I teach, train, explain, analyze, recommend and, in general, help people help themselves. I offer publications, resources, classes, training, presentations and workshops in online marketing, social media and New Economy topics.

I’m not looking for “job security.” My business model isn’t to sign you up and make you pay forever to have your web pages updated. I’m like Yojimbo (without all the bloodshed and tears); I want to come into your village, get the job done and move on.

In late 2004 I opened a quality brick-and-mortar yarn shop and grossed in my first year more than half the TNNA member yarn shops. Unfortunately, it cost me more than that to keep the doors open and the fiber flowing. I knew I had to make a choice: a) try to tap dance faster and sell more to local customers; b) sell cheaper products, eliminate the staff and do it all myself; or c) reach a wider audience online. Caught up in the day to day struggle and burning out faster than a paper match, I chose A. Less than a year later I shut the doors depressed and massively in debt.

After that I returned to my former career as a web developer to try and pay off the debt. I spent several months sitting in a freezing, opaque fishbowl making changes to client sites while my boss sat beside me yelling into the phone for 8 hours a day in between hissing at us to up-sell clients to the “SEO package” (regular website updates & adding a WordPress blog to their sites). One day I spotted a Gold-Crowned sparrow peering in at us through the slit window near the ceiling and realized I was sitting in Hell.

So I started teaching classes for the Peninsula College Entrepreneur Institute to help other small business owners avoid my mistake of not choosing option C and moving online to reach their target audience no matter where they lived and to grab the opportunities to small business that the Internet offers. I still teach classes for the PCEI, but I want to reach more people.

In 21^st Century marketing, you are building relationships with your customers even before you know they exist.

One of the great things about the Internet, social media and global communications is that the small business (even the micro-business) can compete with the Goliath corporations — and win — by being fast and nimble.

I strongly advocate a Content Management System (CMS) site for most people and organizations,  usually WordPress. In the 21st Century, your website and other communication can’t be on 3-day delay while you get your “webmaster” to post new stuff. I understand that web site management can be frustrating and costly when it’s an afterthought.

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Can Be a Lot Shorter With a Good Map

As my grandmother used to say, prior proper planning prevents poor performance. My goal is to help you with your prior proper planning by giving you the knowledge and tools you need to make better decisions — or find a better path for your journey.

The Boring Background Stuff

I have been an Internet developer since 1994. Although, I wrote a book for Franklin-Watts, a division of Grolier’s at the time, titled Electronic Bulletin Boards in 1985. (It was aimed at 10-12 year old kids, but I discovered it was being checked out by a lot of college guys.)

I was Web Editor for Harcourt Brace Professional Publishing Co. (back when they existed), Creative Director for classiFind.com (before the DotCom bubble crashed taking these guys with it), site developer and PERL programmer for another DotCom victim and Technical Trainer for company teaching stuff like Postscript and pre-press set-up at places like HP Singapore and high-end printing companies.  And I did a lot of contract marketing, design and technical writing as well as the ubiquitous contract computer programmer.

In addition, I have worked as a freelance writer, graphics designer, comedy writer, comedian, associate editor, small press publisher and executive secretary to a mad scientist (I know how to give CPR to a guinea pig and way more about the sexual habits of different socio-economic groups than I ever wanted to know).

I’ve lived in 3 out of the 4 corners of the Continental USA (graduated Key West High School with the mighty fighting Conchs — could anyone make that up?). But I’m an explorer by nature and love to come back and report the conditions ahead.

So if your organization needs a custom presentation, training or educational materials,  let’s talk. Otherwise, please enjoy the information on the site and if you find it useful thing about buying me a latte.