Keeping My JuJu Intact.

I believe in advertising.  In fact, I've been indirectly and directly in the advertising field since I left college. The best advertising is "word of mouth" and now "word of social media".  A happy client will let people know who made them happy (And an angry one will let people know why too...even more loudly!).  I take the idea of helping my clients very seriously, even though much of my work is light hearted in tone.  I have fully digested the concept that by doing the right thing by your client and doing a little more than you have to, you'll be paid back many times over.  Recommendations that help a client (not just upsell them) show that you are thinking beyond the accounting ledger.  It means you're thinking about the "Giving Back Ledger".
The reward isn't always money. Sometimes it's something more important: A new friendship, a new contact with a vendor, inspiration for new ideas. Sometimes, it's free advertising...
In just under 1 month, I've had my work  shown in "The American Woodworker" and just today I picked up a local paper called "The Stark County News". Inside?

The reporter was here a week or so ago, and seemed a bit overwhelmed with my wacky workshop of fun.  I was pleasantly suprised with the article and delighted to have been included.

When I  got back from lunch and picking up the paper, I had another suprise waiting in the mail.
The mural I painted here in my town (Wyoming, Il) was included in a magazine called "Remember The Rock". It's a magazine dedicated to the memories and stories about The Rock Island Trains. My credit (and company name and web link) are on the opposite page not shown).  I don't even mind that they added some text to the image to create the story headline!

I am working on a project over the next couple of days that's a bit of a secret project. I'll be able to talk more about it later, but suffice it to say that I'm honored to participate and to do something for someone else. It's my way of trying to keep the "Giving Back Ledger" in the black.  An old friend named David Renner would sometimes say "When something goes your way, you've got to give back. If you don't, it'll mess up your JuJu."