But if you want to go beyond the minimum requirements of website best practices, then you need to show that you are unique, interesting and ahead of the curve. You want to be the “cool kid” – not just a trendsetter, but the one who leads the pack in the right direction.

One way to become the “Big Man on Campus” is to have a Parallax site, which uses multiple backgrounds that seem to move at different speeds to create a sensation of depth (and an interesting browsing experience. It’s hard to describe; you have to look at a few first to know what I’m talking about. Check out this list of 30 amazing Parallax websites.

Besides their obvious visual appeal, I personally like them because you can load a lot of content and videos on them without making them look crowded. They also work well on mobile devices and tablets, allowing you to scroll and swipe.

I came across an awesome Parallax site for the Milwaukee Police Department. Most police department sites are nothing more than a webpage on the municipality’s website with basic contact information and a note from the chief. But MPD’s website goes way beyond that. This parallax site uses photography, graphics and strong copywriting to portray the police officers as everyday heroes who save people and fight crime. Good stuff!

EnMast member Adrian Gershom from Offshoot Design recently built his first Parallax site for McGrath Communications and predicts the demand for these types of sites will rise. “Parallax sites are really in response to our behaviors with mobile devices and tablets,” he told me. “I don’t think they are for everyone, but it’s definitely a tool that can make your brand more memorable.”

McGrath Communications was the perfect candidate for a Parallax site, Adrian said, because the Parallax format complements the business’ mission of teaching people to become more effective communicators. It allows the company to include a lot of important information but in a digestible format, with photos and videos interspersed throughout.

Like the MPD site, the McGrath Communications site has a “cool kid” quality about it. You think, “Who are these people? I need to know them!”

And really, isn’t that the kind of impression you want your website to convey? If so, maybe it’s time to go “parallax”.

What do you think of Parallax sites?

“All entities move and nothing remains still.” ~Heraclitus

I’m not a fan of taking wild risks. I don’t play the lottery or go to Vegas, or make big stock market investments. Yet I know that businesses only thrive when you push them forward, when you risk what you have in order to make something better.

We all started our businesses because we saw a hole, an unmet need in the marketplace. But the marketplace changes, we change and we have to continue to search for and seek out new holes — new markets. Our business cannot remain static; we are learning new things, our clients’ businesses are changing and new competitors are entering the marketplace.

The riskiest thing we can do is to stand still.

I wish that I could rest on my laurels; keep doing the same things that I was doing 5 years ago, using the same sales methods and teaching the same tools. But the market has moved. The opportunity isn’t there anymore — it’s somewhere else — and I have to find it.

What are some risks you should be taking?

I’m not suggesting that you should start a new business or wildly jump into new markets; but there are some things you can do to that may seem risky yet they actually protect you against these market changes.

1. Spend more money to get more clients. If your customer acquisition cost is low compared to your customer lifetime value, you should think about spending more money in marketing and sales. Yes, it will increase your customer acquisition cost and decrease your margins. But you are spending money to make money. (More information about these ratios.)
2. Train your team. Investing in keeping your team’s skills on the cutting edge is risky because when they learn new skills it makes them more valuable. They ask for raises or get better offers from other companies. But the flip side is that they value the time and money you are spending on making them better. Those new skills are going to work right now for your business and your clients. Training is the engine that keeps your business moving.
3. Offer new products or services. Be on the lookout for new products, services or opportunities. If you were starting a business today (in the same industry you are already in) what are the opportunities you see? How could you prototype that product? Are there clients asking you for something slightly different than what you are currently offering? Is there some new technology or methodology in your market that you need to adopt? (Interesting case study on one business owner who took this kind of risk.)
4. Think about buying some growth. When Yahoo! found itself playing it safe it went out and found a company that had captured the interest of the audience they were looking for. Time will tell if spending $1B on Tumblr is going to pay off. But acquiring some knowledge or expertise that can help you to serve your core customers better can really pay off. There are going to be more opportunities in the coming years as Boomers retire.

Where are there opportunities for you to take more risk now to create a more prosperous future?

What title did you give yourself (i.e. Owner, president, CEO, founder)? Why did you choose that title? Chief Number Cruncher. I chose that title because, after working for myself for 11 years, I realized that I own this joint and can be as silly as I want. Plus “President” or “Owner” just sounded too stuffy. I like to believe that I’m a little more open and friendly with my clients than that .

How many people do you have on your team? 13

Best part(s) of being a business owner: Being able to set my own agenda, work the hours that I want to work (which one day will be less than 45!), able to take off to take my kid on their field trip, and give fellow business owners the absolute best work product that I can. More than one part, but I can honestly say that I love what I do.

Most challenging part(s) of being a business owner: I think the single most challenging part is life/work balance. I’m definitely improving in this area, but it’s a constant struggle at times to separate the two.

One thing you wish someone told you before you started your own business: You are going to fail. Don’t be afraid of it, embrace it and learn from it and move on.

Your business outlook for 2013: I’m so happy to say that we are on track to have our biggest gross and net income year. We’ve got a solid, awesome team in place. More than that, having worked really hard last year to get my team in order and everyone settled into places that they want to be, it leaves me open to pursue actually running the business and bringing in clients, which is my strongest point. It took me a long time to realize that I don’t have to do it all and I should be doing the parts that I love and that I’m truly good at.

Read more Member Spotlights here.

If you think you’re being risky, you’re doing the safest thing you can. If you’re playing it safe, you’re taking a big risk… Being very good is being invisible. Being very good is useless. You have to either be horrible, in some people’s eyes, or spectacular. ~Seth Godin

Most people think that small business owners love to take big risks but I haven’t found that to be true. Sure, starting a business was a big risk, but at least we got to do what we loved. And we kept our expenses low, so we only needed a few customers. Sure it was a risk, but it wasn’t really any riskier than getting a job, was it?

It’s once we get going, once we’re established, that the real risk aversion sets in. Now we have something to lose. We have a reputation, clients, employees and an office lease. Now is when we really find out how much risk we can tolerate. We may begin to compromise here and there. We take on a project that’s not perfect for us, but it will bring in some money. We hire a team member who is competent, but not passionate. It’s those small decisions that lead us toward being just good.

But this is our life’s work! We are giving up sleep, time with your family and vacations for this business. Are we doing that for a business that’s just very good? Are we doing that so that you can be on par with your peers? NO! We need to go further and not settle for very good. We need to fight for excellent.

Being very good is deadly. It is vanilla. It is pablum. There are a 100 — or maybe a 1,000 companies — who are very good at what we do. How many of them are a little cheaper or a little better connected? Being very good is very risky.

We must be better than very good. We must be excellent. We must go further. We must be a one-of-a-kind, a purple cow (in Seth’s language).

And when we set our standards higher like that, our risk tolerance is tested even more because we have to take more risk in the decisions we make. Even though our sales pipeline isn’t full, we should still turn down a project that doesn’t fit our skill set. When our cash reserves are low, we shouldn’t budge on our pricing to bring in more work.

Why? Because we are excellent — and excellence requires expertise and it demands a high price tag.

This is where things that look safe (taking a sure thing project that doesn’t match our expertise but will bring in some money) turns out to be really risky (“We didn’t make money on that? The client is disappointed and isn’t referring us?”). And the things that look really risky (“That looks like a terrific project, but it’s not for us. Can I recommend some other folks that might be better suited?”) are our safest bet.

How are you focusing your business to make it more than very good? What risks do you need to take now?

A Hamburger, fries, and a coke from a fast-food restaurant. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you think of fast food, brands like McDonalds and Burger King might pop into your head.

Now think of your own brand. Do you think it’s top of mind for people when they think of your industry?

Creating a brand is a process that requires more than a good name and a good logo. In this guest blog post for Branding Value Now, Brad Farris writes about some steps you can take to create a greater awareness about your brand.

Read Brad’s post here.

One minute. Don’t read. Don’t talk. No photos. Just look…and see.

Now, obviously this person either wasn’t obeying the sign or they had already observed their minute’s worth! But this photo made a thought become very clear to me: Sometimes, you’ve just got to stop. And look. And listen. Put the phone down, and unplug. We’ll call it the “Grand Canyon” moment. As a freelancer or small business owner, it’s easy for the lines between work life and personal life to become a bit fuzzy, but it’s important to find that “Grand Canyon” moment each day.

sunset at Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA) seen from Yavapai Point (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This month, for the very first time, I had to say no to an assignment. I had several other projects going when the opportunity was presented, and although I really wanted to take it, I knew it would put me over the edge. My stress level was going to be at an uncomfortable level. But by saying no, I set a boundary for myself and made a conscious decision to respect that sacred balance. I’ve compiled a few other tips that have helped me maintain my sanity in a world where work hours sometimes spill into…well, life hours.

1. Keep a good running list. I’m not the best at making a physical to-do list—I always keep it in my head—but have found that the times when I actually put pen to paper and can visually organize it by importance level, my stress level is lower. Also, it feels really good to cross things off that list. When you’ve decided it’s time for the workday to be over, draw a line on that list and save the rest for tomorrow. See also: Serenity Prayer.
2. Allow yourself days/weeks to do more. While it’s okay to say no sometimes, it’s also okay to say yes when you’re looking to push yourself. A challenging project is a great confidence booster every now and then, and will allow you to expand your mental bandwidth. I would compare this to a runner staying conditioned for a long-distance race—some days will require some serious speed training (and while it’s rough at the moment, you feel really good when you’re finished!)
3. Have someone who helps maintain the balance. Outside perspective is so important when it comes to time management. Having a mentor, partner, or friend who can tell you when it looks like you’re not sleeping enough may be just what you need on those weeks where you don’t even realize you’ve worked 40 hours in two days.

As a hardworking, motivated person, the desire to do it all is overwhelming sometimes. After all, you only have your business’ best interests at heart. But don’t be afraid to push the pause button sometimes, or even to say no. The beauty of being your own boss is that you have the authority to make those decisions. Find your “Grand Canyon Moment” and remember—you can’t do it all in a day.

Kaleigh Friend is the Public Relations Manager at Central Illinois Foodbank and a recent Communications graduate from the University of Illinois. 

If your sales pipeline report is working well, and you are regularly reviewing it with your sales team, you should see at least the following four things happening:

1. Find out what’s moving — so you can focus your lead generation.

When you look at your sales pipeline report on a regular basis, you will notice that some prospects move through the buying process quickly, and others move more slowly (if at all). What do those “quicker to close deals” have in common? Do clients of a particular type move faster, or does it have to do with how the lead came to you? If you can notice the trends you can put more of your time and energy behind those leads that are more likely to close (and hopefully close more deals).

2. Find out what’s stuck — so you can focus your sales efforts.

Just as important as looking at what’s moving is looking at what’s stuck. Often times just reviewing the sales pipeline sparks an action, “Wait, I was supposed to hear back from Josh last week. I need to follow up with him and see what’s going on!” Or on the other end of the spectrum, you find things that you have followed up with 10 times and it’s still not moving — likely it’s time to take it out of the pipeline. The only resource that your sales people have to manage is their time. Make sure they are spending it well!

3. Find out what’s coming — so you can adjust your staffing.

What most people want the pipeline report to do is to predict future sales, and it should do that, sort of. You need to recognize that your pipeline report is only true on average. In other words, if you try to use it to predict which piece of business is going to close it’s pretty useless. But if you use it to predict the relative volume of work that’s going to close it’s perfect. A bigger pipeline is better than a smaller pipeline (all things being equal). The bigger pipeline has a greater chance of producing more business. To get the “truest” picture of your future business you want to weed out as many of the leads that are not moving as possible. These leads aren’t likely to close, and they aren’t useful in predicting future sales. The more you focus on the high velocity leads, the more accurate your prediction becomes.

4. Find out where your sales people need help — so you can help them close more deals.

Reviewing the pipeline report on a regular basis can make it less likely that your team is going to hide behind excuses or “stories”. By forcing your sales people to give an account for what they are working on, and what that effort is producing, you can see if there are certain clients they are intimidated by, or otherwise have a hang up with. Maybe they need some coaching, or for you to ride along with them. Maybe they are hoping for a sale that’s just not advancing. The sales pipeline report helps you to separate the truth from the stories. It’s your job to be brutal — don’t let stuff linger in the pipeline that’s not advancing. If there is something the sales person needs in order to move the deal forward, get it for them. But if you’ve shot all the bullets in your gun and you still don’t have a deal, it’s time to move on. Focus your sales time and resources on deals that are likely to close. If there’s not enough of those, you need to focus the sales people’s time back toward the top of the funnel and generate some leads.

If you’re not using a sales pipeline report, hop over and download our Sales Pipeline Excel template today. Start tracking your team’s progress and reviewing it regularly. You will feel more in control of your business development process, and you might gain some valuable insights in the process.

It was interesting to note that just putting that red circle of carpet on the floor was enough to constrain the speakers. Everyone stayed in the circle of light — no one strayed. But these speakers were change agents, entrepreneurs, rebels – not the type of people to “stay in the circle”. Was the lure of good lighting enough to keep them on the carpet?

Listening to their stories, I doubted that. In fact, I doubt that any of them would have gotten to that stage by “staying on the carpet”. Most of you who own a business didn’t get there by coloring within the lines either, did you? But once you’ve built that business, or taken those risks, developed enough fame to get on the TEDx stage, there’s a temptation to start playing it safer.

You think, “Now that I have built something, I need to preserve it and play it safe.”

But don’t.

Playing it safe, not making mistakes, obeying all the rules — these aren’t the behaviors that got you to where you are today. Now that you are successful, you can’t change your stripes all of a sudden, can you? You have to keep going for it, more now than ever!

I hope that when I get my turn on the TEDx stage, I’m my normal wandering, energetic speaker self. I hope that the lure of good lighting doesn’t keep me on the red dot — but instead I’ll be drawn by the power of delivering energy and knowledge to the audience who is there live.

Did you attend TEDx? What were your takeaways? 

El Greco – The Burial of the Count of Orgaz – WGA10486 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Artists like El Greco (pictured) were known for creating art with invisible directional cues that caused the viewer’s eye to move through the piece.

Your landing page should work in the same way. It should be informative, seamlessly direct the audience to the information they want, and offer something stimulating.

In this guest post for Spoutfire, Brad Farris writes about how to master the art of the landing page with his “El Greco Checklist.”

Read Brad’s post on Spoutfire here.

Growth creates complexity, which requires simplicity. — Andy Stanley at the Chick-fil-A Leadercast, May 10, 2013

A leader’s job is very complex; in fact, it’s so complex, it can be easy to lose focus on what’s important.

I had the pleasure of attending a simulcast of this year’s Chick-fil-A Leadercast, where the theme was “Simply Lead.” The speakers — including such legends as Jack Welch, Sanya Richards-Ross and Condoleezza Rice — offered their insight into how to bring your job as a leader back into focus so that you can be the most effective in your role.

In the interest of “keeping it simple,” here are some to-the-point messages about simplicity in leadership from some of our nation’s greatest authorities on the subject.

1. Author and Pastor Andy Stanley recommended that leaders and their teams create a one-sentence job description. For instance, as senior pastor of his church, Stanley’s one-sentence job description is: “To inspire our staff and congregation to remain fully engaged in our strategy.” Can you summarize your role in one sentence? 
2. John Maxwell interviewed former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about her views on leadership. I can’t imagine a more complex role than the Secretary of State, but she said she was able to keep focused on what was important by staying in constant pursuit of clarity. She was constantly identifying “enabling conditions,” or what needed to be done first to make everything else happen. (She also talked about the importance of a good attitude, and said one thing that made me laugh so hard just because it seemed so out of character for her: “No one likes to follow a sour puss.”)  What are some enabling conditions that apply to your organization? 
3. Productivity expert and author David Allen said leaders have too many things going on their heads at any given time. His signature “GTD” approach is to get everything out of your head as quickly as you can focus on the tasks at hand. He is a proponent of making lists and taking swift action on things to get them out of your head. Is your head cluttered?
4. As the head coach of Duke University‘s basketball team, the head coach of the United States Olympic Basketball team, and the NCAA coach with the most wins in history, Mike Krzyzewski brought an interesting perspective to the day. He encouraged leaders to create standards for their teams, instead of enforcing rules. “Rules are externally applied but standards are internally owned.” What are some standards that you want to apply to your organization? 
5. Leadercast didn’t just focus on business leadership — it also touched on community leadership. You have to take a minute and watch this beautiful story about Caine’s Arcade. I wouldn’t do it justice by describing it; you have to watch it for yourself — it’s as good as Rocky! What can you do to impact the lives of others in your community?  

All in all, it was an inspirational day and I left there feeling pretty pumped! Host Michael Hyatt has some great notes about the event on his website too if you want to check it out here.

Do you feel like your role as a leader gets clouded by the complexities of your job?  How do you pull yourself out of it? 

So whether you’re tech savvy or not, we bet you can find a few new tools that will help you work smarter …not harder.

Basecamp Classic vs. Basecamp Next – Pros & Cons

Whether you have been using the old Basecamp platform and thinking about moving to the new Basecamp, or looking to start using Basecamp at your business, you gotta check out Devan’s review. She walks through the pros and cons of using Basecamp for tracking your small business projects. Read on ››

How to use Evernote for business

Devan uses Evernote like it’s her job. Well actually, she uses it for her job. See how  she uses Evernote to keep organized working for multiple companies and projects. Get tips on how to organize your Notebooks, Tags and more to keep your work/business organized! Read on ››

How to use an iPad for business

Thinking about buying an iPad and doing away with the laptop? Brad did. See how he stopped lugging his laptop around when meeting clients and instead only takes his iPad. Get tips and advice for making the switch from paper and laptop to iPad! Read on ››

6 Travel gear must-haves for business

Travel much? Here’s Devan’s list of her favorite gadgets and gear she takes with her when traveling around for work. If you’re looking for some good travel gear recommendations, you gotta check it out. Read on ››

Best business note taking apps on the iPad

This is one of EnMast’s favorite blog posts. If you’re using an iPad and looking for better workflow when taking notes, you gotta check out Brad’s recommendations. Here’s his favorite iPad note taking apps he uses for business. Read on ››

Drafts: The iPhone productivity app you didn’t know you needed

We regularly geek over awesome apps that improve our workflow. Brad discovered Draft recently and has fallen in love! See how he uses it for a seamless workflow and why it’s the app you need to have. Read on ››