Many of my website design clients aren't photographers, but they know they need great photos to make their website design pop. The trick isn't finding stock photography (it's all over the internet), but finding the right stock images and making them work for your website.  Here’s the thing: if you use the wrong images on your website, you’re going to run into problems.

As creatives, we never seem to be short of ideas and things that we want to try. Unfortunately, though, this can often mean that we rush into things too quickly and get caught up in the excitement, only to wonder what in the world we were thinking a little later on. I’ve been there too. I started my first Etsy shop in 2010 and literally just created things I loved and put them online. My shop had everything, from jewellery to leather bags, artwork, scarves, fashion and printed fabric. I sat and waited for the sales to come in, but they didn’t. It was so disappointing to not have any sales and sit wondering what I’d done wrong. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, so I thought I’d give you the benefit of my initial failure and hopefully get you started on the right foot

YouTube can seem like a pretty scary obstacle to tackle. Not only is it video (eeek, your face is now out there for the world to see!), but how do you create a video strategy that’s manageable for you?! What is a video strategy? What you do know is, if you are going to take on a new platform you want to have a strategic plan and have a measurable ROI from your new endeavor!

I feel ya! I am a mom to 2 little ones under 3 and I’m not going to take on a new platform that will suck up more of my time (I’m looking at you Facebook), let alone a platform where I need to get showered and dolled up every week just to film videos!  

This is exactly why having a plan will not only save you time BUT will allow your videos to convert at a much higher rate. I plan out my videos ahead of time and film as many as possible in one day thanks to my video strategy. This allows me to stay consistent with my video content.

As promised, February’s income report coming at you! Inside we’ll chat about what you don’t see (this may have something to do with our new Burrito method), our Facebook Ads experiment and a little #TeamTCC update.

Normally I’d tell you to grab a cup of coffee, but I feel like this one deserves a bag of chips and some fresh guac. Enjoy!

From the pages of glossy Seventeen and Cosmopolitan magazines to our ever-growing obsession with Buzzfeed, quizzes are as addictive as a Game of Thrones marathon (and I do NOT say that lightly). We love quizzes because they teach us about ourselves. As humans, it’s in our nature to want to understand ourselves better and test ourselves. Beyond that, we want to see how we stack up against our friends. This curiosity is what makes quizzes such a fabulously effective lead generation tool.

You’ve seen them on Social Media, and you’re curious, “How on earth do I make a GIF?” Graphics Interchange Format (GIFs) are files that show animation or simple movement. They are a great way to add a little fun to your feed, show off some personality, stand out and change things up a bit. They’re the perfect mix between the two leading forms of communication, visuals and video.

Are you ready to fall even MORE in love with Trello?!

Yes?

Well ok then, buckle up buttercup.

Butler for Trello is legit like a BUTLER for Trello. It makes things more automated and more awesome in general, and really fills a gap that you didn’t even know existed.

The basics: You give Butler a command and it does it automatically for you from that point on.

When you own your own business, you don't have the luxury of filling out a quick form and handing it into your boss for reimbursement. You are the boss. And there are a lot more things that all of us entrepreneurs need to take into account when filing taxes for our small business. One of the major things that gets forgotten or not taken advantage of is deductions. Today, the amazing Amy Northard, the Accountant for Creatives, is filling us in about deductions!

There are so many deductions available to small businesses that it’s easy to overlook some of them. While you’re working on your taxes, keep these deductions in mind so you don’t miss out and overpay.

The impact that blogging has had on our small business has been incredible. When we first started, we knew blogging would be a great strategy, but we didn’t quite understand the reaches it would have. We knew we had stories to tell, strategy to dish out and tactics to teach, so we went for it.

Over the course of our blogging career we’ve pivoted our content, cut back on the amount that we blog and have since welcomed on guest bloggers to generate fresh stories and tactics for you guys. We continue to reach people from over 189 countries, bring in over 75k visitors every month, and are able to use this platform to showcase our products (i.e. make money). We know that this outcome is the goal for a lot of you, but it’s hard to get started.