If tiny blue orange was a human, it could drive. That’s right, 16 years of owning this business + 12 years of being my own boss while building the career + life I’ve wanted since I was young. Working for myself in a creative field was always the plan. I grew up watching my dad as a self-employed architect + absolutely loving what he did. The way he approached his career appealed to little Alison + I made it my goal to follow in his footsteps, in some ways at…
Behind the scenes
A peek into how tiny blue orange works. Our process, our tools + what it’s really like to run a small WordPress hosting + support business.
How I use Airtable to manage clients
I started using Airtable to manage my clients + moved on to also managing projects, social media + blog content once I realized how valuable this free tool was. If you haven’t heard of Airtable yet, let me be the one to razzle dazzle you! I like to describe it as a more visually appealing way to use spreadsheets. They describe their own product as part spreadsheet + part database, which is accurate too. Get started managing your clients with Airtable To help you get started with this awesome (and…
Ask your clients this question
Providing a service, or a quote or proposal, usually means asking some questions. If you’re like me, you get excited about jumping into solving the problem. So I’ve been working on slowing down + diving in to what’s going on. While I want you to ask your clients this question, I’m also going to ask my clients too. But first, story time. I recently started shopping for a new car. I did research, browsed car lots on Sunday (introvert status) and made lists of questions that I had. When I…
Our process for custom coded WordPress sites
Project prep Before I type a single line of code, I start every project by reviewing the designs + site content. This ensures that I know what features I need to plan for while also giving me time to send questions over to the designer where needed. For example, I had a project sent over with 3 different menus on the page (top menu, main menu + footer menu). Each menu had different links except for one that was repeated throughout (support). I made sure that I knew that page…
5 ways to work well with your web developer
I’ve been on both sides — the developer someone brought in to code a site + hiring out a coding project to someone nerdier than I am. The truth is that coding is a completely different language (multiple languages, in fact) + that can make communication challenging. But it doesn’t have to be a headache! In fact, bringing in a web developer for your WordPress project can keep your stress level low because you aren’t dealing with those technical tidbits that you hate. #1 – Include them early My biggest…
4 lessons I learned from offering retainer services
For years I offered hourly work for anyone that needed my skills. it was great… except for the flux in hours my clients needed + no real way to schedule my time. so I decided to get clients set up on retainer – whether monthly or quarterly – to narrow the range in hourly requests + set myself up with a more manageable schedule. I spent tons of time researching retainer contracts + systems, but still learned a few very valuable lessons that I want to share with anyone considering…
2 years in, a lifetime to go
I remember the moment vividly. I sat at the front desk of my day job sending instant messages to my boyfriend, double-checking that he indeed meant what he said about it being ok. Then I took a deep breath + called my boss into the closest conference room. My tears started almost immediately as I choked out the words that I was quitting to start my business full-time. It was no secret to anyone at the company, I had been reducing my hours down to part-time for a while as…
Time to Upgrade
Take a look at your surroundings right now. Are there any things in your control that are more than lackluster? If you are holding your iPhone, is the case more representative of your fear of dropping it or does it get constant compliments AND keep your device safe? For my lovelies on their laptops, is your screen spotlessly clean + void of all fingerprints + drool spots from that Ryan Gosling Pinterest binge you went on last week? Sitting at your desk? Does it look like bills + paperwork are…