where I work

Then and Now: 10 Years of Self Employment

January 27, 2015

Whoosh! How does ten years go by so fast? Scary fast.

A decade ago at this time I was losing interest in my day job, scouring want ads for something new and freelancing on the side. The something new never materialized but the side gigs multiplied. Thus began my adventure as a solo entrepreneur and my Adunate business. Ten years later, I’m still at it and celebrating a monumental anniversary. I am amazed. And very blessed!

So what’s been happening these past ten years? What was Adunate like then compared to now?

Technology

Remember Pagemaker? That was me ten years ago. I intentionally lag behind with technology updates but even so, back then my setup was decrepitly prehistoric. For my first 5-6 months, I used our family computer, a laborious Dell with a lunchbox-sized monitor. Before the year’s end, I celebrated self-employment with my first major purchases—an Apple Power Mac G5 with a 20-inch flat cinema display, Adobe Creative Suite 2, and Quickbooks for Mac 2006. These were huge investments for me. Huge!

Back then I had a cordless telephone with caller ID and answering machine, for which I paid extra usage fees each month. I also had a snazzy printer/fax machine. Receiving my first fax was terribly exciting, like, wow, I really am a business! Over the years I may have received ten faxes, at most, and when that cheapo machine broke, I replaced it with a simple desktop printer. Fax? Landline phone? Who clutters their desk with these anymore?

Nowadays I use an iMac with a 27-inch display, together with my old 20-incher because two displays are simply divine. I also use a 13-inch MacBook Pro. Sometimes I add an iPad or my iPhone. Seriously, there are times when I’m coding a responsive website and I surround myself with all of the above. At the same time. Technology is crazy!

My Office

My home office hasn’t changed much. To get me started, my wonder-woodworking husband crafted a large, L-shaped desk and built-in bookcases in a room all my own. It’s the dreamiest office ever and ten years later I still love it to pieces. I’ll have to give an online tour one of these days (after I refresh it with a needed coat of paint).

What has changed is where I work every day. Ten years ago the idea of office mobility was just beginning to emerge, but because I only had a desktop computer all my creative work was confined to my home office. As nice as it is, working from home can be isolating, especially if you live in a rural area as I do. Nowadays, I regularly head to Madison or Milwaukee and do a creative work day in highly public places. My office is extended to libraries, coffee shops, on the road…anywhere I can take my laptop. Talk about freedom—I adore this bohemian style of working!

Business Management

Oh boy, where do I start with this one? Nothing has changed infinitely more in ten years than the way we do business, solely because of what’s developed on the internet. Ten years ago I paid $288 annually for the most minuscule, ineffective Yellow Pages ad. I updated my skills at tech schools and networked at industry events, all of which were no less than 40-miles away and very expensive. Back then I wasn’t on Facebook or LinkedIn. Twitter was a sound birds make. Pinterest wasn’t even a word.

Nowadays I successfully market myself on a variety of social media. From my office. For free. Yes, there’s the cost of time, but since I love this part of my job I don’t really consider it a factor. The online network with whom I’ve connected is invaluable and the accessibility to knowledge is limitless.

We also have a host of online tools that we didn’t have ten years ago. Self-employment has become a work revolution and services like Skype, Evernote, Dropbox and a bounteous more are started every day to make managing a business easier and cheaper.

From Business to Lifestyle

Ten years ago I wanted to work from home. I wanted to create things of value and use my God-given skills to help others. And, of course, I wanted to make some money. I’ve accomplished all these goals.

Interestingly, my bar for success is somewhat different than it was a decade ago. Back then, my 10-year goals were to be making more money than I am now. I dreamed of a clientele with an impressive profile. I even toyed with the idea of becoming an agency with several employees. Now I know that’s not what I want at all.

Here’s why, at 10 years, I consider Adunate successful:

Each day I’m excited to get up and go to work. I have awesome clients who are cherished friends. My work and off-work hours have become harmoniously entwined for a more healthy and self-sufficient lifestyle, including regular exercise and raising organic food. Best of all, the flexibility of self-employment allows me to take a day off with my husband, have lunch with my kids, or babysit my granddaughter. I say, it can’t get better than this.

God has blessed me greatly with undeserved grace!

How You Can Preserve the Good Food Movement

August 8, 2014

I just can’t tell you how good our Fachwerk barn smells right now! Last week we harvested garlic and now one of the hand-hewn beams of our barn is fully lined with this earthy delight. If former lives were such a thing, I’m sure I was an Italian maiden and this brick barn of mine presided over an old-world villa.

Don’tcha think?

Like everything else from our garden, this garlic is so-o-o-o much more flavorful than anything you buy in the grocery store. If there’s a disadvantage to raising your own food, it’s that you become acutely aware of just how tasteless and removed from its natural state our retail food has become. Call me a snob (or an empty-nester who can now afford to spend more), but more times than not I’ll go out of my way to shop at Willy Street Cooperative in Madison, and other such stores, simply because its food is organic and/or locally-grown. Think fresh, flavorful and healthy. (Unfortunately, I know I’m using more time and fuel — it’s not easy being green.)

Have you ever read Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé? I first ran into this book while working for the Youth Conservation Corp in the late 1970s. Such ecological food practices were revolutionary back then and even though some of her theories have since been refuted, Lappé is still credited to introducing the active food movement we know today. What I find interesting is that 40 years later, her forewarnings of an unsustainable food system are now here to haunt us. And she was right. Today we have declining health, depleted soils, and a problem of affordably producing quality food, simply because the good food movement is not as much of American life as it should be.

In his article Don’t Let Your Children Grow Up to Be Farmers, Bren Smith, a farmer himself, offers suggestions for preserving the good food movement. He writes of political agendas, like supporting affordable health care and shifting subsidies from factory farms to family farms. But guess what, there are things we can do at the grassroots level that are equally important for supporting good food—simple things that not only benefit ourselves but society as a whole.

Here are some ideas:

Be willing to spend more for better food, and ultimately better health.
Support small farms instead of factory farms—research the farm you support, maybe even take a drive to the country to see it.
Buy a CSA share from a farm near you.
Support food cooperatives, become an owner for greater discounts.
If you don’t have access to grocery stores that carry local and organic food, ask your grocer to do so. Do the same with the restaurants you patronize.
Become a farmer yourself, grow a garden.
Speak up! Write about it. Talk about it on social media. Make people aware of what you and others are doing with good food.

No Pain, No Gain Doesn’t Apply to Desk Chairs

January 21, 2014

Last year around this time I pulled something in my back. Technically, it was a herniated disc, which then pinched a femoral nerve down the front of my leg. Normally I wouldn’t know such anotomical terms except it hurt so much I broke down and went to a doctor. What a drag.

I’ve gotta admit I’m a wimp for anything medical. Determined that this should never happen again, I got right on the ball with preventative measures (yes, pun intended, as my photo above shows). My goal: better posture, more exercise and strengthening my back (I do believe they refer to this whole area as core strength, of which, after four kids and too much desk-time, I have none).

I also started researching desk chairs.

Exercise Ball

My first experiment was using my exercise ball as a desk chair. Initially it was fun. I put on some music and started jive-bouncin’ away. I was like—hey, I’m exercising my back while I’m working! I can do two things at once! Then, because coordination isn’t one of my inherent traits, I literally rolled onto the floor. When I did manage to stay upright, I noticed I was subconsciously stabilizing the ball with my feet and arching too far forward with my torso.

The ball was out.

Ergonomic Chairs

I then researched brand names for their innovative furniture. Gaiam: Not too expensive. Swopper: More expensive. Herman Miller’s Aeron Chair: Way too expensive.

The Swopper was most intriguing. I liked the idea of training muscles and my moving joints, and when I tried one at Century House I really liked it. It’s comfortable, stable and, yes, I really, really like it. But wow, $699 is a lot of money for a chair. And besides, what if sometimes I actually want to sit back and relax?

The Swopper was delegated to my “maybe someday, when I have more money” list.

Voilà. The Balance Disc

Enter the balance disc, a.k.a sitting disc or exercise disc. Last month, for less than $50, I bought Dynatronic’s 15″ inflatable cushion with a smooth sitting surface on one side and a textured foot massage on the other. It combines the core workout of an exercise ball or Swopper with the continued use of my well-worn and comfortable chair. What’s really nice is when I need a break from such active sitting, I just throw it on the floor and work without it.

So far, I love it!

Speaking of chairs, today AIGA is officially celebrating a century of design. There are exciting design events in the months ahead, including Facing Forward, an AIGA National Design Center exhibit in New York City featuring member-designed Windsor chairs. I’m looking forward to seeing them!

My AIGA is Fashion Freedom

January 14, 2014

Do you ever read Penelope Trunk? She’s a career columnist and founder of four startups, most recently Quistic. I follow her blog because she’s a marketing genius and if I don’t learn something from her, I know I will from her huge following of commenters.

So Penelope is quite—how shall we say—unique. Every once in a while I smile and totally relate with what she’s written, like her recent post “Your weird behavior is the key to finding your career niche”. What’s obvious is that Penelope and many of her followers have rather unrefined dress habits. They do the Steve-Jobs-black-turtleneck-and-blue-jeans thing where they wear the same clothes every day. Some have several of the same item; for example, one commenter has “15 Talbots cardigans in different colors.” Others simply wear the same single piece day after day. And finally there are some who, to which Penelope admits, are rather remiss in the personal hygiene department.

I can relate to wearing the same clothes every day. Rest assured, they’re the same clean clothes.

Being self-employed in the middle of nowhere affords me the freedom of working unseen by the scrutinizing public. That’s my home office up above and each day if I wear one of the many pairs of identical yoga pants I own just because they’re warm and cozy, who’s going to know?

(Just a little aside: The great thing about having a limited wardrobe is the justification for spending more on each piece. If you’re going to repeatedly wash and wear the same things, they’d better be of good quality.)

Anyways, let’s get to the real point of my story.

This month AIGA is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Formally known as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, AIGA is the oldest and largest professional membership organization for graphic designers. In some ways, being an AIGA member is what enables me to scuff around in this stylish footwear. AIGA keeps me and thousands of other one-outfit-wearing entrepreneurs connected to the professional world of business and design.

AIGA uses the term My AIGA a lot. Members use it to describe what the organization means to them. My AIGA is advocation, education, ethics, fellowship and resources.

And freedom.

Freedom to wear the same clothes everyday if, for whatever reason, that’s what I want to do.

Picking Pickles is Like Proofing Prose

September 19, 2013

Here’s another pickle picture. I know I’ve posted a lot of them lately, but in my garden this has been the year of pickles—they just keep coming and coming! Technically, they’re cucumbers while still on the vine and they become pickles after I can them, but for the sake of alliteration I’m going with pickles (I mention alliteration, which is the use of words that begin with the same sound, not because I’m trying to be all smarty pants, but because in the end this post is really about prose, not pickles).

Picking pickles is a real trick. You’ve got green on green and no matter how hard you look, you inevitably miss some. My practice is to pick down a row in one direction, then turn around and pick that same row again from the other direction. Still, there are those fugacious few that escape my eye until, whammo, they’ve grown into glaringly huge monsters.

Metaphorically speaking, picking pickles is like proofing prose. First you read through and pick out obvious errors. Then you read through again and again, checking for grammar, facts, consistency, and so much more. Some editors even read the content backwards, separating each word from the other, just so they can focus on spelling. They each have their own method, but no matter how they do it, editors all comb through content as meticulously as I do my rows of pickles (of course, probably much more so).

Because editing your own written copy, or copy that you’ve laid out for design, is super hard to do, professional proofers are integral members of the team. Professionals like Amanda Swiontek. Every year I do graphic design for the Wisconsin Lutheran State Teachers’ Conference. And every year Amanda edits the written copy and my layout work for both the online registration and the conference booklet. She’s got an eagle’s eye and an ultra-sharp red pen. Not only is she good, but she makes the rest of us look good too.

Thanks Amanda for your great work—I owe you a jar of pickles!

Making Better Use of the First Hour of the Day

September 13, 2013

My husband is out of the house by 5:15 each morning. And because I’m such a sweet wife, I get up with him, make his lunch and kiss him goodbye (it’s the least I can do since his working and benefits do, after all, make my self-employment a much more feasible thing).

So anyway, at this hour I’m rather lethargic and not quite ready to start my day. It’s way too easy to plop down on the couch and open up a laptop. You know how that goes…I think I’ll just do a quick post to my Facebook business page, check my email, read the news, and then I’ll get going. Of course, two hours later, I’m still sitting there on the couch. What a waste of the most beautiful time of day!

Thankfully, I don’t always do that.

In his Work Smart article, writer Kevin Purdy describes what successful people do with the first hour of their workday. They don’t check their email. Seriously, he says. Stop that.

Maybe Facebook should be banned as well.

Think about it. Facebook has become such a black hole of critical opinions, arguments and TMI that quite often all it does is stew a heartburn of negativity for the rest of the day. Ditto for the world’s news (and don’t even mention talk radio).

What total day-downers these are!

In Ed Gandia’s Effortless Productivity seminar, he describes his early morning routine. Each day he does a gratitude exercise, where he writes in longhand a full page of things for which he’s thankful. This, he says, sets the tone for the rest of his day. A happier tone.

I started doing this too. I use it as my thank-you list to God. Interestingly, the more I write, the more ideas of thankfulness come to my mind. Doing this makes me realize how blessed I really am.

Furthermore, recognizing these blessings motivates me to get off my butt. This summer I’ve gardened almost every morning—yes, that’s my early riser’s view, isn’t it beautiful? I’ve also kept up with swimming laps, yoga in the park, and walking with my neighbor (not all on the same day, of course…I’m not that energetic:-). By time I sit down to start my workday, I feel upbeat and full of creativity.

I’ve gotta say, it’s been a great summer.

What Is It, National Productivity Week?

July 23, 2013

Lately everyone seems to be talking about productivity. Like how to stay productive. Or why getting up early improves productivity. Or how we schedule our days.

If I’m going to write about productivity, I have to show a picture of our barn. Here it is a few years ago during mid-shingling. My husband, who’s the most productive person I know, would normally do a job like this himself but that summer he was super busy. Plus I really didn’t want him crawling around on such a pitch, on a 2-story barn, with a concrete cow yard to catch him if he fell. Instead, we hired a roofing crew. For two days, they were the most productive people I knew.

Doesn’t our barn look cool with the light shining through?

When it comes to organized productivity, I could easily find room for improvement. I love keeping to-do lists and checking off completed items, but I’m also easily distracted. Sometimes I find it hard to focus. Or it’s hard to prioritize my projects. We all have this problem from time to time, right?

A lot of people are saying good things about Ed Gandia’s upcoming 3-part class: “Effortless Productivity: How to Accomplish 30% More Every Day Naturally and With Less Stress.” It sounds interesting, but I’m not sure I want to spring the $97. Then I’m reminded of the adage of spending money to make money…am I being just a bit airy as I make up my mind?

I have until tomorrow to decide.

Branding That Stands the Test of Time

May 3, 2013

My husband and I are remodeling one of the bathrooms in our 96-year-old American Foursquare house. Actually he’s doing the work and I stand by offering creative direction (which is pretty much how we do all our home renovation). Anyway, while tearing up some of the floorboards we came across this label. It’s the name of the man who built our house.

John Bhend.

This is a name we know pretty well because it’s branded all over our house. Usually, it’s handwritten, like you see here. It’s on the underneath of stairboards. On 2x4s in the walls. On trusses up in the attic. According to those in the know, when a builder received his order of lumber, it came with his name written on many of the pieces. Are any of you in the trade? Is this still true today?

Anyway, our house is one solid specimen of honest architecture. It sits square on a hill and even on the windiest days (of which we have plenty), I’m cozy inside without so much as a creak or a groan. To me, the name John Bhend represents quality, strength and security.

Isn’t it interesting how nearly a hundred years later this name still holds such weight? I wonder what people will think of our work a century from now? Whether we’re building a house or branding a product, will it accommodate such long-standing distinction?

When it comes to quality, renovating with my husband is like having my very own John Bhend. His craftsmanship parallels that of the rest of our house and I know it will stand the test of time. Check out the new floor in our bathroom. Each of these pretty little accent tiles came independent of the larger tile. This means as my husband laid them out one by one, he ran down to his wet tile saw in the basement and custom cut each corner. (Honestly, I don’t purposely come up with the most labor-intensive ideas.)

In any event, didn’t he do an awesome job?

Here’s the concrete countertop. It’s the fifth one he’s built for our house, so by now he’s pretty well got the groove for these things. I just love the contrast of materials against each other—wood, concrete and metal.