Without further ado, we proudly present our first culinary masterpiece *ahem*: energy balls! These tasty little treats were made with carrots, ground almonds and rolled oats with a dash of peanut butter and honey. They are quite filling and excellent to eat before or after a work-out.

Now, we wouldn’t want Kenny and Indy to feel left out, so we also made some dog biscuits! The biscuits were made with flour, rolled oats and peanut butter and cut into various shapes (Canadian maple leaves, four-leaf clovers and bones).

I think our canine friends are pretty pleased with our efforts.

What I have found most fascinating is the contrast between our styles.  She chooses colours, treatments and overall layout style that are cohesive and lovely, and have a subtle elegance to them.  While I tend to focus on big ideas that simplify layouts and then work in the tiny details later, she builds detail in from the start, and is meticulous about making it perfect, both in real life and design.

Friday afternoon, we visited the garden center.  The friday project was to take a photograph of a plant, but in reality, it was a project created so we could go to the garden center (Let’s not lie to ourselves here!).  See if you can figure out whose photo is whose.

These two contrasting styles has, and will continue, to help us both grow as designers.  She is making me more tidy, and I am teaching her different ways to organize her content; both sides pushing each others’ boundaries.

Every once in a while you have to take a break from coding, so this morning we decided to make pixel art of our lovely dogs in the Capra office. We set ourselves half an hour to make pixel versions of Kenny the spaniel and Indy the whippet and this is the result!

Tips for self-employed going on holidays

Lots of warning

Let clients know as long as humanly possible before-hand that you’re going away. If you can, arrange deadlines up to a month before– no project goes according to plan, and having some extra time will help you wrap things up.

Arrange trustworthy replacements

For big projects, it’s not always possible to just leave things in place until you get back.  If the client is happy to, use other freelancers you’ve worked with before and bring them onboard at least a week before.  If you’ve not worked with them before, try to do a small project with them a few months before.

I was lucky enough to get Pete from FoamCow to work on one of my bigger projects while I was away.  I know he’s good and flexible and we were able to get through a small portion of the website before I left.  It meant I didn’t have to worry about anything until I got back.

For other projects, I left them in the capable hands of Jena, who now works with Capra.  She was in contact with my biggest active clients, and could check things out if the Capra website went down. Capra was still earning while I was away too– meaning I didn’t have to absorb expenses with future work.  With all this help, I have returned to only a small mountain of work to get through, and it feels less daunting!

Don’t bring your computer

If you can arrange your clients well, it’s best to leave your computer at home.  The temptation for work-a-holics is to obsessively check to make sure everything is okay.  The reason you’re going on a holiday is to get away from things!  So get away!

A time to step back

When you’re working, sometimes you’re so focused on the every day that the bigger picture gets a bit lost.  When I came back I began to focus on what I want Capra to be all about, and will be working hard to make it that way.  Stay tuned for some new stuff coming very soon!

(About the holiday)

Ollie and I went to Sri Lanka for our friends wedding.  While I suffered from some brutal stomach problems, I had a great time– highlights included the wedding (our friends looked amazing!), the elephant orphanage, white water rafting and A LOT of doing nothing!  We are glad to be back though, and England is beautiful in the snow!

So when I saw this surfing goat, of course I thought it was the coolest.  Goatee is my hero. I may be obsessed with my dog, but this is making me want to get a goat friend for Kenny even more!

Goatee is on facebook.

Read the Goatee story here.

(The owner, Dayna McGregor, is also selling t-shirts to sponsor buying goats for needy families.  You get a t-shirt if you sponsor.  If you would like to join in, read more about that on his website.)

So, after wallowing in self pity and a bit of wine, we redid it this year, with fresh illustrations and a new UI process.  It’s launch day today, so time will tell if our hunches were right, but already today we’ve had more hits than for all of last December.  Here’s a bit about what we changed.

Logging in first sucks

Last year, we wanted to avoid spam and allow people to reuse and edit their cards.  So, we integrated with a login from facebook.  Big mistake.  By not allowing people to play with the card maker before asking for their facebook login, we lost loads of potential people before we even started.

Don’t overengineer it

It takes 10 seconds to decorate a new tree, so we stripped features out:  You no longer could have a list of your cards, except via url you got in the email once we sent it.  Once you sent it, no more editing.  So far, no complaints!

Emphasize its free-ness

Many people are a bit weary about apps online, because they worry that they’ll have to pay something.  This app is a Christmas present to the world, but I think the old version didn’t make it clear that it was free.  Now it’s in headlines.  Hopefully that helps!

It’s still not perfect

Ahhh, twitter.  The best way to test a design!  So far people have been great and the tweaks that we’ve made because of their feedback has been invaluable.  Thank you to all the opinionated folks I know over there.  You rock.

Some people have pointed out that they didn’t understand why there were two versions of every ornament.  That was a personal choice in order to have more decorating options!  Sometimes you do things just because you want to!   It’s a work in progress…

Stay tuned!

We’re trying out  some google ads (yay free credits!) and few facebook ads to see how the general public get along with it.  Hopefully everyone will enjoy decorating the trees and we will get some good data that will help us become even better app designers.  Any feedback is greatly appreciated, as well as ideas for next year! Try out Mr. Snowflakes here.

Technically, we’re looking for:

• A full-bodied understanding of html/css, with some knowledge of html5 and css3
• An ability to take a design and apply it to other pages
• A good knowledge of photoshop, and a good design eye
• Some basic jquery would be nice
• Some experience with source control (such as subversion or git) is a plus
• Likes to learn new technology tools

Non-technically, we’re looking for:

• An enthusiasm for learning
• An ability to follow direction, but also shows lots of initiative to get things done
• Can commute to Eversley, Hampshire (RG27) and Liphook, Hampshire (GU30)
• Must love dogs, as Kenny is an employee

A little bit more

You’d be working at both the Eversley and Liphook locations. We’re both very small teams, so we’re looking for someone who will learn quickly and soon be better than us at their job!  Of course, since it’s an apprenticeship, we don’t expect you to be an expert yet, and training and improving will be a huge component to the position. There’s a chance after 3 months, that we could take you on longer.  So, if you’re enthusiastic, and have a portfolio, please contact us.

Tell us

1. Why you think you’d work well with us (we like compliments, so be specific!)
2. What your favourite colour is and why?
3. What’s your favourite browser, from the perspective of coding css, and why?

Please contact us from here or get in touch via twitter.

I think most people agree that Steve did something extra special.  I know he did for me: I fell in proper love with computers, graphic design  when my family spent $5000 on a Mac LC3 when I was around 12 years old, after my uncle, a great photographer, convinced us all that Apple was the way to go. Soon I was routing through preferences, designing magazines and drawing pretty well (even now I’m impressed) with Aldus.  I spent hours on it, so much so, that the family computer became MY computer.

In high school we had the bubble macs in our labs; I learned photoshop, illustrator and html, staying until 10pm some nights to work on the yearbook.

In university, I worked at the newspaper, and we all had macs.  When I bought my first computer of my own, it was a macbook.  Now, my whole job is on my mac.

Steve, you’ve been with me through thick and thin.  I wish for 1/10 of your drive, creativity and ambition.  Rest in peace.

The problem I end up having is that every day ends and the workload never seems to get smaller.  Why does each day fill up with nothing, and I end up with some days where the amount of real design or code that I input seems smaller than it should?  Often it comes from people whom I haven’t trained to respect my time.  Here’s some things I work on, and struggle with, when dealing with clients.

No to requests when unscheduled

We all do it; a client, who you’ve asked if they need some of your time, and they say no. Then they come and want us to do this ‘little thing’, even though you’re not scheduled to work with them, and you’ve made it clear that you’re now booked up.  So you do it. You may or may not charge them for it, and it makes you feel like a good person, one that takes care of their clients.

The problem is, caving for one, means you cave for many. And often. And they’ll expect it. What happens then is the clients that planned ahead and booked your time are pushed back by the manic, unorganized clients. This means you’re not doing your best work for your best clients. This can’t be a good thing.

What to do instead

Tell these clients your next block of time, for eg, in three days time you can give them an hour, or next week when you can give them 3. With decent clients, blowing them off until next month is not good for business, but letting them know that you can give them a small block within a week or two, followed by booking in your time properly in 2 months will leave them less disgruntled. This sets their expectations right, and it will force them to be more organized in knowing when they will need your time and booking ahead.  It also means that you can give the proper attention to those who deserve it the most.

No to the leeches

I’ve wasted hours and days helping out former clients and friends with their technical hosting problems (where I have only a small amount of knowledge) or website problems (where I have lots), when I have paid work waiting, and other deadlines looming. The problem here is often this type of help often uncovers deeper issues with whatever they’re working on, or what they’ve done to mess things up.  Before you know it, half a day is gone, you’re no where closer to fixing their problem, and you’re resentful.

What to do

It’s hard to say no to these people, as they always come up with smooth reasoning, or seem so desperate, so I have a policy to not take on friend’s problems unless they are my best friends or my mom. Many people think because I make my own hours that I can just take time out of my day to help them (for free, of course). That’s unfair– I wouldn’t ask a friend to take a 1/2 day off work because I’m too cheap to pay for something myself (don’t say that to them like that though, or you’ll have a lot less friends!).

Keep a list of contacts that are excellent at fixing computers and websites, and when someone asks, and expects help right there and then, let them know that you have a completely booked week, and unfortunately can’t help them until 3 weeks time (if you can tell them you’ll have to charge for it, that would be even better). Then offer your list of help, with approximate rates (sneak in that your rates are the same), and let them know that you highly recommend them. These people don’t value that your time costs you money, so even if you have to be a bit harsh, it’s better than wasting days.  Again, you’re taking time away from people that don’t value it, and giving it back to the people who do.

No to emails or unscheduled calls

Every once and a while I’ll get a small client who seems to think I want to hear their whole train of consciousness.  They’ll send me a few emails a day, with a line or two, or maybe a question.  These ones are easy to respond to: just do an email daily answering all their questions, suggesting to them that they keep an email draft with their compiled questions on it, so that it would be easier for you to make sure you have answered all of them.

Others have this great habit I like to call ‘email and notify via skype’.  They send me an email, and I see the notification (via growl) and before 5 seconds have passed, I receive something like this via skype:  ”I’ve just sent you an email.  Let me know when you’ve read it and you want to discuss.”  Others have no skype etiquette and will skype call me without confirming that I’m not busy, and that it’s okay to speak.

One of the biggest problems with productivity is interruption.  How can I do a great design, or code something up efficiently if I’m being interrupted, especially by a message letting me know I have an email? I leave skype on because I work with some colleagues remotely and it’s a great way to keep connected.  I have no problem with clients talking to me on skype, in fact it’s a great way to keep connected and share ideas.

What to do

Because skype is an instantaneous thing, I will often respond to such skype texts with, “Thanks, I will have a look a bit later!”  This lets them know that I’m not ready to discuss quite yet.

To unannounced skype calls, I will decline the call, and let them know that I cannot speak right then, but give them a time when I can.  The key here is to make the client understand that you are busy, possibly working on their project even, and would like them to respect that.  If you always respond and communicate immediately, they begin to believe that you’re at their beck and call and you’re only steps away from their 2am call when they have a question.

No is not really no.  It’s not now.

If you’re like me, you like to be busy, and you work hard, long hours.  Your clients respect that you work long hours too, and for the most part you get along great.  When you take a bit of time to address a few of the bad habits clients and others have with demanding your time and attention, you not only regain your time, but also claim their respect for your time and attention.  It means you want to work harder for your good clients, and will produce more of your best work, which is really what they want, right?

Having the opportunity to get a dog is one of the perks of running your own business.  Because the dog can hang out with you all day, it’s not cruelly locked away in a crate while you’re at work.  But it’s far better than that.  Here are just some of the benefits so far of having Kenny around:

More time outdoors

When you work on computers, it’s really easy to go the whole day without a ray of sunshine.  The  stereotype of the pasty computer person who gets no exercise has definitely been true for me!  Kenny and I have a lunch time walk, which is good for both of us to get some exercise and step away from work.  And I top up my vitamin D.

More breaks

Anyone who does creative work knows that having a break every hour or so can be great for finding solutions that have eluded you as you sit for hours and hours not accomplishing anything.  Just as many find creativity in the shower, having a play with your dog is a great way to come back to your work fresh.

More adventures

In the past few weeks I have seen more of my surrounding countryside than in the whole year before.  When you’re building a business and trying to get things done, it’s easy to get lazy about going out.  Exploring your local forests is a great way to de-stress and appreciate what a beautiful country I live in!

Less ‘doing nothing’

I often find myself sitting at my computer even when I’m not working, “Putting in time”.  This is completely inefficient, and I find I spend my time working much better now: I actually get MORE done, in much less time.

Less partying

Days of feeling less than rosy after going out and having drinks are now a rarity:  the pup isn’t ready for long hours in his crate, so it means I get home at a decent hour.

All day company

It’s well documented that those working home by themselves can end up feeling lonely.  With a dog though, it’s very social.  Not only do we hang out together, we also meet and talk to our neighbours, and there’s nothing like a dog for striking up a conversation with other dog owners and dog lovers, especially if your dog loves meeting new people too.

Carefree zone

After dealing with difficult clients, it’s so great to be with a creature that wants nothing more than to be happy, play and run.  I can feel my blood pressure going down already!

The dark side

Pups need lots of training to make sure they don’t bite or jump up (especially on children) and can’t be left alone for too long.  So, if you have client meetings, you’ll having to hire a dog walker to come a few times in the day.  You also have to make sure you work really hard to teach them good manners when they’re little.  If you’re busy and working 100 hour weeks, it will be hard for you to give your pup the attention and socialization it needs!