this logically? (And please, no comments from the peanut gallery – I’m trying here!)

Logically, I know what I want: to rebuild my business, to reclaim some of my former success, and to move my office Out of the Bedroom (and preferably into a full-on, separate, out-of-the-house-and-in-an-office-building office.) Also logically, I know I need a plan in order to reach that goal…because seriously, my current “no plan” plan just is not working.

So even though, officially, I’m still “dancing” (as my friend so aptly put it), I’m getting tired, and the next song is kinda lame. Enough with the excuses – let’s do this.

Okay…In order to reach my goals, I need to bring in more business and more money. To do that, I need to market myself more, and market myself better.

Sure, I’ve been given a ton of advice and have a list of things to do a mile long, but I’ve always managed to find a way to put it off. You know, one of those “I can never find the time…” situations. Hey, you try “finding” the time when you’re being pulled in a million different directions by family demands, household obligations, clients, everyday errands, laundry piles that never seem to shrink, and a sink that is perpetually filled with dirty dishes!

And yes, I know I need to MAKE the time. But…Oh. I did say no more excuses, didn’t I? Well, fine then. Here’s my three-month plan:

• Spend one hour each day working on marketing my business (begin immediately)
• Finish and submit book proposal (by 7/6)
• Write a press release regarding this column for Create Magazine’s Fall issue (due 7/13)
• Finish bulk of website update (due 8/1)
• Begin focusing marketing efforts on my niche areas (beginning 8/1)
• Begin putting together a prospect list (beginning 8/1)
• Connect with one prospect per week – either through email, snail mail or in-person (beginning 8/1)
• Join my local Chamber of Commerce (by 9/1)
• Develop e-newsletter (by 9/1)
• Develop and write out my official “process” and put together marketing packets (by 10/1)
• Write one press release per month
• Continue with monthly networking group, and add one more networking event per month
• Win a Design award (I’ve entered several recently, now I’m just waiting)

I know there’s more to do, but this list is slightly overwhelming as it is…I don’t want to blow a gasket before I’ve even started, ya know?

There you have it, folks. The “down and dirty” version of my immediate plan of attack for reaching goal Numero Uno: moving Out of the Bedroom.

And, with that, the real work begins…

Join me next time, as I continue my journey Out of the Bedroom,
Tamar Wallace | Principal, TAMAR Graphics