It’s been a crazy busy month here, both for me and the blog – I can’t believe it’s already the end of March! If you’ve missed any of the posts from my month of knowledge and experience, here’s a quick refresher (don’t miss the comments – there are some excellent tips and suggestions there, too):

• The month of knowledge and experience
• How to make jewelry clusters
• You know you need a graphic designer when…
• 5 Things I’ve learned about blogging so far
• 7 Fave WordPress plugins
• How to get a pure white background in product photos
• How to use SeamlessLite from Colourlovers.com
• Print vs. Web
• Your blogging tips
• Let’s talk about negative space
• Knowledge from a Knitwear Designer
• 3 Lessons I learned from my eye doctor
• Are you ready for WordPress?
• Free business resources you should know about
• Editing with Elements eclass

What about you? Have you written a tutorial you’re ready proud of? Feel free to leave a link in the comments (because I can’t get those linking widgets to work here, much to my frustration)!

As a small business owner, I spend a lot of time researching things to help me either run my business better, learn how to do something, or to save a little money (probably you know how that feels, right?). So, here are a few business resources I’ve come across, and used, to help you!

If you’re looking to write a newsletter…

…then head over to Mail Chimp’s Resource area.

Even if you don’t use Mail Chimp*, you should check out their free Guides, specifically their Email Marketing Field Guide and Common Rookie Mistakes. There is seriously good information in both that you can apply to whichever email mailing list provider you do use, and good tips to help you if you’re a beginner. Bonus is that all of the Mail Chimp Guides can be downloaded in multiple formats so you can read them on your computer, your e-reader, your phone, or online – whichever is easier for you.

Even if you forgo the Mail Chimp Guides, then there’s absolutely one thing you need to know before jumping into email marketing and that’s the CAN-SPAM Act, or the rules regarding the distribution of commercial message electronically and what your responsibilities are as an email list owner. Mail Chimp goes over its requirements about it here, and you can read more details here.

* I would highly recommend Mail Chimp – their customer service is fantastic, they have free plans, and there’s a monkey on the dashboard who compliments you every time you visit. Don’t underestimate the power of a complimenting monkey to brighten up your day.

If you’re thinking about making the switch to WordPress…

…and my post yesterday didn’t answer all of your questions, then head over to iThemes’ publishing hub.

iThemes is a company that designs premium WordPress themes, and over the last few months, they’ve been churning out really good free ebooks about WordPress and websites. My favorite ebook they’ve put out so far is Getting Started with WordPress, which is a truly thorough introduction to what WordPress is, how it works, and what you can do with it. Any technical questions about WordPress will most likely be answered here.

If you’re looking for deeper conversations about business…

…then check out the online magazine called In Treehouses, from Mountain & Pacific.

I signed up for the In Treehouses mailing list on a whim, having no idea what a freedom business was (the tagline) or what to expect. But honestly, I am so glad to have come across this online magazine because it’s definitely shifted the way I think about my business and what I want. Each edition is packed full of good, in-depth information around a particular topic, and each one is gorgeously designed. Thom, the designer and owner, puts new editions out every five weeks, and as soon as I see it waiting in my inbox, I’m downloading and devouring that edition.

If you’re wondering how to use fonts…

…then check out this Beginner’s Guide to Pairing Fonts post from Webdesigntuts+.

There are a ton of posts out there about using fonts online or making smart font choices, but what gets me about this particular post is how in-depth it is. It’s one of those posts that thoroughly talks about the subject, not just glosses it over it. For that reason alone, it should go right into your bookmark folder as a go-to font resource.

If you’re trying to find or promote an eclass…

…then check out Seek Your Course.

I came across this site a couple weeks ago, and I love the idea behind it – a place where you can find a collection of online classes that you might never have known about otherwise. And if you’ve got an eclass to promote, you can sign up to list it on their site. As of right now, it’s free, so head on over to read more information.

What about you? What are some business resources you rely on?

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about WordPress, and one in particular has stuck with me: Which is better, Blogger or WordPress.org?

Not everyone agrees with me, but I don’t think one is better than the other (and web designers the world over just threw up their hands and groaned). Seriously, I don’t, and here’s why – they’ve got similar but different audiences, and similar but different purposes.

A quick comparison

Blogger targets people who are new to blogging, who want blogging to be easy, and are happy with a few basics. WordPress targets people who want more control over their blog or who want to develop more of a website than a blog using WP as a foundation.

Blogger has a visual template editor to help you make some layout changes, so you don’t need to alter the code. WordPress has themes, some of which have an editor, some that don’t, and a basic knowledge of how code works is helpful.

Blogger will only ever be a blog; WP can be any site you want it to be (provided you find an appropriate template or hire a web designer). Both are free, but the catch is that WordPress.org requires domain hosting somewhere, which can run about $6-10 USD a month. In comparison, every Blogger blog is hosted by Google at for free.

The real question you should be asking

So, the question is not really which one is better; the question is which one is better for you? What are you looking to do?

If you’re allergic to code, just want an easy-to-understand interface that can get you up and running in a few minutes, and don’t anticipate needing much more than a blog with a few static pages, then any blog host will do you fine – Blogger, WordPress.com, WordPress.org, Squarespace, TypePad, Tumblr - all of them are designed to make blogging fun and easy. Some are free, some are paid, some have only a limited number of template options, and others have a whole world of themes.

But if you’re looking for more control over the way your site looks and acts, if you want more of a website than a blog, if you’d like extra space for down the road, look into WordPress.org.

Are you ready for WordPress?

Here’s an honest truth: not everyone is ready for WordPress, and not everyone wants it.

Up until May 2011, I was over on Blogger. I loved it because it was so easy, and I had used Blogger for various blogs going back years. But I was quickly running out of space, and every day, I became a little more frustrated with what I couldn’t do.

I moved last May because I was outgrowing Blogger. I was running out of photo space (there used to be a limit of 1000 photos per Picasa album), I hated being limited to only 10 pages, and I couldn’t offer downloads on Blogger the way I can on WordPress. Those are just some of the reasons why I decided to move, even though I liked being on Blogger for the most part.

Ultimately, I made the switch to WordPress because it promised more control, and that was absolutely true. The problem was that I wasn’t really prepared to have control over everything, especially technical issues. Blogger took care of most problems for me; with WordPress, I am the tech department. Whenever a problem arises, I either have to do a lot experimenting and quick learning, or I have to hire someone to make the fixes for me. For some people, this can be annoying or downright terrifying, depending on your level of experience and comfort.

Another difference is that Blogger has a built in template editor; with WordPress, it depends on your theme. I couldn’t find a free theme that I liked that came with one, so I ended up buying a premium WP theme with a layout and template editor. Now, I can make the changes I want to make without altering code (I can do it if I have to, but I find it a somewhat frustrating experience). If you feel the same about code, then you’re going to want to find a theme you like right out of the box, find a theme that comes with an editor, or hire a web designer to get you started if you make the switch.

When it’s all said and done though, I’m really happy on WordPress. I understand the way it all works now, so I know what I can do with it and how to make it work for me. But the transition over was a little rough, and I’ve come to realize that it’s not for everyone… and that’s okay.

Because it’s not really about which is better, it’s more about what you’re looking to do.

I had been putting off a visit to my eye doctor for two reasons: 1) I’m lazy, and 2) I shudder when I hear the word “doctor” (it’s a slightly irrational fear, my mind knows this, especially since my eye doctor is one of the nicest people ever). So, last month, I sucked it up and got it done… because I was on my last pair of contacts.

Anyway, I expected to walk out of there with a new prescription, which I got. But to my surprise, I also walked away with a few lessons on how to run my business better, too. Here’s what I learned from my eye doctor.

Cut the fluff

If there’s no reason to have extra stuff bogging down the transaction, don’t do it.

I got in, got my check up done, and was out of there in 20 minutes. It took me longer to drive there and back than it did for my actual eye exam, and that’s because that office cut out the stuff that didn’t need to be there. Even their small office was streamlined – they only had so much space to put things, so they only had what they absolutely needed on hand.

For me, this was a good lesson, since I know that I have a tendency to give all of the information I know about a topic all at once… whether people ask about all of that or not. Beyond that, I can easily see this translating into things like reducing the number of steps before checkout, eliminating superfluous text in the item descriptions, and streamlining my own production/shipping system.

Be quick and efficient

The entire staff were quick, efficient, and on their game. They knew were everything was, how it all worked, and what to do next.

Now, I’m a one woman show, so I don’t have staff (and I don’t think a lot of you do, either), though I wish I did. Still, there are people and businesses I rely on to get my work done – printers, support lines, tax consultants, domain hosts, fellow business owners, etc. I depend on them to do their jobs well and quickly so I can do the same. So, the lesson here is to choose people who can help me work better and faster, and who understands what my needs are as a business owner.

The other lesson for me is to understand the entire transaction process so I can answer questions intelligently, and to anticipate any questions or issues that may arise so I can troubleshoot for my own customers.

Know your limits

My eye doctor’s office is a small, hole in the wall kind of place. Clearly, she is a small business herself, and while she might like to see 400 people a day because that’s more income for her, she knows that’s just not practical. Her staff schedules no more than what the doctor can reasonably see each hour… which is nice for me as the customer since I never have to wait long (the maximum I’ve ever had to wait was maybe ten minutes). And it must be nice for the staff, too, to not have to juggle and rush to get the customers in to see the doctor.

This compared to an old cardiologist of my mother’s, who never, ever saw someone on time. Average wait time? 3 hours. No joke, 3 freaking hours of sitting in the waiting room before we ever saw the doctor, then another hour waiting in the room while she popped in and out. Who has that kind of time?? I don’t have four hours to spend at a doctor’s office for a routine, fifteen minute check up.

That doctor was a brilliant cardiologist, but she clearly needed a better planning system. I saw it as her or her staff having far more ambitious goals than any of them were ever able to follow through on. None of them really knew their limits, which probably had to be as frustrating to them as it was to every patient waiting.

My takeaway? There’s clearly value in saying no and knowing what your limits are. It’s easier to under guess and add more options later, than to take on too much that you can’t handle the amount of work. This goes for anything related to business – projects, custom orders, wholesale accounts, etc.

What about you? What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever gotten business lessons from?

Medianoche Gloves

Today’s post is a guest post from Ruth Garcia-Alcantud, a knitwear designer, who’s taking the time to stop by and share what she needed to learn in order to live a creative life. Enjoy!

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Knowledge is a weird thing.

Knowledge comes in all shapes and colors. It comes in the shape of a lesson learned, and the shades of methods to solve problems.

And knowledge when you embark on a new career is nothing but daunting.

Maighdean Mhara Shawl

Let us take a trip down memory lane.

From age 6 to age 18, I was the terror child no one wanted in a classroom. Fact – I was smart. Fiction – I was the teacher’s pet. Fact – I was a smart-ass.

I dislike being lectured to, being told this was the way to learn this lesson, and I kicked, screamed and skipped (classes) all the way through school.

I failed things that were so easy it was a joke to fail them. And I excelled at things that no one ever did. And yes, it came with a lot of arguing with my parents.

In my professional career, I picked up things on the job as easy as it would be to pick a flower off a garden. I was a quick learner and an even faster progresser.

One pattern from the School of Sock ebook

Why is that

Again – I am not keen on being lectured to. I like being given a broad stroke of what is in my plate and figuring things out, questioning what I need and letting myself find my path to the end.

So when I decided to be a knitwear designer, I took that approach.

I googled. I went to my library for days on end. Went to London and got lost into the fashion bookshelves of the libraries where most LCF (London College of Fashion) students go. I bought books on style, drawing, business planning, garment sizing and dressmaking.

I immersed myself into 12h learning marathons of taking notes, finding answers and building my knowledge.

You have  A LOT to learn when you start in this field. From the stationary things – sizes, materials, methods… to the downright ever-changing whims of fashion. And given that this is a very much self-made path, there’s a whole bunch of things no one ever puts down on writing that you have to learn only when you get to an a-ha! moment.

I had to rehash all my Excel knowledge to make it work for me. I learnt so many tricks on that area I’m running an online class on the topic.

I had to learn Photoshop color levels, layers, masks and actions. Make mistakes and learn your lesson (always ALWAYS use save as…)

And Illustrator – vectors, lines, grids, alignment, positioning, duplication. Learn why when you save something as a jpeg it looks fuzzy and unclear.

Don’t get me started on InDesign. As of last night, I still don’t know why it’s not letting me do that one tidbit that would make my life easier. But I will get there.

I practised my drawing to no end. I have books full of sketches of garments, attempts at capturing textures, and my nemesis – faces. I can’t draw a face to save my life. YET.

My Christmas present from my partner one year was a DSLR. It was poignantly obvious that my point-and-shoot trusty Casio camera, good as it truly is, can’t quite put up with the amount of detail and feeling that a DSLR can embed in an image to sell my work. I worked my butt off to learn how to operate that camera, bought new lenses, filters… and practised.

I realised there’s more to picking up a new career than the knowledge that comes with the actual job. When you set off as a freelancer, there’s taxes to look at, accounts to manage, budgets to keep and timelines to consider.

You need to learn how far you can go. And no one can teach you that.

Vitamin C Cowl

Am I done learning and acquiring knowledge?

No way. I learn something new every single day – be it of an artistic origin or a practical new functionaction on an application. Because what I love about learning on my career is the a-ha! moment. That crystal clear view, the moment when you finally crack the code, the mystery unveils and the path is clear. And I know one day, one of these days, that scribbledoodle will render a face. My nemesis will be defeated on paper, and I will emerge victorious.

Don’t you just love that moment?

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