Open for business!

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For the past 8 years I’ve been fortunate to work with some remarkable businesses and amazing people. From a national non-profit canoe company to Minnesotan home grocery delivery to online personalized stationery, I’ve had the chance to develop my skill set in a diverse way. Now, using the gained knowledge and experience of the past, I’m thrilled to announce wb designworks, a growing branding, design and photography agency.

I’ve always felt the fabric of a community were the small, family-owned businesses–the mom and pop shops that cultivate downtowns, sponsor Little League teams, and give Main Street that feeling of home. With growing importance, a memorable brand and an engaging web experience can make it or break it for these shops. Truthfully, I don’t want to see them go away.

It is my hope, and my goal, to help small businesses stay relevant, keep the store fronts alive, and for friendly owners to fall in love with their dreams all over again.

Thank you for helping me on my journey. Spread the word!

-Wyatt

Forget the Phone Book. How to Generate Leads for Local Businesses

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I  could say that I came across this article on my own, but that’d be a lie. My wife sent me this article along with this quote:

“51 percent of U.S. adults get information about local businesses from the internet”

If you’re a small business that either has no web presence, or needs a revamped look, there’s no better time than now to stake your claim on the world wide web. Fortunately for me, this is my specialty. I love working with small businesses! I also completely agree with the article in that a wordpress platform is an ideal solution – I help you get things set up just the way you like, and then you can manage your own content.

Creating websites can be daunting, but all it takes is a little know-how and the right partner and you’ll be riding the waves of the world wide web in no time.

Read the article from Entrepreneur.com

 

Really charming Sonic video song

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I can’t stop watching this video! What a great idea! It feels so genuine, the guy’s voice is fantastic, the teller woman can’t stop giggling…it’s all so well done. It makes me think of Sonic as a brand that I want to fall in love with, simply because this car full of people love it just as much. It makes me smile, and isn’t that what a brand is supposed to do?

How to get the best out of your creative team

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Brian Henson, chairman of the Jim Henson Company, talks about his father and how he corrals a team of creative minds, rather than directs them.

This past summer my company experienced a change in leadership. This new leader, in learning about this new business, asked us what our proudest moments were as a part of this company. After some thought, my answer came in when my Production Artist, and close friend of mine, realized her goals of being a full-time, professional designer. This is a woman who decided to make a career change, went back to school, learned the design trade, came on with Pear Tree as an intern, and worked her way into a full time position. It took a lot of guts, a lot of drive, and I admire her for that. As a leader and manager, I constantly strive to help people succeed in their careers, whatever their goals may be. I believe that if you have a drive and a passion for something, even if those goals aren’t in alignment with your everyday work load, you can be a valuable employee as long as you have the encouragement and the support from those around you to help realize those passions. Being able to offer her a full-time position, and knowing that I was able to participate in her journey, was hugely gratifying.

In this video, Brian talks about “corralling” creativity, letting people make mistakes, and encouraging them to continue to experiment. In my everyday world of eCommerce, sometimes this is challenging, but something I think we can all strive for. Let creativity happen. Encourage it. Feed those passions that your team has and let innovation happen.