Voting for next year’s panels, talks and convo’s, at South by Southwest, is now in full swing! SXSW, or “Spring Break/Camp for Geeks” as many of us lovingly refer to those 5-10 days, is one of my most favorite times a year, and I’m beyond thrilled to be a part of the actual conference, too! I’m up for two rad panels (and have linked to a few recommended panels, at the end of this post):

• Social Shopping: The Future of Selling Stuff Online
• Brand Your Friends: Social Asylum at SF Embassy

Below you can read about the talk that I’m giving, which will be structured very much like what SXSW calls a “core-convo”, even if it gets listed as a talk, because I’m a firm believer in the power of many minds and voices for the process of reflection and learning! It’s somewhat similar to talks I’ve done previously, but this one has a new twist. I’m really interested in thinking about how we’ll be buying and selling online in a few years from now, and am excited to discuss the topic in that realm, in addition to best practices for selling online today.

So, I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a minute to read through these, and if you like what you see, give me your thumbs up vote! I also welcome any comments, suggestions, questions, etc. Actually, if you can click through and add those right on the SXSW Panel Picker website, that’s best.

Social Shopping: The Future of Selling Stuff Online

Markets are conversations. As the web continues its neverending voyage toward Social, indie merchants must learn to engage and interact with their existing and future customers in new ways. The era of Social Shopping has begun, so get the info you need to stay ahead of the curve. Learn how to take advantage of the social web to help your indie business make more sales, connect with your community, and build devoted followers around the world. Perfect for small business owners, artists, crafters, musicians, authors and anyone else with something to sell.

1. What online tools make it easiest for your fans/customers to share your products throughout the web?
2. What is the Social Graph, and what does it mean for my independent business?
3. How can sellers use their online presence to reach a global audience?
4. How to create a network of support – both through your online social media networks, and with friends in your own city.
5. Beyond Twitter and Facebook, what online communities can add value to your brand?

Vote & Comment »

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Then, I’ve also been included on an awesome panel, based off our phenomenal SF Embassy experience earlier this year (SXSW’10). I’m really excited about this one (as well as SF Embassy ’11!), and truly honored to be a part of it alongside Gabe, James and Micah. My friends are rockstars. <3

Brand Your Friends: Social Asylum at SF Embassy

With a bag of one inch round buttons featuring San Francisco’s Sutro Tower and the promise of bacon and a band at brunch, the SF Embassy helped a couple hundred people form instant, powerful, trusted connections at last year’s SXSW. By branding a group of connected apartments in the madness of 6th Street as a place of social asylum, the SF Embassy gave this spontaneous community a framework to navigate the conference and their relationship with it and each other. Brand has played a powerful role in identifying and differentiating our communities for as long as we’ve had community. Increasingly, this identity is provided not by tribe or nation, but by lifestyle brands, technology companies, and rock bands. In this panel, we’ll explore the hunger for cultural identities unmediated by corporate interest, how the SF Embassy satiated that hunger for its citizens, and discuss how to apply several design patterns to strengthen ad hoc communities of all kinds. Towards the goal of creating a United Nations at SXSW, we’ll also provide downloadable templates and tools that you can use to establish your own embassy!

1. How are corporate and cultural branding different? What do they have in common?
2. What responsibility does a branded community have to make it’s intimacy gradient (how inclusive or exclusive it is) clear?
3. What came out of SF Embassy, both during the week of SXSW and in the year following?
4. What went horribly wrong?
5. How can I start my own embassy?

Vote & Comment »

Lastly, I want to tip you off to a few others I’m really looking forward to attending. Note, however, this is just a start, and a running list, as I still need to take the time to do some scouring. Therefore, feel free to give me a heads up on ones you think I should see! Post a link in the comments, or tweet @ me & I’ll check em out.

• Are Your Customers a Crowd or a Community?
  There is no better person to speak on this topic than the loving, darling, and “community cultivator” Thomas Knoll.
• Agile Ain’t Just For Developers: Agile People Manifesto
  Two great friends (one of them is my NBFF/Canadian Husband, Jay!) & incredible minds in the field of HR and managing/cultivating successful teams.
• Abolish The Hourly: How Value Pricing Wins Clients
  As a freelancer for 8+ years, I can relate to this one!! Right on, Lee.
• The Future of E-Commerce (Spoiler Alert: It’s Social)
  This is my friend Jon‘s talk, and while it may seem similar to mine, he’s got an AWESOME lineup of panelists joining him (to be announced soon). His viewpoints take on a more grand scale view of the innovation we’ll be seeing in the technology behind e-commerce. I’m excited to hear what they all have to say.
• Empowering Conscientious Consumers: Take the Power Back
  Jon’s wife, Janette, is also doing a talk… and this one is one that is close to my heart! My eco-friendly, organic-loving, let’s-change-the-world hippy heart! :)
• Love Can Pay The Bills
  Not only am I new fan of Evernote, I’m fascinated with the premise of Freemium. So going to this!
• Everything You Wanted to Know About Launching Websites
  Jay Goldman has been in this industry for so long (seriously, read his bio), making waves on everything from design to coding to management & HR… this is going to be super informative for anyone looking to hear what you need to know for a successful launch.

Bah, there’s so many more, I know – sorry for those I’ve missed – but I’m running out the door & want to get this posted. Again, please post a link in the comments, or tweet @ me with a heads up on ones you think I should see, and I’ll gladly check em out.

Thanks in advance, my friends! I’m excited to see you all in Austin for another year of making mistakes. Um, I mean, memories. :)

p.s. Seasoned SXSWers, you might also be interested in the other post I wrote (aka ranted) today, The Evolution of SXSW & the Hive Mind. I’d love to hear your comments and perspectives on that one (after you go read/vote on the panels above, of course. ;)

I’ve been seeing so many people complain about people “begging” for votes on their SXSW panels. What happened to wanting to support your friends in sharing their hard-earned knowledge, experience, proven track-records and information with other people in their industry, or to those who are looking to learn more and/or jump into a new field/career?

I realize there will always be evolution – and revolution, for that matter – when it comes to moving forward in thought and the structure of conferences/sharing information… but I also feel like people are so quick to get snarky, and all of a sudden something’s “not cool.”

Again, I know that this “uprising” is just the first few seeds of what will inevitably create something new (cracking out of the egg shell of SXSW as we know it), and that next thing is *bound* to be even more amazing, thought-provoking and transformative around how we exchange information. And I’m VERY excited to be a part of that. I guess I just don’t think that people tweeting/posting about their panels needs to be regarded as “begging.”

Personally, I really appreciate hearing about my friend’s SXSW talks. We’re all just getting to see them now (we all submitted individually over a month ago), and it’s been so fun to see what everyone has put together. Or, as a few have commented, a view into “the hive mind.” Plus, I’m BUSY! We’re ALL busy! So when my friends take time to contact me directly to point out their panel, I’m like “Oh, good!” because I haven’t yet taken the time to look through each one. And let’s face it, there’s no easy “Find my Friends” tool on the SXSW Panel Picker. ;)

I feel extremely fortunate to be connected to so many truly talented and forward-thinking people across many different disciplines, who have put forth the effort to assemble a panel or talk in effort to share their insights with the rest of the community. And I have really enjoyed reading through their talks and having the opportunity to support (aka thumbs up) many dear friends whom are truly experts in their fields. We’re in an exciting time, and on top of how awesome all of the relationships are, in terms of our own personal evolution and growth, I just absolutely love the exchange of information, and am super stoked to see where it takes us over the next few years.

Also, just to be clear in my rant, please know that if I truly don’t feel a panel is necessary, or going to help the attendees at SXSW, then I don’t thumbs up. Same with if I don’t want to follow someone on Twitter, or add them on Facebook… I don’t! So, by all means, have an opinion and be honest with your self and your actions – always – but don’t spin it to be a bad thing that people are trying to get the word out about their panel.  We are in fact on the internet, where we exchange information, and, in my opinion, *thankfully* this is also a place where we engage our trusted networks in hopes that they will consider supporting us in our endeavors. Seriously, halleluah on that, right? Of course I’d love your supportive thumbs up on the talks I’m a part of for SXSW 2011, but just like anything else online, all I can do is throw it out there. The rest is up to you. Free will is a beautiful thing! :)

Anyway… if we’re not happy with the way it is, how would you like it to be? Maybe SXSW’s Panel Picker system needs to be changed. Maybe it’s too big. Maybe we’re simply ripe for a new revolution around our geek conferences, in general. Regardless, one thing that won’t change (or at least I sure as heck hope it doesn’t!), is our having a genuine community we can reach out to, share our experiences/successes/failures, and continue to learn and grow, personally and professionally.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this.

Seriously, I’m in love with this phone (let alone the camera :). It’s amazing! Granted, I upgraded from a 3G, so on performance alone I was bound to be bowled over, but WOW. It’s a life changer, I’m telling you! :)

Anyway, recently a friend put a call out for a list of recommended starter apps for new iPhone owners, and as you can imagine… I have a few things to say on this topic! So wanted to post them all here, for anyone else interested. Note most all of these are for any iPhone, not just iPhone4. Many are also available for iPad, too. When you have your iPhone plugged in & the apps tab open in iTunes you can see there which ones work on both iPad & iPhone.

Best photo apps

• Camplus – http://campl.us/ I’d love to take the time to link all of these but probably won’t right now. However there’s apps out there called Camera Plus that aren’t the same! This one’s the absolute best. The only thing it’s missing is rotate. I wish there were a desktop version. It’s brilliant! It does hipstamatic style and cross process (my fav), among many, many other cool features. It’s clearly my desert island camera app, but because I have like 14 (!) different iPhone photo apps, I’ll name a few more good ones…
• CameraBag – almost don’t need it because of Cam+, but I am a huge fan of the Magazine filter.
• TiltShiftGen – most excellent at improving any photo!
• QuadCam – take several shots in one photo – here’s some of my quadcam shots
• Incredibooth – especially fab on iPhone4 where you can see yourself while taking it
• Diptic – see my recent Ali + Todd diptic
• PixelPipe – I just recently set this up which allows you to upload your photos to several different spots all at once (or simply several to Flickr all at once vs the limit of 5)

Social apps

• Twitter (of course), previously Tweetie2
• I recently downloaded Hootsuite, and I was surprised at how great it is, too. Great to use when you want to quickly post to several of your profiles at once, too.
• Foursquare (of course)
• Facebook
• Boxcar (alerts you of mentions on both Twitter & FB, but hasn’t been working for me lately. grr)
• Hot Potato

Entertainment

• Rdio
• Movies
• PhoneFlicks (view your Netflix Queue)

Games

• Doodlejump
• Quordy
• Fruit Ninja
• Hangman (surprisingly difficult/entertaining on your own)

Other fun

• Big Words – send a simple banner message across a loud room
• Sketchbook – best drawing app, if you’re into that kind of thing. ;)

Business/Productivity

• Things – I keep meaning to post about how I use this on my desktop & iPhone, in effort to not have my inbox be a to-do list!
• Evernote – just started using this, excited about it though

Alright, beyond the above it just gets into things like Finance (Mint, Chase, Paypal, Tipulator), local resources (like Yelp, Where, etc), Travel apps (TripIt, Routesy, Nextbus, etc), and a bunch of other random ones that I personally love (1Password, AstrologyZone, Pastebot, C25K) – but who knows if they’ll be useful or of interest to others. So to make it easy, I’ve simply taken screenshots of all of my pages & posted them on Flickr.

• Flickr set of the apps on my iPhone 4 (slideshow below)
• Flickr set of the apps on my 3G

I’d love to hear all about your favorites, too!

Launching my own product line was a huge step. For one, I finally did it! It had been my dream for as long as I could remember, and I finally put everything else aside, invested the time and money and went for it. However, its challenged me in ways I never expected, and I’ve learned more than I bargained for… it’s been an adventure! What’s funny is that, looking back to 2007 when I launched it, I just dove in – not knowing what the hell I was doing, but not caring that I didn’t know, either… I just went for it!

A few weeks ago, while attending the Summit of Awesome in Portland, I took a great workshop led by Bridget Benton (who happens to have her Masters in *Creativity*, how great is that?), who explained the various different ways we creatives work. Based on FourSight’s Breakthrough Thinking Profile, I can now see that the part of me that dove head first into making my freelance business happen, then a few years later launched my product line (and can even be traced back to the Willo, who at 20 years old, packed all her belongings into a little car & drove out West!), is what they call being a strong “Implementer”. However, each of the four profile groups all have pros and cons, and in the workshop we discussed how the downside of working on your own in the Implementer realm, can be that you don’t quite think things through, nor have all the facts and resources necessary to take it to the next level, once you’ve got your shiny new product(s) out there. But, as I detailed out in my Time for a Change post yesterday, I was just thrilled I had made it happen, and I was ready to dive in & learn!

Now, referencing back to the Thinking Profiles, I am also a huge “Ideator.” Anyone who knows me at all knows this. I have lists and lists and LISTS of ideas. I have big visions, I’m optimistic and enthusiastic, and given the time & resources I feel like I could never be bored! (In fact, I’m always dumbfounded hearing anyone state that they are bored or have nothing to do. Really? Here, help me do some of my ideas!) However, in the past few years running WilloToons, and still taking on some Web design and Custom Illustration work for cashflow, I sadly haven’t seen a lot of my new ideas through to fruition (classic downside of the Ideator), because I’ve been so busy keeping all my plates spinning! Funny little conundrum I have with being both an Ideator and an Implementor, huh? This might be a big clue into how I run myself ragged, ya think?!

Anyway, this brings me to the biggest lesson I’ve learned out of ALL of this:

To build any great company, it takes a great TEAM.

Now this may sound simple, but let me break it down a little…

Often as a small business owner, you dive into it, as I did, with a big vision and a passion. You have a big idea, and (depending on how much of an Implementer you are on your own), you make it happen! Now, I’m even coming from the craft/artist side of it, where there’s been a rampant resurgence and respect to the notion of DIY (and the Arts and Crafts Movement)… and Here! Here! I have always been independent; haven’t worked for any company that has more than probably 30 some employees, and I grew up in a family where both my parents owned their own businesses. I wanted my own thing and I went out & made it happen! Alas, at some point, we can’t do it all ourselves.

Now, while I did hear about this whole “ask for help” and “concentrate on your strengths” thing early on, I didn’t fully listen. I couldn’t hear it. I wanted to dive in & figure it out! I’m smart, I’m independent, I’m DIY. I can do this! And I did – as you all know, and it wasn’t half bad – which is awesome. But I just can’t help see now how it could have been done better/smarter/faster/etc. (I know, I’m my own worst critic.) What’s funny is that talking to other small business owners, I hear them making this same mistake! Not that they won’t eventually get where they want to go – as I surely will, myself – but it’s amazing how you just realize that sometimes we have to do it wrong ourselves before we get it.

The thing is, I also understand why it’s really hard to find people to help you “do the rest,” in whatever that might mean for you. It can be hard to ask for help. It can be daunting to believe that other people will have the time… especially when you’re most likely knee deep in it, juggling 2000 different things running your small business, and maybe even strapped financially to boot; how could anyone else just have a bunch of free time to donate for you and your crazy ideas?

I’m actually going to tell you the big secret here, are you ready?

Believe in your ideas, get yourself out of the way and ASK. You’ll be surprised.

If you’re a small business owner or crafter reading this, please go back and read that last sentence again, and take this post to heart. If I can help anyone through learning from my experience, it’s this lesson! :)

Now, coming back to WilloToons, I have to say that while I was knee deep in taking the business planning class, hustlin’, launching my new organic line, traveling, speaking and selling at several events around the country – AND maintaining a steady stream of web/design/illustration client projects (oh right, and maintaining some semblance of health, combined with my rock ‘n roll lifestyle), I feel very fortunate that I had help. See, this whole idea of sticking to your strengths and asking for support wasn’t entirely lost on me… I’ve actually had a LOT! I’ve had mentors and coaches, I took classes & workshops, I hired bookkeepers and consultants, and I’ve even had interns, and hired help since Sept, 2008, when I brought on Jen as my Merchandise Manager (or as I often call her, Lifesaver). However, there’s still been WAY more to do, and coming to terms with this (as detailed in my Time for a Change post yesterday), I realized that if I actually stepped back, re-evaluated what I’ve learned about what it takes to take this business to the next level, then I would need to REALLY concentrate on my strengths and be SURE to delegate the rest. I’d need funding, maybe even an official co-founder/business partner, and I’d need to start building the TEAM that it would take to go bigger.

Concentrate on your strengths, and accept your weaknesses
So what are your key strengths? Or determine where you think you may fall in the four FourSight Thinking Profile areas to see what kind of business/creative person you are, if you don’t know already. It might actually be that you’re a super savvy business person, who loves doing research and crunching numbers, and you just wish you could think of an awesome product to launch and utilize all those skills. (Uh, call me! :p)

The bottom line is, we all have our strengths and we all have our weaknesses, and the sooner we can come to terms with them, and ACCEPT them–making no apologies or feeling embarrassed or less-than because we’re not Superhuman–the sooner your business can reach new levels of success. This might mean financial growth, or it could even mean that you actually get to sleep more than 5 hours/night, take time to eat healthier meals or spend quality time with your family on a regular basis, because you’re not trying to break your back to do it ALL. Whatever the benefit, it’s the KEY to being a healthy, balanced business owner.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of the above. What are your strengths? Has this post helped you realize the parts of your business, or job, where you can ask for support, thereby freeing you up to work more effectively? What are your fears in asking for help? Let’s talk it out. :)

Seven years, two businesses…
For the last six months I’ve been looking back at all that I have learned running my own business(es) over the last 7 years.

I started my first business almost by accident, after being laid off from my last “real” job in 2003, where I worked for 3 years as the Lead Web/Flash/Graphic Designer, at a small firm in Potrero Hill. Wasting no time in the few weeks after I got the news, I quickly put together a quick website and business cards to launch WilloToons Baby, offering custom wall painting for nurseries and playrooms. However, it wasn’t long before I started getting inquiries to do freelance Web & Graphic Design, and next thing I knew I had a full client load.

The years to follow were full of a lot of great experience. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some great clients; designing & launching sites for both small and large organizations. I learned valuable skills around managing projects, timelines and client expectations. I hired developers, copywriters and did all my own bookkeeping. And I learned a lot around managing my time, and maintaining a healthy work/life balance. (Raise your hand if you relate to that one. A common side effect of being a passionate, driven person, I suppose, but I feel like I could write a whole book on it! :)

However, after a few years, I started thinking, what’s next? I really didn’t want to start my own design firm, but instead – for as long as I could remember – I’d been wanting to do something more with my illustrations. So, in May, 2007 I dove in to do just that: designing, producing and launching WilloToons – my super fun product line of tees, onesies & bibs (that since then has developed into greeting cards, jewelry, totes & more) – where geek meets rock ‘n roll! [Note: If you're interested in reading about this transition, check out my launch post or my mission/vision post.]

Up until then, most of my professional experience had been in services, but I was ready to learn… and boy, did I! The last three years I have learned a LOT about product development, e-commerce, marketing, Quickbooks & bookkeeping, inventory management, COGS, cashflow, customer service, you name it! And honestly, while I could have done a lot of things differently (read: better/smarter/faster) in hindsight, I feel like I’ve been fairly successful, given my means and experience prior to diving in. I feel grateful that in this time I have met friends, and gained happy customers and fans, all around the globe. It’s provided me the opportunity to step into more speaking roles, sharing what I have learned, and consulting other crafters and small business owners in everything from how to get their business online, to marketing through social media, crafting your community, and to some of the more philosophical and psychological realms of being a small business owner (yes, this is another area I could write a whole book on :).

It’s not you, it’s me…
WilloToons has been my baby over the last 3 years, and I’m really proud of all that it’s become, but I’m at this place now–7+ years in, owning and running two fairly successful businesses–where I have some options. I’ve actually been wrestling with this decision for almost a year, really. Because, while I still haven’t seen WilloToons to the full potential I see in my vision, I’ve also learned what it would take to realize that vision. Therefore, causing me to seriously reevaluate if this is even the business that I want to continue growing. I mean, I of course still love illustration and design, I’ve just started feeling like there’s more I can do with ALL of my skills.

It’s kind of like that point in a relationship where you’re like, “sure, we could try to work on this… but I think we both know we need a break.” It’s been rather difficult to get clear on that. Like any relationship, I want to work on it. I don’t want to give up on it, but instead I want to do everything I can to know that I’ve taken responsibility for my part in all of it, and get clear on what it would take to make it better, or to know (really KNOW) that it’s best to just let it go.

Now, I’m not saying I’m letting go of WilloToons at all, which I think has been a big scary thought in this process for me. WilloToons is a part of me! I am WilloToons! :p But, thankfully the store runs itself for the most part right now (with big thanks to my Merchandise Manager, Jen!), and I have a relatively steady stream of client work that comes my way, so I’ve sort of had the luxury of doing this soul searching. I knew one thing was for sure though, just like in any relationship, figuring out what was best for me, meant taking care of myself first. And that, for me, is all about getting back to my creativity. My source. I want to get back to designing, creating, and giving birth to new ideas. I’ve needed to for a long time now, but as any creative in business knows, it can be hard to do that while you’re busy keeping all the plates spinning!

So, over the last few months I’ve been REALLY digging in to look deeper at what I want. For one, after juggling SO MUCH over the last 7 years, I’ve really felt called to unplug a bit more. Since I’d been feeling lost and stuck, instead of allowing myself to stay there, I decided I wanted to flip my life on it’s head, shake it up a bit and see what wanted to rattle out. A big part of this has been clearing and making way for the new to come through. First and foremost, decluttering and refreshing my wonderful little home, that I’ve lived in for these last 7 years, and worked out of for the first 5. Which even included getting rid of my TV, and all the habits that surrounded having that in my space, in order to transform my living room into more of an art studio… huzzah!

So much happened exactly 7 years ago, that has led me into my life as I know it right now… that I think mostly I’ve had to really allow myself to release who I have been – my identity – and how I have let this time, and these businesses, define who I am. I have *reveled* in owning my own business, and launching my dream! I mean, so awesome, right? Aren’t I living the dream, of what so many people in Corporate America™ wish they were doing? So how could this be not enough for me anymore? These are all rhetorical, mind you, but you can imagine what a rollercoaster it’s been trying to make heads or tales of it. All I knew was I just kept hearing my mind say, “I want to be a part of something bigger.”

Well, thankfully these last few weeks have *finally* brought some clarity… YES!! And the answer? Waaaaait for it…

I want to be a part of something BIGGER!
That’s what it comes down to. I have accumulated SO many awesome skills over the last 7 years and I have SO much to offer now more than ever! I have done this. I have worked on my own and experienced developing and running a business two businesses, giving me experience in both services and products; I’ve managed my time, clients, and employees; I am passionate & motivated, and not afraid (in fact, downright good at) working hard to make something happen, and I want to be a part of a team!

So, over the weekend, I started getting even clearer on what this means for me. Here are some of the questions I have been asking myself:

What does it mean (to me) to “be a part of something bigger?”

• I see so many of my friends, whom I respect so much, accepting positions or starting companies that are developing products on the cutting edge. The tech space has changed SO much over the last few years, and in my opinion is truly more exciting than ever!
• I want to work and learn from other business owners, and professionals who compliment my skills.
• I want to have the means to hire and manage a rockstar team.
• I want my creativity and all that I have to offer to reach a larger population.
• My WilloToons’ mission is to celebrate individuality and expression, so how can I do that on a larger scale?

What are the qualities that are important to me, in feeling good about working with another team or company?

• Forward thinking
• Social/economical awareness
• Environmental awareness
• Fun, easy going people, with healthy communication
• An understanding around what it takes to build a smart team. i.e. Building a team where members are encouraged to work within their strengths

What skills come naturally to me?

• If I look at the last few years in this business, I think one of the most rewarding aspects has been helping people. Through my speaking engagements, teaching, consulting and connecting people… it’s what comes so naturally to me! I love offering perspective to other creatives and small business owners, sharing my process, mentoring and giving tips on how they can make money, develop their community, step into their creativity. I’ve loved helping my clients; I enjoy the communication, knowing that I’m making their lives/businesses easier (not to mention prettier!), and helping them position themselves for success.
• Design & illustration (of course), but now even on a broader scale, with creative direction & strategy. I’m a natural problem solver, big idea thinker, and rapid implementer. In addition to the joy I’ve experienced designing my own site/shop & product line, I’ve taken great pride in working with my clients, designing and developing their vision, and consulting them through the various phases of growing their business.

What am I most passionate about in business? aka What do I have to offer?

• Excellence in Design & Usability
• Awareness and Experience in Social Commerce
• Big Vision & Creative Direction
• Developing Strategy for Implementation
• Marketing, Community, Communication, Connection, Promotion
• Management: Client, Team & Product

Now, how can I wrap all of that up into my next step?
Honestly, I’m not quite sure where all of this is going to take me, but, being the excitable, positive person that I am, you can bet I’m on the edge of my seat! :)

I envision myself being a part of a core team. So, whether that means I’ll be starting up another company of my own, or joining a company at the ground floor (or close to it), I’m really looking forward to being able to really have an impact, utilizing my strengths and passion for the ultimate good of a great product or service. I’ve been talking to some friends, and we brainstormed a few things. Even that it might be a good idea to talk to some of our friends who are investors, or on Boards of startups who have the business, finance and tech aspects figured out, but need more creative direction. Who knows, but I’m putting it out there, and I’m ready!

Thanks so much for those taking the time to read this, and so many of you who have been with me on every step of these adventures thus far. I feel incredibly grateful for every single one of my friends and supporters out there, so seriously, thank you. I’d love to hear if you feel I’m missing anything in all of the above, or if while reading it you had a vision for what you see me doing with all that I have to offer. I’m looking forward to taking this next step, and you know I’ll be sharing it with you… that’s what I do! :)

I just added Facebook’s new Like button to both my product pages & blog posts. Pretty cool, I gotta say!

For my shop, since I use Shopify, I was able to find a helpful tip in the Shopify forums & it worked like a charm! Then, to add the like button to my blog posts, which are powered by WordPress, I found this helpful post/code. But there’s also an easy plugin, too (although FYI I haven’t tried that).

The cool thing is that you can also post a widget showing the recent activity. So, here’s some of the most recent activity from people liking products in the WilloToons shop:

And here’s posts that have been recently liked on the WilloToons blog:

If you could, maybe go like some of your favorite products & blog posts so these don’t look so empty. (haha, as I publish this, the blog one is empty, besides one like from me – hope to see a few more in there soon! :p)

My integrating all of this, this morning, was somewhat inspired by seeing this site Likebutton.me, which Maya (@mbaratz) posted a link to this morning. Thanks, lady! On that site you can even add other sites on the fly to see their recent activity. Man, all this technology… it’s like MAGIC!!

What do you all think of this?
I sort of threw them on (and should really get outside & enjoy the sunshine!!), but – for example – on the product pages, I used to have the “Share This” & “Add to Universal Wishlist” buttons located down below the photo thumbnails on the left. But, after adding the Like button, it seemed too hidden down there. So I mocked it up to have them all be right aligned under the add to cart button (see image below)… but couldn’t get the FB iFrame content to do that. I’m sure it’s doable, but in the interest of actually leaving my house today, I decided to just go with the left aligned.

Here’s a mockup of how I wanted it to look (props to my awesome friend Wes for being on IM with me & giving me feedback. AND ordering his first eat. sleep. rock. repeat. organic t-shirt!!)

I’d love to hear any & all feedback. My one concern is that it might be slowing down my site more. There’s optimization stuff like that I could use help with (I largely do all this myself, and I guarantee it’s not the best way! :p) So I’d love to hear what some of you smarter-than-me peeps think. Both from a visual and code POV.

Lastly, thanks SOO much to those of you who saw my tweets this morning & have already been pushing those like buttons! You’re THE BEST!! <3 <3

We’re having a huge sale in the WilloToons shop! Not just any sale, but a huge, bring the house down, clear out the closets, make room for new inventory, SALE.

We can’t wait to bring you more organic items and some new designs (yes, really!) but we need room for them. To make that happen, we’re giving you the best pricing we’ve ever offered on many of our baby onesies and selected adult tees. We’re talking onesies as low as $10 and adult tees as low as $12! Head on over to the store to pick up some goodies now. Hurry because the sale is for a limited time and quantities are limited!

While you’re there, don’t forget that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We’ve got a ton of new jewelry in the store as well as our delightful, perfect for Valentine’s Day, Bacon Lover greeting cards. What says love more than bacon??

All single item jewelry orders are only $2 shipping and
FREE Shipping for all orders over $50!
(these are domestic rates only, but we ship internationally, too!)

Sometimes it’s hard to decide just what to buy that special someone… so let them pick out their favorites!

A WilloToons Gift Certificate is a great idea for when you just can’t decide what to get. Let the recipient decide if they want a sassy t-shirt or a pretty new pair of earrings.

Our gift certificates are available in email format – perfect for last minute shopping! Send us the recipient’s name and we’ll email you an attachment to forward on to the recipient or print out and give to them.

We’re looking forward to an awesome 2010 with all of you, with new and exciting happenings at WilloToons. Stay tooned!

I’m leading a workshop here in San Francisco, called “Using Social Media to Grow Your Fashion Business.” I did this workshop once last year, and it was a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to presenting it again in a few weeks! Keep in mind you don’t have to have a fashion business per say for this information to be relevant.

Details:

There is a lot of talk about the importance of integrating a social media campaign into your marketing and sales strategy! Come learn how to navigate and sort through all of the social media sites and figure out which ones you should invest your valuable time and efforts on.   In this workshop will learn how to build and engage your community and create increased product awareness.

Topics will include:

• Creative, low cost marketing strategies
• Maximizing your network to test or launch a new product
• Increasing online sales
• The importance and value of maintaining authentic communication with your community

Presenter: Willo O’Brien moved to San Francisco at the dawn of the first Internet bubble and has spent the last decade building long-lasting friendships with the entrepreneurs and trendsetters of the Internet 2.0 phenomenon. Her experience in social networking has fueled the success of her business as a designer, illustrator and music lover who turned her lifelong passion into a fun, eco-conscious gift line: WilloToons.com – where geek meets rock ‘n roll.

Using Social Media to Grow Your Fashion Business
Tuesday, March 2nd
6pm – 8:30pm

The Art Institute of California
1130 Market Street
10 UN Building
4th Floor
San Francisco

Cost: $35/$20 for FBI members
Register: Click Here!

View Event Information on the Fashion Business, Inc website

RSVP on Facebook!

Hey pals! I’m so excited for Austin this year… and it’s coming up fast!

If you’re attending SXSWi this March, you can click the links below and add our core-convo’s to your schedule:

• SXSW SARS

  Friday, March 12 @ 2pm
  Core-conversation led by Jay Goldman & myself (Willo O’Brien)

  Add to my.sxsw
  Add to Sched

  Each year at SXSW, you hear about “SXSW SARS” or “SXSW Scurvy.” Days packed with panels, movies, and concerts are exhausting and wear down your immune system. Learn some ways in which you can prepare for, and stay clear of getting sick at SXSW.

  UPDATE: Take our survey about staying healthy at SXSW!
  (or whilst traveling to any conference)
  Here’s a link to a tweet to RT, too, if you please.

• Snappy Strategies for Selling Art & Craft Online: Part Deux

  Tuesday, March 16 @ 11am
  Core-conversation led by Rebecca Marshall & myself (Willo O’Brien)

  Add to my.sxsw
  Add to Sched

  More people than ever are starting their own art/craft businesses or supplementing their income with passion projects and, as always, technology rises to meet the challenge. Even as the economy worsens, our passions strengthen! Come discuss all the online tools and creative strategies that can help you sell your work online.

  Listen to our audio clip about this convo on the GetCrafty site!

As per usual, I’ll be there for both Interactive & Music. Looking forward to reuniting all my kick ass friends from around the globe, and meeting new fabulous faces, too!

Here’s a few things that are making my life awesome recently:

• Groupon – $25 for $50 worth of food (and similar awesome deals)? Um, yes please! Subscribe to this, it’s in a ton of cities and has GREAT deals.
• TCB Courier – For all of you who remember Kozmo.com or know Pink Dot in LA, you’ll be delighted to know we have something similar in SF again! Imagine you’re hosting a party, and you’re running out of wine, or you spaced buying dessert. For $6, TCB Courier will deliver whatever you want! Keep in mind it’s mostly just to the Mission/SOMA areas – see their map & funny video.
• The new Chase no-envelope ATMs are incredible (more commentary/info here, here & here). They make depositing checks so much easier, faster & less paper waste! Now if only their online banking site would catch up & be as sexy.
• Californication – I’m so into this show right now. Scored Season 3 and I’m just loving it.

And a few geeky computer things that are making my life awesome recently:

• Airfoil – After finally getting my Airport Express working again on my home stereo, I quickly realized I didn’t like being limited to only playing music out of iTunes. I wanted to stream music from Firefox – like playlists on Blip.fm or Last.fm – to my stereo. And that’s precisely what this does. So rad!
• Organized – From the makers of iStatPro, an app that they call a “Swiss Army knife for your Dashboard, including a calendar, world clocks, notes, iCal events and to do’s”  Which may beg the question, who uses the dashboard anymore? Well, I hadn’t for a long time… at least not regularly, besides occasionally checking the weather or time in another zone/country*. But recently I saw Buzz tweet about the Today app, and it made me think, “I like that, but surely someone’s made something similar for the Dashboard.” So after finding Organized, I got back into it (even setting Exposé to display it when I roll off top-right). *It also took care of me needing to use the world clocks I had set up before, because it’s a tab on Organized. Love it! This company also makes some awesome iPhone apps, under the name Bjango.
• Minutes – I often need a quick timer, whether it’s to remind myself to go re-park my car, or that I have 5 minutes till I need to call someone for a phone meeting… Minutes is so well done. I haven’t even used some of the other cool things it has, like opening a file or starting/stoping iTunes… but I love that it does those.
• Spirited Away – My friend, Gabe, reminded me of this gem. My computer can get pretty crazy, multi-tasking with windows everywhere, and that’s where Spirited Away comes in. It helps whisk away windows you’re not looking at to keep the view clean. I just don’t like how it hijacks the command+H shortcut to manually hide, which I use all the time… probably out of habit because everything was always needing to be hidden manually! Just got to get used to Spirited Away taking care of it for me.
• Aviary Firefox Add-On – I am an avid fan of Skitch, but am thrilled to have the Aviary plugin for when I need to take a screenshot of a full page, and then copy it to the clipboard – which I then usually paste into Skitch to post it there or Flickr [example]. I find this works better, and is faster than ScreenGrab!, which is what I used before for full or partial page screenshots.

Stay tooned for Part 2… which is my list of ‘things that are making my life awesome’ in a more personal realm.

If you liked this post, you might like to read my post about My Favorite Firefox Add-Ons.

Have anything you’re super geeked about lately? Let me hear it in the comments!