Menu

My Blog: Short & Sweet

I have always loved writing and feel fortunate that my blog has so many readers! If my writing resonates with you, sign up to receive my blogs (Short & Sweet) in your inbox each week.

window sale sign on the street

5 Ways to Make the MOST of Your Holiday or New Year’s Sale/Promotion

Holding some kind of sale or promotion around the holidays or new year can be a GREAT way to drum up new business. Once you decide on yours, here are 5 ways to make the MOST of it on your website.

two decorative wrapped gifts - creative client holiday gift ideas

It’s Not Too Late! 5 Creative Client Gift Ideas For the Holidays

The holidays are a wonderful time to show your clients how much you appreciate them. If chocolate just feels too ho-hum, here are five creative client gift ideas to get you inspired.

crumpled up pieces of paper in a trash can

Do You Know When to Quit?

There comes a point in every person’s mental or creative stamina when progress is no longer being made. Thus, sometimes the key to top-notch productivity is simply knowing when it’s time to quit.

pantone color palettes

5 Steps to Hiring the Best Designer for YOU

Hiring a professional designer (a web designer, logo designer, or something else) can be a daunting task. Here are five tips to help you hire someone you’ll feel GREAT about from start to finish.

Plates and silverware before Thanksgiving dinner

10 Thanksgiving FUN Facts … and 2 Funny Comics

In case you run into any awkward lulls during political talk at Thanksgiving dinner this year, here are some conversation starters that might just save you 😉

woman sitting at computer

6 Ways to GROW Your Email List Via Your Website

Ask any business owner if they’d like to grow their email list and the answer you’ll get is YES … but how do we do it, and more importantly, how can our website help? Follow these six best practices and watch your subscriber numbers rise.

Janelle Haskell playing guitar

BIG NEWS! Introducing Janelle Haskell, Singer-Songwriter

Who is Janelle Haskell? Read on to find out. Introducing a whole new side of me.

Icons

Icons: Why They Rock, and When & How to Use Them

Icons are a bit of a “secret weapon” in web design: they allow your visitors to absorb MUCH more of your content, and best of all they’re FREE and easy to use. Learn where to get them, and when and how to use them below.

woman working at laptop

5 Things That Should Be On Your Website Homepage

You might have all these items on your website … but are they on the homepage? If they’re not, they may be getting missed – not good. Now isn’t the time to save the good stuff for later. Let’s get those gems front and center where they belong.

Puppy peeking out of a laundry hamper

20 Ways My Dog Makes My Life Better

How has my sweet boy made life more worth living? Let me count the ways… Hudson, this one is for you.

broken piggy bank

When to “Spend Big” – a Minimalist’s Perspective

There are lots of times when NOT spending the money is the smarter move – but not always. How can you tell when to spend big and when to save? This one simple question may serve you well.

rainbow in the clouds

News Got Ya Down? Here Are 3 Sources for Real GOOD News

The news these days isn’t exactly what you’d call “uplifting” – and it doesn’t look like that’ll be changing anytime soon. So when your heart needs a lift, here are three great websites to turn to for some genuinely good things happening in the world.

secret

Web Design’s Dirty Little Secret (If Your Website Has a Rotating Carousel Slider, READ THIS)

It’s time you learn the dirty little secret of website design. Those rotating sliders that everyone loves because they allow you to put multiple items at the top of your homepage? They’re not as great as you’ve been led to believe. Read on to learn more.

tree in the wind

Look for the Silver Lining

A story of thunderstorms, fallen trees, power outages, and finally, unforeseen wins shows us that even in undisputably “bad” situations, some good can almost always be found.

basketball going swish into the hoop

These 3 Tools Could Be Game-Changers for Your Business

There are about 2 million web apps/tools out there that promise to revolutionize your business. I can’t speak for all of them, but I will say that these three in particular have been game-changers for me. Perhaps they’ll be for you as well?

bookmarks

Learn to Bookmark Like a PRO & Change Your Life

How many articles, videos, etc. do you see each day and think “Hmm, I’d like to check that out at some point”? If you’re like most of us, it’s tons. And so, it’s time you learned how to bookmark like a PRO. There’s no turning back.

tulips

3 Critical Post-Project Actions Almost Everyone Forgets

What we do (or don’t do) AFTER our work for a client is done has an enormous impact on how fruitful that relationship will be in the future. Below are the three key actions to take as you wrap up each and every project in your business.

Got the “End of Summer” Blues? Try This.

If you’re someone who feels a touch of melancholy as summer is coming to a close, a “Season Past & Forward Look” might be just the thing to lift your spirits.

laptop on an outdoor table with flowers, glass of water, sunny day

Procrastination Hacks: 3 Ways to Get Going

If you’re like most people, you don’t *always* procrastinate – just for the things you really don’t want to do. Here are three ways to “sweeten the deal” for yourself so you can get moving – and get done.

broken plate smashed to pieces

3 Ways to Avoid (Ugh) Broken Links

Nothing says “unprofessional” like broken links on your website, so let’s get to fixing them, shall we? Here’s how to find them, correct them, and in many cases avoid them in the first place!

cake with colorful icing

If Your Website is the Cake, These 3 Things Are the Icing on Top

If you’re going to bother hiring someone to make a nice website for you, you’d be smart to invest in these three “accompaniments” as well – they’ll truly be the icing on the cake 😉

50,000 Hand-Painted Honey Bees … And Not Just For the “Buzz” of It

Matt Willey is on a journey to hand paint 50,000 honey bees – the same number of bees in a hive – by way of murals and art installations all around the world.

Woman and dog sitting overlooking the water

How I Took 3 Weeks Off: Dos & Don’ts for Entrepreneurs Taking Vacation Time

If you’re a business owner, you CAN take time off for yourself when you need to – and I’m not talking about a day here and there. Here’s how I recently took 3 full weeks off and came back in full swing.

alternative other words for blog

What’s in a Word? 50 Alternatives When “Blog” Just Isn’t Good Enough

Often times we’ll name the page for our posts “Blog” without giving it a second thought – but the truth is, there are about a million other things you could call it. Let’s start with 50 ideas right now.

woman dancing freely in the open air

Let Yourself Off the Hook With These 4 Questions (Because You Deserve It!)

Whatever you’ve been beating yourself up over not having gotten done, maybe it’s time you let yourself off the hook for once.

woman and puppy dog smiling

#puppylife i.e. The Subtle Art of “Recalibration”

When you get a puppy, everything changes. It requires a total “recalibration” of your life as you know it. What other things in life require recalibration and how can we better prepare for them?

little girl singing and playing guitar on the street for money

Sing It Like You Mean It!

When was the last time you decided to go ALL in with everything you’ve got?

woman sitting at her laptop working on SEO

3 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Improve Your Website’s SEO

It doesn’t take long to realize that stepping into the world of SEO is the beginning of a very deep rabbit hole. To simplify matters, here are three you can do right now (as in this very minute) to get your website’s SEO headed in a better direction.

city skyline with lights blurs creating an effect of movement

Movement in Web Design: These 3 Effects Will “Fancify” Your Website

Want to give your website a little modern sparkle and pizzazz? These three ways to add movement to your site design will give your website that extra “wow factor” users will love.

colorful and unique socks hanging on a clothesline

Lost & Found: A Story of Socks, Surrender, and Sweet Success

Sometimes we have to give up the search to find that which we so desperately seek.

Scroll to Top