The concept is easy. Show up. Express interests and ask questions. Break into small groups and exchange knowledge. Become a better freelancer.
// August 3rd, 2009 // Comments // Las Vegas 2009
Preparations for the October Las Vegas event are moving swiftly! The organizer is actively seeking sponsors and volunteers to support the event. If you live in the Las Vegas vicinity and want to lend a hand, leave a comment and we will reach out.
// June 15th, 2009 // Comments // Santa Cruz 2009
Palace started in Monterey in the 1890’s, expanded to Santa Cruz in the ’40s and was purchased by the Trowbridge family in 1949. Palace has grown exponentially acquiring 9 other independent office supply companies throughout the Central Coast.
Today, we are the largest independent dealer of art and office supplies, and office furniture in Santa Cruz and Monterey. We clearly understand that we are the Local Alternative to the Mega Companies and we know that we must try harder, be more creative, add value, offer equal to/or better pricing and out service our competition everyday to continue to earn the privilege of being in business. We have built this family owned company and our reputation on doing exactly as we have promised: giving world-class service locally and truly saving our customers money everyday on both office supplies and office furniture.
Need Furniture or Supplies? Visit Palace Office Supply & Office Interiors
// June 13th, 2009 // Comments // Miami 2009
There is a great roundup of Freelance Camp Miami, including slides and videos of sessions on “Holy Crap My Hair is On Fire”. Sessions Edwin went to included :
* Working in Your Pajamas? How to Make Living as a Freelance Writer
* Sexing Up Your Small Business Image
* Do what you love (or your work life will totally suck)
* Best Practices for Using Social Media for PR.
This event was run in collaboration with the laid off camp series.
// June 13th, 2009 // Comments // Run Your Own Camp
The following provides a how to manual for putting on a freelance camp. This checklist is an accumulation of all the questions we had to ask and hurdles faced over the last year and a half. When it comes down to it, there are really three things you need to figure out: Venue & Food, Money (Sponsors) and Getting Peopl to Show Up (Marketing).
STEP 1: Getting Started
1. Register with www.freelancamp.org
2. Brainstorming Venues & Food
3. Preparing for Sponsors
4. Create a budget
STEP 2: Putting Plans into Motion
1. Secure a Venue
2. Signing Up Sponsors
STEP 3: Marketing and Outreach
STEP 4: Have Fun and Watch it Unfold
Oh and Side Notes & Recommendations
(more…)
// June 3rd, 2009 // Comments // Santa Cruz 2009
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), located at Cabrillo College, offers numerous resources and tools for business to thrive and survive. Given the current economic climate, the SBDC is a true gem for all the services and guidance they provide in running a successful business. New and existing businesses can leverage the Center’s consulting services to review existing processes, operations and cash flow while planning for the future. For potential business the SBDC offers an array of services from Quickbook assistance, business plan preparations to marketing plan assistance. The SBDC works closely with local lenders and can provide information on targeted loan programs including micro-loans and SBA Loan guarantee programs. In addition, they specialize in Restaurant/hospitality management, Childcare providers, Retail management, and Government contracting. We would like to announce the Small Business Development Center as one of our most generous and proud sponsors.
Visit them at http://www.centralcoastSBDC.org
Or call 831/479-6136
// May 18th, 2009 // Comments // Santa Cruz 2009
Studio Holladay
We Are Creative, Sometime We’re Linear Thinkers, Forging a Direct Path Between Point A and B. Other Times We’re Broken Field Runners, Taking the Audience on the Scenic Uniquely Memorable Route. Either Way, We Deliver the Destination, Distilling Even the Most Complex Marketing Messages into Elegant Outcomes. Or Put Another Way: Left Brain, Right Brain. We Maintain Residence in Both Neighborhoods.
Visit Them at http://www.studioholladay.com
studio:831.421.9017 mobile:831.332.2573
503 SWIFT STREET / SANTA CRUZ CA 95060
// May 1st, 2009 // Comments // Santa Cruz 2009
The City of Santa Cruz, located between lush redwood forests and the Pacific Ocean, is one the most beautiful environments to start anything, whether that is a new family or a new business. Boasting a unique blend of camaraderie, community and cooperation (and easy access to Silicon Valley talent and services) Santa Cruz thrives on a long history of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Check out Cruzbusiness.com. The site serves as a holistic guide to starting and sustaining a business within city limits. It’s resources include financial calculators, links to business support services, funding sources, real estate and research tools. These resources are bolstered by the staff at the City’s Economic Development & Redevelopment Office which strives to make opening a new venture in town as easy as possible.
Visit them at http://www.cruzbusiness.com or call 831.420.5150
// April 26th, 2009 // Comments // Houston 2009
Article by Corilyn Shropshire in the Houston Chronicle on April 24, 2009
They call it the un-conference.
It’s a place where everybody is somebody, jeans rule over expensive suits, drones at the podium are (strongly) discouraged and the schmoozing is (typically) free.
At one of these so-called BarCamps, whoever shows up gets to decide what happens.
What began in 2005 as anti-conference for geeks in Silicon Valley — a gathering for a bunch of computer programmers irritated by the exclusivity of invitation-only technology conferences — the barcamp has sprouted offshoots that have nongeeks, youngish hipsters and even baby boomers looking to learn a new trick rallying together around a common interest.
While the original barcamps tended to be focused on developing Web applications, these days, the themes increasingly run the gamut. On any given weekend, meet-ups known as GreenCamp, BandCamp, even CupcakeCamp, are taking place in cities around the world.
It’s spreading like a virus: PhotoCamps attract amateurs and professional shutterbugs to powwow about the latest in photography.
SkepticCamp spawns discussion about everything from the benefits of detoxing and eating organic food to paranormal encounters. ArtCamp brings artists and art organizations together for a day-long brainstorming session.
At a recent LaidoffCamp in San Francisco, one of the most popular sessions was “Booked-#$%^$% Solid,” which addressed how the self-employed can land clients and keep them.
“The whole idea is 20 minds are better than one,” said Travis Skweres, who recently organized FreelanceCamp in Houston. Roughly 100 participants attended sessions including “Resume 2.0” and “Twitter Basics.”
“Everyone learns from everyone else,” he said.
Here’s how it works: A bunch of people with similar interests decide on a theme, pick a date, find a venue and set about spreading the word, primarily through online social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.
Participants arrive in the morning and either sign up to speak on a topic relevant to the theme or wander in and out of workshops that interest them.
Anyone can host a camp, guided by a barcamp “wiki” with instructions on Web.
The workshops tend to be spirited events with an academic vibe — attendees tapping away on laptops (Twittering, no doubt) while a speaker beckons input from the crowd.
“Campers” say the cool thing about barcamps is that they are flexible, laid-back, collaborative and communal — great places to share ideas.
Taking part in the discussion is expected. Keeping silent is strongly discouraged.
“I like it because it’s crowd sourcing,” said Grace J. Rodriguez, who led the “Branding U” workshop at FreelanceCamp Houston. “It’s open source in real life, everyone has value and everyone can contribute.”
Barcamps also allow people who are increasingly conversing online to get face time with each other.
“With Twitter what you can say is limited, so the conversations are limited,” Rodriguez said .
Since barcamps usually are free, fans say they wonder why anyone would pay to listen to talking heads with little or no interaction.
If participants pay anything at all, it’s usually less than $50 to help cover costs for bagels in the morning, pizza for lunch and candy in midafternoon.
FreelanceCamp organizer Skweres raised roughly $1,500 to pay for the venue, food and such extras as T-shirts and notebooks.
The organizers of last month’s LaidoffCamp San Francisco got the use of a nightclub in exchange for guaranteeing participants would spend at least $1,000 drinking at the post-camp happy hour.
If barcamp sounds like anarchy, it’s not. Democracy rules.
If a speaker is bad, Skweres said, “someone can stand up and suggest a new topic.”
That’s what Skweres wishes he could have done after spending $450 to attend “some really bad sessions,” at South by Southwest in March.
“I was thinking to myself, someone should stand up, suggest a new topic, new speakers or send this (panel) in a different direction,” he said.
So when someone asked to make a comment during his recent lecture on Twitter at FreelanceCamp Houston, Skweres’ feathers weren’t ruffled. He merely invited the person to join him up front.
Anybody can participate in the discussion, as long as he or she has something valuable to add. Said Skweres, “The participants make it happen.”
Anybody can participate in the discussion, as long as he or she has something valuable to add. Said Skweres, “The participants make it happen.”
Both he and Rodriguez are busy planning their next camps locally. Skweres aims to host an EntrepreneurCamp in July, while Rodriguez is working with a team to develop a camp “to teach people how to make good presentations.”
// April 23rd, 2009 // Comments // Santa Cruz 2009
Since 1979, Baskin & Grant has been committed to providing excellent legal services in a broad range of practice areas. Their services include Intellectual Property, Business Law, Family Law, Estate Planning, and Civil litigations. Baskin & Grant emobides the relaxed and accessible ambiance of Santa Cruz, with the intensity, focus, and success rate of a big city firm.
For this legal firm, it is all about keeping the client involved and notified, while maintaining the highest levels of professionalism in achieving success. As managing partner Caleb Sequoia Baskin says “It’s our job to help our clients make good decisions”. This type of outlook has allowed Baskin & Grant to rank in the top 5% of all legal firms, based on AV ratings from Martindale-Hubble.
Their success and involvement goes beyond their resume and mission statement. For Baskin & Grant, the social is just as important as legal justice. Baskin & Grant commitment towards social justice and involvement in the community has made it a true gem in the Santa Cruz area.
Visit them at http://www.baskingrant.com/
// April 21st, 2009 // Comments // San Antonio 2009
Live from the San Antonio Freelance camp, the Struggling Entrepreneur podcast describes the event as well as its value to the Free Agent or Freelancer — or the Solo-preneur.
“During that session, we interviewed Craig McCasland of www.obeo.com. Craig came with interest to this unconference, as he had never been to one before. His business is in need of rebranding, and his open mind came with questions about social media and how to use it for his business and his customers. And as you will discover from this audio episode, Craig left with a pleasant surprise.”
