biznik

biznik article of the week

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Should You Divorce Your Designer? Five Signs it’s Time to Find a New Creative Professional by Angela Ferraro-Fanning

graphic design is a profession with a huge spectrum of experience and expertise. ferraro-fanning makes good points about working with a designer who wants to talk about you and your goals, wants to keep you on message, works within your budget and delivers work you’re happy with. since this isn’t always a given with every designer you encounter, use the information in her article to evaluate whether you’re getting the service you want. and if you’re new to hiring a designer, don’t be afraid to ask about your prospective designer’s process and have them outline a typical project timeline. what ferraro-fanning says may seem obvious, but they are good reminders on how to get the most out of working with a creative professional.

july biznik mixer

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colleen wainwright heather parlato

we’re doing it a week early this month. colleen & heather’s monthly west side biznik happy hour at jerry’s in marina del rey, is happening: wednesday, july 15, 2009 from 5:30-8:00pm.

and hey, if you’re not a biznik member, join up using this invite link. biznik is a great resource for indie professionals and small businesses, and has a really active community in its city of origin, seattle. colleen and i have been trying to get more people participating and hosting events here in LA so we can all have more mixing, networking and workshopping in our lives–all for FREE.

biznik article of the week

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Making Sense of Content Marketing by Jason Ball

content marketing is a great way to keep the conversations going with your market between the times when you personally check in. ball’s main points give those new to this approach a good roadmap to better connecting with your target market through relative content and empathic problem-solving. market your services by creating community around your expertise using his 5 simple steps to getting started.

biznik article of the week

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6 Ways to Work Through a Business Slowdown by Rich Phillips

there are a lot of these articles circulating in these challenging times, and while many of them say similar things, i like the way phillips puts it here. while much of the back to basics advice is common sense, the “chill out” factor is an important reminder.

biznik article of the week

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Keys to a Great Logo by Rosa Crumpton

in the vein of helping potential clients focus on the issues that will be addressed in future design projects, this article covers a short checklist of things to consider when developing a creative brief for your logo.

june biznik mixer, marina del rey

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colleen wainwright heather parlato

it’s that time again, people. join colleen and myself for our west side biznik happy hour at jerry’s in marina del rey, one week from today: wednesday, june 24, 2009 from 5:30-8:00pm.

biznik article of the week

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A Case For Networking-Ending Interruptions One Relationship at a Time by David Lingholm

this biznik article stood out as a good one to link, because it deals with the changing climate of marketing, which is something i’m reading a lot about lately. though i think there is room for initiating relationships with research calling, i agree that dropping the quick sell and building lasting relationships is a much better approach to business.

a recurrent theme i’m finding when talking about social media networks and their relative worth to different business owners is the concern with conversion. in more traditional marketing strategies, putting effort into avenues that don’t have a high conversion rate is considered a waste of time, and while i see the confusion in their eyes when they ask me why they’d want to use twitter, the simple answer is: business, networking and relationship-building is about people. if you make it only about numbers and sales, you lose the most valuable connection in an ongoing relationship. i like lingholm’s reminder to check the scorecard at the door, concentrate on listening, consider giving without expectation. business relationships could use some zen reminders like these time & again.

biznik article of the week

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The Entrepreneurial Life: A Heart-based Business Strategy for Success by Anthony J.W. Benson

this article came on the heels of finishing michael gerber’s the e-myth revisited and touches on many of the same ideas about connecting to your visions and passions when defining a path in business and in life. while benson’s article suggests these ideas as a general approach to life & business, i think it’s also a good place to start when brainstorming on the messaging that goes into the formative phases of brand and identity development. any of you looking to develop a new brand or refresh an existing one may like to use these thoughts as a framework for developing the philosophy that will guide the project.