Buy Me a Laptop – Please!

My Worn-out Dell Inspiron

This week, at Taylor Resources Writing, I have been working furiously on some fun projects for existing clients and some brand new clients. Let’s just say that I am grateful for the trust that small businesses and organizations have in me to allow me to write their content, manage their social media campaigns and help them come up with creative ways to get in front of the right kinds of customers.

Working from home at my little cherry writing desk along with my trusty Dell Inspiron, a cup of coffee and my cat Pepper to keep me company is something I look forward to on a daily basis. The familiar tapping sounds of my keyboard as I churn out web articles, blog posts and press releases is something I’ve gotten used to and sometimes I think my body and the Dell merge into one, much like a piano player in the rush of a concerto. This laptop has provided many hours of solid work, plenty of reliable service and its cool silver and white case inspires me for some reason. There’s a reason it’s called an Inspiron.

However, this little working from home experience is not without its ups and downs. In the past 2 months, I have noticed a marked decrease in the ability of my Dell laptop to keep up with the speed of my brain and the intensity of my wildly typing fingers. It tends to lag on a frequent basis, programs are starting to crash or freeze up, and I have had to take off many files, programs and clear cookies repeatedly to keep it going. The keys are worn very badly and the wrist rest is missing some paint now, as you can see from the picture. I get those alarming messages that my memory is low – whatever that means??? Every time I download an eBook, upload a photo or review a flash website, I swear I can hear it groan!

At first, I thought for sure it was the Internet service so I contacted Comcast on a few occasions and adamantly explained that it couldn’t possibly be my computer as it is top of the line technology and it’s their stupid Wi-Fi that’s the issue – not my precious Dell! I upgraded the mouse and checked the cables in our apartment to make sure they are hooked up right. After meeting with my partner in crime, Dwayne Thompson of Thompson Web Development, who showed me his cool Toshiba Satellite Laptop computer fully loaded with Windows 7 and a bunch of cool software tools, I began to realize that maybe the support tech at Comcast was right when he told me my Dell was “old school”.

So, I have come to the sad conclusion that I must retire my Dell Inspiron E1505, with its .99 GB of RAM and the Microsoft XP Home Edition operating system. I hate to admit this, but I did some window shopping, looking at the latest store models in our local office supply stores and low and behold, found something I liked! I saw this gleaming beauty of a laptop at Office Depot, you know the one right next door to Barnes & Nobles (my second home). The sales person raved about it, and after much hesitation I walked over to it, put my hands on the keyboard and I was hooked! And the price – oh my heavens – the machine was only $479 instead of the $629 price tag on the manufacturer’s website. The deal of the century for sure!

But, unfortunately, my budget this week is a bit on the scanty side, due to a multitude of writing projects in progress, car repairs to pay for and rent looming on the horizon. My husband gave me that pained look when I mentioned it to him and said “well maybe if you land a new client next month and IF it’s still on sale” and walked away quickly. I stood there embarrassed and screaming inside my head – but I can write it off on my taxes, use it for my business, be much more productive, and provide work faster for my clients!

So here is my proposition to all my wonderful clients this week: Buy me a new laptop PLEASE!

Help this hard-working freelance web writer to get back up to speed. I don’t want a shiny new Porsche, just a reasonably priced, practical laptop that I can use to do all that writing, brainstorming and researching for you. Yes, YOU! Think of it as an investment in your business and in the success of all that SEO friendly content that I’ve been writing for you. Help a broke small business owner get out of this predicament and get up to the current times with a beautiful, functional Toshiba Satellite Laptop that I saw for a deal at Office Depot.

If you do, I promise that I will be able to write much faster for you – your projects will be delivered in less time and I can work harder on your behalf. Besides, I can even deduct it from your next invoice.

So help a girl out – Help to Buy Me a New Laptop Please!

Exciting updates at Taylor Resources Writing and Creative!

Just wanted to let you know about some exciting updates here at Taylor Resources Writing and Creative!

First and foremost, I have decided to expand my current content services by partnering with two professionals whom I believe will add much more value and choices in the types of services offered to you moving forward. In today’s world, it’s important to diversify and offer the complete package so that a multitude of needs can be met all in one convenient place and at the most affordable prices.

So with that spirit in mind, I am pleased to announce the addition of Jehiel Taylor (my husband) who will be leading our creative division. Jehiel brings with him an MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and 20 years of experience in graphic design and illustration. From logos to website banners and company branding needs – Jehiel will be the go-to person for all your creative endeavors!

I’d also like to formally announce that we have partnered with Dwayne Thompson II, a very talented web developer and the owner of Thompson Web Development, to provide expert web site design, development and hosting. Dwayne has an impressive portfolio of websites he has created for others and has worked with a wide range of clients from very diverse industries. Dwayne shares the same commitment and enthusiasm for helping clients succeed with their web marketing efforts as we do – so we are very pleased that he has agreed to work hard for our clients too!

Going into the summer months, we plan to be available to everyone as much as possible, but to clear up any confusion we are going to stick to the below schedule.

Monday – Friday 9 AM-6 PM
Saturdays 10 AM – 2 PM
Sundays Closed

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to email us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Remember, we are here to help you reach your goals this year of making your online marketing efforts work for you. Let us help you with expertly written content, graphics and design for websites, blogs and social media campaigns. So you can spend less time working and more time buidling the kind of business you desire!

Converting website visitors to paying customers

Ever get frustrated that your website traffic isn’t reflecting your potential earnings as a small business?  

This week, I have recorded a podcast for you which I hope will aid you with converting website visitors to actual paying customers.

While it’s true having expert content and graphics on your website will drive the search engines to find you – how well are you doing with getting your website visitors to contact you to find out more about what you offer?

Please enjoy this third edition of the Marketing Monday series entitled ” Tricks to Convert Website Visitors to Paying Customers” !

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PODCAST

Is Your Business Part of the Local Economy?

This week, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a prominent company on an human resources and recruiting project that will bring thousands of jobs to the Charleston, South Carolina area in the coming year. It was a rewarding gig that also allowed me to participate in supporting the local economy as a whole. What struck me as ironic, however, was that it brought to mind that while I have been so focused on building my business and taking projects from multiple clients around the world that I’ve somewhat lost sight of my impact on the very fragile local economy right here in my backyard!

Back in the day, while I was still employed with local companies in a variety of roles, there were plenty of ways in which I could see how each organization was linked to others and supported each other’s success. From healthcare and manufacturing industries to technology, service and recruiting firms, I could see clearly how even my tiny footprint was helping to sustain the financial well-being of other companies. But now, I am left wondering how as a solo entrepreneur can I make a positive dent in the growth that our local area is slowly starting to experience following the recession?

One of the ways in which I am trying to help other small businesses, here in Charleston as well as elsewhere, is by offering services that can help them to compete with the “big dogs” by providing affordable social media, content marketing and website support. This is something I have become good at as a result of trying to launch and sustain my own small business on a shoestring budget over the last 3 years.

I can easily offer services like:

• Articles and Blog Post Writing
• Business and Marketing Support
• Keyword Research and SEO Analysis
• Press Releases and News Articles
• Sales Materials and Landing Pages
• Social Media Help

Plus a lot of other things that can help to get the word out about the many fabulous small businesses in this area!

Chances are, if you are reading this, you are looking for that “something extra” that either you don’t know how to do or are finding a lack of time to do given your busy schedule. Maybe you need someone to look over your website and offer pointers to make it better from a user standpoint to help improve conversions? Or maybe you know you need to set up a Facebook or Twitter profile, but don’t know how to do this? Perhaps you are not getting a positive response from your efforts and you just need someone objective to give you fresh ideas?

Whatever your particular needs are, don’t be afraid to contact me and see what I can do for you. If I can’t perform a particular service, I am likely to be able to recommend someone to you who can!

So take a moment to look around in your community and see what services you can provide, or needs you can meet in order to stimulate the local economy this Spring. Let’s all take advantage of all the resources in this great world we live in and create some more success stories within our own lives and our businesses, starting right here, right now!

To your success and to the improvement in your community this year….