MyPerfectColor.com has contacted Gibson Design Management to see if any of our members would be interested in guest blogging on their site.  This is a great opportunity to generate additional traffic to your website and/or blog.  The MyPerfectColor blog has 200-400 unique visitors per day and the general site receives over 1000 unique visitors.  They have 2 designers currently that blog for them.  The designers have said that the traffic to their own sites has increased dramatically due to their blogging.  Additionally, the more your name is out in the internet universe, the better your SEO (search engine optimization) will be.

Please contact Alexandra Gibson if you are interested to learn more about the opportunity.  Jason Shaw, the owner of MyPerfectColor.com, is an MBA and an ex-Amazon employee who has some exciting ideas for the site.  He requests that you write at least 2 blog entries per month.

We will be bringing you more opportunities like this in the near future!

Alexandra sent me a link the other day to an interesting artlice – she found this article on Marthastewart.com – Behind the Scenes: Creativity at Work.  I really enjoyed looking at all the different work spaces they show from various members of Martha’s team, including her own.

The article certainly got me thinking about my own home office.  We have a couple different rooms in our house that I could use to set up my office.  I can’t quite seem to make up my mind which one is the best.  For the past three months I have been using a small desk and a few bookcases in our den.  However, I am a girl who loves organization and having lots of space; this set-up leaves me with too little desk space and no filing cabinet.  However, I enjoy the view out of my window and the fact that this room is farthest away from the hustle and bustle of my home.  What is a girl to do! 

Kay's home office

I would love to see pictures of your “creativity at work” – what environment helps you create your best work?  Maybe it’ll help me come up with my own permanent solution.

Outsource all of your CAD and rendering needs to Gibson Design Management.  While many sole proprietors and small firms benefit from this membership, it is also a great option for medium to large firms.  One GDM member firm in Raleigh has successfully integrated Gibson Design Management to help control overflow and an increased CAD workload.  While this firm has a staff of 6+ full-time designers, they have found it even more advantageous to outsource some of their CAD needs while their designers are then able to spend more time cultivating relationships with clients and designing. 

Great blog post today from Small Business Trends today about growing your service business.  While many of these are not new ideas, it’s important to consistently drill them into your thinking.  Plus, if we know them, why aren’t we actually doing them?

No doubt, the economic climate for small business owners is tense and tight these days. That guaranteed income from yesterday is a hit or miss crap shoot today. On top of that, every time you turn around there is a new competitor springing up in your area, vying for the customers you worked so hard to acquire.

How can you stay above water when it seems all external forces are working against you?

Now is not the time for business as usual. It’s time to get creative and think outside-of-the-box for ways to increase profit. It’s always a good idea to tweak the services you offer to keep them fresh and competitive.

Read more at Small Business Trends’ blog…

Thanks to Matt Rodela for keeping this in the forefront of our minds.

Time to try this month’s martini from The Gibson, our monthly eNewsletter…please email Kay Alessi to receive The Gibson.  Let us know what you think about the Aspen Martini.

Ingredients:

• ½ oz Starbucks
• ½ oz Grand Marnier
• ½ oz Frangelico
• ½ oz Baileys
• Ice
• Whipped Cream for garnish

Preparation:

1.     Combine Starbucks, Grand Marier, Frangelico and Baileys together over ice in a cocktail shaker

2.     Shake well and strain into cocktail glass

3.     Top with whipped cream

Enjoy!