I’m Presenting at HOW Design Live

FIRST of all, I love HOW Magazine, and have for many years.

SECOND of all, I have been dying to go to the HOW Design Conference for about the same amount of years.

So you can image my delight when the coordinators of the HOW Design Conference 2012 reached out to me, and asked if I would like to lead a session. Ummmmm… YES!!

So, what are all you awesome freelance designers doing in late June? Join me at HOW Design Live! I’ll be leading a session called:

Balancing Your Freelance Workload
Saturday, June 23rd, 2012, 2-3:15pm
HOW Design Conference 2012, Boston

I’ll be talking about the benefits and drawbacks of being your own boss, how to manage clients; tips for keeping everything organized, and how to deal with feeling overwhelmed. I’ll walk you through developing and sustaining work relationships, and how to work through unintentional blocks. I’ll share my expertise in communication, collaboration, and creative sustainability so that you can take your freelance work to the next level.

Register today, as early bird discount pricing ends March 30th. Oh ya, and I have an exclusive HDC speaker discount code for you: Use “HSPKR” for $100 off!

Also, did I mention it will be my BIRTHDAY!? Oh yaaaa, this year I’m celebrating my birthday coast to coast, peeps, so mark your calendars! I’ll be flying into NYC for one night only (June 21st*) and celebrating with all my dear friends there, and then cruising up to Boston for the conference. So excited.

Hope I get to see you at one or both of these events on the East Coast this summer!

*My actual birthday is June 20th

I’m Speaking at Social Media Week 2012

Social Media Week is right around the corner! This global event is hosting their San Francisco edition February 13-17, 2012, and will offer a series of interconnected activities and conversations on emerging trends in social and mobile media across all major industries.

This year I have the delight to be involved in two great sessions. The first, is a fireside chat with keynote speaker, Elias Plishner (@SonyPictures), SVP of Worldwide Digital Media at Sony Pictures Entertainment. We’ll sit down after his keynote address to have a more intimate conversation about how social media has uniquely impacted the entertainment industry, and how it’s had an affect on the creation of art as we know it today.

Fireside Chat with Keynote Speaker, Elias Plishner of Sony Pictures
In conversation with Willo O’Brien, WilloToons + Stitch Labs
Friday, February 17th, 9:30am
Adobe San Francisco

Directly after that, I will be contributing to a panel with Tim Partridge (@hellotim) and Denny Tedesco (@WreckCrewFilm), two outrageously talented filmmakers. We’ll share our expertise in using the internet to achieve a creative vision: where art meets social media.

Both Tim and Denny garnered support for their projects, “Life in a Day” and “The Wrecking Crew” respectively, by reaching out to their online community. With support from their social media fan-base, they were able to fund their projects and improve their visibility.

I hope you can join us for this free event!

Social Media Week Panel: “Life in a Day” and “The Wrecking Crew”
Moderated by Willo O’Brien
Friday, February 17th, 11:00am
Adobe San Francisco

“Life in a Day“ is a compilation of footage from all sorts of people across the globe, all filmed on the same day. It’s a great film that showcases the beauty of humans, and all of the fantastic and fragile things that encompasses. Watch the trailer:

Find the Life in a Day project on YouTube and Facebook.

“The Wrecking Crew“ is a peek behind some of the most iconic stars in music to the musicians who made it all happen. It’s an amazing story about how a lot of the same artists recoded in the studio for every famous star from The Beach Boys to Cher, and created the music we all know and love. Watch the trailer:

Find The Wrecking Crew film on YouTube and Facebook.

Remember, most all of these events are free, you just have to register, which is pretty cool. I’m off to the VIP party tonight, and will be attending the closing party next Friday night too. Hope to see you there!

CraftMakerCamp at SXSW!

Who’s ready for another amazing SXSW this year? Well, hold on to your pants, because I have huge news:

I’m putting together the very first
CraftMakerCamp at SXSW!

The event will be a full day of networking and sessions specifically tailored for indie merchants. YES! Here’s the official write-up being printed:

CraftMakerCamp at SXSW
Are you a designer, maker, mover & shaker selling your goods online? If so, then stop by the first-ever CraftMakerCamp at SXSW to meet like-minded souls. With a full day of programming specifically developed for creative entrepreneurs, CraftMakerCamp at SXSW will inspire and educate you for a more successful and productive year ahead. Check out schedule.sxsw.com/2012/ for complete details on this all-new space.

So exciting, right?! If you have (or want to start) a product-based business, CraftMakerCamp will be the perfect opportunity to network and gain valuable tools and guidance. Also, I have it on good authority there will be free beer at this location. That’s right… mark your calendars, my friends!

SXSW Interactive takes place:
March 9–13, 2012 in Austin, TX
Are you going?

I want to meet you!

Schedule
Right now I’m hustlin’ to get it all in order, ~~but I’m pretty sure we’ll be…~~ UPDATE: Now it’s two full days, Sunday and Monday, March 11/12th, from 11am-6pm!

Here’s the two events on the SXSW site – add them to your SXSocial Schedule:

I’m also planning to attend the Texas Style Council Social Media conference over that weekend. Woweee, I’m so excited about all the new fabulous designers, makers & sellers I’m going to meet. Hope to see you there!

I’m Co-Hosting a Women 2.0 Founder Friday!

Founder Friday

Entrepreneurs, movers & shakers of all kinds converge the first Friday of every month at Founder Friday, a networking mixer put on by the awesome organization, Women 2.0. Their events have quickly become my favorite, as I’ve come away from every single one with great new friends and professional contacts.

Recently, when I announced joining on with Stitch Labs, Women 2.0 syndicated my announcement post. Now I have the honor of hosting the next Founder Friday, which is coming up next week! I hope you’ll join me:

Friday, February 3rd, 2012
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Bluxome Street Winery
53 Bluxome Street
San Francisco, CA 94301

It’s a very social, mingling-type of an event, but there is about 30 minutes where the hosts have the opportunity to share their story of becoming a founder, and some of the lessons they’ve learned on their entrepreneurial journeys.

I’ll be speaking along with Danae Ringelmann, the Founder & COO of IndieGoGo, a phenomenal fundraising platform for everything from an artist’s next record to a family’s medical needs.

Co-Hosting with Danae couldn’t be a better fit, considering so many IndieGoGo projects are for product-based businesses. We share a community of fervent entrepreneurs following their passion and going for it to make their dreams happen. In fact, one of our customers had a successful IndieGoGo campaign and promptly signed up for Stitch, so he’s ready for business when his finished products arrive.

We will begin speaking at 7pm and I encourage you to register early, as the last one sold out! Beyond hearing us share our stories, and enjoying a delicious glass or two of Bluxome wine, this event is a great way to expand your network, share your experiences, learn from others and represent your brand.

The Women 2.0 mission is to increase the number of female founders of technology startups. Their goal is to provide entrepreneurs with the resources and knowledge needed for success, while building and expanding their network.

I’ll be participating in the Women 2.0 PITCH Conference coming up, too – join me:

Get the latest news and info about more upcoming events from Women 2.0 by following @FounderFriday, @women2 and Like them on Facebook.

I look forward to seeing you at one or both of these great events!

Save Time and Sell More in 2012 Webinar Series

One of my first endeavors in my badass new gig has been collaborating on the Save Time and Sell More in 2012 Webinar Series, with Joshua Zerkel of Custom Living Solutions, and the great folks at Outright and Shoeboxed. We are wrapping up the series and the last webinar is tomorrow, Tues. Jan 24th*!

Jake – one of my awesome business partners at Stitch Labs – and I will be leading:

Managing Inventory: Streamlining Sales and Utilizing Data to Make Smart Business Decisions
January 24th, 2012 at 2:00pm (Pacific) / 5:00pm (Eastern)
REGISTER NOW

As you all know, I’m passionate about the topic of inventory – see my 5 Tips on Inventory Management post – and how crucial it is to have solid systems and a clear window into the data behind your sales. This talk will cover just that!

*If you can’t make it to join us live, never fear… the webinars will be recorded and you’ll receive access to the entire series when you register. Yes, even if you’re just seeing this a month later… go sign up and you’ll get all four presentations:

Get Organized: 4 Online Tools to Boost Your Productivity
Accounting for Makers & Sellers: Staying Organized for Business Insights and Tax-time
Contact Management: Easy Ways to Collect, Sort and Stay in Contact with Your Customers (led by yours truly)
Managing Inventory: Streamlining Sales and Utilizing Data to Make Smart Business (led by Jake and me)

I’ve been absolutely loving the collaboration on these webinars; I am totally in my element! The best part though has been hearing from empowering small business owners with tried & true tech solutions that will help them be more successful. That’s pretty much my jam. :)

If you or someone you know could benefit from one or all of the talks in our series, I hope you’ll take a minute to register and join us or spread the word!

Effective Apps to Manage Your Business

Calling all crafters and small business owners! I’m going to put my app loving and business savvy together to co-present on a panel tonight, called: Effective Apps to Manage Your Business. The panel is being put on by Bazaar Bizarre SF and I’m looking forward to sharing the spotlight with Brandon Levey of Stitch Labs, Justin Glaeser of Weave, and Joshua Zerkel of Custom Living Solutions.

This panel will discuss great tools to help small business owners, and couldn’t come at a more perfect time. Gearing up for Holiday season anyone?

Join us (tonight) Thursday, November 3^rd from 6pm to 8pm, at Techshop SF. Oh, and did I mention the event is free? Plus, we’ll have snacks & refreshments – woohoo!

Learn more and register to reserve your space (or if you’re reading this late, just show up). It’s going to be a great discussion full of many great tips for business owners. Hope to see you there!

The World’s Biggest Summit

I just wrote a post, recapping what an incredible year this has been thus far, but totally spaced one of the first things I have to celebrate in October is that The World’s Biggest Summit is underway!

This has been in the works for the last couple months, and it is so exciting to see it unfold! If you haven’t signed up for your ticket yet (which is 100% FREE, by the way), you must go get your all access pass now. Truly, this Summit has such an incredible collection of knowledge and guidance; I can’t wait to dive into it!

What is the World’s Biggest Summit?
Well, I will let the whimsical site give you the full scoop, but I will say Goddess Leonie has put together a phenomenal program chock full of so many incredibly wise teachers, coaches and guides – many of whom I respect and adore. Seriously, my face (in the image above) is included next to two of my creative idols, SARK and Julia Cameron… swoon!

All that is to say, I am completely humbled and honored to be among the 100+ teachers, as today – October 5th, Day 5 of the Summit – marks the day my contribution is being posted.

It’s just about 20 minutes long, and it’s a delightful conversation I had with the bright light, Goddess Leonie herself, all about Creative Sustainability (à la my WilloToons Connect video series). I’m thrilled to help share the message of self-care and following your dreams with so many around the world!

Ok, now go nab your free ticket and start diving in. Oh, and if you happened to find your way to my site from attending the World’s Biggest Summit, please do say hello! :)

Summit of Awesome 2011, here I come!

Great news! I’m heading to Baltimore, MD next month (Oct. 20-22) to speak at this year’s Summit of Awesome! This will be my 3rd year in a row, and I’m so excited to reunite with all of my crafty business pals and meet new friends, too.

Here are the talks I’ll be contributing:

Making the Not-So-Fun Stuff Easier So You Can Save Time and Sell More ~ Willo O’Brien
Social Media 101 ~ with Lish Dorset and Willo O’Brien
Leveling Up Your Site with Video ~ Willo O’Brien
How and When to Hire Help ~ Jon Wye, Rhonda + Elijah, Willo O’Brien

This is a great photo from last year’s Summit, in Portland (I’m in the middle, back row, wearing red… can you spot me?). I made so many great new friends there that I’m still in touch with! Conferences are the best.

My WordCampSF talk: Leveling Up Your Blog With Video

For all of you who were interested in my WordCampSF talk, it’s now available to watch online… slides and all!

If you can’t see the video above, click here to watch it on Vimeo.

You can also view this on the WordCampSF website, where you can find videos & slides from ALL of the WordCampSF sessions – amazing!

Thanks to everyone who came to my talk, asked great questions, offered additional resources and/or came up to me afterwards or later at the happy hour. It was so great meeting new friends and fellow fans of WordPress!

If you missed my first funny video & post telling you all about this talk, here’s the description:
Blogs are not only a place to post your latest news, but they’re an opportunity for you to express yourself, define your unique voice and share your personality with your readers. In this session you’ll learn tips for recording and adding video to your site, the benefits of syndication and distribution, and how to monetize your content and increase sales.

Do you have any questions that I didn’t answer? Or have any additional resources or tips that I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

←More Events (Older posts)

Friday, February 3rd, 2012 6:00pm - 9:00pm Bluxome Street Winery 53 Bluxome Street San Francisco, CA 94301

Friday, February 3rd, 2012
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Bluxome Street Winery
53 Bluxome Street
San Francisco, CA 94301