Never knowing


bearisland, originally uploaded by Camilla Engman (on Flickr). © Camilla Engman + MAV of port2port

Just pages in to the Uppercase Suitcase Series with Camilla Engman, I find this gem in the forward:

“‘Knowing’ implies a fixed truth – that there is no question whatsoever. ‘Never knowing’ denotes that there is, perhaps, no certainty and that life’s rules may be bent, twisted and interpreted as you move through.”

Written by Maria Alexandra Vettese, commenting on how Camilla lives, views & creates in her life. MAV collaborated with her on the fabulous photo/illustration above and many other beautiful letterpress creations.

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inspired by connection & communication

This weekend I created my About.me/willo profile, and took it as an opportunity to summarize who I am right now… which was a cool experience. It’s been an awesome last few months!

about.me/willo, take 2

Willo O’Brien
inspired by connection & communication

I’m passionate about life. Excitable, full of love, and incredibly grateful to have an awesome network of rockstar friends around the world to share my energy & enthusiasm; I live for bear hugs, music that speaks to your soul, and finding beauty in every day things.

Read more » about.me/willo + about.me/willotoons

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rock treasures found on treasure island

Surfer Blood!!

Surfer Blood at Treasure Island Music Festival

I went to Treasure Island Music Festival last weekend, and it was fantastic! Sunday’s lineup couldn’t not have made me squeeeee more with excitement. I got to see:

  • Superchunk – a band who helped shape the sound of indie-rock as we know it. They’ve been rocking for over 20 years and you can just tell they love every second of it still to this day! They recently released a new album for the first time in almost 10 years, and because I had fallen in love with them after they’d stop touring, I felt honored to see them on stage again!
  • She & Him – it doesn’t get more adorable than Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward, amIright? *swoon*
  • Ferocious Few – a local band who can jam anywhere… and they bring it! If you live in SF you can even find them rockin’ it in Dolores Park every once and awhile.
  • Broken Social Scene – I’ve seen them a number of times, and they’re sooo good. In fact right now, this fall weather? Perfect for them. Put this on & watch the leaves turn.
  • Surfer Blood – (see photo above, and play MP3 below) I have fallen in love with their album Astro Coast, and it was so fun to finally see them play live! They look like they’re all about 14, but an article online suggests they’re in their early 20’s. Regardless, they know how to write songs & they were fantastic live!
  • The National – words cannot summarize my love for the National.
  • Rogue Wave – another local band I’ve followed (and befriended) since 2003. If you haven’t heard of them yet, do not do anything else before going to buy their albums. You won’t be disappointed!

Oh wait, you can do one more thing before you go… listen to this track by Surfer Blood:

[audio:http://www.bamboozled.org/wp-content/uploads/Surfer_Blood_Swim_128.mp3|titles=Surfer_Blood_Swim_128]

I have more photos & videos that I need to upload from the weekend… but thought I’d at least get a quicky post up. Truth be told I wanted a reason to use the WP audio player above. :) I know, I’m a geek.

Bonus music tip: Check out Spinner.com’s Free Song Downloads for CMJ 2010 – go download and discover some awesome new music! Better yet, go to New York and attend CMJ. I need to do that myself one of these days.

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Joining Storenvy

Update: January 2011
If you’re reading this post for the first time,
you’ll also want to read the latest news. ;)

Have you ever had the feeling that everything in your life has led you up to this moment? When it comes to big life changes, and a career path, I particularly remember this awesome feeling when I finally launched WilloToons. Here I had been a designer and illustrator professionally for 10 years, and was finally able to utilize all those skills and put it toward building my product line.

Fast forward 3 years, and I’ve not only utilized all of my skills illustrating, designing & building my online store, designing all my print/marketing collateral, and cultivating an incredible community of supportive, repeat customers, but I’ve also learned a TON about building a successful product line. Seriously… I’ve studied it like it was my job! But after sharing my knowledge and experience, through speaking engagements and at conferences, I kept finding that the combination of my skills and affinity for all things social had culminated into more than me just wanting just to build my brand… I realized that my true passion lies in helping other creatives, crafters and designers get their businesses online!

Continuing to explore this, I kept asking myself, what would that look like? One-on-one consulting? Cultivating my own conference? When it came right down to it, what I really wanted to do was help more people. Finally, after months of trying to figure it out, it became crystal clear almost overnight, that it was going to be neither of those. After 7 years of owning my own business(es), I was either going to start a new company, or join one at the core/founding level. It was going to be something bigger, and it was going to integrate the technology (that I know & love) to reach artists and business owners globally.

Again, if you’re just joining me on this journey, you may want to read my epiphanic
Time for a Change post. It’s some solid back story on all of the above.

Timing is everything…
Right around the same time I came to this conclusion, I happened to reconnect with friends I had met at SXSW earlier this year. A super fun couple, Jon & Janette Crawford, who had attended my SXSW core convo. Keeping in touch with them on Twitter, I had heard they were moving out to SF for the summer, and shortly after their arrival we went out for brunch. And then had some phone calls… and then some drinks… and basically, it didn’t take long for us to to realize it was a perfect match! Therefore, I am thrilled to announce…

I have joined the founding team of Storenvy.com!

Yay!
(Here’s the announcement post on the Storenvy Blog, too.)

What is Storenvy?
In a nutshell, Storenvy connects indie shoppers and sellers in an online social marketplace. Shoppers can browse products by genre and rocket their favorites to stardom (think Digg for cool stuff to buy), and sellers can open a free store in minutes. To boil it down in internet metaphor speak, it’s Amazon for the little guy, Etsy for everything and Facebook for e-commerce. Awesome, right?! Totally. :)

So, there’s the opportunity to shop, buying products being sold by independent sellers, which I love (See Janette’s fabulous article, How Buying Cool Stuff Can Save The World), but as a web/graphic designer AND merchant, I have a lot to say from the seller’s perspective!

For crafters/creators like myself, there are lots of places to sell online, but none of them have all of these awesome features:

  1. 100% Free
  2. Fully Customizable
  3. Automatically expose your products to an entire social shopping marketplace, full of potential buyers and traffic to your store; which includes being able to shop across all of those stores, and check out with one cart!

WilloToons on StorenvyClearly that third point is an incredible value-add to any new seller – especially as all things social are growing like wildfire lately – but as a geek & a designer, I really like the fully customizable part. For example, I designed my store, and want it to be within the look & feel of the rest of my site (my about page, press, events, blog, etc). And check it out… this is the WilloToons store on Storenvy, and it looks just as it did before, fully customized and integrated into my site design! »

Ooh, what’s that little gray bar top right?
One of the differences between Storenvy’s platform and other “store builders”, is that it’s a social marketplace. Once you have an account, you can actually follow me as a user, follow my store, and comment on and “Like” my products. This is what it looks like while you’re on a product page in my customized store, and on a product page in the Storenvy marketplace:

Wow, Storenvy’s site is so well-designed, and I love the blue sky, sunshine and cute characters… are those WilloToons’ illustrations?
No, the illustrations aren’t mine, but aren’t they adorable!? Those were done by their friend Heather Hale, who works at Hallmark. When I first saw the site I thought, “Wow, this is so me!” I feel like this site is one I would have designed. Storenvy’s original designer did a fantastic job, and already I’ve had a lot of fun working within the style they’ve set forth.

That said, we have a lot of work to do from here, design work included. But with over 1700 stores and 18,000+ products, we’re off to a great start, and the only way is up! With my combined passion around helping indie sellers, user experience and building strong online communities, I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of Storenvy’s growth.

Have you contributed to anything on Storenvy design-wise so far?
Why, yes, I have. Thanks for asking! I’ve actually been on board for a month or so already, so a few of the forward-facing things I’ve had a hand in are: designing the welcome/landing page for the Storenvy Store Tab Facebook App (and the settings page, once you’re logged in), the app’s corresponding welcome/landing page, as well as the welcome/landing page for the official Storenvy Fan Page. And, yes, I have the Store Tab installed on my personal FB profile and WilloToons Fan page, too!

For those interested in this cool feature, the Storenvy Store Tab even has a built-in discount code promotion, where it encourages people to “Like” your fan page, in order to get a Fan-only discount code. Sweet!

Tell me more about your new partners!
This is a big part of this union for me. For anyone who knows me, you know that I love a lot of people… but I wouldn’t actually go into business with just anyone. Well, Jon & Janette made the cut. Seriously though, I feel like Jon Crawford is the business partner I’ve been looking for over the last 7 years. He is super smart, both in business (finances, decks, speaking to investors, etc.), and technology (he has coded the entire Storenvy site). Furthermore, Jon is probably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Thankfully, it’s with this intelligence & charm he was able to land marry his incredibly beautiful and talented wife, Janette.

Janette Crawford is our amazing Communications Director and brings her phenomenal experience in branding and marketing to the table. Also, it just so happens she has a passion for eco-fashion, like myself, and has a beautiful website, blog and fashion line of her own, called Fashion Loves People.

The three of us are an awesome match; we get along great & complement each other’s strengths perfectly. Can’t beat that, right?

What’s the next step for Storenvy?
Well, like any startup, we have a lot to do, because we’re growing fast! We are looking forward to bringing on new team members to help us with the rapid growth. We have some big plans in the works, and I really hope you’ll all keep Storenvy in mind for when you’re looking to buy cool stuff and for any merchants who want to be a part of a vibrant social shopping marketplace.

What’s happening with WilloToons, the product line?
I’m still here! I still have my store, now on Storenvy, and I still plan to design and release new illustrations and designs, under my WilloToons brand. I wrote a bit more about it in my Time for a Change post, and I will address it further in another post soon, but suffice to say there are some exciting developments on the WilloToons horizon. :)

For now, I’m just so happy I’ve got that fantastic feeling again: Everything I’ve done has led me up to this moment, and the change that I asked for is delivering me with gusto into this fabulous new chapter! Thank you all for sharing in this exciting news with me. I welcome any questions or feedback. And I especially look forward to celebrating with all of my dear friends, both far & wide!

Update: January 2011
If you’re reading this post for the first time,
you’ll also want to read the latest news. ;)

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Thumbs up! My SXSW 2011 Panels…

UPDATE 12/10: My social shopping talk has been approved! Thanks to all who voted… see you in Austin!

Voting for next year’s panels, talks and convo’s, at South by Southwest, is now in full swing! SXSW, or “Spring Break/Camp for Geeks” as many of us lovingly refer to those 5-10 days, is one of my most favorite times a year, and I’m beyond thrilled to be a part of the actual conference, too! I’m up for two rad panels (and have linked to a few recommended panels, at the end of this post):

Below you can read about the talk that I’m giving, which will be structured very much like what SXSW calls a “core-convo”, even if it gets listed as a talk, because I’m a firm believer in the power of many minds and voices for the process of reflection and learning! It’s somewhat similar to talks I’ve done previously, but this one has a new twist. I’m really interested in thinking about how we’ll be buying and selling online in a few years from now, and am excited to discuss the topic in that realm, in addition to best practices for selling online today.

thumbs up

So, I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a minute to read through these, and if you like what you see, give me your thumbs up vote! I also welcome any comments, suggestions, questions, etc. Actually, if you can click through and add those right on the SXSW Panel Picker website, that’s best.

Social Shopping: The Future of Selling Stuff Online

Markets are conversations. As the web continues its neverending voyage toward Social, indie merchants must learn to engage and interact with their existing and future customers in new ways. The era of Social Shopping has begun, so get the info you need to stay ahead of the curve. Learn how to take advantage of the social web to help your indie business make more sales, connect with your community, and build devoted followers around the world. Perfect for small business owners, artists, crafters, musicians, authors and anyone else with something to sell.

  1. What online tools make it easiest for your fans/customers to share your products throughout the web?
  2. What is the Social Graph, and what does it mean for my independent business?
  3. How can sellers use their online presence to reach a global audience?
  4. How to create a network of support – both through your online social media networks, and with friends in your own city.
  5. Beyond Twitter and Facebook, what online communities can add value to your brand?

Vote & Comment »

:::::

Then, I’ve also been included on an awesome panel, based off our phenomenal SF Embassy experience earlier this year (SXSW’10). I’m really excited about this one (as well as SF Embassy ’11!), and truly honored to be a part of it alongside Gabe, James and Micah. My friends are rockstars. <3

Brand Your Friends: Social Asylum at SF Embassy

With a bag of one inch round buttons featuring San Francisco’s Sutro Tower and the promise of bacon and a band at brunch, the SF Embassy helped a couple hundred people form instant, powerful, trusted connections at last year’s SXSW. By branding a group of connected apartments in the madness of 6th Street as a place of social asylum, the SF Embassy gave this spontaneous community a framework to navigate the conference and their relationship with it and each other. Brand has played a powerful role in identifying and differentiating our communities for as long as we’ve had community. Increasingly, this identity is provided not by tribe or nation, but by lifestyle brands, technology companies, and rock bands. In this panel, we’ll explore the hunger for cultural identities unmediated by corporate interest, how the SF Embassy satiated that hunger for its citizens, and discuss how to apply several design patterns to strengthen ad hoc communities of all kinds. Towards the goal of creating a United Nations at SXSW, we’ll also provide downloadable templates and tools that you can use to establish your own embassy!

  1. How are corporate and cultural branding different? What do they have in common?
  2. What responsibility does a branded community have to make it’s intimacy gradient (how inclusive or exclusive it is) clear?
  3. What came out of SF Embassy, both during the week of SXSW and in the year following?
  4. What went horribly wrong?
  5. How can I start my own embassy?

Vote & Comment »

Lastly, I want to tip you off to a few others I’m really looking forward to attending. Note, however, this is just a start, and a running list, as I still need to take the time to do some scouring. Therefore, feel free to give me a heads up on ones you think I should see! Post a link in the comments, or tweet @ me & I’ll check em out.

Bah, there are so many more, I know — sorry for those I’ve missed — but I’m running out the door & want to get this posted. Again, please post a link in the comments, or tweet @ me with a heads up on ones you think I should see, and I’ll gladly check em out.

Thanks in advance, my friends! I’m excited to see you all in Austin for another year of making mistakes. Um, I mean, memories. :)

p.s. Seasoned SXSWers, you might also be interested in the other post I wrote (aka ranted) today, The Evolution of SXSW & the Hive Mind. I’d love to hear your comments and perspectives on that one (after you go read/vote on the panels above, of course. ;)

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The Evolution of SXSW & the Hive Mind

I’ve been seeing so many people complain about people “begging” for votes on their SXSW panels. What happened to wanting to support your friends in sharing their hard-earned knowledge, experience, proven track-records and information with other people in their industry, or to those who are looking to learn more and/or jump into a new field/career?

I realize there will always be evolution – and revolution, for that matter – when it comes to moving forward in thought and the structure of conferences/sharing information… but I also feel like people are so quick to get snarky, and all of a sudden something’s “not cool.”

Again, I know that this “uprising” is just the first few seeds of what will inevitably create something new (cracking out of the egg shell of SXSW as we know it), and that next thing is *bound* to be even more amazing, thought-provoking and transformative around how we exchange information. And I’m VERY excited to be a part of that. I guess I just don’t think that people tweeting/posting about their panels needs to be regarded as “begging.”

Personally, I really appreciate hearing about my friend’s SXSW talks. We’re all just getting to see them now (we all submitted individually over a month ago), and it’s been so fun to see what everyone has put together. Or, as a few have commented, a view into “the hive mind.” Plus, I’m BUSY! We’re ALL busy! So when my friends take time to contact me directly to point out their panel, I’m like “Oh, good!” because I haven’t yet taken the time to look through each one. And let’s face it, there’s no easy “Find my Friends” tool on the SXSW Panel Picker. ;)

I feel extremely fortunate to be connected to so many truly talented and forward-thinking people across many different disciplines, who have put forth the effort to assemble a panel or talk in effort to share their insights with the rest of the community. And I have really enjoyed reading through their talks and having the opportunity to support (aka thumbs up) many dear friends whom are truly experts in their fields. We’re in an exciting time, and on top of how awesome all of the relationships are, in terms of our own personal evolution and growth, I just absolutely love the exchange of information, and am super stoked to see where it takes us over the next few years.

Also, just to be clear in my rant, please know that if I truly don’t feel a panel is necessary, or going to help the attendees at SXSW, then I don’t thumbs up. Same with if I don’t want to follow someone on Twitter, or add them on Facebook… I don’t! So, by all means, have an opinion and be honest with your self and your actions – always – but don’t spin it to be a bad thing that people are trying to get the word out about their panel.  We are in fact on the internet, where we exchange information, and, in my opinion, *thankfully* this is also a place where we engage our trusted networks in hopes that they will consider supporting us in our endeavors. Seriously, halleluah on that, right? Of course I’d love your supportive thumbs up on the talks I’m a part of for SXSW 2011, but just like anything else online, all I can do is throw it out there. The rest is up to you. Free will is a beautiful thing! :)

Anyway… if we’re not happy with the way it is, how would you like it to be? Maybe SXSW’s Panel Picker system needs to be changed. Maybe it’s too big. Maybe we’re simply ripe for a new revolution around our geek conferences, in general. Regardless, one thing that won’t change (or at least I sure as heck hope it doesn’t!), is our having a genuine community we can reach out to, share our experiences/successes/failures, and continue to learn and grow, personally and professionally.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this.

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my favorite iPhone4 apps

WE LIVE HERE. &lt;3

Seriously, I’m in love with this phone (let alone the camera :). It’s amazing! Granted, I upgraded from a 3G, so on performance alone I was bound to be bowled over, but WOW. It’s a life changer, I’m telling you! :)

Anyway, recently a friend put a call out for a list of recommended starter apps for new iPhone owners, and as you can imagine… I have a few things to say on this topic! So wanted to post them all here, for anyone else interested. Note most all of these are for any iPhone, not just iPhone4. Many are also available for iPad, too. When you have your iPhone plugged in & the apps tab open in iTunes you can see there which ones work on both iPad & iPhone.

Best photo apps

  • Camplus – http://campl.us/ I’d love to take the time to link all of these but probably won’t right now. However there are apps out there called Camera Plus that aren’t the same! This one’s the absolute best. The only thing it’s missing is rotate. I wish there were a desktop version. It’s brilliant! It does hipstamatic style and cross process (my fav), among many, many other cool features. It’s clearly my desert island camera app, but because I have like 14 (!) different iPhone photo apps, I’ll name a few more good ones…
  • CameraBag – almost don’t need it because of Cam+, but I am a huge fan of the Magazine filter.
  • TiltShiftGen – most excellent at improving any photo!
  • QuadCam – take several shots in one photo – here are some of my quadcam shots
  • Incredibooth – especially fab on iPhone4 where you can see yourself while taking it
  • Diptic – see my recent Ali + Todd diptic
  • PixelPipe – I just recently set this up which allows you to upload your photos to several different spots all at once (or simply several to Flickr all at once vs the limit of 5)

Social apps

  • Twitter (of course), previously Tweetie2
  • I recently downloaded Hootsuite, and I was surprised at how great it is, too. Great to use when you want to quickly post to several of your profiles at once, too.
  • Foursquare (of course)
  • Facebook
  • Boxcar (alerts you of mentions on both Twitter & FB, but hasn’t been working for me lately. grr)
  • Hot Potato

Entertainment

  • Rdio
  • Movies
  • PhoneFlicks (view your Netflix Queue)

Games

  • Doodlejump
  • Quordy
  • Fruit Ninja
  • Hangman (surprisingly difficult/entertaining on your own)

Other fun

  • Big Words – send a simple banner message across a loud room
  • Sketchbook – best drawing app, if you’re into that kind of thing. ;)

Business/Productivity

  • Things – I keep meaning to post about how I use this on my desktop & iPhone, in effort to not have my inbox be a to-do list!
  • Evernote – just started using this, excited about it though

Alright, beyond the above it just gets into things like Finance (Mint, Chase, Paypal, Tipulator), local resources (like Yelp, Where, etc), Travel apps (TripIt, Routesy, Nextbus, etc), and a bunch of other random ones that I personally love (1Password, AstrologyZone, Pastebot, C25K) — but who knows if they’ll be useful or of interest to others. So to make it easy, I’ve simply taken screenshots of all of my pages & posted them on Flickr.

[flickrslideshow acct_name=”willotoons” id=”72157624669261340″]

I’d love to hear all about your favorites, too!

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the buzz of creative minds



Renegade Craft Fair SF!, originally uploaded by WilloToons.

“One could say that as an entrepreneur it’s all about the money. But it’s about more than that. It’s innovation, freedom, new ideas, free trade, open markets, economic growth & boundless opportunity. Entrepreneurs create more jobs than any other economic system!”

Here here!

:::

I wish I could remember where I read the above sentiment, but I jotted it down in my journal, probably in a magazine, on one of the many plane rides I was on over the last few weeks… :) It hit home!

I have a lot more I’ve been wanting to write about lately, but just had to post this here quick.

Check out more photos from this last Sunday’s Ladies Brunch & Renegade Craft Fair SF »

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Know your strengths

Launching my own product line was a huge step. For one, I finally did it! It had been my dream for as long as I could remember, and I finally put everything else aside, invested the time and money and went for it. However, its challenged me in ways I never expected, and I’ve learned more than I bargained for… it’s been an adventure! What’s funny is that, looking back to 2007 when I launched it, I just dove in – not knowing what the hell I was doing, but not caring that I didn’t know, either… I just went for it!

A few weeks ago, while attending the Summit of Awesome in Portland, I took a great workshop led by Bridget Benton (who happens to have her Masters in *Creativity*, how great is that?), who explained the various different ways we creatives work. Based on FourSight’s Breakthrough Thinking Profile, I can now see that the part of me that dove head first into making my freelance business happen, then a few years later launched my product line (and can even be traced back to the Willo, who at 20 years old, packed all her belongings into a little car & drove out West!), is what they call being a strong “Implementer”. However, each of the four profile groups all have pros and cons, and in the workshop we discussed how the downside of working on your own in the Implementer realm, can be that you don’t quite think things through, nor have all the facts and resources necessary to take it to the next level, once you’ve got your shiny new product(s) out there. But, as I detailed out in my Time for a Change post yesterday, I was just thrilled I had made it happen, and I was ready to dive in & learn!

Now, referencing back to the Thinking Profiles, I am also a huge “Ideator.” Anyone who knows me at all knows this. I have lists and lists and LISTS of ideas. I have big visions, I’m optimistic and enthusiastic, and given the time & resources I feel like I could never be bored! (In fact, I’m always dumbfounded hearing anyone state that they are bored or have nothing to do. Really? Here, help me do some of my ideas!) However, in the past few years running WilloToons, and still taking on some Web design and Custom Illustration work for cashflow, I sadly haven’t seen a lot of my new ideas through to fruition (classic downside of the Ideator), because I’ve been so busy keeping all my plates spinning! Funny little conundrum I have with being both an Ideator and an Implementor, huh? This might be a big clue into how I run myself ragged, ya think?!

Anyway, this brings me to the biggest lesson I’ve learned out of ALL of this:

To build any great company, it takes a great TEAM.

Now this may sound simple, but let me break it down a little…

Often as a small business owner, you dive into it, as I did, with a big vision and a passion. You have a big idea, and (depending on how much of an Implementer you are on your own), you make it happen! Now, I’m even coming from the craft/artist side of it, where there’s been a rampant resurgence and respect to the notion of DIY (and the Arts and Crafts Movement)… and Here! Here! I have always been independent; haven’t worked for any company that has more than probably 30 some employees, and I grew up in a family where both my parents owned their own businesses. I wanted my own thing and I went out & made it happen! Alas, at some point, we can’t do it all ourselves.

Now, while I did hear about this whole “ask for help” and “concentrate on your strengths” thing early on, I didn’t fully listen. I couldn’t hear it. I wanted to dive in & figure it out! I’m smart, I’m independent, I’m DIY. I can do this! And I did – as you all know, and it wasn’t half bad – which is awesome. But I just can’t help see now how it could have been done better/smarter/faster/etc. (I know, I’m my own worst critic.) What’s funny is that talking to other small business owners, I hear them making this same mistake! Not that they won’t eventually get where they want to go – as I surely will, myself – but it’s amazing how you just realize that sometimes we have to do it wrong ourselves before we get it.

The thing is, I also understand why it’s really hard to find people to help you “do the rest,” in whatever that might mean for you. It can be hard to ask for help. It can be daunting to believe that other people will have the time… especially when you’re most likely knee deep in it, juggling 2000 different things running your small business, and maybe even strapped financially to boot; how could anyone else just have a bunch of free time to donate for you and your crazy ideas?

I’m actually going to tell you the big secret here, are you ready?

Believe in your ideas, get yourself out of the way and ASK. You’ll be surprised.

If you’re a small business owner or crafter reading this, please go back and read that last sentence again, and take this post to heart. If I can help anyone through learning from my experience, it’s this lesson! :)

Now, coming back to WilloToons, I have to say that while I was knee deep in taking the business planning class, hustlin’, launching my new organic line, traveling, speaking and selling at several events around the country – AND maintaining a steady stream of web/design/illustration client projects (oh right, and maintaining some semblance of health, combined with my rock ‘n roll lifestyle), I feel very fortunate that I had help. See, this whole idea of sticking to your strengths and asking for support wasn’t entirely lost on me… I’ve actually had a LOT! I’ve had mentors and coaches, I took classes & workshops, I hired bookkeepers and consultants, and I’ve even had interns, and hired help since Sept, 2008, when I brought on Jen as my Merchandise Manager (or as I often call her, Lifesaver). However, there’s still been WAY more to do, and coming to terms with this (as detailed in my Time for a Change post yesterday), I realized that if I actually stepped back, re-evaluated what I’ve learned about what it takes to take this business to the next level, then I would need to REALLY concentrate on my strengths and be SURE to delegate the rest. I’d need funding, maybe even an official co-founder/business partner, and I’d need to start building the TEAM that it would take to go bigger.

Concentrate on your strengths, and accept your weaknesses
So what are your key strengths? Or determine where you think you may fall in the four FourSight Thinking Profile areas to see what kind of business/creative person you are, if you don’t know already. It might actually be that you’re a super savvy business person, who loves doing research and crunching numbers, and you just wish you could think of an awesome product to launch and utilize all those skills. (Uh, call me! :p)

The bottom line is, we all have our strengths and we all have our weaknesses, and the sooner we can come to terms with them, and ACCEPT them–making no apologies or feeling embarrassed or less-than because we’re not Superhuman–the sooner your business can reach new levels of success. This might mean financial growth, or it could even mean that you actually get to sleep more than 5 hours/night, take time to eat healthier meals or spend quality time with your family on a regular basis, because you’re not trying to break your back to do it ALL. Whatever the benefit, it’s the KEY to being a healthy, balanced business owner.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of the above. What are your strengths? Has this post helped you realize the parts of your business, or job, where you can ask for support, thereby freeing you up to work more effectively? What are your fears in asking for help? Let’s talk it out. :)

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Time for a Change

LIVE, WORK, CREATE,
Seven years, two businesses…
For the last six months I’ve been looking back at all that I have learned running my own business(es) over the last 7 years.

I started my first business almost by accident, after being laid off from my last “real” job in 2003, where I worked for 3 years as the Lead Web/Flash/Graphic Designer, at a small firm in Potrero Hill. Wasting no time in the few weeks after I got the news, I quickly put together a quick website and business cards to launch WilloToons Baby, offering custom wall painting for nurseries and playrooms. However, it wasn’t long before I started getting inquiries to do freelance Web & Graphic Design, and next thing I knew I had a full client load.

The years to follow were full of a lot of great experience. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great clients; designing & launching sites for both small and large organizations. I learned valuable skills around managing projects, timelines and client expectations. I hired developers, copywriters and did all my own bookkeeping. And I learned a lot around managing my time, and maintaining a healthy work/life balance. (Raise your hand if you relate to that one. A common side effect of being a passionate, driven person, I suppose, but I feel like I could write a whole book on it! :)

However, after a few years, I started thinking, what’s next? I really didn’t want to start my own design firm, but instead – for as long as I could remember – I’d been wanting to do something more with my illustrations. So, in May, 2007 I dove in to do just that: designing, producing and launching WilloToons – my super fun product line of tees, onesies & bibs (that since then has developed into greeting cards, jewelry, totes & more) – where geek meets rock ‘n roll! [Note: If you’re interested in reading about this transition, check out my launch post or my mission/vision post.]

Up until then, most of my professional experience had been in services, but I was ready to learn… and boy, did I! The last three years I have learned a LOT about product development, e-commerce, marketing, Quickbooks & bookkeeping, inventory management, COGS, cashflow, customer service, you name it! And honestly, while I could have done a lot of things differently (read: better/smarter/faster) in hindsight, I feel like I’ve been fairly successful, given my means and experience prior to diving in. I feel grateful that in this time I have met friends, and gained happy customers and fans, all around the globe. It’s provided me the opportunity to step into more speaking roles, sharing what I have learned, and consulting other crafters and small business owners in everything from how to get their business online, to marketing through social media, crafting your community, and to some of the more philosophical and psychological realms of being a small business owner (yes, this is another area I could write a whole book on :).

It’s not you, it’s me…
WilloToons has been my baby over the last 3 years, and I’m really proud of all that it’s become, but I’m at this place now–7+ years in, owning and running two fairly successful businesses–where I have some options. I’ve actually been wrestling with this decision for almost a year, really. Because, while I still haven’t seen WilloToons to the full potential I see in my vision, I’ve also learned what it would take to realize that vision. Therefore, causing me to seriously reevaluate if this is even the business that I want to continue growing. I mean, I of course still love illustration and design, I’ve just started feeling like there’s more I can do with ALL of my skills.

It’s kind of like that point in a relationship where you’re like, “sure, we could try to work on this… but I think we both know we need a break.” It’s been rather difficult to get clear on that. Like any relationship, I want to work on it. I don’t want to give up on it, but instead I want to do everything I can to know that I’ve taken responsibility for my part in all of it, and get clear on what it would take to make it better, or to know (really KNOW) that it’s best to just let it go.

Now, I’m not saying I’m letting go of WilloToons at all, which I think has been a big scary thought in this process for me. WilloToons is a part of me! I am WilloToons! :p But, thankfully the store runs itself for the most part right now (with big thanks to my Merchandise Manager, Jen!), and I have a relatively steady stream of client work that comes my way, so I’ve sort of had the luxury of doing this soul searching. I knew one thing was for sure though, just like in any relationship, figuring out what was best for me, meant taking care of myself first. And that, for me, is all about getting back to my creativity. My source. I want to get back to designing, creating, and giving birth to new ideas. I’ve needed to for a long time now, but as any creative in business knows, it can be hard to do that while you’re busy keeping all the plates spinning!

So, over the last few months I’ve been REALLY digging in to look deeper at what I want. For one, after juggling SO MUCH over the last 7 years, I’ve really felt called to unplug a bit more. Since I’d been feeling lost and stuck, instead of allowing myself to stay there, I decided I wanted to flip my life on it’s head, shake it up a bit and see what wanted to rattle out. A big part of this has been clearing and making way for the new to come through. First and foremost, decluttering and refreshing my wonderful little home, that I’ve lived in for these last 7 years, and worked out of for the first 5. Which even included getting rid of my TV, and all the habits that surrounded having that in my space, in order to transform my living room into more of an art studio… huzzah!

So much happened exactly 7 years ago, that has led me into my life as I know it right now… that I think mostly I’ve had to really allow myself to release who I have been – my identity – and how I have let this time, and these businesses, define who I am. I have *reveled* in owning my own business, and launching my dream! I mean, so awesome, right? Aren’t I living the dream, of what so many people in Corporate America™ wish they were doing? So how could this be not enough for me anymore? These are all rhetorical, mind you, but you can imagine what a rollercoaster it’s been trying to make heads or tales of it. All I knew was I just kept hearing my mind say, “I want to be a part of something bigger.”

Well, thankfully these last few weeks have *finally* brought some clarity… YES!! And the answer? Waaaaait for it…

I want to be a part of something BIGGER!
That’s what it comes down to. I have accumulated SO many awesome skills over the last 7 years and I have SO much to offer now more than ever! I have done this. I have worked on my own and experienced developing and running a business two businesses, giving me experience in both services and products; I’ve managed my time, clients, and employees; I am passionate & motivated, and not afraid (in fact, downright good at) working hard to make something happen, and I want to be a part of a team!

So, over the weekend, I started getting even clearer on what this means for me. Here are some of the questions I have been asking myself:

What does it mean (to me) to “be a part of something bigger?”

  • I see so many of my friends, whom I respect so much, accepting positions or starting companies that are developing products on the cutting edge. The tech space has changed SO much over the last few years, and in my opinion is truly more exciting than ever!
  • I want to work and learn from other business owners, and professionals who compliment my skills.
  • I want to have the means to hire and manage a rockstar team.
  • I want my creativity and all that I have to offer to reach a larger population.
  • My WilloToons’ mission is to celebrate individuality and expression, so how can I do that on a larger scale?

What are the qualities that are important to me, in feeling good about working with another team or company?

  • Forward thinking
  • Social/economical awareness
  • Environmental awareness
  • Fun, easy going people, with healthy communication
  • An understanding around what it takes to build a smart team. i.e. Building a team where members are encouraged to work within their strengths

What skills come naturally to me?

  • If I look at the last few years in this business, I think one of the most rewarding aspects has been helping people. Through my speaking engagements, teaching, consulting and connecting people… it’s what comes so naturally to me! I love offering perspective to other creatives and small business owners, sharing my process, mentoring and giving tips on how they can make money, develop their community, step into their creativity. I’ve loved helping my clients; I enjoy the communication, knowing that I’m making their lives/businesses easier (not to mention prettier!), and helping them position themselves for success.
  • Design & illustration (of course), but now even on a broader scale, with creative direction & strategy. I’m a natural problem solver, big idea thinker, and rapid implementer. In addition to the joy I’ve experienced designing my own site/shop & product line, I’ve taken great pride in working with my clients, designing and developing their vision, and consulting them through the various phases of growing their business.

What am I most passionate about in business? aka What do I have to offer?

  • Excellence in Design & Usability
  • Awareness and Experience in Social Commerce
  • Big Vision & Creative Direction
  • Developing Strategy for Implementation
  • Marketing, Community, Communication, Connection, Promotion
  • Management: Client, Team & Product

Now, how can I wrap all of that up into my next step?
Honestly, I’m not quite sure where all of this is going to take me, but, being the excitable, positive person that I am, you can bet I’m on the edge of my seat! :)

I envision myself being a part of a core team. So, whether that means I’ll be starting up another company of my own, or joining a company at the ground floor (or close to it), I’m really looking forward to being able to really have an impact, utilizing my strengths and passion for the ultimate good of a great product or service. I’ve been talking to some friends, and we brainstormed a few things. Even that it might be a good idea to talk to some of our friends who are investors, or on Boards of startups who have the business, finance and tech aspects figured out, but need more creative direction. Who knows, but I’m putting it out there, and I’m ready!

Thanks so much for those taking the time to read this, and so many of you who have been with me on every step of these adventures thus far. I feel incredibly grateful for every single one of my friends and supporters out there, so seriously, thank you. I’d love to hear if you feel I’m missing anything in all of the above, or if while reading it you had a vision for what you see me doing with all that I have to offer. I’m looking forward to taking this next step, and you know I’ll be sharing it with you… that’s what I do! :)

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