Holley Murchison

Let’s start with the short version.

*feel free to scroll down to the bottom for the extended version 

I love public speaking. I love people. Thanks to Skillshare, I’ll be teaching what I love to who I love (at Grind). And so, here we are… 

Read More →

I came across this the other day and thought the concept was pretty dope. Particularly because it’s centered around these questions:

• Are you working in a full-time job you hate?
• Do you have a great business idea inside that you’ve been dying to test? 
• Already a freelancer, independent or startup but having difficulty balancing your workload? 
• Trying to find that key designer or developer to bring your idea to life? 
• Are you ready to start an independent business?

The workshop is a day-long unconference that caters to startups, freelancers and (aspiring) business owners living outside of the 9-5 workday. The day includes presentations (no, not the Powerpoint kind) in areas from accounting to social enterprise, breakout sessions with experts and of course, a tremendous opportunity to network with like minds (and potentially get one step closer to the career you’ve been seeking).

Check out the videos from January’s workshop here. 

Interested? You bet your ass, you are! The workshop is going down tomorrow (April 28) from 10am-4pm.  Purchase a ticket here (or via the source link at the bottom of this post).

To my fellow comrades living the un-20/20 life, a few weeks back, I copped a pair of new prescription frames for FREE (well, I paid for shipping but, come on - that’s a steal).

I found out that the promo ends tomorrow so I wanted to share the love. You’ll need all your prescription info to order (pupillary distance, R/L eye lens instructions etc.), so get on the line with your eye doctor ASAP and take advantage of this freebie. 

Behance’s IdeaPaint is essentially the equivalent of having a dry erase board on your wall (bedroom wall, kitchen wall, office wall — you choose). Come on, tell me this isn’t the coolest thing, ever? 

Each IdeaPaint kit contains Behance tips for use, 20 sq ft of IdeaPaint, a specified foam roller, application instructions, a can opener, a stir stick, and an “Available for Use” sign. 

Buy it here. Who knows, it may even make you as cool as this guy…

I took Angela Giacchetti’s Skillshare class last month and it was great. In fact, here’s the endorsement I posted afterward:

“Angela was thorough, very clear in explaining her methods and kind! I’ve already begun applying some of her tips in my day-to-day communications for work. The best part is - she’s made herself available so that we can pick her brain anytime we have questions (and she responds promptly). She is magical, take her class.”

If you’re looking to learn how to articulate your worldview, win over critics and skeptics and craft the perfect message - this is the place to start. Angela’s teaching the class again tomorrow and Wednesday, May 23 — and it’s only 10 bucks! Sign up for Crash Course: Positive Persuasive Speaking Techniques here.

My awesome friend Akua is searching for two personal assistant interns for Qwest4Ward, a newly launched event planning company specializing in events for women. Interested or know someone who might be? Check out the details below.

Read More →

I was online doing some business development research last week and in signing up for event mailing lists and courses, I came across General Assembly, a gem of a company that essentially provides the tools and resources for high potential entrepreneurs to kick ass in the start-up space. Their gorgeous Manhattan campus hosts events and classes that get to the heart of technology, design and entrepreneurship. So, while I was on the site salivating at the professional development goodies, I stumbled upon the mother of them all — Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship. This free, six-part online learning program digs into Brand, Recruiting, Design, Finance, Law and Fundraising (with video lessons from specialists in each area) creating a clear path for you to “turn your ideas into a company people love.”

I started the program yesterday and it’s some really awesome brain food. Did I mention that it’s FREE? Yea, it is. Hop to it: http://generalassemb.ly/start

Monday! Back to work you go. In the spirit of the most dreaded work day of the week one of my favorite and most productive days of the week, I wanted to share two tools that have been working wonders for me.

First up: Followup.cc

Long gone are the days where I’d make never-ending to-do lists and write reminders on my hands. I actually haven’t written a to-do list since February. Liberating. Here’s the deal:

We’re proud to have invented this concept of attaching a reminder with a flexible format as an email address (see our first home page launched in 2007). This has allowed people to use the service in various ways that work for them, such as:

• attaching reminders to outgoing emails
• using our service a scheduled to-do list
• turning emails into tasks
• and of course snoozing emails via forwarding or our Snooze Links™

So basically, if I email someone and I want to follow up in 3 days, in the BCC field, I’ll add 3days@followup.cc, Apr19@followup.cc or Thursday@followup.cc. You can also make this time specific, in other words, apr19-2pm@followup.cc. These reminders can be added into the CC field if you want them to be public or in the To field if you’re looking to schedule to-do list tasks for yourself.

Want to see it in action? Click here to watch the demo.

Up next: Boomerang

Boomerang is a Gmail plugin that works for Firefox 3.6+, Chrome 5.0+ and Safari 5.1+. It’ll work for your Google Apps email, too. I use it specifically for scheduling emails. For example, my favorite Illustrator/Designer, Vaughn Fender, asked me to send him a reminder email next week about something he’s drawing for me. Normally, I’d Followup.cc the reminder to myself but with Boomerang, I can draft the email and schedule it to send in the future. So, on Saturday night, I wrote and sent an email to Vaughn that will be delivered to him this Wednesday, =). In addition to this, the plugin gives you the capability to boomerang emails back to you if there’s no response within a certain timeframe. Check out the demo here to learn what else it can do.

Here’s to your newly enhanced productivity. Enjoy!

I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good judge of character. About an hour ago ago, I walked into a Starbucks off Wall St. to kill time before a 6pm class I’m taking this evening. The minute I walked in, a table freed up RIGHT next to an outlet (super clutch!). Only one problem — I had to use the bathroom, really, really bad. So, I sat here debating on whether or not I should sacrifice the table to relieve my bladder or ask someone to watch my laptop for me while I ran to the back and used the restroom here. Finally, a woman who looks trustworthy (because trustworthy has a look, ya know?) and I ask her to watch my things for me. She agreed. YES! I get to the back of the Starbucks and life throws a monkey wrench in the plans — EMPLOYEES ONLY. My bladder and I cried, silent tears, in unison. 

So, here’s where the judge of character thing really kicks into full gear. I had to ask myself if I was willing to leave my laptop here with the awesome woman (who I later found out was visiting from Poland) while I ran to Subway (the sandwich shop) to use their restroom (about a block away). My bladder and I were totally willing to take the risk. Coincidentally, the woman’s friend — who was ordering a coffee at the time — desperately needed to charge her phone and could only do so via USB port because she didn’t have the proper adapter to convert her European charger. The situation seemed mutually beneficially — so I went for it. When I got back from Subway, they were both so grateful that I’d let them use my laptop. I was grateful that it was still here, lol. We both won. 

I know some of you may think I’m crazy but I think we could all stand to let our guard down a little more so, I took a risk. There are good people in this world. I’m one of them and so are you. You don’t have to go as far as I did but today, I urge you all to have a little faith in someone. If it feels good and it works out for you, do it again tomorrow. 

<3.