Seth Godin has a nice business tip for us: Answer the phone or do not. There is no try. Wait, maybe that was Yoda…

I called 1-800-334-6889 to whine a little bit and to hear why they made a meltable teapot. I counted how many prompts I had to press in order to talk to a human being. It was NINE.

Nine! Try it. I’ll wait.

The last step was a recording that they were closed and I should call back after 10 am. Click.

I know you’ve heard this before, but it’s really simple:

The only reason to answer the phone when a customer calls is to make the customer happy.

It’s a good and very short read. Go read it.

Source: Seth Godin

My employer is looking for qualified Flash designers for a full-time, permanent, on-site contract position in Troy, Michigan. We have a tight-knit, in-house Flash production team of 6-7 people including 3 other full-time Flash designers. We develop award-winning online learning courses using image, audio, and video assets produced by our agency.

If you’re interested or know someone who would be, please read the job posting (linked below) and contact me. Thanks! http://groups.adobe.com/posts/d9f4aa510a

I am also looking for someone to fill a small Flash/Flex contract in Ann Arbor. It’s a full-time, 2-week contract. I don’t have a lot of details, but if you’re interested give me a shout!

Thanks,
Ross

–
Ross Smith
evolutioneer@gmail.com

Jeffery Zeldman has a post on 24 Ways, the advent calendar for web geeks, about how to survive in a recession. I thought you might be interested. If not, pretend you’re in class and ignore me.

For web designers, there are four keys to surviving bad economic times: do good work, charge a fair price, lower your overhead, and be sure you are communicating with your client. As a reader of 24 ways, you already do good work, so let’s focus on the rest.

Source: 24 Ways

One of my favorite blogs, Freelance Folder has a post I thought my students might fine useful if not interesting. Here’s a very brief summary of the seven pieces of timeless business wisdom. You’ll want to read the post to see the details.

1. Push through your limitations
2. Never stop improving
3. Action is more important than talk
4. Success takes hard work
5. Hard work brings happiness (and success)
6. Don’t be afraid of failure
7. Strive to provide something great

Source: Freelance Folder | The Blog For Freelancers And Web-Workers

Some people might ascribe to the philosophy that it’s okay to be at a well-paid-yet-crappy day job and use the remaining time and money enjoying your hobbies. you end up missing out on pieces of the bigger (triangular) pie. There’s a certain joy that comes from doing what you love, getting compensated for it and constantly learning new things in the process. Your goal should be to maximize each experience and try to cover as many new areas of the bigger triangle as possible.

Re-evaluate everything you’re working on. Grab a pen right now and draw a triangle for every job, project and hobby. Take a good hard look at each one. What can you do to get more out of that experience? If it’s not helping you max out the bigger triangle, drop it and find something else to spend your time on.

Source: JackCheng.com

I just to this from former student Heather.

Web Developer

Currently we are in need of a Web Developer to join us at our location in Lansing, Michigan. The right candidate must be experienced in using PHP and MySQL databases to develop websites and web applications for use as part of our company website and for exciting, new projects to be discussed at interview. Please note if you have any experience using CMS’s such as Joomla, Drupal, or etc. in your cover letter, as well as any experience with e-commerce, as these items will likely increase your hire-ability. Salary will be determined in proportion to the applicant’s experience and training with the above mentioned items. Interested? Then apply today by emailing your resume and cover letter to admin@supernovastone.com or faxing us at our location in Lansing, Michigan (517) 371-3028

Freelancing is by no means easy. You are given responsibility of your own future, your own earnings, to choose who and what you want to work for; but this responsibility comes with a whole set of unique challenges in itself. You’re in charge of your own future, so if you make a mistake, you’re the only one to blame. You dictate your earnings, so it’s up to you to hunt down clients and make sure you’ve got a consistent cash flow. These are but a few of typical freelancer’s worries.

So how do we tackle these challenges? Well, put your seat-belt because we’re about to go through an entire list of ‘26 Useful Tips and Tricks for Freelancers’.

Source: FreeLancerMagazne

I just got this in my email:

Do you have the passion and talent to start a business in a hot market? Will your business or business idea successfully compete and meet market demands in the industry? If you’re interested in earning academic credentials by pursing LCC’s Entrepreneurial Studies Certificate of Completion, click here to view the curriculum guide for this certificate.

For further information regarding the Entrepreneurial Studies Certificate of Completion, or related course offerings, please call Yvette Swint-Blakely at 483-1179 or e-mail swinty@email.lcc.edu.
For more information regarding the Own A Business – Own Your Future! Initiative contact LaVella Todd at (517) 483-9907 or email at entrepreneurs@lcc.edu.

In this guest article, Jacen Nicely goes through the first hand personal experiences of becoming a freelance designer detailing the emotions and the three phases of the process (research, planning and implementation) of going from frustrated to a full time freelancer. This article is applicable to all freelancers, not just designers.

Source: Just Creative Design

I just stumbled onto this post at Vandelay Design about pricing your services. The go into some detail of each but I shan’t duplicate it here. You’ll have to visit their site and read it on your own.

1. There’s no exact formula.
2. Both hourly pricing and project-based pricing have pros and cons.
3. Pricing is a necessary part of freelancing.
4. Mistakes are a part of the process.
5. Your prices will affect your own outlook on your services and it will also impact your client’s opinion of your services.
6. Uncertainty is Common.
7. The variety of prices is as wide as the variety of talent levels.
8. Losing a job isn’t always a bad thing.
9. Pricing can be a good way to weed out the tire kickers.
10. Some potential clients will think your prices are high no matter what you charge.
11. Charging more than you quoted may be necessary.
12. Starting out you’ll probably have to charge less than you’d like.

Source: T12 Realities of Pricing Design Services