Good Reads: Beginning Projects + Perfecting Your Craft

If reading were an Olympic sport I’d get the gold. Here are some of my favorite blog reads from the last few weeks. Good reads from around the web to help you build your business.


#1: How I Begin A Project

Designer Cameron Moll shares how he starts creative projects (print, web, video, promo campaigns).

    “Short answer: It varies. Pretty widely.”

Read now if: thinking that there’s a “right” way to start creative projects is keeping you from moving forward. (pssst: there’s no right way to get started!).


#2: How to Hire a Programmer to Make Your Ideas Happen

An oldie, but goodie from programmer Derek Sivers.

    “Dream the big dream of everything your site/service/company might be some day, and write it all down.

    But then think of the bare minimum that would make you happy, and people would find useful.”

Read now if: you are getting ready to start a big project (app development, website, course/membership site) and need to figure out exactly what the project looks like and what kind of technical or other support you need.


#3: How to Get Damn Good at Your Craft

Artist Mars Dorian breaks down his system for consistently improving his craft.

    “If you listen to interviews with engineers and other technical minded people, you hear the same stories. Back in the day, they’d take apart their grandma’s radio just to see how it work. They’d dismantle a computer to see what each piece of hardware did. Learning by dissecting.”

Read now if: you are committed to being the best at your craft, whether it’s coaching, consulting, or art.


What have you read lately that’s really sticking with you? Please share in the comments, I’m always looking for new things to read!


Need help getting a branding, marketing, or digital product projects off the ground? Stop by for a free Next Step Session and we’ll figure out how to keep you moving forward in biz.

Brand and Be Seen: Digital Strategist

Brand and Be Seen is a series of blog posts offering brand style guides for fictional brands to inspire you to create your own beautiful brand. Feel free to use the font combinations and color palettes as you wish. Happy branding!

GeorgiaPortBranding

About the Brand

Georgia Port helps brick and mortar businesses manage their social media profiles. Many of her clients are overwhelmed by the decisions they need to make to take advantage of social media and want an expert to handle their profiles for them.

Georgia wants her customers to know that she has serious tech chops and marketing strategy skills. She loves to break down social media jargon into easy to understand pieces and takes a custom approach to crafting social media plans for her clients.

Georgia loves bright colors. She believes social media can be fun and profitable for her clients. She wants her branding to reflect the fun she has coming up with social media strategies for her clients.

Details:

Logo: Zantroke
Tagline: Century Gothic
Colors: #ec471e, #821518, #ed298f, #d8c600
Texture: Photoshop shapes, search for “pixel backgrounds” on Creative Market (affiliate link).



Learn how to choose fonts and colors to best tell your brand story and build a website to match in The Brand Workshop or work one-on-one with Christie Halmick of Jewels Branch to brand your business and website.

Printable: February Calendar

15 Minutes Per Day = Progress

What tiny step can you take each day (think 15 minutes of focused action) to move one of your business projects forward in February?

Download this printable (PDF) calendar, choose a project to focus on, commit to take one tiny action to take per day, and see how much progress you can make.

JB_February2014Calendar

Imagine the Possibilities

Fifteen minutes of focused action, 5 days per week throughout February = 5 hours of work on one of your most important projects!

Share

If you thrive on accountability: share a snapshot of your filled out project calendar over on the Jewels Branch Facebook page!

Need Help Figuring Out Your Next Step?

I can help. Go here to sign up for 20 minutes of one-on-one consulting and motivation to help you plan out the next steps you need to take to get your BIG branding, marketing, and digital product projects done! It’s free Thursdays in February.