6 books that impacted my business in 2016

2016 has been one heck of a year. It seems like I barely blinked and Fall sped into Winter and all of a sudden, the holidays were right around the corner. This time of year always brings about a period of reflection and I thought I'd mix it up and get a little more personal in today's post.

I've always been a voracious reader and this year is no exception. This past year I've powered through more books than I can count, both for pleasure and as learning tools to help me grow my web design/development and consulting business.

One of my favourite things about reading business & personal/professional development books is that it allows you to peer directly into the minds of some of the most influential industry leaders around. It would be nearly impossible to get a multi-hour meeting with some of these people but when you read their book, it's basically a masterclass in their teachings.

As I think back to the books I've read this past year, there are a few that stand out and had a real, direct impact on my business. You'll notice that none of these books cover web design/development but rest assured that the lessons are applicable to nearly every industry.

I've linked to the books on Amazon (no affiliate links here!) but I'm positive you could find almost all of them at your local library or bookstore as well.

If you're looking for books to read over the holidays season that will take your business to the next level, I hope these recommendations tickle your fancy!

BusinessCharlotte O'HaraDecember 14, 2016books Comments

How I plan to revamp my Twitter strategy in 2017

Twitter and I have had a funny relationship over the past few years. According to my profile, I first got Twitter in May 2011. I remember one of my former co-workers was really into it at the time and I wanted to know what all the hype was about - I wanted my own posse of Tweeps!

The thing is, I never really got into Twitter. For years I had a private Twitter account and only interacted with my friends (very rarely) or lurked on celebrity accounts (usually D-Listers, let's be honest). I didn't "get" Twitter for the longest time and there was a good 2+ year period that my account was basically dormant.

When I launched my web design / development business in 2016, however, I started paying more attention to social media and content marketing. Getting eyes on my business and website could only be a positive and I knew that it would be worth the effort...if I could just figure out how to use it properly!

Over the past few months, I've made an effort into using Twitter effectively to support my web design/development while also not sounding like a total self-promoting robot.

Looking forward to 2017, I will continue to revamp my Twitter strategy so that I can grow my following and further develop my business' brand online. And honestly, I'm excited to try something new! In this article I'm going to share my perspective and also outline a few of the ways I plan to implement my Twitter growth strategy. If you're looking for a little social media motivation and want to join me on this experiment, even better!

BusinessCharlotte O'HaraDecember 5, 2016social media, twitter, hootsuite, hashtags, social media schedulingComment

The 3 types of projects every web designer / developer should include in their portfolio

Are you starting a web design/development business? Ready to take on a few more freelance projects outside of your 9-5? Maybe you've been thinking about the best way to represent your work online?

The wild and wonderful world of freelance web design/development is a rollercoaster of an undertaking. Some days you’ll be thrilled with the projects you’re working on and other days? Not so much.

When you’re first starting out, you won’t have the luxury of being super selective about the type of projects you take on. During this initial stage of your business, a variety of projects will not only build your portfolio, it’ll also strengthen it.

Through hands-on work, you’ll learn how to cater your services to specific client types and along the way, I have no doubt that you’ll identify and refine your ideal client.

Getting experience across several types of projects will make you a better designer and will help you niche down when the time is right.

Once you start taking on projects, you’ll also have to consider the portfolio you present on your website.

Believe it or not, putting together a portfolio that showcases your work involves a surprising amount of strategy. How many pieces should you include? What order should the projects be presented in? You could honestly spend months preparing your portfolio and humming and hawing over the details but at the end of the day, you must take action and put your work out there!

Today’s article will identify the 3 project types that every web designer/developer’s portfolio MUST include - and why.

BusinessCharlotte O'HaraDecember 5, 2016portfolio, ideal client, design projects, development projects, client managementComment

9 Tips for the Newbie Freelance Web Designer / Developer

As someone who has made the leap to freelance web design/development fairly recently, I wanted to share 9 tips that I took to heart when I started out that have helped me out enormously.

There is SO much information out there covering topics of interest to established web designers/developer, but for those who are just getting their feet wet there's a noticeable lack of useful content.

Freelancing is a totally different ballgame from in-house salaried work, my friends. When you break out on your own and start freelancing, you'll be thrown into a world that is equally wonderful and exhausting. You might have the technical skills covered but that's only a small percentage of what it takes to make a sustainable business for yourself.

Without further ado, I'd like to share the 9 tips I've found helpful for building a successful business so soon after starting out as a freelance web designer/developer. By no means is this list exhaustive but it does focus on the points that had the greatest impact for me and I believe they can for you too.

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