Long before I read Gary Vaynerchuk‘s Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion in 2009, I had already purchased the url for Mikayle.com. Gary’s list held very true then and still holds up today. (see list below).
I’ll be transitioning this blog to Mikayle.com once I am happy with where this site is going. But for now, you can visit the “vintage” site designed back in 2008 with some slight revisions made since then. I was inspired by Zen Habits author, Leo Babauta, and his journey into freelancing back in January of 2008 when I had made the same move. I had worked for a local design agency for over 17 years at that point and was ready to have a more flexible schedule to focus on my family, expanding work with non profits also know as Cause Marketing, as well as this thing called “New Media”. You’ll see my list of clients back then consisted of schools, non-profit agencies and some small local businesses.
After a divorce in 2012 and working at some interesting jobs such as a Community Relations Director, Business Development Manager and most recently as a Production Coordinator/In-house Designer and Marketer, I am ready to pick up where I left off in 2011. My new website
Appendix A of Crush It!, 2009
1. Identify your passion.
2. Make sure you can think of at least fifty awesome blog topics to ensure stickiness.
3. Answer the following questions:
– Am I sure my passion is what I think it is?
– Can I talk about it better than anyone else?
4. Name your personal brand. You don’t have to refer to it anywhere in your content, but you should have a clear idea of what it is. For example, “The no-bs real-estate agent,” “The connoisseur of cookware,” “The cool guide to young-adult books boys will love to read.”
5. Buy your username–.com and .tv, if possible–at GoDaddy.com.
6. Choose your medium: video, audio, written word.
7. Start a WordPress[sic] or Tumblr account.
8. Hire a designer.
9. Include a Facebook Connect link, Call-to-Action buttons, Share Functions, and a button that invites people to do business with you in a prominent place on your blog.
10. Create a Facebook fan page.
11. Sign up for Ping.fm or TubeMogul and select all of the platforms to which you want to distribute your content. Choosing Twitter and Facebook is imperative; the others you can select according to your needs and preference.
12. Post your content.
13. Start creating community by leaving comments on other people’s blogs and forums and replying to comments to your own comment.
14. Use Twitter Search (or Search.Twitter) to find as many people as possible talking about your topic, and communicate with them.
15. Use blogsearch.Google.com to find more blogs that are relevant to your subject.
16. Join as many active Facbook fan pages and groups relating to your blog topic as possible.
17. Repeat steps 12 through 16 over and over and over and over and over.
18. Do it again.
19. And again.
20. When you feel your personal brand has gained sufficient attention and stickiness, start reaching out to advertisers and begin monetizing.
21. Enjoy the ride.
Terry Dawson, Owner of Coburg Pizza Co. and Nana’s Caffe, contacted me about taking a thumbnail sketch an artist created for him and creating vector art that he could use for many applications such as a facebook icon, signage and flyer logo for his caffe that he has at his Coburg location.
