I returned from a trip to my alma mater, The Pennsylvania State University, a few days ago after getting asked to speak at the History Department career fair. I was one of seven speakers at the event. We all had various non-traditional history degree careers (which was the point) and surprisingly we all had a very similar message to give to everyone.

Network. We all got to where we were by connections and relationships we had made along the way.
Get yourself out there. Most of our first job experiences were not what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives, but it gave us a place to start and a place to start networking.
Find something you love and specialize in it. This world is becoming a very specialized world and there is a job out there for just about anything. To separate yourself out - find a niche that you love and go with it. This really catapulted my business (WordPress and bbPress specialization)
Don’t wait for opportunities to come your way - make your own opportunities. So many people think “My boss will give me a raise if I work hard” or believe … [more]

The last few weeks I have been extremely busy and on top of that I have been dealing with a sick child and also being sick myself. There is no time to be wasted so efficient use of the time I had was crucial. I feel that since owning my own business, I have had to work very hard to make the most of my time and have a few tips:

Focus on 1-3 big tasks per day. Any more tasks than 3 will most likely cause you to spend too much time switching gears. I have begun making a list (yes - let the comments start pouring in as I was anti-list for a long time) of these items and then crossing each item off as I finish. This is surprisingly very rewarding.
Limit how often you check email. (See a post I wrote on this in the past)
Start the day with an easy task. It sometimes takes more time to get going mentally in the AM so starting with an easy task quickly builds confidence for other tasks later
Take time every hour to take a small break to keep your mind fresh
If you are having … [more]

I have now been “on my own” for five months. Five glorious months without hoping I could leave an hour early to take my son to the doctor, sending in my vacation requests six months ahead of time, and dealing with a lot of other ugliness that I had grown tired of. The last five months have been very busy, sometimes stressful, but always rewarding.

It has been a learning process and there has definitely been a learning curve. My biggest problem: stopping work. When asked what I do for a living (own a business/work at home) I often get “wow - I do not think I could stay focused and work at home” - which I then respond - “I have the exact opposite problem, I cannot seem to stop working”. I have had to learn to deal and re-define “immediacy”. When you have multiple clients, work on multiple projects, and also get a steady stream of new and potential clients, it is easy to spend a good chunk of the day simply responding to email.

About a month ago, I decided to set up a priority list so I was less … [more]

I was approached a few months ago with a project that sounded like a great opportunity: to design the UI and logo for the new WordPress Jobs web site (which my company does about 90% overall business on WordPress development). If you missed the announcement for the site, check it out. If you need WordPress consulting, you could go to the site, or you could go to the company who helped build the site ;).

It has officially been over a month since I left my full time job to focus solely on my consulting company and I wanted to take a moment to thank a few key people. First and foremost I would like to thank Amy and our families for believing me in and never questioning my decision. I would also like to thank Alex King for helping me grow my business and for also for his amazing Tasks Pro software which helps me manage my time and my clients. I also want to thank Doug for making me see the light, and Ken for having confidence in me. In the past month I have worked with a number of clients on some amazing projects and I am very excited to work with such a diverse group of individuals. Every day I wake up feeling fortunate to spend my day helping people who appreciate what I have to offer and am extremely glad I FINALLY made the move.

I recently finished up a web site (using WordPress as a CMS of course) for a client who besides being a client is an amazing writer. He has a best selling project management book (The Art of Project Management) and has another one coming out in the next month. If you have a few minutes, take a look at his web site and read his blog or some of his essays to learn more about design, project management, working with others, and all kinds of smart tips.

Well, the first two days of working at home have gone great. I have gotten more stuff done before 8am than I can usually do by the time 8pm comes around. I am able to get up, spend some time with my son, workout, shower, and then start working all in the time it would usually take me to get to my office. During lunch, Triscuit, Evan, and I go on a nice walk and then come back for some more work. Not to mention, I can now also stop working much earlier and enjoy some time with the family. Good times. Why did I not “retire” (as Dad Muller would say) earlier? All the while, I get to work with interesting clients on really cool projects which forces me to keep building my skill set.