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Stephen King Thinks I’m Talented
Published on 2012-04-01 17:59:46
Got some great news today (sure, maybe it falls under willful interpretation – but I take the good news when I can find it!) “If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, [...] > read more
Save Time and Money with a Creative Brief
Published on 2012-02-13 14:37:15
If you’re providing your clients with any kind of creative freelance service without a creative brief, you’re doing it wrong. You might be wasting your time and your client’s money, and that’s not a strategy for effective long-term relationships. (If you’re just here to find a creative brief template to use for your next project, [...] > read more
YYJFree 2012 – We want your opinion
Published on 2012-02-06 15:55:19
Hey Everyone, if you’re a freelancer here on the island and you’re interested in helping shape the next freelance event, please complete this survey (created by Mike Dewolfe, of ThoseDewolfes.com) We’d love to know what you want the next event to be like. Here’s a link with some info about the FreelanceCamp we held at [...] > read more
Prospecting Tips for Freelancers
Published on 2012-01-17 12:00:00
Being a freelancer means you’ve always got to have an eye out for new business opportunities. How do you do it? I’m quite lucky to be in the writing business, as it’s one of those places where there will always be someone in need of compelling content. As long as there are products to sell [...] > read more
Movember – Not Just Lip Service
Published on 2011-11-21 20:05:45
To start, I need to apologize to my wife. Despite having a moustache when we first met (me, not her) she still managed to get past the revulsion of my hairy appendage and eventually (in a moment of weakness) agreed to marry me. That being said, let’s just say November is not her favourite month [...] > read more
Fun Friday – 5 Fantastic inFographics
Published on 2011-11-04 10:23:45
Ok – maybe I failed my class on alliteration, but it might have been due to excessive time spent on the internet looking at brilliant infographics. They’re a great way to convey a message in a fun way that is easily shareable. Warning – you might accidently learn something from one (or more) – you’ve [...] > read more
Local Freelance Talent for Local Businesses
Published on 2011-11-02 12:57:09
Freelancers for Hire in #YYJ and #YVR Yesterday we did a post outlining why a freelancer is a good option for local businesses, especially if you’re just getting started. Today we’re sharing the names and contact info of some of the local talent, to help your business do more while spending less. Please give them [...] > read more
5 Types of Freelancers for Small Businesses
Published on 2011-11-01 13:44:27
If you’re running a small business in Victoria and don’t have a list of local freelancers at your disposal, you’re either paying too much or not getting the quality you need – or even worse – it might be both. Most small businesses understand the need to advertise, especially for those just starting up, hoping [...] > read more
Victoria Freelancers Support Mustard Seed Food Bank
Published on 2011-10-28 13:16:14
On what started as a rainy day in mid-October, 40+ freelancers (and people interested in freelancing) participated in the first FreelanceCamp in Victoria, BC, at the inHub Coworking space. Connections were made; pizza, salad, and chips were eaten, and conversations were started. There was a bit of learning, a bit of laughing, and the general [...] > read more
#YYJFree – the Follow-up
Published on 2011-10-26 08:54:52
Thank you to everyone for making the first iteration of FreelanceCamp in Victoria a massive success. We had one goal for the event – bring local freelancers together, and start some conversations. We are proud to say that we nailed it! We hope you had as much fun at freelance camp as we did, and [...] > read more
Special offer from @marketcircle for #YYJFree Participants
Published on 2011-10-22 15:23:41
If you attended YYJFreelanceCamp today – the fine folks at Market Circle would like to offer you a fantastic deal on Billings - the Professional Time Billing Tool! Attendees of today’s FreelanceCamp are eligible for a one time discount of 20% off the regular price of Billings 3. Nothing better than saving money on a [...] > read more
36 Tools For Freelancers
Published on 2011-07-05 12:53:07
36 Tools in 8 Categories For Freelancers: New and Experienced No matter how big my business grows, I’m still happy to think of myself as a freelancer (hmm, maybe freelancepreneur ). I love the freelance community (online and offline), I love the > read more
Excellent Initiative from a Talented 4-H Marketer
Published on 2011-06-24 16:15:40
It likely won’t come as a surprise to anyone out there, but I am not a country boy. I get my meat and veggies the old fashioned way – from Glenwood Meats and Thrifty Foods. Other than spiders, I have a hard time killing anything (and ev > read more
81 Sites of Free Images/Media
Published on 2011-06-23 20:08:21
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s the value of 81 links to FREE images? Well, probably not priceless – but certainly useful. These links should take you to a variety of sites that allow you to use images (or music, or video) for fr > read more
Lego Imagination (video) @nickpezzillo
Published on 2011-06-22 01:39:25
I’ve got a love/hate relationship with YouTube. I love watching great videos, and hate that I go to watch one, and leave after watching 20. I stumbled across this channel by Pezzillo, Producer/Director/Editor. Fantastic talent here – > read more
How to Out-group Groupon
Published on 2011-06-20 12:23:41
Exposing your business to the tens of thousands of daily Groupon, Couvon, SwarmJam, EthicalDeal, and every other social media coupon site members is a tempting option, but it’s one that every business owner needs to carefully evaluate. There are mo > read more
Is Your Character Shining Through your Tweets? It is for @FootButterGuy @SustainablyLush #FF
Published on 2011-06-17 08:20:10
I was scrolling through the tweets of the aftermath of the riot in Vancouver, and came across a conversation between a pair of local tweeters, @FootButterGuy and @SustainablyLush. What caught my eye was the respect and humility shown in the tweets > read more
Google – Making Search Even Easier (video)
Published on 2011-06-15 13:46:01
Some very interesting new search tools from Google; Search Using Images, and Search Using Voice, and Google +1 Search by Voice After installing the chrome plugin, I tested it out a few times. Works pretty well, although the word “brandscaping” > read more
Does #YYJ need a FreelanceCamp?
Published on 2011-06-08 10:13:54
Hi Freelancers and wannabe freelancers in Victoria and Vancouver Island. We’re trying to find out if there’s enough interest in a freelancecamp in our community – and would love to have your feedback. Not sure what a freelancecamp i > read more
Whose Business are You Promoting – Yours or Your Internet Provider?
Published on 2011-05-30 21:05:17
Do you have the same respect for a business that has an email address that ends in gmail.com as you might for one that ends in mybusinessname.com? Sure, setting up your email with gmail, Shaw, or Telus is easy (and free), but what is this telling y > read more
test
Published on 2011-05-16 20:48:19
blab blab blab Class Reunion 1 Attendee $85.00 2 Attendees $170.00 3 Attendees $255.00 4 Attendees $340.00 Related Posts:What does your message really say?Can Mobile Advertising Work?Hello Entrecard > read more
Hypothetically – The Future of Twitter
Published on 2011-04-29 14:01:09
While working on a project for another client, examining native apps vs HTML5/webapps, I started thinking about the possible future of Twitter. Since the birth of twitter on March 21st, 2006, we’ve seen a whole industry develop to support it. H > read more
Zoho – quick and awesome – Freemium style
Published on 2011-04-28 13:43:57
Just a quick post today – love being busy, hate that I neglect my blog when it happens. I recently stumbled across a new (well, new to me) company that offers a great selection of tools for small to medium sized business. Cloud based, plain-jane > read more
Does Grammar Really Matter?
Published on 2011-04-14 20:12:06
Let me preface this – I am not a spelling nazi. You will find spelling mistakes in my blog, in my tweets, and in my facebook posts – and I can almost guarantee I can find them in yours, too. While proper grammar and spelling are important, th > read more
The Easiest $50 I Never Made
Published on 2011-04-07 16:27:10
I’ve been pretty lucky in my freelance career so far, most of my clients are excellent and the rest of them are amazing. Great people to work with, willing to experiment, and open to suggestions. One of the best things about these folks – man > read more
Between Contracts – What to Do?
Published on 2011-03-30 18:46:15
The freelance world seems to be a feast-or-famine environment, where sometimes you’re too busy to slip out for a coffee with business associates, and other times you’re sitting at your keyboard, trying to figure out how to find all of the golden > read more
Did eBooks Cause Borders Bankruptcy?
Published on 2011-03-25 19:17:03
You might have already heard the news about Borders folding under the pressure found in an industry with decreasing profits, shrinking market segments, and inflating competition. It’s unfortunate, but apparently the book industry is a bit of a diff > read more
Local Linchpin – Rod Phillips – @Rod_phillips
Published on 2011-03-03 14:43:35
What do you get when you mix solid content, brilliant sales strategies, and a willingness to embrace new technologies? You get the unqualified success story that is Rod Phillips of Liquor Plus. Phillips may have found success for his business throu > read more
Podcasting – Porn for your Ears
Published on 2011-03-02 21:31:07
A few years ago, I chose to get a dog to motivate me to get more exercise. It was a bit of a surprise to my wife, as she knew we were thinking about a dog, she just didn’t know it was going to happen that quickly. She already knew I needed the > read more
Dan Schawbel – Personal Branding Expert
Published on 2011-03-02 00:26:19
A few months ago I was asked to review the second iteration of Dan Schawbel‘s personal branding guidebook, ME 2.0 – 4 steps to Building Your Future. You can find the review here on Workawesome. I found the book useful for myself as well as for > read more
Why Pay Full Price?
Published on 2011-02-28 19:20:29
You know that box at the bottom of the online form that says “promotional code”? I used to hate seeing that silly box, because I never knew the secret code to put in there. Until I got bored/frustrated, and figured I’d google to see if I coul > read more
5 Victoria Based Blogs You Should Be Reading
Published on 2011-02-26 18:54:46
On a snowy afternoon in February, why not take a look at some of the fantastic blogs that we’ve got here in the Capital city? Lifeasahuman.com – Excellent site filled with a variety of content, from current affairs to humour to travel-adventure. > read more
Local Linchpin – Janis La Couvée @lacouvee
Published on 2011-02-25 02:22:00
OK – it seems like I’m a bit slow out of the gate on the local linchpins, but it’s not for lack of finding amazing people to talk about. This week’s amazing maven is the renowned Janis Lacouvée. I met Janis virtually at first, through twitte > read more
Local Linchpin – Mike Vardy @mikevardy
Published on 2011-02-10 19:29:05
Last week I mentioned that we were going to be doing a regular feature here on the Brandscaping blog, and since the week has just about slipped away, we figured now would be a great time to share the first of hopefully many posts about local > read more
Are you a Linchpin?
Published on 2011-02-04 09:52:49
If you don’t know what a linchpin is, you probably aren’t familiar with Tribes or the Purple Cow. There’s a pretty good chance that you already think All Marketers Are Liars, but you might not have heard of Seth Godin, the author and > read more
Is Your Email Address Being Shared?
Published on 2011-02-02 01:45:58
I just got a fantastic offer in my email inbox this morning – a truly remarkable pill that will rejuvenate my skin, restore my thinning hair, add inches to my height, help me lose 25 unwanted pounds, and it will take out the garbage, walk the dog, > read more
Serving in Victoria
Published on 2011-01-18 16:42:28
“Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” – Martin Luther King Since Martin Luther King Day was yesterday, I thought it might be a great time to look at some of the excellent volunteer opportunities here in Victoria. True, it would > read more
New Year’s Resolution – Clean it Up!
Published on 2010-12-21 16:59:51
Not many folks know this yet, but there’s a new podcast available from the fine folks at Workawesome.com –it’s called the Workawesome podcast. Yeah, I know – they’re known for their contributions to productivity – not for their ability > read more
5 Essential'ish WordPress Plug-ins
Published on 2010-10-25 10:07:09
You probably already know that WordPress is a fantastic blogging platform, but do you know how popular? According toWordPress.com, in September 2010, there were over 27 million WordPress blogs. A little less than half of them were selfhosted – > read more
Even Spam Can Benefit From Professional Copywriting
Published on 2010-10-21 16:09:26
I’ve written about copy writing and why you should hire a professional copywriter in the past, but every once in a while you find something that drives home the point you are trying to make. I found a stunning example of this the other day, and I j > read more
New Budweiser Ad – Bubble Trouble
Published on 2010-10-18 17:20:30
S0 – is this an effective ad, an impressive ad, or just a goofy ad? > read more
New Commercial – Casual Fridays
Published on 2010-10-18 17:09:37
What do you think - does this commercial make you want to try their service? > read more
Saving Water by Freelancing – Blog Action Day Post
Published on 2010-10-15 14:33:34
Today is Blog Action Day, and the focus is on Water. Since almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water, it’s safe to say that this needs to be a priority. One of the topics I write about (usually on www > read more
Are you Continuing Your Education?
Published on 2010-10-08 10:09:40
As a freelancer it can be easy to get focused on managing your daily workload and forget about trying to learn new tools and techniques to use in your business. Regardless of the field that you are in, continuing your education will benefit your bott > read more
Poll: When Was Last Time You Updated Your Blog?
Published on 2010-10-05 09:58:27
A blog is a great way to share your thoughts and opinions with your friends, family, your customers, and your business prospects. As you cruise the blogosphere you may have noticed how often people update their blogs, or rather – how infrequently > read more