Dev Logic Articles

Bootstrapping - the secret (family friendly) work week

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Bootstrapping - the secret (family friendly) work week

Written by Matt on November 1, 2011

After reading an article titled Bootstrapping - the secret work week over on hacker news, I thought I'd do a family friendly version. We have a 7 year old and a 4 year old.

Get up Early

Getting up early is usually a forgone conclusion for those of us with young kids. They tend to wake up way too early. I can't seem to squeeze a whole hour out each morning but I do get to work half an hour early and use that time to hack.

Total: 5 hours

Afternoon

I happen to be a freelance developer but still have customers and I have to deliver on their expectations. That said, each afternoon I wrap up what I was working on and flick contexts into start-up mode for another hour. Afternoon time is great for the quick wins. Things that can be done after thinking about other customer problems all day long. Make a list.

5 hours

Night time

Family time is from when I get home till the kids are in bed. 5:30ish - 8ish.

Lately we've been addicted to Breaking Bad and were watching it just a little bit too much but we're done now and am back to another 2 hours per night. If you watch TV on the network's schedule you're a chump. Stop that.

10 hours

Weekends

Weekends for us are busy. Sport, family, friends, it all happens on the weekend. That said I can usually find another hour and a half on each weekend day. If the kids happen to be playing quietly together is a perfect time.

3 hours

Total time: 23 hours per week

So I come in under the 49 hours mentioned in the other article, but that's OK. I've done 80 hour weeks before in a previous start up and family time it not optional if you want to be in it for the long haul.

Also, by the time you have a family, I hope you're a little more focussed and picky about what you're spending your time on and waste far less of it.

Knowledge Base eBook Awarded White Paper of the Year

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Knowledge Base eBook Awarded White Paper of the Year

Written by Aprill on October 21, 2011

Recently, I had the honor of receiving the 2011 White Paper of the Year award from the Australian chapter of the IT Service Management Forum (itSMF). A Simple Guide to Creating a Knowledge Base was selected from a range of submissions for it's practical approach to a common problem in the IT industry. Although I had written the eBook to appeal to a broader business audience, I'm pleased it's found such an enthusiastic audience from the industry in which I gained most of my knowledge management experience.

If you'd like to find out what's inside, download the contents for free.

White papers are authoritative reports or guides that help solve problems, and are most effective when written with a purpose that benefits your readers. They can be a great tool for marketing your business, so contact me if you'd like to know more.

Delegation: An Entrepreneur's Best Friend

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Delegation: An Entrepreneur's Best Friend

Written by Aprill on March 11, 2011

For the business owner and entrepreneur, there will probably come a time when you need to think about delegating. You'll get busy, then you'll become successful (if you aren't already), and you'll get even busier. Of course, you'll be needing a personal assistant, eventually, to handle incoming email, phone enquiries, shipping and payment issues. Maybe you'll outsource the comment and community management on your blog, maybe it'll be someone handling your twitter responses.

No matter what the reason, you'll need to start sharing your knowledge and processes with your staff. When we first hire someone they, ideally, come with the skill set we were after; and so we expect them to be able to know a certain amount already. But inside our own minds is all the assumed knowledge we already have of how our business works and what our customers need. Trust me, your new staff will be asking you questions, interrupting your mojo, and then asking the same question a few weeks later when that thing happens again.

What a Knowledge Base Can Do For You

There was a great blog post from Derek Sivers, the founder of CD Baby, on this exact topic, in January. Here's the process he took for creating his business's manual:

Gather everybody around.
Answer the question, and explain the philosophy.
Make sure everyone understands the thought process.
Ask one person to write it in the manual.
Let them know they can decide this without me next time.

Derek goes on to say "after two months of this, there were no more questions."

Creating the manual, or knowledge base, for your business is an investment of time that pays off big with rewards in efficiency and reputation. Imagine a staff who can instantly handle any enquiry just by searching the knowledge base for the answer.

A Simple Guide to Creating a Knowledge Base

Over the years I've spent in IT, I've had a lot to do with knowledge bases. They've helped me remember stuff and they've saved my ass. But I also know how hard it is build one from scratch. (Talk about procrastination!) So I wrote an eBook that demystifies the process. Read my tips on how to get started, how to write clearly and how to keep it going. Get my Simple Guide to Creating a Knowledge Base and start delegating so you can live that 4 hour work week you've been aspiring to.

Case Studies Sell

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Case Studies Sell

Written by Aprill on February 6, 2011

Case studies are like testimonials with extra beef. Notice I said beef, not bull. A case study provides an honest commentary on why your client made the right decision to seek your help. It's commercial story telling with a happy ending. And the story is best told by the client.

Most case studies follow a formula and are generally short, at around 300 words.

your client's name and business or website, if you've provided web services, and a brief description of what they do
your client's description of the problem, in their language
your approach or recommendation
the outcome

The outcome is of fundamental importance. This is where the benefits to your client are clearly stated, without the industry jargon. Benefits are crucial. Facts and figures that show how your approach improved the business make a big impact. Direct quotes from your client about your role in their outcome add to the sense of honesty and convince potential clients that you can solve their problem, too.

Case studies are a soft sell approach. Often, you will see the testimonials and case studies towards the end of promotional materials because they're a deal closer. Your future client is already attracted to your product or service, but they want proof before they hit the BUY button or pick up the phone. Give them a good story with a happy ending and they will want to know more.

Expand Your Brand Beyond the Logo

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Expand Your Brand Beyond the Logo

Written by Aprill on October 24, 2010

Dev Logic had a break recently when we took the kids on a family vacation to Club Med, Bintan Island, and Singapore. I thought I'd do a little brand analysis on Club Med in the wake of our trip. It was something I was quite aware of and it's something Club Med does very well—maintaining a strong brand.

Clear Positioning

As a consumer, Club Med is already attractive in the tourism space. They offer pre-paid, all-inclusive resort and chalet holidays in more than 40 countries. All food, drinks, poolside cocktails and 4 years+ kids clubs are included in the price you pay when you book. When we checked out of the resort the only thing left to pay for were the t-shirts our kids painted. There are no surprises and no bean counting while you're supposed to be relaxing. We like that. That's called positioning.

For families, there is nowhere else quite like it. At Club Med Bintan, there are steps up to the bar for kids to request their own drinks or mocktails; every night the kids are involved in stage performances; and Club Med Baby Welcome ensures facilities are available and dietary needs of the littlest ones are met. They work to make it fun and welcoming for the kids so the parents can go and take part in any of the activities on offer or head to the day spa, at extra cost.

Logo and Identity

Most people consider branding as a company logo and identity. Club Med have that covered, too. The symbol of Poseidon's trident is well known. For Club Med, it represents the domination of the seas, and all their forms of identity dominate the senses. From the non-stop elaborate buffets; to the multi-language announcements; to the guy who's paid to maintain the white sandy beaches with his dustpan, brush and wheelbarrow; and even to the logo stamped in the ashtray sand. The clean, white beaches are part of their identity, just like the logo is. They want you to remember where you are, even as you stub out your cigarette.

Branding is a Two-Way Street

But branding is more than logo and offering. Branding is about the marketing and positioning but it's also about the interaction with the consumer. It's the relationship. Club Med Gracious Organisers (G.O.s) are instantly recognisable. They wear the same bright coloured t-shirt and each day is a different colour. They all speak several languages and happily share parts of their own native culture and the culture of the location of the village. If you've been to a Club Med before, no matter where in the world you might go to next, that Club Med will have the same vibe. Just like when you walk into a McDonald's in a foreign city with weird food choices, the surroundings will feel familiar and you'll feel more confident.

A holistic approach to branding builds trust and loyalty—the building blocks of repeat business. Club Med has that going on, in spades.

How can you expand your brand beyond the logo?

Use Your Intelligence

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Use Your Intelligence

Written by Aprill on September 16, 2010

Your knowledge is an asset and the collective knowledge within your business is valuable. If part of your business is about providing support to clients, both internal or external, a well-maintained knowledge base is crucial to providing good service and maintaining the health of your brand. When you or a key staff member are unavailable, the information locked in that head is unavailable, too. How much trouble would your business be in if your staff couldn't answer a particular question or fix a certain problem? A knowledge base allows you to put all that important information into an accessible, searchable format.

After 13 years in the IT sector, I've seen a range of helpdesk and knowledge management systems but it's not just the IT sector that uses them. Any organisation that solves problems needs to store that collective knowledge to refer back to. It saves you reinventing answers to the same questions and it's an effective training tool. Eventually, a well maintained knowledge base can also service your client via online self-help. It's relationship building, with brains!

Writing For Your Knowledge Base

Authoring knowledge base articles can seem like hard work but with a bit of guidance, even the most unwilling writer will see the benefits.

Here are a few of my best tips:

Keep it simple — This one seems obvious but is the most common mistake in technical documentation. Keep your words short and your sentences uncomplicated.

Minimise jargon — Some jargon and acronyms are acceptable for documentation used internally, but consider the new employee. Your knowledge base will benefit them most if you spell things out and at least provide a quick reference to commonly used acronyms. And if your documentation supports external clients, it (almost) goes without saying, that jargon and acronyms will often cause confusion. Best to stay away.

Be consistent — Format your knowledge base articles with consistency. The same basic black font all the way through with one other colour to highlight important points, makes for easy skim-reading.

If you'd like to find out more on authoring and maintaining your knowledge base, I'm writing an eBook about it. Add your email address to the list and be the first to know when it's launched.

Your knowledge base is an owner's manual for your business. What tools do you use to manage your documentation?

How to Win at Trivia

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

How to Win at Trivia

Written by Aprill on August 24, 2010

As a copywriter, I do a lot of reading. Not only am I constantly practicing my craft, whether it's by writing for the web or for print, I'm always looking at ways to improve it. As well as my daily intake of blog feeds from the movers and shakers in the online communications industry, I read books about writing and marketing. But as a freelance copywriter I read about a lot of other stuff, too.

Copywriters Know a Little About a Lot

One of my main roles is to help you sell. It doesn't matter what you sell—you could be selling a product, a service, or selling an idea. Apart from getting to know something about you and your typical audience, I also come to know quite a bit about what you're selling, no matter what it is.

Lately, I've learnt a lot about automatic transmissions. Considering my ability to drive around unaware of a flat tyre, I had a bit of research to do. Likewise, I'm far more informed on the traditional political spectrum than I was before. Copywriters cover such a wide range of material we make great members for any trivia team.

You Can Know Too Much

A well-written brief can help to provide background information about your business, your offering, and what you expect in terms of tone, word count and the call to action. But, because you know your product so intimately, you might be suffering the Curse of Knowledge. You know it so well that you can easily tell me all the features. You can even tell me why yours is better than someone else's. But the Curse of Knowledge makes it easy to forget what the benefits are for someone who's never considered buying one before. So, while an informative brief does save time for both of us, I will always seek to add to that material by asking you seemingly obvious questions and by conducting my own research.

And next time you go to the pub for trivia night, take a writer-friend with you.

How do you walk the line between being the expert and thinking like your audience?

Photo courtesy of gesteves

The Common Sense Industry

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The Common Sense Industry

Written by Aprill on August 6, 2010

Our ways of doing business are going through a correction, of sorts. As we evolve to do more of our business online, or at least support our brick and mortar businesses with an online presence, we're going back to fundamentals. In fact, there seems to be a big trade in the industry of common sense.

Rework Reworks the Way we Think

A terrific example of this is Jason Fried's book Rework. It's a light read about business. In the tech boom of the 90s we worked hard on giving customers what they wanted before they knew they wanted it. We wanted to build things big and be the first to get it out there. We had big ideas and big dreams and if we couldn't fund it ourselves we found a venture capitalist.

We still have our big ideas and big dreams but Rework reminds us to prioritise and focus on the important parts. In clear and simple language, and in short chapters, it espouses iterative design (release early and improve often), and flexibility instead of big product and rigid business plans. It's so obvious, it seems like a whole lot of common sense. And it's enormously popular.

Why the Common Sense Industry is so Big Right Now

The thing about common sense is that what sounds like common sense to you, may not be common sense to others. Think about when you started out doing what you do. You wouldn't have known what you know now. In fact, I'm sure you sought and soaked up all the information you could get your hands on to help you on your way.

The other thing about common sense is that you might be thinking "I know all those things", but are you doing them?

The Problogger Training Day—A Whole Lot of Common Sense

The Problogger training event this week was just that—a room full of people with big ideas listening to common sense advice from big names in the business of blogging.

The speakers and panelists included Collis Ta'eed, the founder of the Envato suite of successful sites, Chris Garrett, Yaro Starak, Pip Lincolne and of course, Problogger's Darren Rowse.

Here are Some Tips

There were a few points that struck a particular chord with me.

Be where people are and be awesome.
Create a client profile - who are they, what are their interests, what do they look like? Give them a name and a photograph that suits that 'personality', and then call that profile to mind when you're creating your product or coming up with a brief for your copywriter.
Don't just be different; be different with an advantage.
Do what you love, or solve your own problem; there will probably be others out there like you.

... and Some Resources

Lots of people have been recording their thoughts on the Problogger training day; search the #pbevent hashtag on Twitter. A few people have graciously shared some resources that came up during conversation.

Links mentioned during the event - Courtesy of Bec Coleman.
15 useful resources from The Blog Stylist.

Did you go to the Problogger day? What are the common sense tips that you took away? If you weren't there, leave a comment telling me what your common sense tips are in your line of work.

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Photo by Wayne Large

If Content is King, Then Service is the Courtesan

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

If Content is King, Then Service is the Courtesan

Written by Aprill on July 28, 2010

Gary Vaynerchuk talked about good service in his keynote speech at Railsconf 2010. Tony Hseih established the Zappos Family Core Values — one of which is to Deliver WOW Through Service.

Consider their positions today.

It wasn't just good luck and good management that got them where they are. While the right time, the right place, and the right people all play a part, it's good customer service that makes a good reputation great. And a great reputation is what gets people coming back time and again, even though you might not be the least expensive option.

Fast service is out the window. Personal service is coming back in.

These days, people are looking for more than just an item. They want a good experience. They want engagement. As Gary points out in that speech, the appreciation for the idea of the "Mom and Pop store" is on the rise. We love handmade again. We enjoy the hand-written. We appreciate the products and services that have a heart and soul intact.

Having passion for your product is the first step, engaging with your customers comes next.

Get to know them better and let them share their stories with you. Whether it's over social media or by engaging copy on your website that allows for customer involvement, become a voice in your village and be open to new ideas that this engagement brings.

At Dev Logic, we like to stay visible and approachable. My copywriting clients don't get charged extra for further editing or alterations that are within the scope of the project. I want you to feel comfortable talking to me, so that I can be the voice that best represents you and what you're passionate about.

How do you keep the heart and soul in your work so people come back for more?

Photo courtesy of greencolander

Don’t Be the Other Guy

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Don’t Be the Other Guy

Written by Aprill on July 7, 2010

What do you do when you need to engage the services of a business? More to the point, how do you find them and then make contact?

I can tell you what I do.

First of all, I google. (Yes, it is a verb according to the Oxford dictionary.) Unfortunately, the town I live in isn’t very web-savvy, yet. Next, I go to my online Yellow Pages.

If there are three businesses listed and two of those have a website mentioned in their ads, I will go and check out both websites. I’ll look around the websites, read any information provided and view the gallery, if it’s relevant. Without even talking to anyone, I’ll have formed a preference in my mind based on what I’ve seen and read. At that point, I’ll most likely write an email or fill out a contact form and hope they get back to me. Picking up the phone is my last port of call.

Most other people I talk to operate the same way. We go online first.

I’ll talk about Google and search ranking another time, but this all boils down to one important point. If you don’t have a website you are losing out on a whole lot of potential business.

A good design will make me look but great copy will make me contact you, and not that other guy. Don’t be the other guy.

Ties optional.

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Ties optional.

Written by Aprill on June 21, 2010

No matter what sort of work we do, there’ll always be a need for business writing. What’s business writing? Emails, newsletters, presentations, applications, media releases and letters. There’s more; and let’s stay away from marketing, for now.

Your business writing might be seen within your business as instructional writing or meeting minutes for example; or it might be sent outside the business as a proposal or media release. You can bet that whoever is reading it has a lot of other stuff to read and do, too. The trick is to keep it simple.

It’s tempting to use long and lofty words, and even longer and loftier sentences. It’s easy to get wrapped up in industry jargon, forgetting that your readers might not grasp what you’re talking about.

Before you start putting your words in writing, loosen your tie. Keep it simple with shorter words and uncomplicated sentences. You may be wearing a suit and tie when you compose your business writing, but don’t make your readers feel like they need to wear one to read it.

Boost your Business on Twitter

Thu, 13 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Boost your Business on Twitter

Written by Aprill on May 13, 2010

Do you use Twitter to spruik your business? I bet you could get more from it. Twitter has revolutionised the communications game. If you play the game right you can run your PR campaign in 140 characters or less.

Find your crowd

Search for your keywords to find the people who are talking about products or services like yours. Follow them. Then search for your location to find the people that live, work, or shop in your neck of the woods. Follow them, too.

Pimp your profile

Don’t stick with the vanilla Twitter template. Use the opportunity to get your logo in front of people and upload a custom background image. At the very least, think carefully about what you put in your Twitter profile so you can motivate people to follow you back and click on your link.

Respect the limit

Brevity and I are good friends. That’s why I love to use Twitter. Be concise with your message and leave a bit of room for people to retweet.

Engage with your crowd

Don’t just sit and watch the world go by and don’t just retweet any old junk, either. Get in on the conversations that are going on in front of you and only forward on the useful links and articles that come your way.

Repeat-tweet for timezones

If you have a product or service available internationally, be mindful of your timezones. I did a quick Twitter poll yesterday and found that most people do scroll back to past tweets but a lot of people don’t. And the people that do, are only scanning quickly through, so are less likely to follow links or retweet.

If it’s business related and not time-sensitive, repost your tweets 2-3 times throughout 24 hours to get in front of more people. Vary your headline slightly to avoid being overly repetitive. That serves a second purpose of allowing you to test which headlines work best at getting more clicks.

The more people around the world who are awake to read your tweet, the more people there are to see your brand–and the more people there are who might retweet.

Twaitter, Objective Marketer and SocialOomph are all tools to help you with scheduling tweets and measuring clicks.

Do more with search

Search is for more than just finding followers and keeping up with #masterchef or #qanda. Try searching for your brand or product name. FInd out what people are saying about you so you can reply personally. It’s just good customer service and it creates a real buzz.

Hire The Experts

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Hire The Experts

Written by Aprill on April 1, 2009

Dev Logic is making the jump back to the ‘burbs in coming weeks. We’ve spent the last five years in a beautiful part of regional New South Wales, twenty minutes from the nearest shop and schools. Living on dirt roads has given us a reprieve from having to wash our cars – there’s just no point; and we’ve dodged several kangaroos, wombats, rabbits, lyrebirds and ducks in this time. We’ve shared our land with sheep, horses, alpacas, chickens, more kangaroos, and cows. We once had a client ask why he could hear a rooster noise. Well, that was our pet rooster.

The sunsets out here and the rolling fog in the valleys certainly are sights to behold, but it’s a long way from the social and professional circles in which we thrive. So it’s time to pull up stumps and move back to the small smoke. We’re not going all the way back to Sydney, but we are going about half way, to a suburban street that has garbage removal and street lights.

I’ve been considering the logistics of packing and moving our home and office – hiring a truck and calling in favours. I could spend evenings packing boxes, grumbling about it, breaking things, laying awake at night packing mental boxes and wondering what will fit where. No thanks. I need my sanity and we need our time. So we’ve decided to hire the experts.

The expert movers will pack up our whole house, shed and whatever else is left laying around, deliver it, and unpack it, so that we can keep working and have as close to a seamless transition as possible. They know what they’re doing; they’re less likely to break stuff and they don’t swear at the crockery.

It’s tempting to want to retain control but if you aren’t good at it or don’t enjoy it, why not delegate it to someone who does it for a living?