Creative Business Card Idea
Sometimes I wonder if I’m in the wrong profession. Maybe I should have gone into marketing. I sure love neat marketing techniques.
Check out the cool business card idea I found through AdverBox. It’s a business card for a landscaping company. But it’s more than a standard business card.
These guys are creative! They made a business-card-sized seed packet and emblazoned it with some catchy typography. Include some seeds, and you’re done. This is a business card the recipient will remember!
Always be creative
People love creativity. If you have a boring, white business card, people won’t care. They might hang onto it, but only if you were a really compelling contact.
If your business card is creative like Lush’s, people will keep it due to the novelty. They’ll show it to friends, post pictures on the internet, and blog about it. Creative business cards like this beg to be passed on. They’re viral.
Even for lawyers
Just because we’re lawyers doesn’t mean our cards have to suck. We can come up with creative ideas for our cards too!
Unless you specialize in lawn care law, you might not go with the seed packet idea. Although something like that could work for a lawyer who represents a lot of agricultural clients. Or maybe that’s a stretch.
I’m not going to come up with your creative business card for you. The point is that you need to think out of the box. It might even be worth it to hire a marketer or image consultant to help with the design. You’ll be glad you did.
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Zen to Done – Productivity at its Simplest
Are you overwhelmed by projects, tasks, and deadlines? But is GTD too complex and confusing for you? It’s time you went for a simple productivity system: Zen to Done (ZTD).
Written by Leo Babauta of the popular Zen Habits site, Zen to Done focuses on a core set of productive habits. At its simplest, ZTD is only 4 habits that you implement in your daily life. To become a productivity master, advance to 10 habits. You’ll then truly achieve zenful productivity in all areas of your life.
ZTD started as a series of posts on Leo’s site. If you enjoy those articles, you’ll love the expanded content in the e-book!
The four core habits of ZTD are: collect, process, plan, and do. Leo’s book explores these habits in a simple manner, helping everyone to implement them in daily life.
What are you waiting for? Go grab a copy of Zen to Done for yourself and become a productivity master! Leo’s offering a 100% money-back guarantee if you decide it’s not worth the money!!
Really, it’s worth purchasing. And it’s only $9.50!
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What Does Your Escape Key Do?
Yeah, CSI: NY has some pretty unrealistic parts to it. But I still watch it some.
But the latest episode features Second Life. The evil villain tries to download some virus into the crime lab, and the computer savvy young guy saves the day. How?
He shuts down the ENTIRE SYSTEM by pressing the ESCAPE KEY:
Can your escape key do that? Only if you’re in CSI.
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Green Tax Incentives Around the World
I am a licensed attorney, but this post is for education only.
Tax time isn’t here yet (at least in the U.S.), but it’s always good to think about ways to lower your tax bill. And what could be better than helping the environment?! So let’s look at green tax incentives around the globe.
United States
Home energy efficiency – Homeowners are eligible for a residential energy efficiency tax credit if you install high-efficiency heating, cooling, and water-heating equipment. This is a credit, which means it directly reduces your taxes due. But you better act fast; it only applies to improvements made through December 31, 2007.
Solar and fuel cells – Federal legislation allows a 30% tax credit for residential solar electric and solar water heating equipment. You can take the credit up to $2,000 for a photovoltaics system and another $2,000 limit for solar water heating. And you can get the same 30% credit for fuel cells, up to $500 per 0.5 kilowatt.
Energy conservation subsidies – If a public utility offers you a subsidy to install energy conservation equipment, the IRS doesn’t consider that taxable income. This may not seem like much, but generally any benefit you receive is considered taxable income. Uncle Sam is giving you a break here.
Renewable energy production – Business owners can take advantage of this tax credit. You can get a per kilowatt-hour tax credit for energy your business produces using qualified technology. Energy types include: wind, biomass, geothermal, small irrigation power, and landfill gas.
Alternative fuel vehicles – Everyone’s eligible for these! Just purchase a car other than the standard gasoline option, and you’ll have a tax credit at your disposal. The easiest way to find out specifically what’s available is to consult the Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center. One example: buy a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid, and you’ll get $3,000 knocked off your tax bill.
Your locality has MORE – The above incentives are all applicable across the U.S. To find green tax incentives in your area, use this tool by the Sierra Club. Look under “Energy / Recycling” for “Energy incentives.”
United Kingdom
Zero carbon homes – If your house has “zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from all energy use in the home,” you are exempt from stamp duty (up to £500,000 property value). This exemption is available until 2012. But remember that your emissions include all energy use in your home.
Energy-saving materials – Purchases of energy-saving materials for homes or charities get a reduced-rate VAT. The reduced rate applies to a variety of items, such as central heat & water heating, draught stripping, insulation, solar panels, and heat pumps.
Canada
Car rebate – Canadians don’t have to wait and claim a tax credit on their Canadian income tax software, like Americans. Just fill out the ecoAUTO application, and you’ll get a rebate from $1,000 to $2,000. This offer applies to fuel efficient vehicle purchases and long-term leases.
House retrofit grant – If you need to make your house energy-efficient, you can get a grant from the government to help! Check out the ecoENERGY retrofit site to see if your project qualifies for a grant up to $5,000.
Australia
Solar panel rebates – Homes, schools, and community buildings can get a rebate on photovoltaic systems. You have to get pre-approval, the equipment must be new, and the property must be on (or near) the grid.
Insulation help – Victoria residents can get a rebate of 30% off insulation. You’ll have to meet several requirements, so follow the instructions carefully. And check out the other rebates and grants you can get!
India
Wind energy – According to a government report, India ranks first among developing nations for wind energy capacity. It’s no coincidence that India offers excise duty and sales tax exemptions for wind turbines. India also waives import duties on some wind turbine components.
What about your country?
I did my best to cover several countries around the world. But if I didn’t cover yours, let me know. I’ll try to add some info about your country to this post! And I’ll do my best to include it in future survey posts.
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Business Card Display Holder Ideas
We talk a lot about business cards around here, from distinguishing them to students, finding unique cards, and legal card ideas. But what about business card display? What kind of cool business card holders do you use?
Business card display on your car
A neat idea that I recently saw is pictured here. A car had typical lettering on the back window (selling solar panels, I believe). But it also had a built-in business card holder: the wiper blade!
The wiper blade had simple “take one” labels stuck to it. A couple business cards were stuck underneath the wiper. Any interested passerby could grab a quick business card as they walked by. Cool, right?
I’ve seen a car-mounted business card display before. A Realtor mounted acrylic business card holders to the back window and filled them up. It made a handy display for these essential networking tools.
Card holders indoors
You also need a good way to showcase your business cards inside your office. Try something unique, not just the standard acrylic business card holder.
One idea is to use something that’s not a business card display. You could put a few business cards in a small plate that you like and place that on your desk or counter. That breaks out of the mold and shows your personality.
Since I’m a woodworker, I plan to make a small wooden plate to hold my business cards. It will be truly unique, but really simple.
Your display ideas?
How do you show off your business cards? Do you have a unique business card display? Let’s share!
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New Server, Please be Patient
My Digg journey crashed the shared hosting account that Legal Andrew was using. I had been with Total Choice Hosting for years, and they’ve done a fine job. But the $4 account I had just can’t handle a traffic surge.
About an hour ago, I setup an account with (mt) Media Temple. It’s their (gs) Grid-Service hosting, which is designed to automagically scale when traffic surges. For $20 per month (actually, $17 with code “surfstationâ€), I now have 100 GB of space and up to 100 domains.
Media Temple has received some mixed reviews around the blogosphere. But I decided to take a leap. I’ve talked to people who have nothing but positive things to say and some people who are itching to leave for a better host. But Media Temple has a money back guarantee. And they have 24/7 phone tech support. I figured that I can take a chance. Hopefully their hosting will live up to the hype.
Please notify me of any problems. I’ll keep a close eye on things, but you guys catch things that I miss.
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Review – Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success by Penelope Trunk
You may remember that Penelope sent me a copy of Brazen Careerist
Penelope, I’m sorry that I let you down here. I’m going to plow ahead and say that it’s better late than never. Hopefully I didn’t get stricken from the review list for your next killer work! 🙂
Buy this book!
Is that a clear enough opinion? You really need to read Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
If you can’t afford to buy it (it’s only $15 at Amazon!), wander to the local library and check out a copy. If they don’t have it, use inter-library loan. You’ll be glad you read it!
Something for everyone
Penelope wrote Brazen Careerist for a target audience of young people. Whether you’re in college or climbing into your 30’s I think you’ll fit into this group.
Even if you’re older, you can still get some great information from Brazen Careerist. You can learn what us young folk are up to. You’ll understand how we approach work, careers, and office interaction. Heck, maybe you’ll decide to change your ways a bit!
Portions I loved
As I read the book, I flagged great passages with a post-it note. When I finished, I realized there were about 25 little flags hanging out! Since I want to leave something for you to read on your own, I’ll mention a couple of my top favorites here.
Since I’m not the best interviewee, this passage really spoke to me:
It’s not true that everyone else is lying. The people that get the most job offers are those who know how to package themselves. Figuring out how to do this is a lot harder than just spewing facts onto a piece of paper. If you are not packaging yourself, it’s not because you are more honest than the next person, it’s because you are more lazy.
Ouch! But that’s one thing I love about Brazen Careerist. It’s frank, honest, and spot-on. It’s a solid kick in your career pants!
Penelope also has a great view of office politics:
In a large company, office politics is mostly office networking, and the people who are doing it best are doing it in person. In person, you get nonverbal information about someone you can’t get through e-mail. And that person gets information about you, too. The connection is more informative just because it’s in person.
I work in a small organization (about 40 employees on site). It amazes me how some people almost refuse to leave their office or even pick up the phone. I love going to talk to a person about a problem or ask a question. I couldn’t agree more that the personal (and in-person) connection is vital.
A great format
Brazen Careerist isn’t a treatise. It’s a handy book of guidelines to help you navigate the world of work.
The entire book is written as numbered “rules.” They are grouped together in categories with a short introduction. Even if you’re short on time, you can plow through a few “rules” before going to sleep each night. You’ll be done in no time!
Did you buy it yet?
In case my opinion hasn’t been clear, you should read Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
If you’re still not convinced, you can read a meaty excerpt at Penelope’s site. Or you could read some of Penelope’s writing on her popular blog.
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Virginia Bar Exam Results
Updated – 10/17 at 10:55am
Not yet.
Results were posted this morning. Get them HERE.
I PASSED!
But the official results page now has a new message posted. Before, the Bar Examiners just said they would be releasing results “mid October.” Now, the page says they “expect” to release the results on or before October 18.
The weekend will either be really happy or super depressed.
I’m curious how many examinees will land on this page from Google searches, eagerly anticipating their results.
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My Digg Journey in Pictures
Thanks to you great readers, Legal Andrew had its first Digg main page debut. On Sunday, my photo law post hit the main page!
Unfortunately, my server tanked. As you know, it’s pretty common with shared hosting accounts. Heck, I only pay $4 per month!
Now I’m on the lookout for a new host that can handle this amount of traffic in the future. Once you’ve hit Digg once, you’re addicted!
For now, I wanted so share my Digg journey with you guys. Here’s the photo album. 🙂
I was ecstatic to reach the top of the upcoming page.
And then I felt like a parent, watching his baby’s first step.
But once the traffic hit, my host decided it might hurt the server. 🙁
Fortunately, they re-enabled my account. But they refused to allow referrals from digg.com.
In the end, the ride was thrilling!!
Now I just have to figure out how it all happened. Where do I get on this ride again?! 🙂
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Sell More, Blog as a Student, and Win!
Whew! It’s been a big weekend for Legal Andrew. I’ll post details in a day or two, but my post on photo law made the main page at Digg!
For now, I wanted to point out a couple things you might enjoy reading.
Susan Cartier Liebel did a great examination of whether or not law students should blog. If you’re pondering the topic at all, it’s a must read.
I just published a post on our small business marketing blog that you might like. It’s the first post in a 5-part series: 5 Reasons Why Your Website Doesn’t Sell. If you like the post, a Stumble would be really great!
Finally, I won my first blog contest! I just won Contest Blogger’s $25 forum contest. Now I can buy some winter bike clothes! 🙂
I really feel back in the blogging saddle now. Look for more great content to come!
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About Andrew Flusche
Lawyer, bicyclist, husband.
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