Drew Schiller — Marking, Business and Web Design.

Brand Ownership Yields Repeat Business, Referrals, and Tons of Goodwill

February 3, 2010

Almost a year ago I wrote an article detailing how my jeweler pays for his customer’s parking tickets and I compared his approach to the women’s clothing store across the street that rushed my wife out the door to feed the parking meter (effectively forcing her to drop the clothes she was going to try [...]

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Why Your Marketing Fails

January 18, 2010

Okay, I admit it: I’m writing this more for me than for you. But you might get something out of it anyway. We marketers are selfish, selfish beings. 99 times out of 100 we create new products and marketing campaigns because of what we want, rather than in response to what consumers need. Sure, as [...]

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9 Surefire Ways To Break Open Your Creative Ice Jam

January 14, 2010

Just a few minutes ago, I had the answers to all the world’s problems. Now all I can think of is the Big Mac ingredients song. So what happened? Where did all my wonderful ideas go? Will I ever get them back? Fortunately I’ve dealt with this situation enough through the years that I’ve developed [...]

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Run Your Business Like Andy Warhol Created Art

January 11, 2010

“The reason I’m painting this way is that I want to be a machine and I feel that whatever I do and do machine-like is what I want to do.” – Andy Warhol Over the weekend I saw what’s left of the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum (it’s a beautiful museum with [...]

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Five Ways To Make Sure You Accomplish Your Goals in 2010

January 4, 2010

Break it down — You’re not a super hero, but if you’re like me, your task list sure makes you look like one. Do yourself a favor and break down your goals into easily manageable chunks. Trust me, if you accomplish small objectives each day, you will reach that all-important, capital “G” Goal much quicker [...]

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Marketing the Marketer

December 31, 2009

Every artist, designer, writer, marketer, and small business owner will tell you that promoting themselves is the most challenging task they will ever undertake. There is just something incredibly terrifying about labeling yourself for the world. “But that’s not all I am,” your creative mind thinks while trying to distill your life’s work into five [...]

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The Fact That You Own a Business Does Not Make You an Entrepreneur

December 21, 2009

Entrepreneurship is not necessarily business ownership, and business owners are not necessarily entrepreneurs. Last week, a fellow small business owner said to me that we, meaning small business owners, are all entrepreneurs. This struck me as very interesting, because I don’t see this person as an entrepreneur, and I don’t believe most small business owners [...]

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The New Biz

October 14, 2009

Many of you know that Crystal and I have recently started a business in our spare time (ha!), Gluten Free Basics, LLC. Crystal has been diagnosed with celiac disease for the last two years, and we started the business to provide educational and coaching products for people who must follow a strict gluten-free diet. The [...]

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Gain Perspective On Business and Life By Taking a Hiatus

September 1, 2009

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t posted in a couple of months. In late June, I began to feel like the direction my business was taking was moving against my grain. Owning a business that fulfills me personally as well as financially is critical to how [...]

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Advice: Consider the Source

July 1, 2009

I was speaking with someone last week who is starting her first business, and predictably she was a little overwhelmed by how many things she had to do. As we were talking, she said things like, “I heard that I should do this,” or, “So-and-so recommended that.” She was also actively looking for validation and [...]

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