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2011 a short look back

This past year has been an interesting one which on the eve of the new year, could sooner be forgotten if it weren’t for some really significant events.

Steve Jobs
Online it must have been the most significant event in history when Steve Jobs passed away on October 5th. He seriously left a huge dent in the universe and I think people are waiting to see the first significant Apple release without the creative genius driving the company.

Facebook Timeline
Love it or hate it, as of the December 22nd, Facebook officially rolled out Timeline. As an early adopter it took me very little time to really start appreciating the life event display of my personal information. While there are some people who aren’t as happy about the changes, personally I look forward to further enhancements and also seeing Timeline used for page profiles.

Google+
New to social media was the much hyped release of Google’s latest social platform Google+ which has been released publicly, but to date is still very much a geek network. Google also rolled out a really significant UI redesign across most of its platforms, which has significantly improved the look and feel and unified many of their online spaces.

Twitter
Twitter redesigned.

Digital Monarchy
Marianna and I decided we were taking the leap from full-time employment and started our own little digital studio. We were originally going to call our company Harakiri, but the timing was too close to the Tsunami which hit Japan, so we settled on Digital Monarchy. We have no plans of taking over the world, we simply want to do good work. While only being in business for 9 months, we have worked on some great brands with some brilliant people.

FWA
I spent my December holiday in 2010 redesigning my personal website, choosing to try my hand at a responsive html5 design, which won me FWA  Mobile Site of the Day on March 16th. Digiguru has now existed for over a decade and will continue to improve while showcasing my ever-increasing portfolio.

2012
With the new year, brings with it new optimism, may your 2012 be full of fun, excitement, success, laughter, good health, peace, love and happiness!

Thank you

Digital Monarchy website

We recently launched our new Digital Monarchy website. It was built in html5, styled with css3 and has some great functionality thanks to jquery. We believe in responsive design, so have made sure it’s viewable on desktops, tablets and smartphones. Please feel free to check it out, we think you’ll love it!

http://www.digitalmonarchy.co.za

Business advice I should have taken

After a very valid effort trying to lead the charge of integration and quality digital at Ogilvy Interactive, I decided to leave my job and start my own business again. I tried my best to be prepared, but honestly their just wasn’t enough time, money or structure in place. Digital Monarchy has only been open for just over 2 months, but I already know I could have done things better. So here are a few tips, for those who want to take the leap from full time employment and brave opening their own shop.

  • Once you have a few company names, make sure you can get the domain names
  • Talk to an accountant and register the name, ensuring you have the right name on your documents and you can align it with your domain name.
  • Talk to a lawyer and get all the legal documentation, terms of service, advice and  of course partnership agreements in place.
  • Set up bank accounts, tax numbers and try and get VAT registered.
  • Brand your company and prepare all media, including website, business cards, letter heads, invoicing, Facebook, twitter etc
  • Know what your business does, who your target market is, what you are going to charge … simply know your business
  • Make sure you have some cash flow, some clients will withhold payment for several months.
  • Get the support of your family and friends, you are going to need their buy in and support during the tough times.
  • Once you have everything in place, then and only then do you leave your job, so that your only focus is on reaching out to potential clients and bringing in the work.
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