Tag: small business

  • Nick Bouwhuis, Founder of Bouwhuis IT, an information technology company in the Netherlands specializing in cyber security (First Customers e8)

    Nick Bouwhuis started Bouwhuis IT as a teenager in the Netherlands. Bouwhuis IT is an information technology company specializing in cyber security for local businesses. He shares his story about growing up in the Netherlands, and how he found his first customers. Topics Covered: – Netherlands school system vs US school system – Starting a […]

  • How do you start a business and make your first sale?

    I started an entire podcast about this exact question. It’s called the First Customers podcast. I ask entrepreneurs, sales experts, and marketers how they got their very first customers. Every episode teaches me something new. Every business is a little different. But common patterns arise. Using what I’ve learned from the show, here’s how a […]

  • Growth in chaos.

    Nothing is guaranteed in business. Starting a company is hard. Running a company successfully is even harder. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the survival rate of new businesses are: Most companies fail before being in business for 10 years. Why is it so hard to stay in business? Simple. Each business owner […]

  • How Chase Bowers got 1,000+ new customers without spending a dime. (First Customers e1)

    I recently interviewed Chase Bowers on the first episode of the First Customers podcast. Chase is the Founder of Dropified, the 2019 Inc 5000’s fastest growing company in Alabama and #55 in the USA. Dropified is a platform for managing and automating a drop shipping business. It has a 3-Year growth rate of 4,971% with 5.1 Million […]

  • The Never Ending Project: How to Prevent Scope Creep

    Have you ever worked on a project that would… not… end!? Me, too. Poorly organized fixed-rate projects quickly turn into hourly-rate eating monsters that even Falkor couldn’t save you from. What is Scope Creep? Scope Creep is any work requested by the client that isn’t included within your original agreement. It can happen at any […]

  • Book Review: The Four Hour Work Week

    Summary Overall, my mental and emotional experience reading the The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris felt something like this: I’m having a chat in a coffee shop with Tim, the author. He suddenly flips over the table, screams “Eighty Twentyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!”, punches me in the face, injects an adrenaline shot into my neck, and throws me into a Ferrari […]

  • Fitts Architects Website Design Process

    Fitts Architects in Tuscaloosa, Alabama hired me to redesign and rebuild their website. Here is the story behind the project and the process we went through to polish their brand on the internet. Respect at first sight In college I lived within 100 yards of the Fitts Architects office. Every time I drove by I […]

  • Goodbye, office ninjas.

    I was looking at the asphalt walking slowly to my car, thinking, “This is it. This is the end.” I’m not dying. But, it’s true. I’m moving to a different company. Starting Monday morning I’ll be sipping coffee, about 15 minutes across town from the people I’ve worked with the last 3 1/2 years. Good […]

  • What’s the best computer for graphic design: Mac or PC?

    What kind of computer do you suggest for graphic design? Mac? PC? My laptop is too slow to do a lot of what I’ve been doing lately so I’m looking for a new computer. Lots of people say “go with a Mac”, but I could build a PC with a much faster processor and better video card for a lot less. What do you think?

  • Why freelancers should use digital contracts with esignatures

      Word of mouth agreements are too risky There is no reason to waste time and money by running your business on word-of-mouth agreements. The risk is too high, and the cost of integrating contracts into your business is getting lower everyday. I use a simple PDF e-signature contract that is sent to the client […]