So I received a call today from  a representative at my credit union, and I’m pretty excited to find out they can offer me a much lower interest rate than I am paying now.  However, they can offer me so much more. . .

The lady forwarded me her contact info so I could send her information about my current loan - but do I detect a hidden offer in her email sig?

“Please do not hesitate to contact me for any of your future financial needs. I look forward to being able to service you in the near future.“

I could care less about a lower interest rate now…I’m more interested in the customer service!

From my good friend, Nick Urbani posted on his Never Stop Learning Blog.  Nick just graduated with me on Saturday from SDSU, and he is working over at eBoost doing some cutting edge work in the digital marketing forum.  I reposted this because I could have used some of that advice while I was in school.  (Oh, wait…I didn’t go to class that much!)  Enjoy, and drop him a line over at his blog!

Educate Thyself, Skip School

How to get the most out of your college experience: DON’T GO TO CLASS.

Instead of going to class go to networking events, get involved, start a business, visit office hours if you want to learn something from your professor.  How much can you retain from canned lectures and 100 word power point slides? Textbooks can only teach so much. With textbooks you can be sure of one thing: that what you are reading does not represent the newest thought in your field of study and by the time you get a job it will most likely be irrelevant (unless you’re a history major).

Why learn from a digital marketing textbook  when its outdated by the time its printed?  Drop the textbook for a night and network where the rich people and business owners hang out.  A 19 year old at a 40+, CEO-only event impresses people whether you know what you’re talking about or not. Trust me.

If you have to go to class make sure to meet and make friends with all of your classmates. Might as well get used to making friends with strangers, because like it or not, that’s what most undergraduates will find a job in: sales.  Hell, everyone works in sales, something you can’t learn in a textbook, in class, or from your professor.

So who are the ones that get the most out of their college experience? We evaluate performance based on GPA, but what did the Summa Cum Laudes spend most of their college life doing? I didn’t tell my parents I skipped class for client meetings or for brainstorming sessions with entrepreneurial friends because they probably would not have understood.

For the ones who have already graduated: Which has a higher correlation to success - your graduating GPA or how many powerful people know you?

Can I get an Amen?

I have been studying these pictures trying to find some inspiration for my upcoming move this afternoon. Unfortunately, I just don’t think I can do it without a 27′ Uhaul truck. I’m inspired nonetheless. These crazy bastards pack up everything they own and trek across a rope bridge…I hope wherever they are going is worth it, because from this picture it looks like they traded the old forest for. . .more forest? Maybe the forbidden temple is on this side of the river, who knows.

More pics…view the entire post!

(more…)

This probably isn’t interesting to anyone else, but I have to get myself on track and do all the things floating around in my head:

1. Redesign the layout…why? I’m just sick of it.

2. Integrate all the new toys I have been playing with. So many cool new plugins and additions, I almost don’t know where to start.

3. Commit to content. Either I’m going to blog, or I’m not, its time to make a decision.

4. Test out the ways this site could possibly generate revenue. Read some interesting blog posts about making a site worthwhile.

5. Engage in partnership offers. (104)

6. Actually practice all the things I have been reading about and convey to other people. Good to have knowledge, even better to use it.

7.  USE everything I have at my disposal!

No one probably knows about Evan’s website, DezertDimes.com. Its a fairly small site, with maybe 100 members that post on there because they are interested in building a chevy S10 for off roading. Its basic, but at least it has a logo and some (marginally) effective advertising.

What makes an advertisement effective? Flashy graphics, a good logo? Well, Evan hired me to design advertisements and the logo for his website. Since he has the photoshop skills of a first grader, I agreed to help. We initially agreed on $30 per banner advertisement that runs on the top and bottom of the site (which is extremely cheap given that my normal charges for any other graphic design is an hour minimum at $50 an hour). So far I have created 3 banner advertisements for him, a standard advertisement ad

$30

a banner advertisement for one of his advertisors, S&M Fabrication

$30

and an additional advertisement for G-Machine motorsports. $30.

So, per our agreement, I am already owed $90 for advertisement graphics alone. What have I received for my work? Nothing.

Instead of receiving payment from advertising on his site, he barters for work on his truck. This is great for him, but what am I left with for my work? Nothing at all. He is running my advertisements on his website, and since he hasnt received any payment and wont barter for any work on MY truck, I am out for all my time spent. He argues that I didn’t spend much time doing it (probably 30 min per graphic)…well what does that matter? I finished the project, it doesnt matter how long it took me to do it. That wasn’t in the initial agreement.

Next, the logo that is run on every single page of his website at all times. I created it. I have received NOTHING in payment for it. Not that we had a monetary agreement about that initial design, but our beginning verbal agreement was that I would be cut in on all advertising revenue. I have not been cut in on ANYTHING.

Next, on to the stickers that he is selling on his website, which I designed completely from scratch. He is selling these stickers for $10 a sticker, and they are being printed for $6 a piece. I designed these to help him out, since again he had no idea how to do it. Now that he is selling them and having them printed, I asked to be cut in on $1 per sticker sale. He refuses. I think this is a fair price since he is pocketing $4 per sale, and it is all off my intellectual property completely. He refuses to give me anything.

So now he has a fully functional website, fully fuctional because of all the graphics I have done for it. Have you ever seen a website without any graphical content whatsoever? Neither have and I doubt it would get much traffic. Yes, you could argue that I didnt set much of these contracts in stone, but I figured with my twin brother a verbal agreement would be sufficient. Apparently not. He has a truck that has been built from bartering MY WORK with other people. I am yet to receive ONE PENNY of payment for my work.

I am so furious about this situation that I finally asked him to buy me out on my sticker design so he can own it, and to take down ALL of my graphics on his website since is it ALL my intellectual property. He refuses. His site showcases my work, and I have received nothing for it. All I can ask is that you don’t use his website, maybe send him an email at egrist@gmail.com and let him know it sucks that he is ripping me off.