Writing proposals is a fact of life in business. I’ve been cranking them out for the past thirteen years, eleven of those while building homes, and, with some overlap, the past four years building websites. I’ve used everything from specialized construction software to emails, Word documents to FreshBooks estimates, and finally Bidsketch. Doing one thing […]
Saying “No” and other good advice for creative types
This video from Creative Mornings features Jason Santa Maria giving a talk on saying “No,” along with lots of other great business advice for those of us in the creative world. Having been a home builder/remodeler for more than a decade, and now a website builder for the past four years, I can identify with […]
Testing, reviewing, and comparing 9 web-based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) applications for small business
Do you need a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) app? Probably. If you’re in any type of business where you interact with clients on a regular basis, then definitely.
Staying focused
A couple weeks ago I was approached by a sales team from a large company about adding a potentially profitable, tech-related service to what Black Hills Web Works is already doing.
Spending Labor Day with The Bootstrapper’s Bible (a manifesto) by Seth Godin
While doing some research for the now-in-process redesign of the Black Hills Web Works website I ran across a blog post by another website agency that mentioned The Bootstrapper’s Bible in passing. I’m familiar with Seth Godin and have read several of his books, in whole or in part, but I hadn’t encountered this one yet.
Burning candles and multitasking on a business level is a definite cure for boredom!
Earlier this spring my other company had an opportunity to build a pretty big remodel project, and so we did. I knew it was going to be somewhat hectic running two businesses at one time, but I didn’t realize just how crazy it would be. One expression that comes to mind is “burning the candle at both ends”…but this was more like burning multiple candles simultaneously at both ends!
Seth Godin on the value of the very small business
I brought Seth Godin’s book Small is the New Big home this week and have been doing some reading. Not all at once, of course, since that’s what he advised in his “Warning” preface: “Don’t read this book all at once. It took eight years to write, and if you read it in one sitting, it’ll give you a headache.” And so I’m taking his advice.
Looking back: Discoveries that altered the course of the year for myself and Black Hills Web Works
This post could go in numerous directions but I’m going to try to stay focused on web-related discoveries, since this is, after all, a blog that lives on a website about and for Black Hills Web Works.
How much for a website?
A few weeks ago I received a request for a price for a website project, and that’s about the extent of the information about the proposed website that I received in the request. During my years as a building contractor I received numerous requests from prospective clients asking for a price to build a house (or other project), and again, that was often the extent of the information included in the requests.
Today’s Dilbert reminded me of all those requests…