by Joseph Graves | Jan 19, 2014 | 30 Day Blog Challenge, Articles
Get out of your own way
Sometimes we get in our own way and limit what we are capable of doing to what our perception is of what we should be doing. Often this is defined as being realistic or reasonable. But ask yourself, when has greatness ever been achieved through being realistic? Was it realistic for Edison to fail 10,000 times before finding a filament that would work in the light bulb? Is it reasonable to invest your entire (considerable) fortune to sell shoes online as Tony Hsieh did with Zappos? How reasonable was it for anyone that’s done anything of significance, to do so before they were successful?
Sometimes you just have to be unrealistic. Sure, failure is always a possibility and so is success, but only if you are willing to be a bit unreasonable once in a while.
Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.
-Will Smith
Always go with your passions. Never ask yourself if it’s realistic or not.
-Deepak Chopra
Today, let’s take a step away from rational thought and dare to be bold. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue?
Write it down. Also write down the obstacles in your way of reaching your goal. Finally, write down a tangible plan to overcome each obstacle.
The only thing left is to, you know, actually go make it happen. What are you waiting for?
-Matt Cheuvront
I don’t think anything is unrealistic if you believe you can do it.
-Richard L Evans
You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
What would you do differently if being realistic wasn’t holding you back?
Reply in the comments below or send me an email, I’d love to hear from you.
by Joseph Graves | Jan 17, 2014 | 30 Day Blog Challenge, Articles
Letting Go
You may think of “letting go” as something that applies to you emotionally rather than in business, but that’s really not the case. Many people who have been dedicated industry professionals for years have a hard time letting go. They get comfortable in the way they do things and that can really hurt a business or at the very least, stunt it’s growth.
The fact of the matter is, in order to move forward in business – just as in any part of our lives – we have to be willing to let go of the things that don’t serve us anymore.
This applies to more than just policy and procedure…it applies to the way you position yourself in your industry as well. Forward thinking and innovation have cornered the market and if you can’t keep up you will be left behind.
It’s not always easy implementing new procedures, and learning to use new tools can be frustrating at first, but the reward is worth it. Streamlining your business will never be something that you regret and being open to new ideas, well…as Albert Einstein so eloquently put it:
The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.
by Joseph Graves | Jan 16, 2014 | 30 Day Blog Challenge, Tools
Is your website costing you sales?
5 slides, 3 questions, 1 answer.
Now a presentation on SlideShare:
![Day 14: Workshed grows by 33%]()
by Joseph Graves | Jan 15, 2014 | 30 Day Blog Challenge, Workshed News
Things are happening
Part of our plan for Workshed was to create an environment where talented people could work hard and make awesome things. Today, we are happy to announce that we’ve added our first team member!
Introducing Angie
Angie is a native Washouglan and owner of Body Bliss Yoga studio. More impressive than her head standing ability is the speed with which she’s able to make websites do wonders. She’s been friendly with computers her whole life and is the proud recipient of a hard earned bachelors degree in Computer Science. With a background in project management AND website development AND graphic design (plus she’s a business owner), she adds some firepower to our arsenal.
If that’s not enough
Never one to be idle, Angie co-created a game called Be The Gift to bring people closer together (you should get one). She’s also President of the Camas Washougal Business Alliance the group of business behind the popular (and extremely valuable) Stuff the Bus program – which collects a ton of food for the needy and stokes the Camas – Washougal rivalry in a fun and productive way (unlike the things we used to do in school).
But wait there’s more
You might be tempted to think Angie works all the time, and she is a busy person, but she’s also the mother of 3 wonderful (and active) boys, as well the wife of a really cool guy named Drew.
by Joseph Graves | Jan 13, 2014 | 30 Day Blog Challenge, Articles, Marketing, Technology, Tools, Uncategorized
A website can truly be an interactive portal into your business. However, there are millions of websites out there, so how do people find yours?
The answer is, they may not need to. One way to put a face to a name is by using facebook. Facebook is the modern day version of “Word of Mouth”. By engaging in social media, businesses suddenly become more trustworthy, approachable and friendly. This personal interaction enables you to provide information that is both relevant and up to date to an audience that has already asked for it!
If people have liked your page, it is a place to present your goods and services to an audience who already trusts you and it’s free. Also, with more and more analytics available to businesses, it’s a user friendly and almost immediate source to see what is working with the public and what isn’t.
When you are using facebook effectively, you may be able to eliminate the need to drive traffic to your website and maybe even tap into a market that you may not have been able to crack before. All this without them having to move a virtual muscle!
While there is no one tool that works for every business, facebook is a way for people you know and who know you (or know someone who knows you) to find your needle in the proverbial haystack.
by Joseph Graves | Jan 12, 2014 | 30 Day Blog Challenge, Articles, Workshed News
Price is what you pay
There is a saying that states “price is what you pay; value is what you get.” This is especially true for businesses considering a website rebuild. Cost is an important consideration, but before determining whether a website is expensive or not you have to know what kind of return you’re likely to receive. Like any good investment, the main factor in determining value is not the price paid, but what is received in return for the capital outlay.
Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
-Oscar Wilde
In the case of a businesses website, the potential to add revenue is very real. For most new customers, your website will be the first impression they have about your company. Converting a visitor into a paying client should be the primary function of a website. If your website doesn’t persuade people to become customers, it’ll be expensive no matter how much you pay.
Value is what you get
At Workshed, we build websites that generate a positive return on your investment. Accomplishing that might “cost” a little more than some less effective alternatives, but it usually ends up being a better deal. If your website isn’t turning visitors into paying customers, contact us to see how we’d make it work for you.
