You've heard the old philosophical riddle "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Raising questions about reality, this question has undoubtedly claimed countless hours of debate in the halls of our colleges and universities. I find it relevant today as I make changes in my business and life. As I pull back from my business, I begin to wonder what would happen... Continue Reading

Have you ever gotten your car stuck in a ditch? Your rear tires desperately try to find traction only to spin deeper and deeper into the mud. The more you step on the gas, the worse your situation becomes. And now you are spraying mud everywhere. It can even end up on other people and their vehicles. You can keep trying to get out of the ditch. Or you can realize that what you are... Continue Reading

What makes the difference between a person who succeeds and one who doesn't? What makes the difference between a person who accomplishes great things and another who never does anything? What makes the difference between a person who gets what they want and one that is left empty-handed? Certainly, life can throw all kinds of curveballs at us. We don't get to choose our parents. We don't get to choose where we are born. We... Continue Reading

I'm a big fan of guerrilla marketing. I think that marketers should be using all of the most effective channels available to them to put their products and services in front of leads. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tanner Bennett) Printing used to be the cool kid in school. Then one day a new kid showed up. He brought with him Facebook, Twitter, blogs and lots of other new tools for communication. Print was suddenly so last week. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Tim Golen) There is a new trend in the smart phone market share. Sitting at the top of the market is still Nokia. Tied for second place are Apple, Google, and RIM (Blackberry devices). Right now Google enjoys a 14.9% market share but in the next several years, according to Piper Jaffray, Google is poised to capture at least 50% of the smart phone market share. This would cement their dominance... Continue Reading

As online marketers, we put a lot of stock in social networking, and rightfully so. There really is no better way to get the word out about your business, its mission, and your brand and to build valuable relationships that will create opportunities and help your business grow. Or is there? Back in the day, before Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and even Friendster, all they could do was network the old-fashioned way: face-to-face and in person... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Loral Langemeier) It's time to have a conversation about rethinking your plans for your financial future. How do you revisit wealth building to put new cash in your pocket since you've gone through a prolonged period of financial turbulence? Let's get that conversation going now, because... Continue Reading

What's the real secret to getting things done? While much of the answer lies in things like motivation and daily habits, you also can't ignore the value of the tools you use every day to do the work. We polled our staff to find out what's running on their machines here at the office and at home. What we found is that our office has some universal solutions, and then seemed to split departmentally. So... Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Fletcher Groeneman) This article is a continuation of our series on branding. (Read Part 1 and Part 2.) By now you have drawn up a list that effectively describes exactly what you want your product to accomplish. You have swallowed your pride and presented your loved ones with this list and allowed them to refine and tweak your dreams. Finally, you have compared this list with products already on the market... Continue Reading

Perhaps it is the way creatives are wired or the difficulties of collaborative projects, but too often creatives have a file management system that is.....well, "creative." Organization is often not one of our strengths. Yet keeping advertisements, stock photography, designs, proofs, versions, illustrations, and production files organized will maximize your efficiency and your ability to collaborate with all the members of your team. Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Dan Nickerson) Does it seem like everyone online is making $10,000 per month except for you? Continue Reading

(Written by guest contributor Andrew Krzysiak) Photographs and illustrations are elements of nearly every design. They have the power to add emotion, interest, and impact to the content of any layout. Getting the right image that will communicate your message to the desired demographic can be a challenge. This article will help you get the picture. Continue Reading

Interviewing prospective web designers is often a difficult task. Some candidates might be design rock stars but unable to develop the essential business features for your site, while other applicants will have portfolios filled with high-ranking sites that look like ghosts from the late 90s. Continue Reading