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In both my personal and professional life, I've always held a guiding principle close to my heart: "I strive to make new, and innovative, mistakes." This mantra is more than just a quirky saying; it's a reflection of my deep-seated belief in the importance of learning, growing, and evolving through the experiences life throws our […]

In our fast-paced world, where the lines between personal accountability and external burdens often become indistinct, the quest for a guiding principle to navigate through life’s complexities is more crucial than ever. Among the vast array of philosophical insights and age-old wisdoms that have been offered to steer us through life’s ups and downs, there […]

In our ever-evolving digital landscape, the ability to focus deeply and produce high-quality work is becoming both increasingly challenging and valuable. This is the central premise of Cal Newport's insightful book, "Deep Work," which I recently had the pleasure of exploring. I found the principles of "Deep Work" particularly resonant, offering a fresh perspective on […]

The most obvious form of investment diversification that most people think about is related to their finances. You may be diversified in your stock portfolio or you may own different asset classes, like stocks and real estate. However, I have a much broader way that I approach investment diversification in my business, savings, exercise, and […]

Over the past year I have been introduced to the modern digital divide. Around 2010, I worked with M@IN (Mountain Area Information Network) to install wireless internet service for rural towns in western North Carolina. I stopped doing this work many years ago while I continued my college education. Unfortunately, I learned that the problem […]

In my garden and near the river, the impact of seasonal climate change can be seen. We have had two significant, but not devastating, floods in this neighborhood over the past year. My neighbors, who have lived here for decades, say that this type of flooding typically happens ever few years. Seeing these water levels […]

Almost one year ago, in March of 2020, I put a storage tote on my front deck to allow deliveries to be dropped off while social distancing. This week, that storage bin was upgraded for the new normal. This bench is also a storage box. My wife and I can sit here and watch the […]

It's only the second week of February and I'm already working on a long list of projects to kick off the new year. These are related to my business, my home, and my garden. All of these tasks will be completed, of moved into a maintenance routine, by the middle of April. Business Spring Projects […]

At the end of 2019, I purchased a home on 1.3 acres in Greenville, NC. Since Barbie is attending graduate school at ECU, we had been paying rent for a townhouse near the college. This new home only moved us 10 minutes further from the school and the mortgage was only $50 more than our […]

How do you grow your business and find customers - are you a hunter or a farmer? At the beginning of 2020, I joined the local BNI group in Greenville, NC (you can visit our chapter if you're in the area, or via Zoom during the pandemic). Another thing that happened at the beginning of […]

Update Twelve days ago I began an experiment in lifestyle design and financial independence. I moved into a travel trailer at a lake community just outside Raleigh. At the time when I moved in, there was no running water, no electricity, no phone service, and no internet access at the site. However, this is only […]

At the end of 2019, I purchased a home on 1.3 acres in Greenville, NC. Since Barbie is attending graduate school at ECU, we had been paying rent for a townhouse near the college. This new home only moved us 10 minutes further from the school and the mortgage was only $50 more than our […]

How do you grow your business and find customers - are you a hunter or a farmer? At the beginning of 2020, I joined the local BNI group in Greenville, NC (you can visit our chapter if you're in the area, or via Zoom during the pandemic). Another thing that happened at the beginning of […]

Like most people, I have set numerous resolutions at the start of a new year - only to abandon those resolutions before the end of January. It is incredibly difficult to create a new habit and stick with it for 365 days without faltering. Even worse, when I do stumble it becomes much easier to […]

After visiting Barcelona for a month, attending the Wikipedia conference in Berlin, and hosting the Raleigh SEO Meetup Conference - I'm spending a week at my lake property. Perhaps you read about The Lake Royale Project that I announced last year. Essentially, I have been able to build this business and live a life of location […]

A few months ago, I learned about the Wikimedia Conference in Berlin. Being one of the three founders of the Triangle Wikipedians user group in North Carolina, I had the opportunity to attend the conference this year. The main reason I was able to go when the other two founding members could not is that […]

What does Wikipedia have to do with monetization, business strategy, and online marketing? That's the first thing most people will ask when they learn about my involvement with Wikipedia and the free culture movement. Think about it this way, Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites in the whole world. It is dedicated to […]

Update Twelve days ago I began an experiment in lifestyle design and financial independence. I moved into a travel trailer at a lake community just outside Raleigh. At the time when I moved in, there was no running water, no electricity, no phone service, and no internet access at the site. However, this is only […]

If you're like most people, you wake up in the morning and go to work five days a week. You spend about 8 hours a day at a job you hate because that's how you pay for the things you want and take care of the people you love. The problem is, this 40-hour workweek […]

After visiting Barcelona for a month, attending the Wikipedia conference in Berlin, and hosting the Raleigh SEO Meetup Conference - I'm spending a week at my lake property. Perhaps you read about The Lake Royale Project that I announced last year. Essentially, I have been able to build this business and live a life of location […]

A few months ago, I learned about the Wikimedia Conference in Berlin. Being one of the three founders of the Triangle Wikipedians user group in North Carolina, I had the opportunity to attend the conference this year. The main reason I was able to go when the other two founding members could not is that […]

I recently gave a presentation at the Raleigh SEO Meetup Conference which talked about why I decided not to deliver the SEO results my client asked for. The title and subtitle were selected because they would get the attention of attendees at the Raleigh SEO Meetup Conference. You see, I organized this conference and here […]

What does Wikipedia have to do with monetization, business strategy, and online marketing? That's the first thing most people will ask when they learn about my involvement with Wikipedia and the free culture movement. Think about it this way, Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites in the whole world. It is dedicated to […]

The Raleigh SEO Meetup Conference was a huge success. Being the first year for this event, I used the Lean Startup Methodology to test my ideas, measure results, and pivot when needed. This is the same process I use when working with clients, and I use Lean Principles in my own businesses all the time.

Everyone is talking about tenfold increases these days. Grant Cardone published The 10X Rule back in 2011 and said you should 10x your goals, now it seem that everyone is buzzing about increasing everything by tenfold. From 10x content discussions with Rand Fishkin and inbound.org to Google[x] director Astro Teller saying, "It’s easier to make something […]

I will be talking about WordPress SEO at the NC Tech 4 Good conference and this page will host the materials I'm giving to the audience.

Mobilegeddon from Frank Jones

This past week I spent three days at the Digital Marketing For Business conference in Raleigh. During that time, I attended several presentations and I even spoke at a few sessions of my own. Actually, I was the speaker at four sessions - the most of anyone at the conference. One common thread between all […]

So many people post videos to YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook then wonder why their sales don't increase. There's more to publishing videos than simply getting a moving picture onto the web.