A Very Special Announcement…

… but not just yet.

Times, they are a changin’ and for Ginkgo Consulting that means quite a few things.

1. We’re in the process of re-structuring. There are some amazing new projects in the works that I’m going to be heavily involved in, and therefore need to come up with some really cool ways to keep Ginkgo running but with less of my individual time. This means I’ll be needing some more really cool people to help me do that.

2. I’ll still be doing the consulting work. Be it on the phone or in person – I’m the one you’ll be speaking with when you have questions, be they about work we’ve done, work you need done, or simply training you may need.

3. Tying up some loose ends. Right now I’ve got two “charity” projects going on, and a few client projects still on the table. While I’ll always spend available time on a project I believe in for charity, at this time I’m not sure we’ll be able to take on any further clients. At least not until I get the restructuring done. If you don’t have an immediate deadline, you can always call and we’ll see what we can do. Worst case scenario, I can refer you to one of several colleagues who I’m confident can help.

4. I’d like to make it clear that I’ll still be blogging here, as well as at my other sites. I’m not going anywhere, that’s for damn sure. You’re actually more likely to see me than ever before, but that’s all part of the “Very Special Announcement” I just can’t make right now. I promise, you’ll be the firsts to know once I can! Your best bet to keep tabs on me? My hub, Lara Kulpa. It’s not finished yet, or designed yet, but it’s there.

So there you have it! Thanks for staying tuned in, and don’t go anywhere! It’s going to be an interesting Q4, and an amazing 2010!

Client Updates and Quarterly Recap (2009Q1)

Can you believe we’re already 25% of the way through 2009? Part of me feels like Christmas was yesterday, but I think the fact that we’ve been so busy around here means a lot!

As usual, I’m still working with Darren Rowse over at ProBlogger, but now I’m also managing content for him over at TwiTip, which is quite the Twitter resource! I’ll also be helping out with the 31 Days to Build A Better Blog project starting this Monday, April 6th. (If you haven’t signed up yet – don’t miss it!)

Along with that, I’ve worked with my dear friend James to launch two projects of his, America The Lost and Shoot. Edit. Publish.

America The Lost

Shoot. Edit. Publish.

James also did a guest post over at Digital Photography School (another of Darren’s blogs) titled 13 Tips For Improving Outdoor Portraits which has been a great traffic boost to both new project sites. America The Lost currently is receiving a decent amount of search traffic – which completely debunks the myth of the Google Sandbox, but that’s another story for another time.

In the midst of all of this, we’ve done most of the work on the liquor store client site, and are now waiting for the newest list of wines so we can add them to the site, work on the front page, and make an official launch.

We also did a big revamp of another great site: Cookerati. Prior to working on the site, it was a fairly old install of WordPress with an outdated theme. So we managed an upgrade and customized a design for them that added some great color and layout changes. There’s been some great feedback from the site’s regular visitors already, and thankfully the owners are pretty excited, too!

Cookerati

Dark Shadows Magazine

We’ve also done some work for a revamped online fashion ‘zine, Dark Shadows Magazine. It’s editor is Genn Shaughnessy, who is a celebrity and fashion makeup artist. She’s phenomenal, folks. Really something!

All in all it’s been a good first quarter, to be honest. I’m feeling good about our clients and their needs being met, despite the economic situation we’re all in.

What You Can Look Forward To

• More frequent blogging. We’re taking “consulting” to an extreme in the coming months, and will be talking more frequently on the blog about helping you, either as an individual or as a part of a larger business model, to continue to profit from your online efforts.
• Premium WordPress Themes. I can’t say when yet, or how much, but it’s something we’ve been thinking on for quite some time. And yes, there will be an option to have us customize for you. And also yes, there will be free options.
• More client launches and relaunches. We’re really firm believers in helping to highlight our great clients. No, it’s not just to show off our stuff (though it helps), but rather we want to share with the world how awesome we think our clients are. We hope you don’t mind the intrusion.
• More details on consulting services offered, and improved scheduling options. We’re looking to add more options for lower rates and lesser minimum hours. We know times are tough for everyone, so we want to help as best we can.

So there you have it! We’ve got an exciting quarter planned and hopefully we’ll make it through the above mentioned points and much more!

Got Blog? Free Class: “31 Days To Build A Better Blog”

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Most of you know that I work closely with Darren Rowse from ProBlogger.net. Lately, I’ve also been editing for TwiTip, his blog about all things Twitter. But that’s not what I’m here to announce, folks…

Beginning April 6th (the project’s been delayed a week for various reasons, as it was originally scheduled to start April 1st) Darren’s launching the third ever 31 Days To Build A Better Blog class. He did the same project in 2005, and again in 2007, so he decided to do it again now in 2009, with updated info and a new format.

The class will now be delivered via email, and the added feature this time around is the addition of a forum! I’ll be moderating in the forum, and helping to answer questions when I can.

Darren explains it best:

The idea behind this is simply to have a group of bloggers setting aside a month of their time to work at improving their blogs. While we all want to have better blogs sometimes it becomes one of those things that we’re going to do…. one day.

I personally find that I improve (in all areas of my life) when I’m more intentional and set aside a specific time to make the improvements. That’s what this project is about.

He’s absolutely right. And with the way the economy is now, we’re all working on ways to make more money from our blogs and our online businesses. This class is an essential one for EVERY blogger, new or seasoned… expert or novice. Just go sign up already!

ZenHabits: Productivity 2.0

I’m a huge fan of Leo Babuta’s Zen Habits blog. I’ve mentioned it before (My quarterly office checkup), and will surely do it again. I just read an AMAZING post about productivity: Productivity 2.0: How the New Rules of Work Are Changing the Game, and I wanted desperately to not only put this stuff into action for myself, but to share it with my clients and colleagues.

The topic basically goes into “old school” versus “new school” philosophies on work and productivity, and it clears up a lot of misconceptions of what really works versus what doesn’t. They can apply to blogging, your 9-5, web design, or basically any job you can think of where you have a little bit of freedom to manage your time (which unfortunately isn’t always the case for certain professions). I’m sure with a little tweaking, you can apply these “new school” habits to your career, and I know I’m going to work hard trying to accomplish that for myself.

In brief, as quoted from the post:

Don’t crank out tasks — learn to work with a deeper focus. Don’t plan and hold meetings and form committees — just launch the software or product or service and keep improving it. Don’t spend time organizing — you’ve got more important things to worry about.

I’ve been really focusing on time management for myself, and it seems the more strict I try to get, the more frustrated I get, but still the less I accomplish than I wanted to. Rather than focusing on “Finish. Now.” I’m going to work harder at getting each task on each project done, one at a time. For ongoing stuff like copywriting or blogging projects, I’m still going to have to work on deadlines and such, but for other things, it’s just a matter of focus.

In a newsletter to clients about the change in the company (Re-branding your business.) I mentioned a new payment system I’m implementing for ongoing projects. I promised a maximum 48-hour turnaround on requests, for the sole purpose of helping me stay on top of my tasks in a more manageable way. I’m using technology (Outlook 2007) to help me with this. Rather than calendars and post-its, I check my to-do list via email requests that have come in when I check my email first thing in the morning.

Do you have any productivity challenges you’re trying to work on? What do you think of Leo’s concept of “old school” versus “new school” productivity?

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