Earlier this year, I critiqued about 30 agency websites that sell web design and other design and marketing-related services. By about the 5th or 6th one, I’d already identified patterns in mistakes that persisted, unanimously, throughout the other 25. All […]
Writing copy that attracts awesome clients is much like fishing – as much as I hate that analogy. I hate that analogy because fishing offers something really enticing to the fish… And then, well, we all know how that ends […]
Your blog isn’t just for SEO. Get more clients through your blog and social media posts by using these 2 simple post types. (Also – I’m considering a part 2 where I show you how to promote your blog posts […]
FREE personal training session! FREE phone when you upgrade your plan! FREE 14-day trial of {X} software! 30 days of unlimited yoga for just $30! Even AOL used to mail out CDs with a FREE month of service. Every other […]
For yet another year in a row at Reliable PSD, we’ve more than doubled revenue. I’m 100% not saying that to brag and be like “Oooh look at me!” (although we are extremely proud!) – but to stress something super […]
I didn’t think the New Year would affect me at all. Most holidays don’t. Most “events” don’t. But when December 31 rolled over into January 1, I felt something. Maybe it was the collective excitement of the world. I don’t […]
If you find you have a lot of free time… but not enough clients… this is for you. UPDATE: You can now download this script + 14 more proven templates for getting new clients, following up, and building your business—all for just […]
If “word of mouth” is your main source of new clients – this is for you. Don’t get me wrong, word of mouth is great, but it’s also inconsistent, unreliable, & sporadic. That’s because you have to wait for your […]
The other day, while sitting at my desk, I looked over at my bookshelf. I do this often. It’s part of how I think. I come across a problem, and I turn my head to the left and gaze at […]
As agency owners, my partner and I have received quite a few pitches over the years from freelancers. Most of them get deleted pretty fast. But occasionally – one pierces our jaded, overly-pitched hearts and inspires us to at least check out […]
The biggest hurdle I’ve overcome is my own mind. From things I’ve read, heard, & seen related to business, I now have ideas and stories floating between my two ears. Unfortunately, most people don’t know what they’re talking about. Which means […]
Our agency’s workflow used to look like this, and while it went well most of the time… it also led to heartache, never-ending projects, and early-onset baldness due to pulling all of our hair out: Conduct all research Create copy […]
First: Let’s get something out of the way. “Landing page” is not just a buzzword everyone’s using. It’s not just some recent fad or trend either. In fact – it’s an advertising tactic as old as advertising itself. All of […]
Want more clients from your website? This checklist should help you get it up to speed – and help you grow. A lot of these things I’ve written about in the past, but I thought it’d be helpful to put them […]
I believe if you change what’s on the inside, in your heart, in your mind, you automatically act and think differently. You create a different life. You tweak a few things under the hood of your car, and suddenly it goes […]
To you and me – it’s pretty simple: If I have to spend extra time on a project — because you want to add something to it that wasn’t quoted for — then obviously you have to pay for it. Simple… […]
Years ago I remember studying a direct mail letter from the amazing copywriter, Gary Halbert. The letter performed well, but on a hunch, Gary changed one small detail. The results of the letter instantly grew by quite a lot. The […]
I’ll never forget what landed us one of the worst clients we ever got, years ago. Back then we didn’t have many clients, so we fought for each one that came our way. We fought for this particular project too […]
When I was 16, I dropped out of high school. It was not where I needed to be. I was strung out on drugs, and my home life was full of dysfunction, fighting, and loneliness. All I knew was I […]
A while back I was browsing the web when my partner sent me a link. When I opened it my inner-marketer instantly lit up. InVision (the really cool quick-prototyping / collaboration tool) launched a totally free iOS UI Kit called TETHR. […]
I was eating at my favorite restaurant the other day (Harlow here in Portland!) when I looked across the room and noticed something brilliant. It’s something I’ve seen about a hundred or so times before, and didn’t really think much […]
Earlier today my partner, Louisa, called a CRM company to ask some questions. We’re outgrowing what we’re using now, so she wanted to see if they could help. “[Blank] CRM,” a man answered. “Hi, yeah, I had some questions about your […]
I really hate the word “productivity.” It’s one of these buzz words that everyone praises and most things that are supposed to make you “more productive” (like apps and tools and such) just burden you with even more work to […]
Sounds crazy, right? But looking back, I can attribute any and all success I’ve had to what the title of this post is saying. Bad, Crazy Clients Will Make You Rich I can also attribute people staying in place, not […]
In the awesome Millo Mastermind Facebook group I’ve seen this question pop up about half a dozen times now. So I thought I’d answer it once and for all – as well as squash the “myths” people are reading about […]
The rush of inspiration is something. It turns everything else other than its focus into meaningless dribble. You can’t continue your life until you satisfy it and create what you envision. I’m not just talking about projects here – but […]
I got sick a few weeks ago. Like really sick. My nose was broken when I was a teenager, and I never got it fixed, so any time I get a little sinus thing…it just goes crazy and I’m bedridden […]
Business, if nothing else, definitely builds character. Every day you face trials, fears, challenges, unexpected twists, and more. It’s easy to buckle under such pressure. I’ve buckled more than once. But each time it happened, I came back stronger, more […]
Hey – so first off, this ISN’T about the cool “IFTTT” service, if that’s what you were thinking 😉 But, this approach DOES have something in common with it: The phrase, “If this, then that.” In this blog post, I’m […]
One of the things about being a freelancer is you end up spending a lot of time alone. After all, you work at your computer, at home, or in cafes, and only you and your expertise are required in order […]
“Get X clients per month,” or “Make $X this year,” or “Take a vacation to…” are super-common goals freelancers and agencies make all the time. While those are great — and I make those too — they’re only the START […]
Your first email you send a new prospect is the most important one. A bad, mediocre, or even average one will instantly send up to 90% or more of them away. A good one, though, will get you a reply […]
Whenever people ask me for help with their marketing, I give them one suggestion. Yet no one ever takes my suggestion seriously. They maybe think they “get it” – but without actually doing the exercise: they don’t get the results […]
Here’s some “Inception” nonsense for ya: our creative agency launched a web development company for other agencies & freelancers called Reliable PSD. Now, Reliable PSD is forming its own web design agency. So our agency’s company is forming an agency. And that’s […]
Constant action in the right direction is what creates success – at least in my experience. Even if that action is imperfect, impulsive, and not your best – it’s better than not taking action. Here’s a quick 16-point checklist of […]
Making sales comes down to two things: convincing potential clients that you can give them the value they seek (or more), and convincing them that the prices you’re charging match that value. So, that leaves you with a couple choices: Lower […]
When our creative agency entered the “PSD to Code” space, there was something that attracted clients to us from the start. And it hasn’t changed to this day. That same “thing” is what makes us look like a lighthouse on […]
I have to be honest: I h-a-t-e networking meetings. I would gladly endure a few teeth pullings in place of them, any day of the week. It’s not just because I’m terribly socially anxious, either. It’s because I can’t stand […]
Mediums change. Human nature doesn’t. Whether your message is conveyed on a phone, a computer, or in the future, who knows, actually inside someone’s head – the statement above holds true. People today are the same as people 1,000 years […]
This past week I did something I don’t often do: I explored other blogs on creative pursuits such as design, writing, etc. To be honest, the most amount of time I spend on a blog is here at Millo when […]
Today’s post is going to be very short and sweet because I mainly have a question for you. It involves ethics and morals and whether or not it’s “right” to work with certain companies. My question to you is… Is […]
Last year my wife (slash business partner) and I spent 4 months traveling Europe and the west coast of the U.S. We also didn’t miss a day of work the entire time, and every venture we were involved in experienced […]
Quick note: Later in this post I share a real-life example our company used that worked awesomely. And I break down why it worked so well, too. Okay, onward! I am a big believer in “cold” letters, be they in printed […]
Quick disclaimer: This post is a kick in the butt. But if you’re like me, you’ll thank me for it, because this is IMPORTANT stuff. Maybe the most important. Cool? Then let’s dive in… Pretty much every post I write […]
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