Dear Over-Stressed Under-Paid Self-Employed...

Dear Over-Stressed, Under-Paid Self-Employed,

IF YOU'RE an entrepreneur bogged down by business-y stuff, then you're in the right place...

I do more than take care of the tedious aspects of running your business, I integrate everything about your business, from general admin to research, marketing, and creative strategy. Go ahead, throw  your toughest, most convoluted problems my way; and if I can't take them, rest assured that I know someone reputable and totally cool who can.

Finally, you can focus on your real work, the whole reason you started this little project in the first place. 

 So what are you going to do now with all this money and free time?


Glad to be of service,

~ jill

Small Biz Showcase: Dolls By Sue

Over the river and through the woods....

I enter a room scattered with severed body parts;

This is not the lair of the next "Green River Killer", but the studio of an extraordinary artist and doll maker: Sue Yotz.

The User Experience - Online And Off

8 Principles Presented By Feedburner's Co-Founder, 

and my own take on how they apply to off-line networking.

Matt Shobe, co-founder of Feedburner (now apart of Google), gave a presentation in Seattle last night on UX design at the tech startup accelerator, the Founder Institute. He explained that user design and experience is about how people perceive you (and your company), and he provided 8 Principles to creating positive user experiences.

Small Biz Showcase: Trevor Larkin Music

10, or 9 TRAITS THAT REAL MUSICIANS (& ENTREPRENEURS) SHOULD HAVE:

In the midst of teaching, performing, session work, and finalizing his latest EP, this magna cum laude graduate from Berklee College of Music paused the chaos to discuss his freelance lifestyle, the music industry, and how he keeps his music honest.
 

The Founder Institute: A Volunteer's Perspective

 

Need startup help? Here's a great accelerator for startups & entrepreneurs.

So You Want To Leave A Job You Hate

A COMMENTARY ON HOW TO APPROACH LIVING YOUR DREAM IN A WAY THAT IS LASTING AND SUSTAINABLE:

Women's Business Exchange

 A COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS NETWORK

I found the Women's Business Exchange (WBE) in an effort to find mentors who were women. I was six months into my first office job and I worked for and with "the good ol' boys".

The Entrepreneurial Breed

 After only five minutes of sitting in the Founder Institute as a volunteer, my body was buzzing in ecstasy to have finally discovered a place that values- that demands- being well-rounded, being passionate, being both analytical and creative.

WabiSabiWear Launches!

An internship from November through December 2010 helped me learn the many tasks required to launch a local clothing company.

Moving!

GOALS AND PROJECTS

Since Trevor and I both work from home (did I mention he is a fantastic musician? www.trevorlarkin.com), Trevor and I made the jump to a two-bedroom. FINALLY! We sacrificed nothing in terms of location, although I do miss my balcony. However, the space is ripe for new projects and new goals.

A couple of goals:

Minimize
 
I discovered that I was almost too good at storing things in a one-bedroom. As we moved, we discovered that we have WAAAAAY more than we ever anticipated- and we didn't even have a storage unit!


- Keep the favorite pieces and let the rest go. Several of my projects reflect the decisions between keeping or donating pieces of furniture.



Ground and Center
The first thing to develop after we moved in all of our big things was my meditation space. I've always put off creating a place designed specifically for being quiet, either because there "wasn't enough room" or it  "wasn't important". This time I didn't want to ignore how important it is to  center oneself daily. This falls in line with my desire to work with "Jackie" and "Jill" in partnership; this space... is for JILL.  As an added bonus, people are almost immediately drawn to the space when they see it, so I've had the chance to observe how much other people crave a quiet space like this. Homes should really build it into their design nowadays...

Matsu, too, enjoys the space for doing Corpse Pose:

Function plus Form

 Forwarding my favorite aspect of design: a thing becomes beautiful in serving a purpose. 

See my:

Kitchen Cork Board

Magnetic Spice Rack

Book Case Crates

Moving - Del Sol Style

I discovered that I can carry anything in my Honda Del Sol, as long as it's a nice day. Who says my car's not practical?!