It’s no secret that I have got big ol’ juicy goals for 2019. In order to narrow in on what I wanted, I used the S.M.A.R.T. Goals method to map out my actionable daily tasks that would make the year long goal more possible. Happy to report that not only did I exceed my goals for January 2019, but that the new habits I’ve put in place (explained in detail in this blog) have changed the way I feel about my work, my productivity, and my creative flow.

Travel packing can be stress-inducing or a total breeze, and it all depends on how much you prep! After a year and a half of nomad-ing, here’s a recap of my top 10 travel must-pack’s for longer term trips specifically: organization, tech and accessories I can’t leave home without!

You may have forgotten about the biggest fraud in music festival history, but the internet sure hasn’t. This week, there were not one, but two documentaries out about Fyre Festival, the ultimate FOMO-inducing, all inclusive, pie-in-the-sky immersive musical festival on both Hulu and Netflix. I am breaking down the biggest marketing lessons we can learn from arguably the biggest mistake in music event history.

Being a small biz owner is no joke, and statistically, the majority of Small Businesses will fail within the first 5 years. As I approach my own five year mark (full of failures, lessons, big oopses, by the way) I wanted to take the time to share the business books I have read that really changed not only the way I thought about my small business, but changed the way I thought about myself as a business owner. Here’s a breakdown of my top faves!

Yesterday on my #desIGnLIVE, (my weekly-ish instagram live series where I talk all things branding and entrepreneurship) I did a little #askmeanything and took your questions about starting my biz, adobe creative cloud, Pinterest boards, etc. Since I did not pull together a ‘2018 Year in Review’ Blog this year, I am opting for this as a blog instead!

Approaching my 5th year in the brand design biz, it’s safe to say that I’ve trial-ed and error-ed my way around and through my new client on-boarding process. Based on the polls for what you all wanted covered on #desIGnLIVE (my weekly-ish instagram live series) this week, I’m sharing how a new client goes from total stranger to new client of MKW’s. Here’s the lowdown on how it goes down, step-by-step:

NEW PRINTS ADDED to the MKW Graphics Art Shop! Original prints available as a digital download to add a personal touch to your home or office. These make great gifts for the holidays! So what are you waiting for...get shoppin'!

We all know how much video ruled the digital landscape in 2018, and I think video and motion graphics will be even more of a big deal in to 2019! On my desIGnLIVE this week, I got to interview motion graphics designer @FredinMotion.tv about motion graphics, and in this blog post, I am outlining how small businesses can leverage motion graphics for their small biz growth!

Let’s be honest… of all the social platforms, Twitter is my weakest link. But that doesn’t mean it should be ignored! Instead, I decided to employ the help of a Twitter scheduler so I could batch write my tweets, share my content, and reach a new audience. Here’s a rundown of the Twitter schedulers I found and how they can help with Tweet Scheduling for small biz’s.

Interior Design websites can be a hefty undertaking (I know, I’ve done 4 of them already, with 2 in the wings!). Here are my 5 Tips for Interior Design websites + announcing the Ponton Interiors website design launch recap!

Regardless of your Political affiliation, it’s pretty incredible how much art, design and social media have become a part of our culture. Today, I wanted to take a second to recognize how GRAPHIC DESIGN isn’t going anywhere, people! Here’s a giant round up of where I have seen graphic design influence our current culture and the impact it had on the 2018 midterm elections to further the conversation about design and design influence.

WTF is a Media Kit, you ask? I promise it’s nothing to get your hypothetical panties in a bunch over… In this blog, I am breaking down all you need to know about Media Kits, what they are and how they can make an impact for your business!

Recently, I got to share my recent failure story at FuckUp Night in Encinitas. Here’s how I royally effed up MY OWN side hustle project, what I would do differently, and what I learned from the experience.

Happy to announce the Fall 2018 Interns with MKW Graphics! These lovely leading ladies will be helping with brand design, creative direction and content marketing for the fall ‘semester’! Get to know them, what they love, and give them a follow!

After many days, nights, drafts, designs, edits and iterations, the Small Biz Start Up Guide is NOW LIVE on www.startupguide.biz

I am sharing a bit more background on this project, why we decided to write it, and what you can except from SBSUG in the near, near future!

The D Conti Living brand was a major undertaking. Over the last 6 months, we’ve accomplished a polished and professional brand design, implemented a beautiful Squarespace website and an ongoing content marketing strategy with blogs, graphics, photography and engagement. Here’s the whole project from square 1!

Part toolbox, part instruction manual, brand guides are essential for any new business. In this blog, I am breaking down all that is involved in my Brand Design Package and how each portion helps you implement your ideal branding in print, digital and web form!

Email Marketing can be intimidating if you don’t know where to start. Here are my suggestions for the kinds of MailChimp list any new business needs in their arsenal.

Recapping the best of the best from six weeks in Cape Town, South Africa with WiFi Tribe and kicking off 2018 as a full time digital nomad! 

2017 taught me a lot about being an entrepreneur, brand designer, and now, a digital-nomad! Here's a summary (infographic style, because...as a designer I couldn't have it any other way) + what's to come in 2018. 

Free content is a great way to educate your audience, grow your email list, and repurpose content you are already using with clients and customers. Here's a break down allll about Freebies: What they are, Why you SHOULD offer them and (briefly) how to set them up.

Small Business Saturday is around the corner. Make sure your social media and email newsletters have brand specific, original graphics queued up for prospective clients! Follow this 6 Step tutorial for turning free vector graphics into your own social media posts using Google Photos and Adobe Sparkpost.

Being a self-employed freelancer can be lonely business! There is no guide book for when things go awry. Once I joined these facebook groups, I had an instant online community of like-minded professionals who could help me in sticky situations. Here are my favorite facebook groups that I use as a support system for my business.

The end of the year is near, which means it's time to start thinking about new goals for 2018! I interviewed Lauren Allen, professional goal setter (and project manager) of Right Hand Business Coach about how freelancers can set achievable goals and see them come to fruition.

The long awaited tutorial just for you! Use your branding, headshots and social links to make an impact in your gmail signature without it doing funky things to your formatting! 

Let's call a spade a spade and say that contracts are a sucky part of owning a creative business. Legal jargon is not a language I speak, so I've enlisted the help of small business lawyer Braden Drake from Braden Drake Law to help explain the 4 kinds of contracts a freelancer might need.

Creating content can be difficult, especially when you are new to blogging and social media. Since day 1, Libby Landry of Simple Wellness Co. has been killin it with cranking out quality content for her blog about Corporate Wellness. Here are her suggestions for blogging like a boss.

Ever wondered how to create those glossy, high res versions of your downloadables and digital resources? Wonder no more. I got-chu. Here's a quick D.I.Y. Tutorial for mock ups you can make WITHOUT PHOTOSHOP for your website, social media, email blasts and more.