This is an excerpt from our Calling the Shots Ebook. I remember being a gangly-legged and gap-toothed 16-year-old back in Year 10 facing the long, hard, somewhat poignant decision of selecting my HSC subjects. Art, Textile Design and English were certainly high on the priorities list. IT, however, not so much. I always thought IT […]

2017 was (to use a technical term) a doozy. We moved studios, launched a new website, launched our new portfolio, worked with over 100 new clients, wrote and launched an ebook and created an exciting new product (you’ll find out soon!). I bought a house, moved out of Sydney, did some renovations, brought on a […]

Jade is our studio manager/copywriter, and she is usually cool and calm as they come but like the rest of us, stress seems to creep its way into her busy life – full-time work, freelance writing on the side, planning a wedding, renovating and taking care of her baby dog will do that to a girl! In a bid to ring in the new year sans the stress, we asked Jade to help a mate out and share her simple tips on creating a zen environment and as a result, a much more zen you. Take it away, Jade!

In July last year, I threw the ultimate uppercut to city life. I packed my bags (and by bags, I mean 56 boxes and 2 truckloads of belongings and plants. Mostly plants) and moved my life and my little family, to Coledale. A sweet little suburb just an hour and a bit south of the Sydney chaos tucked in behind the national park.

I swear ten seconds ago it was New Year’s Eve. A night of pizza and beer, hopes and dreams. Just like the other 7 billion people on earth, 2017 was going to be my best year yet. Then I glanced at my computer, answered a couple of emails, looked up, and it’s December already.

You know it’s summer when your car smells like a fusion of coconut sunscreen and off mango skins that perish below your seat. The mozzies make you realise for the fifth year in a row that your fly screens still need fixing, and almost every time you look down you’ve got an alcoholic drink of some kind in your hand – who put that there?

This past week I was invited by Facebook to represent Australia at an APEC event in Vietnam, which was run by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.

Branding can be a labyrinth to figure out, especially when you’re fairly green in the game. Logos, taglines, marketing plans, strategies, social media — there’s a tonne of stuff to navigate, and a set of rules that typically apply to go along with it. Rules are a general given in life; Don’t cross until the little green man is showing.

If you’ve ever opened a beehive, you know why the saying ‘busy as a bee’ has lasted the test of time. Those buzzing little things quite literally don’t stop, won’t stop, can’t stop. Until they sting you of course, then the little buggers get karma and kick the bucket. RIP, stripey friend.

We think anyone that’s getting somewhat serious about their biz should have a ‘legal guy’ just like ours. He’s our go-to for all things Law and Order, solves problems like it ain’t no thang and is often seen some pretty damn dapper get-up.

Hello. Here are ten things I’m currently coveting and seriously loving hard right this minute. Although the Headspace app, linen sheets, anything written by Seth Godin and Alpha-H Liquid Gold (face-changing) are long term stayers on my list of forever favourites; these ten bad boys are sparking major joy at the moment and have me gushing to all my mates about their greatness.

Having an Instagram strategy in place is one of the smartest ways you can invest in your business, and it’s free. Whether you’re a lone ranger or a small business owner, having a killer Instagram account is an invaluable tool to be seen, to be heard and to interact with your target market – post a pic, get some likes and add a couple of hashtags and voilà you’re #instafamous…. if only?

This morning, as I waited for my daily caffeine fix at my local cafe, I met a wonderful woman with bright eyes, vivid white teeth and that insanely curly hair that makes you wonder if human DNA could have been infused with strands of Maggie Noodles at some point in history.

Do you find yourself daydreaming every afternoon or waking up in the middle of the night, scrambling for paper and a pen? Do you get home from your 9-5 gig itching to get started and make your ideas a reality? We give you the low-down on the less-than-dreamy aspects of transforming your side hustle into your full-time gig.

Usually my days are spent at a workbench, be that of the jewellery making kind with fine tip diamond burs and needlepoint files or the sculpture making kind with chisels and hammers but lately, I have been taking a well-earned break while I settle into my new digs.

Something a lot of people don’t realise when committing to full-time freelancing is that they’re essentially taking on six jobs in one! Say you’re a designer – five days a week of designing sounds pretty good right? Right, except unfortunately there’s also the not-so-good tasks that you’ve got to make time for if you want your business to grow and flourish.