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Thursday 17 October 2013

8 Business Principles that Last a Lifetime

Some business tenets tend to come and go. A company I worked for started a number of "game-changing" transformational programs only to quickly airbrush them out of our corporate history like a disgraced Politburo member so we could start yet another "business-critical" program.
We went from TQM to 5S to, shoot, I don't even remember. What I do know is that each was based on sound principles... but those principles tended to die with the program.
Fortunately I found some business principles I can follow forever. These are some of my favorites:
1. Focus on collecting knowledge...
Competing is a fact of professional life: with other businesses, other products, other people. (Business isn't a zero sum game, but it is a game we all try to win.)
Smart people win.
Smarter people win even more often.
Continually striving to gain more experience, more experience, and more knowledge is the second-best way to succeed. The best way?
2. ...And focus more on collecting knowledgeable people.
You can't know everything. But you can know enough smart people so together you know almost everything. And, together, you can do almost anything.
Work hard on getting smarter. Work harder on getting smart people on your side.
How?
3. Give before receiving.
The goal of networking is to connect with people who can provide a referral, help make a sale, share important information, serve as a mentor, etc. When we network, we want something.
But, especially at first, never ask for what you want. Forget about what you want and focus on what you can give. Giving is the only way to establish a real relationship and a lasting connection. Focus solely on what you can get out of the connection and you will never make meaningful, mutually beneficial connections. (If it's not mutually beneficial it's not a connection; it's a relationship where someone is getting used.)
Approach networking as if it's all about them and not about you, and you will soon build a network that feels the same way. Then you'll make more than just contacts.
You'll make friends.
4. Look past the messenger and focus on the message.
When people speak from a position of position of power or authority or fame, it's tempting to place greater emphasis on their input, advice, and ideas. Warren Buffett? Yep, gotta listen to him. Sheryl Sandberg? Yes. Richard Branson? Absolutely.
That approach works to a point--but only to a point. Really smart people strip away all the framing that comes with the source--both positive and negative--and evaluate information, advice, and input idea based solely on its merits.
When Branson says, "Screw it; just do it and get on with it," that's powerful. When the guy who delivers your lunch says it, shouldn't it be just as powerful?
Never discount the message because you discount the messenger. Good advice is good advice--regardless of the source.
5. Always work on next.
It's impossible to predict what will work, much less how well it will work. Some products stick--for a while. Some services flourish--and then don't. Some ventures take off--and flame out. Some careers thrive--and then don't.
You will always need a next: a new product, a new service, a new customer or connection, a new job or even career...
No matter how successful you are today, always have a next in your pipeline. If somehow your current career or business continues to thrive, great: You will still have created a bigger pipeline of potential positions or products or customers.
Always having a "next" is how successful people weather the storm when times are tough... and grow even more successful when business is booming.
6. Eat as many of your words as you can.
When you look back, one of the best things to be is wrong because when you make a mistake you are given the chance to learn. (If you're always right you never really grow.)
Don't worry. Every successful person has failed numerous times. Most have failed more than you--that's why they're so successful today.
Own every mistake, every miscue, and every failure. Say you made a mistake. Say you messed up. Say it to other people, but more importantly, look in the mirror and say it to yourself.
Then commit to making sure that next time you'll make things turn out differently.
7. Always turn ideas into actions.
The word "idea" should be a verb, not a noun, because no idea is real until you turn that inspiration into action.
Ideas without action aren't ideas; they're regrets.
Every day we let hesitation and uncertainty stop us from acting on our ideas. Fear of the unknown and fear of failure are what stop me, and may be what stops you, too. Think about a few of the ideas you've had, whether for a new business, a new career, or even just a part-time job. Many of those ideas would have turned out well if you had given them your best effort.
Trust your analysis, your judgment, and your instincts. Trust them more than you currently do. And definitely trust your willingness to work through challenges and roadblocks.
Granted you won't get it right all of the time... but when you let an idea stay an idea, you almost always get it wrong.
8. Check out squirrel nests.
Yeah, we're hyper-focused. Yeah, we've got our head down and our blinders on. Yeah, we're 24/7, take no prisoners, failure is not an option gals and guys.
But occasionally we all need to lighten up.
Take me. There are acres of woods behind our house. It's like squirrel paradise. They're always leaping from tree to tree and scampering across the deck.
When the leaves fall their nests are visible high up in the trees. I've seen nests for years and wondered what they're made of (besides leaves) and how many squirrels share a nest. One day I stopped wondering and took a break to check it out.
Kinda dopey? Sure. But it was a fun five minutes that made me appreciate my squirrel friends a little more--and sent me back to work with a little extra oomph.
Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Explore. Take occasional breaks and indulge a curiosity. Once in a while, take the time to learn a little about whatever your "squirrel nests" might be.
It's fun... and we can always use a little more of that.

Sunday 6 October 2013

Popular Funny Websites in Top 10

Are you boring? :( I’ve great idea for you to fresh your mood. you are reading this article it means you have computer which is already connected with Internet. so, you have computer and internet then you do not have to worry about your boredness. Just check out these top 10 most popular funny websites that will make you laugh :D
You might also like :39 Funny Things To Do To Freak Out Strangers !
1) 9gag.com - 9Gag is most popular funny website for funny images.In this website users can find and share funny images on social media sites. it was launched in 2008 and gained popularity in no time. The site gets around one billion monthly page views.
2) break.com - Break is one of the leading funny website where you can find funny videos, pictures, games etc. it was founded in 1998. one good thing on this website is that it allows users to upload funny videos and picture and it has also revenue sharing program where users can make money by uploading funny materials.
3) cracked.com - Cracked is also one of the most visited website in the world and there you can find funny articles, images, videos etc. it was founded on 2007 by Jack O’Brien. now cracked is owned by Demand Media.
4) videobash.com - One the of the most popular funny site where you can find funny images, videos, games, music and much more. it also allow users to upload funny content.
5) collegehumor.com - Collegehumor is a great humor website where people can find comedy materials like -funny photos, funny videos, interesting links and articles and much more. collegehumor was founded by josh abramson and Ricky Van Veen in 1999.
6) funnyjunk.com - Funnyjunk is a great entertainment website where people can find great funny stuffs such as – funny pictures, videos, music etc. it was founded in 2001.
7) failblog.org - Fialblog is also one of the most popular funny picture and videos website. users can upload funny content on this site. and it was launched in 2008 by Leechio.
8) comedycentral.com - Comedycentral is one of the leading humor website where users can find best fun materials such as funny shows, videos, clips, funny episodes and much more. (Commedycentral is an american TV channel that shows comedy programs.)
9) funnyordie.com - Funnyordie is also one of the best place for fun stuffs like videos, pictures, words, jokes, podcast and much more. funnyordie allows users to upload and share funny content with their friends on social networking sites. this was launched in 2007.
10) jokeroo.com - One of the most visited humor website. where you can find funny pictures, video clips and other funny materials. it also allows users to upload and share funny pictures and videos even user can also blog and post funny content in Jokeroo forums.

Friday 12 July 2013

How to Charge For Web Design Work – 7 Tips and Strategies

Knowing how much to charge your clients can be really hard if you are a freelancer and especially if you are inexperienced. Setting the price too low may show that you don’t value your work very much and also you won’t feel motivated to create beautiful projects. Also, a very high price means that you may lose clients or have less than usual, and thus, financial problems may appear.


We’ve done some research for you and found out what are the best pricing strategies and tips for you to apply on your projects. Hope they will help you earn more and have more clients!


Charge Clients According to Their Value


For example, if you are asked to create a 10-page website for two different clients, would you charge them the same amount of money? Well, if you think that the amount of work and time spent is the same, you may tend to charge them the same; but it is very important to also consider how important is the website for your client. If website you create will be non-profit or if it will bring a significant amount of monthly profit to your client, are two things that define the value of a website. So, if the website you design is for an important client/company, charge more!


Give Your Client Multiple Options


When creating the price offer always give your client multiple options. For example, you can create ‘packages’: website design + website development = Price 1 | website design + website development + SEO = Price 2, and so on. This way your client will choose the option that suits him best. You can also include offers and discounts for larger packages, in order to make the client choose the most expensive option.


Bundle your fees


When creating the price offer for your client, tell him exactly what services he will receive and at the end of the offer specify the final price with discounts, if any. A well structured price offer is very important in this business.


Emphasize on Time Saving


The lowest price isn’t always the winning choice when it comes to selling products and services. Most of the time, the deadlines are just as important. Emphasize on the fact that you never missed a deadline and also that you’ll manage to finish the project in a short amount of time.


Create a High Quality Portfolio


Experience is one of the most important elements of defining a project’s price. As you’ll get more experienced in this domain, you’ll also attract better clients with higher funds and get to work on bigger projects. Once you’ve created a high quality portfolio, you can start charging more for your work.


Choose Your Words Wisely


When creating a price offer, the way you write it is very important. Some apparently insignificant words can make a huge difference! Words like “small”, “low” before price/fee/money have a great psychological impact on your clients.


Don’t Decrease Your Price


Once you’ve set up a fee for the project, don’t decrease it just because the client think it may be too much. This shows lack of confidence and the inability of valuing your own work. Yes, sometimes you may lose clients because of this but you should think that it is better this way. The client most likely wasn’t suited for you. You also have the right to pick your clients, not only just the other way around.


To sum up, here’s a great infographic which will help you better understand the techniques to land more clients with persuasive fees:


pricing technique freelancers infographic


 


Thursday 11 July 2013

20 Websites with Amazing Textured Design Elements

Website designs with textured elements are very eye-catching and inspire a certain attention to details, which makes them stand out from the crowd. As a designer, you have to be extra careful when using textures in websites, because you don’t want to over do it. To help you out, we’ve selected 20 great examples of using textures in web design, and we hope they will inspire you in creating awesome projects!


Even more, of you want to add some cool, high quality, free textures to your collection, check out these 100+ High Resolution Textures to Use as Website Backgrounds.


Trailer Park Truck


Trailer Park Truck


Trailer Park Truck is a Los Angeles based Food Truck serving hamburgers and delicious grilled food down home style. They have a really nice website with bold, large typography and vintage graphics. 


The Soup Peddler


The Soup Peddler texture website design


The Soup Peddler delivers soup in recyclable containers via bicycle. Includes profiles of recent soups, tips on integrating cycling into daily lifestyle, and links to slow food. Their website is friendly, comfy and has some really nice textured graphics with cute, handwritten fonts.


The Ship and The Sea


The Ship and The Sea texture website design


This website’s purpose is to feature the Autumn Film latest album. The background is a beautifully painted and also, the overall graphics blend nicely together.


Team Fannypack


Team Fannypack texture website design


From its humble beginnings as a joke, Team Fannypack grew to become one of the most awesome teams to participate in the Salt Lake City Multiple Sclerosis walk. Their website has a unique design, all info is structure on only one page, designed to look like a vintage newspaper.


StockdeRock


StockdeRock


StockdeRock is an event planning company. Their website has a dark, grungy feel, with beautiful paper textured elements. Want more event planning websites? Check out these Top 20 Wedding Photography and Event Planning Website Templates & Themes.


Sand and Starfish


Sand and Starfish texture website design


Sand and Starfish is a blog about cooking, sewing and making fun crafts. The design seems a bit crowded but all the graphic elements go very well together and create a beautiful, unique blog.


Quince Bistro


Quince Bistro


Quince Bistro is a mid Town Bistro located in Toronto, Canada. Their website is simple, minimalist and has some really nice background textures.


Pulp Fingers


Pulp Fingers


Pulpfingers is a human sized team of developer and designers devoted to create beautiful, useful, features packed apps for the iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch.


Notorious Design


Notorious Design


Notorious Design - the portfolio of Victoria Burrows. It has some grungy textures and really nice typography. It’s definitely a great source of portfolio design inspiration.


Mother Earth Brewing


Mother Earth Brewing texture website design


Born in the summer of 2008, Mother Earth is the dream-child of Stephen Hill and Trent Mooring, two guys from Kinston, North Carolina, a sweet southern town in the heart of the old tobacco belt.


Monkeynuts


Monkeynuts


Monkeynuts - Steak House / Wine Bar is located in Crouch End, North London. Their website is simple and has a really nice background wood texture.


Me in Motion


Me in Motion texture website design


These guys have an amazing website! It may be Flash, but it loads fast and it’s interactive. You can spray paint the background!


Maryland Craft Beer Festival


Maryland Craft Beer Festival texture website design


The Brewers Association of Maryland (BAM), founded in 1996, is the non-profit trade association of Maryland brewing companies.


Maggie Taylor


maggie taylor texture website design


Maggie Taylor is a digital image artist and photographer working in Gainesville, Florida who uses a flatbed scanner in place of a traditional camera. The website is designed with Flash and has beautiful graphic elements.


La Masa Mimatta


lamasamimatta texture website design


This is a beautifully designed catering/food website with some really nive vintage textured elements,


Jumbalaya


Jumbalaya texture website design


Jambalaya is a fast paced word game for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The websit is simple and has a layout typical to app featuring, but what makes it special is the use of wood textures.


Duplos by Ricardo Mestre


Duplos by Ricardo Mestre texture website design


Ricardo Mestre’s online portfolio – this website will amaze you with its wonderful graphics and well chosen textures.


Dearest Nature


Dearest Nature


Launched on the first day of Spring 2012, Dearest Nature is the design blog by Donaville Herrick, where you can expect to find carefully curated and wonderfully created content inspired by nature.


Dan Conaway


Dan Conaway


Dan Conaway is an advertising, branding, creative strategy and communications consultant in Memphis, and the region’s most recognized copywriter.


code23


code23


Code23 are a group of interactive individuals determined to make a difference to your brand and create staggering online work for their clients.


Wednesday 10 July 2013

100+ Free High Resolution Textures to Use as Website Backgrounds

Textured websites are really appealing and with the proper textures you can create some interesting effects. We’ve searched the web for the best, free, high resolution texture packs, for you to use as background in you website designs. You’ll find here wood, fabrics, vintage, metal textures and more! You can use these high quality textures in a big variety of ways. Feel free to use these textures in your commercial or personal design, art, illustration and photography projects, but don’t sell or redistribute the source files without our permission.


Colored Vintage Paper Texture Pack - 20 textures


Colored Vintage Paper Textures


This free set of 20 vintage/aged paper textures contains textures that are each 3600x3600px in size, high-resolution, and in JPG format.


Wood Grain Texture Pack - 6 textures


Wood Grain Texture Pack


This texture pack includes 6 high-resolution textures for you to use in your personal and commercial projects.


6 high quality seamless paper textures


6 high quality seamless paper textures


This is a  a set of high-quality seamless paper textures. These textures are completely tileable and work perfect for web backgrounds and twitter backgrounds.


10 free high res watercolor textures


10 free high res watercolor textures


This is a set of beautiful watercolor textures. It contains a nice variety of different styles, from very subtle ones to the heavier, grungier ones.


5 High Resolution Grungy Paper Textures


5 High Resolution Grungy Paper Textures


This is a complete set of 5 free high resolution grungy paper textures, for all you grungy website lovers.


9 High Resolution Metal Surface Textures


9 High Resolution Metal Surface Textures


This texture pack contains 9 high resolution metal surfaces. There are a couple of really good ones in this bundle!


20 High-Res Subtle Grunge Painting Textures


20 High-Res Subtle Grunge Painting Textures


This set contains 20 grungy painting textures + 15 High-Res Subtle Grunge Painting Texture Brushes.


Elysium Texture Pack - 10 textures


Elysium Texture Pack


This set contains 10 vintage fabric textures with pastel colors in high resolution.


Dark Wood Texture Pack - 11 textures


Dark Wood Texture Pack


This textures bundle contains 11 awesome, high quality wood textures you can use in your dark themed website dsigns.


Wood Texture Pack – 3 textures


Texture Pack Wood


This set contains 3 wood textures with different resolutions and details.


Paper Bag Texture Pack - 5 textures


Paper Bag Texture Pack


This set contains 5 paper textures with high quality, which can be used as a website background for grungy websites.


Creased Fabric Set 14 Free Hi-Res Textures


Creased Fabric Set 14 Free Hi-Res Textures


There’s textures of wool, cotton, denim jeans, synthetics and cloth so everyone should find something that they like. All images are and incredible 3008px by 2000px large.


Tuesday 9 July 2013

20 Really Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers

We’ve compiled a list with 20 infographics and cheatsheets to help you be mre productive in your design process. From Adobe keyboard shortcuts cheatsheets, to typography and logo infographics, these will surely help you get better at what you do. Learn what makes up a great logo, how to combine colors, use Photoshop shortcuts and more, with these awesome and useful infographics!


Want more? Check out these 8 Tools for Creating Beautiful Infographics10 Great Tips For Effective Infographics and 10 Creative and Useful HTML5 Infographics.


iOS and Android Design Cheatsheet


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers ios cheatsheet


In order to make app designing a lot easier, the guys from Kinvey made this very useful cheatsheet for both iOS and Android. Check out the full infographic on their website.


The Psychology of Color


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers colors


A very important element which is also commonly overlooked by some designers, is the influence of colors on a website’s visitors. Learn more by checking out this infographic.


Color Emotion Guide


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers logo colors


When designing a logo for your business, it is very important to take into account the way people react to the color. Find out what kind of emotions will your logo inspire.


RGB vs CMYK


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers rgb vs cmyk


CardPrinting.us presents an infographic weighing the pros and cons of using both RGB versus CMYK color codes in the printing process.


Flyer Size Guide


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers flyer size guide


This is a very useful cheatsheet for print designers. Print it and stick it to your desk wall.


Paper Sizes In Graphic Design


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers paper dimensions


Find out all about paper sizes in graphic design. Very useful for beginners and it is also free to download!


How To Design A Unique And Unforgettable Logo


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers logo


Great infographic which shows you the main principles of designing a creative, unique logo. Useful for graphic designers!


Top 10 Fonts Web Designers Love


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers fonts


Beginner? Find out what are the top 10 fonts web designers love most and why! Learn how to choose beautiful, high quality fonts for your website design project.


Typography Infographic


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers typography


CreativeMarket brings the typographic history, usage & character to life! This infograhic shows the great history of typography. It’s helpful for beginner print and graphic designers!


What Makes A Good Logo


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers good logo


In this infographic you’ll see how famous logos were analyzed in order to discover what makes a good logo? Color, fonts..? Find out!


Elements of Design 


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers elements of design


Discover what are the elements of design with this cool infographic, which also has downloadable .jpg and .eps files!


Principles of Design


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers principles of design


Print-ready principles of design infographic which comes in two color choices, light and dark!


Adobe Flash Keyboard Shortcuts


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers flash


Become more productive by using these awesome Flash keyboard shortcuts!


Illustrator Keyboard Shortcuts


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers illustrator shortkeys


Want to know all the shortcuts in Illustrator? Learn to use them with this awesome cheatsheet!


InDesign Keyboard Shortcuts


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers indesign shortkeys


Save time by using these cool Indesign keyboard shortcuts. Projects will become a lot easier now!


InDesign CS6 Tools Panel Cheatsheet


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers indesign


New to Indesign? Get a quick introduction to its tools panel with this cheatsheet.


 Pen Tool Technique


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers pen tool technique


Using pen tool can be a little difficult for beginner designers. Learn how to use it properly with this great Adobe cheatsheet!


Photoshop CS6 Keyboard Shortcuts Cheatsheet


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers photoshop keyboard shortcuts


So useful! The best PS keyboard shortcuts for faster work, delivered in a nice, creative format!


Photoshop CS6 Brush Guide


Helpful Infographics and Cheats for Designers photoshop


Learn all about Photoshop CS6 brushes, with this helpful cheatsheet.