Saturday, March 12, 2011

Work is Play

Quick update

Last week, I took a few days off from work; the first time since August I have taken any sort of extended time off. I planned a mini-trip down to Irvine, CA for a three day event called "Meet the Masters."

I had the opportunity to go for free, all I needed to do was video tape the event; an easy trade to make for a ton of good information on investing, taxes, setting up business structures and other vital business topics.

I've been down before, but this time I didn't have to go alone. I went with my good friend, Doug Utberg, who happened to be speaking at the event, so it was a nice little get-away from the rainy Oregon weather.

A few days into the trip, though, I started getting a little home-sick, particularly because I am a home-body, and since we have a new little puppy, Mia, it's so hard to leave! I absolutely love being around her (and my wife, of course!). I tell you though, that first day I was back and got to see both of them, it's the greatest feeling ever. 

And more thoughts...

As my time rolls on, I realize how important it is to make use of every second we have. I have reduced almost all wasteful activities like watching TV or videogames and replaced them with spending quality time with Angela and my family and other productive business activities.

About this time last year, I started freelance writing for extra cash and to start my own home-based business, and although I am still doing that, I have started picking up Search Engine Optimization (SEO) projects to expand my home-based business activities. Ultimately, I believe this could be a full-time business for me, as soon as I write a business plan and find new clients in the small business sector.

Ever since I became a big part in the development of Xenium's new corporate website (www.xeniumhr.com) I have really developed a passion for SEO and web-content development. It's been a success for our company so far, so it really solidifies the fact that I can do this on my own, given the fact that almost every business person, including myself, has their own website.

Just today, I finished up a project for Robert Adrian Music and I'm pretty excited about the results. When I started, he had nothing optimized and the navigation and structure were not very user-friendly; so  when I got my hands on it, I cleaned up the code, optimized it for the search engines and gave him some content ideas for ongoing maintenance. 

This project only took me about eight hours to complete and it was all pleasure for me! The bonus was that this type of work has great monetary rewards, which is an incentive for me to keep pushing forward.

The way I see it, if I love doing it, why not make a business out of it? Sure, I'll keep my day job, for now, but I'm happy to sacrifice the leisurely activities to build something I'm excited about. At the end of the day, it really is my entertainment.

-Brandon Laws

1 comment:

  1. Good for you! Sounds like you are setting yourself and your little family up for success! Any extra time you can spend at home is well worth it.

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