The Business: 2008
Note: This article was published while I was in my early 20s. I was much younger and dumber. Please don't hold it against me. One of the perils of having a 20+ year old website!
Last year was a really great year for me business-wise. I made strides in getting my name out there, the types of projects I picked up, and over all became more confident in my work. I’ve set up some goals for 2008 that I feel will really put me out there professionally and will help me take bigger steps to the ultimate goal of being my own boss.
- Rebranding: Late last year I began rebranding JLC Web Design, giving it a new name, logo, and scope as far as types of projects. I will be revealing all that hopefully soon. Right now I am going through the processes of registering my business as a Sole Proprietorship in the state of NY. After I get the officially registered name, I will be talking in depth about that process and recommendations for going about it.
- Better Finance Management: In 2007, I realized as I got a more constant stream of projects, I needed a better way to keep track of invoices and expenses. This year I will be subscribing to Vebio, which offers online invoicing, statements and reports, and most importantly, expense tracking. This should be a little better than an excel sheet. I will also be talking to an accountant as far as filling for taxes goes, and separating my revenue for the business from my personal finances- something I should have done a long time ago.
- Flagship Projects: I currently have two project in the works- an Open Source one and a commercial one. The commercial one, Into the Open, has launched. I am currently working on advertising and a new logo. I also need to get on the PR side of things to really get the site out there. my goal is to have that up in full swing by March. For the second project- the open source one, I have been working almost none stop on it for the couple of weekends. My plan is to solidify a name and get a beta release out by the end of the month.
Once i have some official documents with my new name, I will be talking about that process, the switch to Vebio, progress on the projects, and some other topics- like having real business cards printed.