[This post is part of the ongoing series 4 Steps To Getting Yourself Organized In The New Year. ] Our work space is often the last place we ever get around to dealing with. Our drawers might be overrun by pens and the dust bunnies might be forming an army, but we’re completely focused on the work that needs to be done. It’s too bad, then, that we forget to take into account how our work space affects our actual work. Desk Space If our desk is covered with projects, files, paper, office supplies — anything but actual space for us [...]
True Grit is about stick-to-it-iveness. It’s about tough-going. It’s about a goal. And, less obviously, it’s about fighting through and alongside in our relationships. True Grit‘s heroine, 14-year-old Mattie Ross, was unable to hear the word ‘no’. She was determined to find Tom Chaney, the murderer of her father, whether a local sheriff or a Deputy U.S. Marshal or a Texas Ranger thought she could. Through rebuffs and setbacks, she managed to find Chaney and kill him herself. She did it with the help of those initial scoffers, “Rooster” Cogburn (U.S. Marshal) and LaBoeuf (Texas Ranger). It’s likely we’re not all [...]
We have gyms for our biceps, gyms for our fast food restaurants, and gyms for our children – why not a gym for our career? G5 is that gym for our career. G5 Leadership is an online leadership training site that provides webinar style training to a live audience and even offers videos on-demand at a later date. Cool, right? G5 Leadership is something that I stumbled across a few months ago on Michael Hyatt’s blog. As you might know, Michael regularly covers the topic of leadership on his blog, so I immediately made note of his recommendation. At the time [...]
[This post is part of the ongoing series 4 Steps To Getting Yourself Organized In The New Year. ] It’s a new day and we have 300 emails staring back at us from our inbox, half of which are from yesterday or last week. We find files on our computer by using a search function and crossing our fingers. We have multiple computers and can’t remember which file on which computer is the most current version. It’s official: we need to organize our digital life. Owning Our Email Our inbox is just that, an inbox. It’s not a storage shed, a [...]
[This post is part of the ongoing series 4 Steps To Getting Yourself Organized In The New Year. ] Confronting paper clutter is an absolute must for anyone serious about getting organized. That pile of sort-of sorted paper quietly mocks us, almost. Digging through a pile of hastily stacked paper to find the receipt we need is an extremely poor way to spend our time. Fighting back the waves of paper clutter doesn’t just happen. It requires us to be proactive. If we let down our guard once, and the paper marches in. It’s as if the paper wants to win, [...]
[This post is part of the ongoing series 4 Steps To Getting Yourself Organized In The New Year. ] Workflow and time management are either mastered, or they master us. Most of us have experienced the explosive collection of projects and things that seem to appear overnight, at times finding ourselves overwhelmed at the backlog and not even sure where to begin or how to keep it from happening in the first place. Four simple concepts can help you on the front lines as projects roll in, giving you the tools you need to handle your workflow in the middle of [...]
Getting organized is a goal we periodically revisit in life. It seems that achieving organization is something that slips from our grasp if we don’t stay on top of things. Professional organizers and magazines dedicated to personal organization seem to be all the rage now. Organization products — shelving units, containers, planners, filing systems — fill the shelves of stores. All of the push to organize sometimes leaves us feeling overwhelmed, and asking the key question: where do I even start? Before leaping into a system of organization and investing time and money, we need to understand the purpose of [...]
Employment Opportunities At Todaymade Todaymade is always looking for talented folks in the areas of Social Media, Copywriting, Marketing, Web Design, Web Development (PHP,MySQL), and Mobile Development for full-time, part-time, or even freelance roles. If you’re in Bismarck, that’s cool – but not required. We work hard, fast, and with a level of excellence that our competitors only dream of. If you’re the type that loves to do what you do so much that you would do it for free, then you would probably fit in well around here. And, don’t worry, we will pay you. A few of the [...]
Amazing things can happen in one year, and with a new one upon us, we all must ask ourselves what we want to do with our next 365 days. I truly learned the power of one year in 2009 when I begin building Scriply with my business partner in the wee-hours of the morning. Even now, the final outcome of that work is undecided, but the skills that we gained were core to the founding of Todaymade and how we do business. Last December, my wife committed to doing a custom illustration every day for an entire year. Her work [...]
Every once in a awhile, you come across one of those experiences that is so big, so real, that you simply must do more than just enjoy the moment. At Todaymade, we call those WOW customer experiences and we are not only in the business of providing them, but also sharing them when they happen. PerkStreet℠ Financial, just happens to be one of those businesses. Community. Community. Community. PerkStreet offers a debit card rewards checking account that works similar to what you might see with a rewards-driven credit card. As you shop, you receive 1% or 2% cash back on [...]
Ideas. We all have them, and we all over complicate them. Take, for example, the unicycle. Everyone was doing just fine with the two wheeled bicycle, but we decided to over complicate things with one wheel. Sure, it makes a great circus trick, but we don’t exactly need anymore of those in marketing. As of late, there have been numerous blog posts about Steve Jobs, all citing his demand for simplicity and his extreme attention to detail. I am sure we’ve all heard the expression Keep It Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S) a time or two as well. Yesterday as we were walking to lunch, [...]
Each month, or so, we like to choose a book to read together as a team. Often the titles surround things like social media, internet technology, and/or business. This month, we’ve decide to snuggle up to the Todaymade fire with Dave Ramsey’s latest book Entre Leadership. From the Amazon.com description: EntreLeadership provides the practical, step-by-step guidance to grow your business where you want it to go. Seems pretty straight forward (and awesome!) doesn’t it? We have both been admirers of Dave’s work in personal finances for several years, and we are excited to see what he has to say about [...]
In business, there are two types of things. Small things, and big things. The problem is, we often times let the small things takeover the big ones. Take the new Todaymade office as a perfect example. New office, new desks, and lots of little things to become a distraction. Signs need to be hung, folders need to be organized, and new refrigerators need to be filled with Diet Coke. At the same time, new leads need to be contacted, blog posts need to be written, and projects need to be finished. As a designer I am reminded of the small [...]
There are times when we know that something is instinctively wrong. In marketing, it could be a headline, or the copy for an ad, but something in our core just tells us it is wrong. And that’s when we have to learn how to say no. No to bum projects. No to bad ideas, and no to old timey country music. Sometimes no is the only answer. But, the one thing that is even more important than saying no is learning how to say it. Defending Your Ideas One of the big benefits of going to art school was the [...]
How are you giving yourself away online? Are you being selfish with your knowledge, or are you sharing it with the world? That is the question that the world renowned “nametag guy”, Scott Ginsberg, asked all of us in our recent Better At Marketing interviews. And, he wasn’t just doing it for the sound byte. Scott means it and has seen the power of what it can do. We have said before, that the Internet rewards compelling and informative content. Content that helps people and makes them what to share what they have learned with the rest of the world. [...]
I was once involved in a startup business that was to be funded by a parent organization. My job was to plan, execute, and manage a new business, in a new location. For anyone starting a business, this is an excellent opportunity. It was also, an excellent opportunity to learn. Here’s what I learned. You see, I had fairly free reign to do whatever I pleased, and I was well funded. Most entrepreneurs don’t start on day one with a fully funded paycheck. So, I went in with eyes gleaming, and an estimate of my first years expenses and profits [...]
What is the most important asset in your business? Is it a building? Is it some vital equipment? Is it personnel? How about intellectual capital? Sure, all of these things are important, but I promise you that none are as important as, your word. Meaning What You Say Day in, and day out, consumers are disappointed by the brands that asked them to trust them. A brand new car with faulty breaks, or a computer that just won’t turn on. Sometimes, it is a contractor that won’t show up. All of these things boil down to one thing. The salesmen [...]
Somedays, I can barely keep my head above water. There are more books to read, more blog posts to devour, and the to do list just keeps getting longer. Each day, I can only take care of the “must-get-dones” and then have no energy for the rest. Technology, web design, marketing, and social media. They are all moving so fast, who’s to keep up? How do I stay on track? Do I need more tools? No. Tools aren’t the answer. More sleep? Yes. More time? Yes, please. A Time For Everything I have certainly learned that there is a time [...]
Every day, businesses face problems that need repair. Sometimes, they are very complex. For example – how can we improve our bottom line, or how can we improve customer sentiment? No matter the problem, though, there are always two ways to solve them. First there is the easy way, and then, there is the hard way. The Easy Way Most of the time, when problems arise, we look for the simplest solutions possible. The zero to sixty approach. The quick fix. We start reaching for tools. As a website developer, I have often joked that there is a giant ‘build [...]
In one way or another, we are all in the customer service business. It takes customers to buy our products, and as with any job, customer support is always necessary. But, customer service is about a whole lot more than just support. Customer service is literally, the most defining aspect of your company. Usually, when we hear customer service, we think of things like friendly and helpful. When we go into a store, we want someone who know what they are talking about and can do it in a professional manner. Sure, this is one thing, but there is a [...]