entrepreneur

I’ve Moved

by Em Are · Jan 4, 2016

New year.

New beginning.

New address.

In an effort to consolidate some of my online activity, I’ve decided to consolidate several personal blogs into a single online presence. I have been periodically blogging at exploringnewopportunities.wordpress.com, mattry.com, and most recently at mattryan.co.

With this year’s emphasis on minimalist behavior I am going to pull all of the content together under mattryan.co. I am abandoning the WordPress.com blog for now and moving to the self-hosted environment to permit me to have complete control over the manner in which I present my content.

Nothing against WordPress.com blogs mind you, it’s just that a self-hosted blog offers me more opportunity to expand my portfolio of work so prospective web development clients have more reason to chose me when looking for someone to create their website. I plan to interweave my posts from my business site, capwebsolutions.com, with the personal site to offer a fuller picture of who I am.

I was really excited when I was able to get my name as the domain. The .co TLD (top level domain) is considered by Google to be a generic TLD, not just reserved for use by the country of Colombia any longer. (Ref Wikipedia here and here). I think it will help me to centralize things and provide a baseline for my online presence. the whole idea about tribes having a known place to congregate.

I invite you to visit me at my new home on the interwebs, leave a comment, introduce yourself, and let me know where I can find you. Let’s connect.

All the best to you in 2016

What a Year It Was

by Em Are · Dec 31, 2015

As 2015 comes to a close I find myself looking back on the year it was. There is so much to think about. I debated on putting something like this together, but I decided that if I am to firmly embrace my intention to blog on a regular basis in 2016, I might as well just start now.

I have successfully completed a full year as a self-employed business owner, continuing to pursue a dream many years in the formulation stages. While the realization of the dream was forced into being by a couple of unpleasant external forces, I now feel that I’m in the right place.

My wife, Carol, and I, are slowly embarking on a journey to a minimalist lifestyle; in part due to a greatly compromised personal financial situation, but also, as a means to find that which truly makes us happy together.

As a solopreneur running a WordPress website development and support business, I have developed and expanded a number of personal skillsets this year. Most of these skillsets can be attributed to getting through day-to-day business operations, but others are aimed at increasing my technical skills and market value.

Online classes through Codecademy, Treehouse, and Lynda.com to get deeper into PHP, CSS and Genesis themes
Workshops and multi-session seminar series on Genesis Customizations, SEO Basics, and social media marketing

A related component of skillset development was to push my comfort zone considerably and deliver a number of presentations at some of the technical gatherings I participate in on a regular basis.

3 lightning talks at WordPress Meetups -2 at the Philly Burbs Meetup that meets in 4 different locations outside of Philadelphia, and one at the Philadelphia WordPress Meetup.
Three short presentations for the Social Media Special Interest Group (SIG) at the monthly gathering of the Philadelphia Area Computer Society (pacsnet.org).
Led one full session of the WordPress SIG for PACS.

One of my goals for 2016 is to try and deliver a talk at a regional WordCamp. Yikes. We’ll see how that goes. Okay, LP, it’s out there!

The WordPress support business has grown nicely this year. Word-of-mouth and customer referrals have enabled this segment of my business to grow each month. We’re not talking ‘hockey-stick’ growth, but growth. I’m good with that.

By far, the most satisfactory area of my business is the WordPress website development. I really like to be in a position to help small businesses get moving online, whether its with a brand new website, or an overhaul of an older site. It is very rewarding to talk with a small business owner and help them to put together their ideas for their website. I try to help them answer the hard questions about their website.

Why do you want a website? What will your visitors do on it? What are you trying to get out of the website? How will you know if the website is helping your business?

Cap Web Solutions’ portfolio is growing. Check it out for yourself. My goal is to double the number of websites shown on it in 2016. eCommerce sites comprised the single largest single segment this past year, while church websites, a stated focal point, not so much. I hope to expand this later segment in 2016 through a marketing program aimed at local denominational dioceses. Nothing like demonstrating success in your own back yard I say.

On a personal note, this new life as an empty-nester is different. Our youngest moved out of the house in early February. Now both sons are about about an hour drive – one to the north and one to the west, with about an hour in between the two of them – a rather nice equilateral triangle I might add, or is that a special case of an isosceles triangle? Grocery bills have dropped considerably, but the house has an almost constant state of quiet about it. This is helpful for meditation, but not so much a feeling of family. Working from home only enhances that. Thank goodness for Wegman’s Market Cafe and free wifi!

So that’s it. An overview of 2015. Never done one of these posts to this degree before. It has been, let’s say, therapeutic. Good for the soul.

Onward and upward into 2016.

Stick with me. Let’s do this.

Stick With It.

by Em Are · May 7, 2015

Sometimes its uncanny the way things work out. Call it divine intervention, coincidence, a higher power looking over my shoulder, or whatever, but there’ s something at work out there to help me keep my head in the game.

My wife and I were having a rather heated discussion last evening about the state of my business. Well, let’s be honest, I was doing most of the talking, she was trying to listen and figure out where I was coming from.

The problem is, this s@$t ain’t easy. What s@$t do you mean, Matt? Why, running your own business, of course. Building a platform. Nurturing a start-up. The stuff dreams and hopes are made of.

Call it what you will. I’m just over 10 months into it now and I’m still hearing that very loud sucking noise at the door. You know, the sound of the little remaining cash being sucked through the gaping hole in my financial base.

The uncanny part … podcasts that come along just in time. This morning I’m out on my walk and my “on the go” playlist included Michael Hyatt’s latest inspiration. This weeks episode is called The One Way to Guarantee You Won’t Succeed and I tell you, it hit me right between the eyes. How to stay inspired, stick with it, focus on the why, take small steps, and, it ALWAYS takes longer than you think.

There’s nothing in life worth accomplishing that doesn’t come with resistance.
– Michael Hyatt

Truer words haven’t been spoken, at least to me, this morning.

So what do I do with this? Well, go back to my original planning docs. Look at it hard, revise, rework, reset and get moving back on track to the target. Avoid the distractions. Break things down into smaller bite-sized pieces. I can do this. I want to do this – still. I have a goal and I plan to attain it.

The opportunity is real. The exploration of it has merit and a future. Stick with it.

Onward and upward. Let’s do this.

Photo credit: Joshua Earle

My MVP? I Got This. #7DAYSTARTUP DAY 2

by Em Are · Jan 15, 2015

Day 2 of Dan Norris’ The 7 Day Startup: You Don’t Learn Until You Launch has me identifying my minimally viable product, or MVP, that I will be able to offer at launch. I’ve struggled over the last week or so to get the time to nicely assemble this info in a presentable packet so that I could progress on this journey. Turns out that the 7 day startup for me, is, well, more like 7 little projects to startup. Day 1 was almost a week ago. Mike Echlin does it justice in his Day 6 blog post. Check it out here. While you are there check out his whole series. He has a cool idea.

In any case, this morning I had a break through, roughly around 4 am when most of my break through (can ‘break through’ be plural?) occur.

This is me, talking to myself at 4 am today:

Matt, you already have all this stuff. When you started Cap Web Solutions you outlined a page-load of support and maintenance services you offer. Three tiers of support tasks, along with pricing, a way to ask for the service, email address for communication – it’s all there.

Right. I do have it. I’m launching / re-launching with more simplicity this time. Trash the 3 levels of maintenance. Forget the multilevel pricing. Let’s do it simple. Make it easy for customers to understand and buy. The whole elevator pitch concept I am so familiar with these days.

Done. My MVP will be a consolidation of my three maintenance tiers, one price for all, details on what types of maintenance we do, and how to get in touch with us. The name of the service is still in limbo, but will most probably be a take-off of my current branding theme. I’ll set up the live chat feature so customers can contact us that way. I’ll add in some auto-responders and workflow to keep track of requests that come in. Billing is already in place so no worries there. I’ll tweak my current website, actually I’ll do a complete overhaul and get rid of the extraneous stuff. Just focus on the MVP.

The next day/ task/ project will follow quickly. I know it. My break through was awesome this morning. In fact it got me up, and hitting the key board very quickly today. And a few cups of Dunkin’ Donuts Dark Roast didn’t hurt either.

All the best.

Blogging 101: Be a Good Neighbor

by Em Are · Sep 24, 2014

Today’s goal is to work on being more engaging with the community I am writing to. It’s one thing to write to the interweb, It is quite another to interact with the community. One of the most unexpected outcomes of this exercise is being made aware of all the good writing and story telling that is going on out there. Not to say that some of it couldn’t use a little help here and there, but for the most part, people who are taking the time to try and improve the quality of their blogging really do have a knack for the written word. As I have looked at the blogs of others, I am finding truly engaging blogging in the most unexpected subject matters and geographical locations, in a variety of styles.

Over the past week I have looked at many blogs, some brand new and evolving, some established with a following, some that are just coming back to life after a hiatus. I have left a couple of comments here and there, even added my own updates to the Blogging 101 assignment page. Let’s take that one step further an engage. A well thought out comment, an interaction with a stranger via one of their most personal outlets, putting myself out there. Possible rejection. Possible acceptance. Potential rewards.

Okay, so let’s do this.

One of my fav food blogger sites is Minimalist Baker. Your first visit will hook you if you’re into food in any way. The layout, the photos, the way they engage with their community. and better yet, their blog is built using the Genesis framework for WordPress. That is near and dear to my heart as I am concentrating my WordPress development on this framework. It good to be inspired by professionals who care.

I found Grove Hill Coaching today while browsing the Blogging 101 links. Actually I got to that site through another one of Jason’s blogs – CORTADO INGLES. What initially pulled me in was the reference to coffee, and Sunday morning cafes, and espresso. As an admitted coffee freak I am uncontrollably drawn in that direction, so when I saw the link, well, need I say more.

In a totally different direction I came across the Metamorphosis of a Wallflower. Not typically what I am drawn to, but Valentine’s Owner is developing a unique style and anyone who can move forward on a topic of procrastination deserves at least a little listen. Right?

Hmmm. That’s it. Well outside of my comfort zone today. Perhaps this, too, is a new opportunity for me. A way to engage not only with other blogs, but new potential markets for my business. And learn. Always learning. You can teach an old dog…

Blogging 101: Say Your Name

by Em Are · Sep 16, 2014

So that is today’s assignment on the blog challenge. It is a little more specific than that though. I reads:

Today’s assignment: edit your title and tagline.

But what if I already like the title? Okay, so the tag line is/was a little lame. I can change that. A brief period of soul searching brought me to what you see up there now. “The next adventure awaits. Will you walk beside me as I explore it?”

That sums up where I am right now. I am working through the opportunity that is in front of me. I think, no, I know, that my prayers and those of others, have brought me to this point. I can do this so long as I keep my focus and stay confident in my skills, both technical and interpersonal.

But even more than that, I’ve come to learn that no one goes it alone. You don’t succeed, or fail for that matter, all by yourself. You need help along the way. Being a remote worked for the last 11 years or so, I thought that I was more or less on my own. In actuality, I had a team around me that I could reach out to. It was not someone at the next desk, or in an office down the hall, as you might find in a more traditional office, but rather, someone at the other end of a phone call, or an instant message, or a text.

Now, as a solo entrepreneur, I realize how important that extended team, or support network is to success. There is no corporate office to call into, to visit once a month, no co-worker to IM about something funny I just heard, or to bounce ideas off of. I need to build that structure for myself, to find compatible minds to engage with, to provide feedback to, and ask for the same for myself.

This new opportunity is a journey of discovery on so many different fronts. I am delighted that you are here today, reading this, considering whether or not you want to come along with me to explore it. I could use your support. I promise to return the favor.

I am an entrepreneur.

by Em Are · May 20, 2014

After a brisk walk this morning I headed off to the dentist for a 6 month checkup. My preference is always for early morning dental visits – ‘get it over with’ is my motto when it comes to dental experiences. As I was getting settled in the dental hygienist asks me if I had the day off. “No”, I said, “I have a website development company and I’m able to work from home.” Just like that. No second thought. No stumbling through the ‘in transition’ awkwardness that I never did get very good at when faced with the question before. I have a website development company and I work for myself! Wow.

That really felt good. I am an entrepreneur. (Note to self. You have to commit the spelling of that word to memory along with its proper pronunciation. Stop using right-click spell check on it.) This week I’m fully immersed in marketing mode. Writing copy for my website, re-working my LinkedIn profile, making networking connections with new mentors, fleshing out the business plan and pulling together the financials.

Tomorrow evening I’m registered for a course sponsored by the Small Business Development Center at Kutztown University. The class, “How to Start and Operate a Small Business” is part of their first steps program to enable me to get access to their business start-up consulting services. The following night I begin a 4 part workshop on Business Planning. This is sponsored by local SCORE chapter in Chester County, PA. I am energized by the opportunity to learn, to expand my skill set and better prepare myself for a successful venture.

My website is still just a shell, but it is starting to take shape. More copy to be written and added tonight. I’ll link to it soon enough. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

All the best to you.