It’s the same when you are you’re own boss.  Keeping a cool head is crucial for success as a freelancer, entrepreneur, or business owner.  But let’s get back to sports for a minute.

When a ref blows a call, and he knows it, you can’t help but wonder how that might affect his next call.  For example, a baseball umpire makes a called 3rd strike on a pitch that was clearly off the plate.  That call ends the inning, which results in one team being able to hold their lead going into the ninth.

The coach of the losing team comes out to argue the call – knowing full well that in baseball, calls never get overturned.  Nonetheless, he’s out there cursing out the umpire, kicking dirt on his pants, throwing his hat across the field.  He makes his anger known, and it’s compounded by the fans who erupt at the sight of a firey coach meltdown.

Coach is thrown out.  Game continues.  Now every call this umpire makes for the rest of this game comes with extra baggage.  In the split second he has to make every call, he’s second guessing himself.  Should he compensate for that missed call by leaning slightly in favor of the team he screwed over during the last inning?

The best umpires/referees/judges have the ability to detach themselves from all that baggage and focus on making the right call – no matter who benefits.  They keep their cool and do their job.

Human errors happen and there’s no getting around that.  It’s about moving past them without letting them effect whatever comes next.

Managing that fire in business

The ups and downs of running your own business are not limited to only errors.  You never know what type of unforeseen obstacles will come your way.

You lose out on a big project you thought you had locked up.  You get hit with a lawsuit.  You owe a lot in taxes.  Your employee quits in the middle of a large project.  These things happen, and sometimes there’s nothing you can do to control or prevent them.

The question remains – how will an obstacle effect what’s next?

Let’s say you take a hit financially.  Will you start lowing your price quotes to ensure you lock up new business?  Will you accept projects that you wouldn’t normally take on – such as a red flag client, or something outside your specialty?

If you do, you’re making a very serious mistake.

Once you take on a project that you regret – either because you’re not getting paid enough for it, or because the client is a nightmare to deal with – you’ll be killing yourself with stress.  Stress results in lower quality work, which leads to more problems.  Now it happens all over again – you’re spiraling and constantly playing catch-up.

Bad move.

Above all else, you must stay true to yourself, to your business, and to your big picture goals.  Accept that there will be hurdles.  Learn how to move past them, minimize the damage, and continue to perform at 110%.

When it comes down to it, that’s what keeps your business in thrive mode.

The frustrating thing about guest blogging is that there is always a period of being left in the dark.  The editor might take a long time to respond to your submission.  Even after you’re told that your article has been accepted, you’re still left wondering if and when it will actually be published.

Needless to say, this can be very frustrating.  You took valuable time away from your work, your business, and your own blog, to produce top quality content for someone else’s blog.  Since guest articles are to be published on an exclusive basis, you can’t simply submit and publish your article elsewhere or on your own blog.  You just need to sit tight, wait and keep your eye on your RSS feeds to see when your article hits the web.

This is not right.

Large blogs need to get their act together in regards to managing guest authors. Guest authors are giving up their time and expertise to contribute to large blogs.  They deserve to be treated with respect.  At the very least, guest authors should be kept informed.

I don’t accept the excuse “Oh we’re so big and so popular that we can’t handle the hundreds of requests we receive each day”.  These big blogs are big businesses.  There is no excuse for a lack of organization.  Can’t handle the workload?  Hire additional editors.

A few rules.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were some kind of code of conduct that every blog should abide by when it comes to managing guest authors?  Something to take the mystery out of the whole process.  Here’s what I propose:

1. State your guest blogging terms clearly on your website. That means, specify an approximate response time for new submissions.  If you pay for content, state how much.  If you don’t, then state that.  Tell writers how long of an author bio they’re allowed to attach and how many links can be included.
2. If you do accept a guest article, give the author advanced notice as to when it will be published. A simple, “we expect to publish it later next week” is fine (if it’s accurate).  Are you currently on a 3 month backlog?  Fine, but just let the author know.
3. If you’re running a blog network (several sites), be clear about which blog you’re accepting the article for. It’s unfair to lead a guest writer on.  In the past, I’ve been led to believe that my article would go up on a network’s main blog (200,000+ subscribers), only to find out later it would publish on a smaller sister blog (45,000 subscribers).

What do you think?

Do you share in the same frustrations?

Sure, the classic Coke vs. Pepsi battle has been going on for decades, and that’s always been somewhat entertaining.  But today we see it in every industry, every product, every ad.

How about this Dominoes pizza commercial, offering a discount because they “beat” Papa Johns in some bullshit taste test?

Or the fact that every cell phone commercial is a direct rebuttal of the other guy’s previous commercial?  See AT&T vs. Verizon, or Sprint vs. AT&T & Verizon.

Here in the local NYC market, there is a constant TV battle between the cable providers:  Verizon Fios vs. “Other guys”.  Optimum making fun of that commercial.

Is this all they’ve got?

Talk about insecurity.

Whatever happened to offering a quality product, with honest customer support, and having confidence that your customers will support you based on these things?  Does every company now need to directly attack their competitors?  Is this what people want to see?  Is this what drives sales today?

It’s like these companies are high school bullies, trying to make a name for themselves simply by bringing down everyone else.  I don’t know about you, but to me, that screams insecurity.

I’m turned off

Why would I want to buy a product that cares so much about beating up the other guy?  That’s not a personality I relate with.  How does that approach attract me to their brand?

It doesn’t.  My prediction is eventually these types of desperate big dollar ads will open opportunities for the smaller guys to make a name for themselves with a quality product, quality support, and reasonable pricing.  I think it’s already happening.

I’m talking about instant criticism. There seems to be a growing trend that when something brand new hits the scene, the masses instantly criticize it and reject it. This criticism resonates between Twitter and the blogosphere at an extremely rapid pace. It happens so fast that it makes me question it’s legitamacy. What are these critiques based on? Actual user experience or just an amplification of someone else’s opinion?

Take the example of Google Buzz.

It’s a brand spanking new thing from Google. It kind of came along without much prior notice (that I’m aware of). On Day 1, the widespread rejection of Google Buzz was pretty overwhelming. Everyone was like, “What is Google Buzz? I didn’t ask for this, so I don’t like it.”  Really?  In less than a few hours you already made up your mind about Google Buzz?  Sure, there were some very real privacy concerns (and it’s a good thing those were made known by the masses), but is it really that bad?  It might actually be a cool new way to expand your use of Gmail and share links and pics with your contacts.  If it’s not for you, it’s not for you.  But why not give it whirl for a week or two before passing (and publishing) judgement?  See how it might fit into your social network.  How do you and your friends use it?  Wait to see the unforeseen positive or negative effects.

How about the Apple iPad…

Now this one was extremely hyped before it was actually revealed.  While some reactions seemed positive, the vast majority were clearly negative.  The iPad apparently did not deliver what the masses hoped that it would.

Really?  The fact that it’s missing a web cam (which may or may not be true) makes this thing a flop?  The fact that it’s just like an iPhone makes it useless?  Take a step back and see what this thing really is.  It’s a mobile device for consuming online content.  And based on what we’ve seen, it seems to do that pretty well, and likely a lot better than the clunky Windows netbooks currently on the market.  I mean, nobody has even held one yet, but everyone’s passing judgement.  Wait until the thing ships and you buy it (because I know all you Apple Fan boys, including myself, probably will), then pass judgement.  Only then are you able to publish a truly informed blog post or tweet.

What do I think of the iPad?  Looks pretty cool, but I don’t know much without holding it.  I do think the $499 starting price tag is a pleasant surprise.

We shall see…

“Launching pretty fast almost always works.” … “Sitting around, spending a long time noodling on the idea is almost always a mistake.  It’s like a form of procrastination that you can convince yourself is work.”  — Paul Graham, during a mixergy.com interview

Yet another awesome entrepreneur interview from one of my favorite sites, mixergy.com.  This one is with Paul Graham, the guy behind Y Combinator.

This quote really struck a chord with me.  When working on personal projects, it’s always tough to take a step back, fight the urge to be a perfectionist and just pull the trigger and launch.  It’s definitely a wise move to launch your startup (or website, project, or whatever it is) sooner rather than later.  Get feedback, tweak and improve things as you move along.  Don’t aim for perfection before day 1, because that’s simply impossible.

Here’s the video:

How long can you continue to support your work without financial profit? For those of you who have never had to pay your utility bill yourself or feed whole families with a salary, or worry about health insurance for a spouse, you will undoubtedly say, “Forever, because it’s about passion and community.” For those of you with that mindset, I hope your parents live forever and keep enabling you to live in their basement while they work to pay for your passions.

via Why We Need a Premium WordPress Plugin Market :: Cory Miller | Adventures in Entrepreneurship.

This is a really great read from the Cory Miller (the guy behind iThemes).  He articulates perfectly just about everything I’ve been thinking in regards to businesses based around WordPress.

Designing and developing for the WordPress platform is a passionate trade.  Anyone who is deeply involved with it will agree.  But many will argue that passion and community cannot coexist with profit and sustainability.  I flatly disagree with this idea and as Cory so eloquently points out, “passion + profit can and must co-exist.”

ThemeJam has finally launched!  Here’s the official launch-day blog post.  I’d love to get some feedback about the site, the product line, and overall impressions.  Enjoy.

If you are getting into the game to make a quick buck, I would suggest thinking again.  – Jason Schuller of Press75.com in a Group Interview of WordPress Theme Sellers

So I’m four days away from the launch of my new business, ThemeJam.  99% of the preparation work is complete, and I’m finally ready to release this thing into the wild.  During this quiet time before the big event (the launch), I’d like to reflect on my expectations for my new venture:

If nothing else, more client work

Obviously, one of my main motivations for starting a product-based business was to have an alternative to client work.  Something that generates recurring income, and offers more creative freedom than is usually the case when working on projects for clients, who have a very specific set of needs.

But I think that by selling high quality WordPress themes (and email templates), I will actually attract a new type of client:  Those that purchase my themes, who want customization work done by the theme author himself (me).  Of course, I will welcome these opportunities and if custom work accounts for the bulk of the income from ThemeJam, I’m perfectly fine with that.  I absolutely love designing and developing on WordPress, and client work via ThemeJam only means more of that.

A massive learning experience

More-so than anything else, I’m excited about the lessons I will likely learn the hard way (by failing, then correcting).  Outside of the actual design and development aspects of producing themes, there are many things about this type of business that I’m taking on for the first time.

One example is marketing my own products online.  I haven’t ever spent on advertising for my freelance web design work.  ThemeJam will be the first time I run paid ad campaigns so I’m anxious to see what the return on investment will be, how I will need to tweak my approach, what works, what doesn’t, etc.

Another example is offering customer support for products.  I think this should come fairly easy since I’m already very used to offering great support for my freelance clients (via email, phone, IM).  But support on ThemeJam will likely involve many more and frequent requests.  It will also be the first time I conduct support via an online forum.

A chance to build a reputation in the WordPress community

I’ve already developed a solid network of word-of-mouth referrals for my freelance web design business.  I’m hoping to bring this to the next level in the coming years by establishing myself and my businesses as a trusted name within the WordPress community.  As I said, I love working with WordPress more than any other skill within the realm of web design, and I’m hoping to dig deeper into this part of my career.

A stepping stone to whatever is next…

I am an entrepreneur.  I’ve got the bug.  I’ve got an over-active mind, constantly dreaming up ideas for the future.  A new project, a new business, a new angle.  ThemeJam isn’t even launched yet, and already I’ve got a few specific ideas for future ventures (some expansions within ThemeJam, some separate).

ThemeJam will be my stepping stone to these other ventures.  I will learn a ton, refine my approach, and apply these lessons to future startups.  I will leverage the popularity (if any) of ThemeJam to launch the next thing.

I’ve never been more excited about my career than right now.

In the style of Bill Maher, I’d like to lay down some new rules.  Only these aren’t for politics or pop culture.  These are new rules for your blog.

NEW RULE: Forget everything you learned about SEO.

It’s good to be educated about SEO best practices, but don’t let these tactics run your blog. I say the best SEO comes through natural, passionate writing, which in turn attracts readers, re-tweets, and quality incoming links.

NEW RULE:  Don’t post for the sake of keeping a steady post frequency.

Yes, it’s good SEO practice. But it results in less quality, more quantity, which doesn’t satisfy audiences who are hungry for substance every time.

NEW RULE: Don’t intentionally keyword stuff your posts.

Readers will notice, and it makes for an awkward reading experience. You’re better off letting those keywords work for themselves through producing quality, thought-provoking content.

NEW RULE: Don’t regurgitate topics you find in your RSS / Twitter feed.

If it’s been said, don’t say it again. Post a quote (with a link), then write your reaction or expansion of that topic.

NEW RULE:  Forget about earning serious money from blogging alone.

Of course, there are many world famous blogs who do. Guess what:  Yours won’t. A much more realistic (and lucrative) goal for your blog is to let it support your business.  If you’re selling products or services, let your blog be your voice to prove credibility and display your natural passion for your business/subject matter.

Over to you…

Would you add or change any of these rules?

So here’s my take:

The only thing that really matters are the users

The vast majority of users don’t even know what the GPL license is or means.  They only really care about what it means for them.  They care about what the limitations are.  In the eyes of users/consumers:  The less limitations, the better.

Some of the limitations that users look out for are:

• Can I use this theme on more than one website?
• Can I use it on my client’s websites?
• Can I remove the footer credit?
• Can I customize the theme to suit my needs?

Offering products under a license that clearly answers these questions is the most important thing.

Embracing the GPL

ThemeJam themes will fully support the GPL license.  Not only because WordPress themes are derivatives of WordPress, which itself is licensed under the GPL, but because I believe it’s important to lift the most important restrictions that users care about.

I never understood those sites that offer “single-use” licenses.  How would they even go about monitoring their customers’ use of their themes / plugins?  Outside of implementing a programmatic way of limiting the use to a single domain, they likely rely on some type of honor system to police multi-use of their themes.

Forget all that.  I’d rather be fully GPL compliant and allow users to use my themes on as many sites as they want, including their client’s sites.  That’s what I look for when shopping for themes, so that’s what I’ll be offering.

Digging deeper into the GPL license

Of course, there are other rather important freedoms that come with the GPL license.  The biggest one being that users are allowed to re-distribute and even charge for GPL licensed works.  There was a raging debate when someone actually exercised this right, which I guess you can say was inevitable.

I’m really not concerned about the potential loss of business due to re-sellers of my themes.  GPL or not, there will always be piracy out there, especially with digital products.  Piracy and re-selling issues are simply inevitable and calculated risks that it seems many premium theme companies are already willing to take.

It’s much more important to focus my efforts on serving those who purchase my products from ThemeJam.  Only paying customers will have access to my personal support, and free theme upgrades.  They will also be reassured that the theme they download won’t contain malicious or broken hidden code (as many pirated themes do).  Customer support is the most important benefit of purchasing a premium theme from the original author and this will be a primary focus of ThemeJam.

The bottom line

To answer the questions I posed at the beginning of this post:

• Yes, my themes can be used on unlimited domains.
• Yes, web designers can use my themes for their client’s sites.
• Yes, the footer credit can be removed – in fact, it’s as easy as one click in the built-in theme options panel ; )
• Yes, our themes can be easily modified by anyone with even light knowledge of CSS and HTML.
• And to those who are interested in the fine print, ThemeJam WordPress themes will be 100% GPL licensed and we will embrace all the ramifications that come with that.