It’s been too long since my last post but I was struggling to find a good topic for a post.  I have since realized that in the last 3 years I have been able to successfully freelance and bootstrap my business into a successful web design agency.  I thought that I would pass on what I have learned over these last 3 years.

1. Do your homework
   I was fortunate that I had someone to ask a handful of questions (the former GM at my pro soccer club) about starting a business before I took the plunge but that is not the case for all of you.   Learn about the appropriate paperwork to fill out in your state.  Figure out what kind of business entity you want (LLC, Corporation, Nonprofit).  Learn about registered trademarks and copyrights if they apply.  There are tons of books out there but I recommend contacting SCORE with a list of pre-made questions you have about starting a business to get your answers quickly.  SCORE is an amazing FREE service that is basically a bunch of retired business owners that offer their advice to people starting or growing small businesses.  They

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After reading the 4 Hour Work Week, I wanted to experience a mini-retirement.  This was obviously going to be impossible with the way Connected Web Solutions functions but I thought why can’t I have a mini-retirement where I can still get work accomplished?  And so, here I am living in Costa Rica for 3 weeks running the business as though I were at home.  This is not the easiest thing in the world in terms of meeting with clients and potential clients but in terms of development and maintenance it has been perfect.  Communication has been fine thanks to some tools I would like to mention.

1. Skype
2. Syncplicity
3. Google Chat
4. Blackberry (As a modem)
5. Thunderbird
6. WordPress

Skype – Since before CWS was founded in 2006 we were using Skype.  Skype is a free VOIP solution to speak to other Skype users for free.  Skype also has a multitude of services that CWS takes advantage of.  SkypeIn associates your Skype account with an actual phone number that anyone can call.  For about $30 a year and and an additional $3 a month to make unlimited calls to and receive from the US.  This is perfect for CWS considering…

Since I had no background in anything business related, when I started CWS I had a lot of catching up to do.  In the last 2 years I have read a handful of business, marketing, and entrepreneurial books.  I am sure that some of you have heard of these before but I was able to take something important from each of them.

The 4 Hour Work Week
Thanks to Tim Ferriss and this wonderful book I am proud to say that CWS will be working from Costa Rica for a month in 2009.  This book is all about automating your business or finding ways to be able to work from home even if you have a typical office job.  The tips recommended in the book are absolutely brilliant and have helped in a myriad of ways for CWS.  Taking “mini-retirements”, finding virtual assistants, tech solutions, and tons more.  This is my most recommended book.  I was fortunate enough to meet and speak briefly with the author and it only reaffirmed how smart this guy is.  You can check out his blog too that has even more useful information at

Since creating our company blog in August I have noticed some significant advantages to having a well-maintained company blog.  Some of these may be very small but each one has had a positive effect on Connected Web Solutions.  While these may not be 100% accurate for everyone and their company blog but I am sure there are more than enough reasons to persuade you to give business blogging a chance.

1. Our site traffic has doubled - Granted we were not getting millions of unique visitors a month but this is still a very important statistic.  Maybe that 1 article you write will generate 1 more lead for your company that could turn into the next big client that does business with you for years!
2. Our clients know that we are actually working – A simple blog post about current or past projects can keep clients aware that you do not just sit around throwing paper clips at your co-workers.  Highlight some recent projects/deals that are OK’ed by your client by making case studies or at the least a small feature post.  This will not only please your featured client but also show other businesses that you are working.

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I would like to mention the importance of conferences for someone in the web/tech world here in this post. I was fortunate enough to attend South-by-Southwest (SXSW) last year and had an unbelievable experience. I was able to listen to the big-wigs of the industry speak at various panels and key-notes. I was even lucky enough to speak personally with Tim Ferriss (4 Hour Work Week, author), Frank Warren (Post Secret, creator) and Tony Hsieh (Zappos.com, CEO). The most important and beneficial parts of the conference were the time between the lectures and panels. I was able to meet, network, and speak with so many different kinds of people surrounding, not only the web world, but film and music people as well. I was able to relate to them with similar interests in anything from running a company to how the new Nokia cell phone could stream live video to the web. I was also fortunate enough to bump into a college classmate of mine, Rob Sandie, that turned out to be…