Let us fail so yo don’t have to

louis ck failure

One of my favorite comedians Louis CK has a wonderful bit where he explains that there’s more success and knowledge in a 45-year-old janitor in there is in a young 22-year-old upstart entrepreneur. (paraphrasing). Whenever you leave behind failure, that means you’re doing better. If you think everything you’ve done has been great, you’re probably dumb.” ~Louis C.K. There’s no … Read More

Don’t Fence Me In. Defining Business Services

defining business services

Defining Business Services: A good friend of mine called me the other day.  She loves talking business and asked me a few questions about Frog On Top.  Questions like, are my margins good, what’s your price model, how many price points do you have… I told her that answers to those questions vary.  She then told me that that might … Read More

Why Buy The Cow, When You Can Get Your Website For Free?

small business tips

Offering Website Tips: Many many many…years back, I worked in retail.  Levi’s 1850 in fact.  Fairview mall in Pointe Claire, Montreal.  It was awesome.  Because we were an actual Levi’s store, the price of our jeans were always slights higher than the anchor/department stores.  However our shop, because it was boutique, had friendly and knowledgeable staff.  We knew everything about … Read More

Understanding Your Client’s Business Needs

End game business planning

Understanding your client’s business needs: A new client calls you, they want a website.  Great, you build them one.  But once it’s done, they ask if you can include a blog, or maybe add some additional images within the design itself, maybe a widget or a plugin or two.  You’re now left backtracking, having to convince your awesome developer to … Read More

Project Managing Micromanaging Clients

project managing mico client

Project Managing Micromanaging Clients: One of the hardest things to do when starting/running/growing your own business is to figure out the value of your time on a project.  Coding and designing are pretty easy to figure out.  How long it takes to get to the end result, is how many hours you’d bill your client.  But project management is a … Read More

You Gotta Know When To Fold ‘Em…Receiving Final Payment

Never launch a website until you receive final payment.  Some exceptions apply, but we’ll get to that later.  Simply put, a client’s lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for you. Most projects will encounter some sort of delay.  That’s fine, because in your proposal, you allowed enough time for testing, bugs, reiterations, vacation time, sick days, weekends, Sharknados…anything … Read More

The Malcontent Clients

malcontent clients

adjective: (the) malcontent (client) 1.    1. Dissatisfied and complaining or making trouble. Far be it for me to speculate on the life of a malcontent, and how they got to be that way.  I just know it’s a pretty Grimm situation when you run into one.  Moreover, doing business with one.   It’s easy to spot one in the flesh, they … Read More

Think Global, Buy Local. The Benefits Of Local Web Developers

sherman oaks web development

The Benefits Of Local Web Developers ~ The hippie adage, think global, buy local  doesn’t just apply to buying groceries.  Much like the corner farmer’s market, shopping around for a local web designer or developer has huge benefits.  Mainly, you know exactly what you are getting, and if you don’t get it exactly what you want it, you can drive … Read More

Lalo Schifrin Just Got Way Cooler!

bullitt vinyl release

Coolest composer (and client) on the planet just got cooler. How? Limited release vinyl of the movie classic, “Bullitt” BOOM! From Theresa Eastman Schifrin: “Excited to share our first vinyl release to the classic film score of “Bullitt” starring Steve McQueen. Art and design by yours truly, liner notes by the fantastic Nick Redman and the hippest score I know … Read More

Lose The Fat. Convert To WordPress

convert website wordpress

Lose the fat.  All that extra weight making you feel sluggish and tired?  Can’t keep up with the others?  Tired of being picked last?  Then get back into shape.  Convert that old, over inflated website of yours into WordPress and get yourself back into the game.  Lose all the redundant code, cut the fat and streamline your online presence.  You’ll … Read More

How Much For A Website? Prospecting New Clients.

prospecting new clients

A good buddy of mine runs a photobooth company, hollywoodphotobooth.com We love getting together to talk business.  We’re in completely different  industries but it’s always interesting to compare notes on our various work projects and clients.  What I have learned, regardless of industry,  is that our grievances and challenges always seem the same. He told me about someone who called … Read More

Finding A Good General Contractor Is Hard To Do

reliable webmaster

If you own a home, then you know that finding a good, reliable and honest general contractor is pretty hard to come by.  In fact, finding anyone these days who’s reliable and honest is pretty dificult.  It takes time.  Maybe you hired a guy to fix some wiring in your house, messed it up, doesn’t take accountability for his mistakes … Read More