THISISBRUCE.COM, LLC is launched!

Well, quite a bit has happened since I blogged last. I registered my business name with the State of Montana, established a business bank account, found a CPA to help me set up my business, AND I am now a member of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce. I am now officially THISISBRUCE.COM, LLC. Feels strange and powerful to say I am now a DOT COM business! I've gotten used to being BRUCE, the guy people send work to, the freelancer. I feel so "ADULT" now!

I solicited people I work with and work for in order to get some advice on how I should attract new business for myself. I got some great responses and I thank everyone for helping me with that undertaking. As a result, I've written my "30-second" spot, the way I tell others about who I am and what I'm doing:

"Thisisbruce.com is an advertising and marketing company offering high-end creative services at competitive prices. Work produced at Thisisbruce.com is always fresh and always created from scratch, ensuring you get customized, original artwork, never a template or clip art. Specializing in corporate and brand identity (logo design), web design, integrated advertising campaigns, marketing and print collateral, outdoor signage and environmental design, fleet and vehicle graphics, animation, and professional photography. Thisisbruce.com is optimized for working with small to medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, celebrities, government offices, and not-for-profit organizations. While Thisisbruce.com is a web-based company, in-person meetings are considered the standard. Samples of work can be found at Thisisbruce.com. Please call for a complimentary analysis of your current advertising needs, 941/224.0415 or email me at bruce@thisisbruce.com."

I've also begun learning Microsoft Excel and have created myriads of spreadsheets to track the workflow and cashflow. I've learned how to better manage my expenses and how to document EVERYTHING that happens. I've even been able to pay my overhead this month and come very close to hitting my target financial goal, the first time since moving here in September. Yes, business is picking up. Maybe soon I'll actually draw a salary! We'll see. Lots of hurdles to cross in the coming months.

Let's see, I've also modified my website to be more attractive to searches and more content friendly, so new potential customers will be able to see who I am and what I do. It's still a work in progress and I anticipate more changes to come, but at least there's something there to work with. I am now also learning more about the mysteries of Search Engine Optimization as well as CSS. I'm excited to be picking up these things, more and more these days, potential employers want everything from their Art Directors. they want the killer creative mind, the awesome design abilities AND the avid programmer. That is a rare find indeed, but if they're looking for it, chances are there's a population out there that can fill the gap and I need to be on top of it. Not that I'm looking for employment, but I need to keep fresh in the industry, plus I get bored if I'm not stimulated enough, so I'm self-stimulating, er um... learning more every day!

I've been unsuccessful now at becoming an iStock contributing photographer. Seems my images aren't crisp enough and I'm beginning to doubt my photography capabilities. Not sure if it's me or my camera. I have a stigmatism which hinders my ability to sharply focus, but when I look at past pictures, up close in Photoshop, I can't seem to find a definitive focal point and the image seems completely out of focus. Not good. ALL 50 of the images I set aside as my best from this summer are rubbish. It's really quite a blow to the ego. I'm going to keep on shooting, I want to prove a point after all, but not as hopeful as I was about selling my work as stock.