The future is the presence of nothingness, but the unformed essence of the future is in no way negative. Everyday speech always speaks of the “possibilities” of the future and its grand openness. It is this positive nullity which defines the future in all ventures. In the one case, the future is negative because it is not yet, but in every other instance, it is positive precisely because it is negative. The future is latent potential which, once it becomes the present, is made actual.

In programming, a variable can be established. For example, if an integer x is created, its default value is NULL and null is never equal to 0. The nullity of the variable future is not absolute zero nor is it negative. The future is a positive emptiness that permits itself to be populated. But in order to prepare for the future, one must always engage the ever-changing nature of the world around oneself. As technology advances, your plans must adapt. If they do not, they will fail. But optimizing for the future is increasing one’s possibilities, one’s adaptability.

The creation of a new outlet like an optimized website opens up new possibilities one could not otherwise have tapped. A website like I would set up is entirely in your hands, complete with instructions for maintaining and operating your site — even customizing it… and all dummy-proof. Embrace the emptiness of the future by opening up your possibilities.

Freedom in all cases is freedom from necessity. The degree of freedom is equal to the degree to which one’s actions are unnecessary. It is towards this which all labor. What’s the point of a job if all you do is your job? The point of a job is to take care of necessities so that you can get on with real life. The doctrine of “vocation” is a backwards understanding of freedom… while one is “called” — it is a calling of your own freely given being to be free authentically. Your vocation is not to labor on a specific career path your entire life. No, your vocation is to be freed from the confines of necessity in all but the unavoidable forms. Yes, you’ll always need to eat. Yes, you’ll always have to die. But these are essential to the primordial state of human mode of being. Anything that comes into being passes out of being, anything that eats will be eaten. There are certain necessary laws which frame our freedom and which cannot be escaped. In fact, to live authentically (or do business authentically), we have to encounter these unavoidable laws head on.

Business in the conventional sense of “paying the mortgage” is not personal, nor is it meant to be — not is it meant to mean anything. A job, in as much as it does pay a mortgage, maintains the empty space in which we dwell in our homes. Again, it is the emptiness of the house that allows us to live in it. It is the emptiness of the air outside that allows us to travel through it with ease. But the labor we do daily is not a source of meaning, nor should it be. Our “vocation” is a non-economical drawing-forth out of our own essence.

What can make you more free? What can make your business less bound by necessity? While not philosophical, my labor is practical. A website (new or improved) provides an open space for your business to thrive. Yes, openness to possibilities is always a risk of a “bad” possibility, but without that fundamental risk, there is never any “good” or “bad” (or any “is” at all!). Contact me to find out how you can increase your freedom.

One should not have rigid expectations for one’s business. In fact, rigidity — either to production or prices — will eventually drive one out of business, even if that very rigidity is what made one successful in the first place.

The dangers of habit can be subtle, especially when a business appears to become “automatic” — but any business-owner knows there isn’t really any such thing as an “automatic” business which will keep itself alive without one’s assistance, even if it is as little effort as renegotiating prices or routine maintenance. The dangers of habit blind one to the spontaneous nature of events. Events are interruptions, unexpected variables. They have no duration in time, like a single point. While events have no duration, the “rip” they cause leaves behind effects you have to deal with immediately. But if one is operating a casual, habitual business, one is not ready for these eruptions.

To be prepared for the worst, it’s not that one has to prepare for war. It’s simply that one has to be open to every possibility within the context of probabilities. Probably, your supplier won’t go under spontaneously. Possibly, they may go under. The strategy, then, is to feel out alternative suppliers to see what the wait time would be if you were forced to switch.

Three principles which can be employed for businesses are as followed:

1. Impermanence – no matter how long you believe your business will last, everything that comes into being will pass out of being. It’s only fair to plan for its demise, but also to allow your business to suffer “little deaths” — changes — which are the only thing which allows life to continue. If you want your business to continue indefinitely, you can’t cling to a specific vision of your business or to a past version of your business. Accept your situation and see it newly, as if you were an outsider. What advice would you offer to someone else in your situation?
2. Incompletion – it doesn’t matter how much work you’ve done, your business will always be incomplete. There is always something else than can be done. In fact, if your business were complete, it would be over: without incomplete transactions, there is no future business… and no future income. The difficulty created by incompletion — certainly the frustration — is not something to be resolved, but embraced.
3. Imperfection – without this principle to moderate our approach to incompletion, we might try to make everything perfect. But everything we do is imperfect, as much as it is incomplete and impermanent. The only decisions we can make are imperfect — they’re always approximations based on our limited knowledge of the market, of our customers, of ourselves… and (obviously) of the future. But we make do, and that’s fine. A business shouldn’t go under because of small mistakes — just don’t make the bigger mistake of thinking mistakes are a big problem.

When looking for ways to optimize a small business, one should look for ways to increase exposure as much as possible on a budget. Ways that can help your website (new or old) increase visibility are as follows:

• Revisit old content – if part of your website is old, it probably is out of date. If your website is out of date, then it isn’t attracting relevant (or timely) customers. If you have upcoming events or special deals, make sure they’re available in as many forms as possible.
• Cheap exposure – if there are local businesses or any partnerships you have, see if they’re interested in trading advertising. This can be as simple as putting flyers for events in each other’s windows, or it can be more elaborate — such as trading ads on your websites. Don’t forget the utility of a good newsletter. In fact, this leads to the next point.
• Free swag – free stuff, more than anything I’ve seen, is a source of good, loyal, and relevant traffic. In your newsletter, give frequent discounts, coupons, deals, and giveaways.
• New content – this is really a subpoint of the first point, but really? According to Wired Magazine, the “web” is dying and it’s being replaced by CONTENT-driven traffic. People aren’t going to static websites — they’re looking for videos, podcasts, downloads, ebooks, music, and virtually anything that will go onto a mobile device. But on top of that, content can be relevant information. When you make blog posts, don’t focus on keywords. As Tim Ferris says, you’ll just come across sounding like you’re a spambot. So, give away useful information, but not so useful that you lose your job! You need a niche, but you can tell people how to keep their product in good shape — the product you sell!
• Redesign – often, and this is shameless self-promotion, what’s really needed is a redesign. While a website might look pretty, if it’s Flash-based, it’s probably sub-par. Flash websites are notorious for not complying well with Search Engine Optimization requirements. If you want your website to look good, that’s one thing, but if you want your website to be found, that’s another thing. And that’s what I do. A lot of people (designers and clients) waste a lot of time in the design process, when what really matters is whether computers like your website — not people! If computers don’t, people can’t even see it! So, if this selfish bit of prostitution sold you, contact me!

There are many (including me!) who’d prefer to live within a budget. I do not charge based on the number of pages you need on your website. My rate is your rate. And even if you can’t afford money for a website, I am happy to trade labor. You have a skill, I have a skill — why not trade hours? It’s a simple solution, tax-free, and hurts no one’s wallets. I am serious about this opportunity. If you need a website and cannot afford to pay for a website with cash, you can pay for it with something you’re good at and I need.

For example, if you are a painter and need a website, we can trade the time and labor for a website for the time and labor to paint a room — whatever ends up being equitable. Feel free to call me, feel free to email me. I seek to make my local economy more vibrant, by any means necessary.

One element of websites often overlooked by business owners is Search Engine Optimization. There are plenty of advertisements ready and willing to take your money to “optimize” your website, but it’s my goal to put the power of optimization in your hands. There is no additional charge for this. Your website will show up properly on Bing, Google, Yahoo, and numerous other sites.

About to weather Hurricane Earl here on the Eastern Shore, but have no fear. I will still be here to make websites for you. Give me a call if you have any questions. You can’t beat our offer.

1-888-845-0880

Through an overuse of special effects, many businesses end up with a flashy website, but one which sends people away immediately. Here at Bulldog, we’re dedicated to bringing to something simple which will help your business grow. Contact us with any questions or for a free estimate. We’re happy to help!

1-888-845-0880

I’ve been waiting for Diaspora for a long time. Now it looks like we’ll actually be getting an open source alternative to the invasive and fascist facebook. Open source all the way. Sept. 15th – join the Diaspora. Very exciting… except I’d already left Facebook months ago. When my fiance said, “I miss you!” I knew I’d made the right choice.

Google is taking over everything. If it’s not directly competing with Facebook, it provides the platform on which facebook users can operate: Droid. If Google Phone isn’t directly competing with Skype, it’s darn close to that. If there’s a market Google can corner through its limitless creativity, it will do so. Skype has nearly half a billion users, but even then… Skype can run on Droid. Google seems to be pulling the rug out from under people… or is it pushing a rug under?