Today at Techie Youth I learned that card stock is the most common and cheapest material to start off laser cutting or engraving. You can create 3d objects using 2d laser cut parts. Laser cutting is used for detailing and making tedious cuts. Modeling softwares like adobe illustrator shows you don’t need a background in design or illustration to build models for 3d printing. Step by step guides show you how to start from scratch.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about 3d printing. I learned the least expensive things to print are one color, one piece, small and plastic items. They are also the quickest to be printed. Customizing products for an additional fee can be a profitable upscale and you can create 3d objects online using programs like TinkerCad which is free, easy to use and works from your browser to get you started.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about tooling and consumables. They are necessary in order to create your initial product. Tooling is defined as items needed to be purchased once in order to create your product. An example of this would be a drill. Consumables are items that will need to be purchased continuously to produce your product. An example of this would be ink. This is called a resource list.
Today at Techie Youth I learned the difference between a product manager v.s a project manager. While they may do similar jobs they work different roles in a business. A product manager does research, sets the products vision and communicates it to the stakeholders, develop strategic plans and create and maintain product roadmaps. Project managers break down goals into tasks, plan timelines for projects, allocate project resources, monitor tasks completed, and communicate progress to stakeholders. Creating a product strategy involves developing a high-level vision of your product and using goals to guide the roadmap while repeatedly reviewing the product vision and strategy. Communication skills are very important for this role and builds people management skills that are necessary for the company morale.
Today I learned to cold call professionals in your emails when reaching out for work opportunities. This requires staying professional and friendly. When communicating with clients you should show how eager and passionate you are about their project. Be flexible and respond to their opinions while making sure to reply to emails in a timely fashion. A great platform to get work from is Mandy.com. Mandy is the #1 jobs platform for creative professionals. Before starting a project with a client you must assess the situation. What is the clients budget? What is the client willing to pay? How much time do you estimate will be needed to edit the project? The most important part is the type of pricing. Is this Pay-per-minute? Or by the hour? Or is this a One-time pay? This is up to you to decide.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about creating projects using files for video editing. In order to create a file or folder for your editing you need to make sure you have enough space on your hard drive in order to fit your entire project. All of your media should be kept in one important folder. If you don’t, then you could end up accidentally moving or deleting files which will show a “Media Not Found” error and you will lose all your hard work. If you keep your media scattered you can potentially slow down and or crash your systems programming. Creating 7 sub folders will help you navigate your edits. They are as follows; Project Files, Video, Media, Sound, Music, Pictures, and Final Videos. With this way of organizing you can rest easy knowing there’s a file for everything important and categorized.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about editing videos. Editing is about the eyes and their emotions. What is the main subject expressing? Cutting at the perfect time is reliant on the reactions you want from people. The key here is empathy. What makes us feel the things we feel when we’re watching. There are different types of content you can produce as a videographer. You can make films or documentaries that take content from smaller production projects. Or you can do commercials, an example being music video editing. Or you can peruse YouTube and or personal projects. This is usually for influencers or personal use like vlogging. There are also different editing softwares to choose from. Adobe premiere pro works for Mac and Pc and it’s mostly popular with non Hollywood editors. It costs $20.99 a month. But DaVinci resolve studios has all of that and is a one time deal at $299. Unfortunately the con is that it isn’t the greatest at being user friendly and will take time getting used to.
Today I learned about scripting for video editing. A good script needs to have a concise and specific goal that caters to the audience. Focusing on one idea at a time is key to good scripting. Figuring out the videos purpose will get your message across to the audience. I also learned that color theory plays a huge role on the videos message. Good color theory will reflect the video as a whole. Bright colors can indicate happiness, lighten the mood or provide visual engagement before the next scene. Colors are put into three categories. Highlights, mid-tones and shadows. These are what bring the colors to life on screen. Setting the tone for the theme trying to be conveyed.
Today at Techie Youth I learned what SEO backlinks are. SEO is an acronym which stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is how you help customers locate your site when using a search engine like google. SEO backlinks are tools that help get your website listed at a higher ranking on searches online. It’s purpose is to send traffic to other websites using keywords otherwise known as link building. This requires good strategy and time to gradually expose content online to more people. I also learned about different backlinks to avoid. An example would be, Public blog networks. They are risky because they use artificial link building.
Today at Techie youth I learned about copywriting. Copywriting is for the purpose of advertising or any other forms of marketing. It can be separated into two categories. Benefits are the the emotions and experiences a customer gains from using a product. Features are factual pieces of information about the product. I also learned about guest blogging. Guest blogging is when you invite someone from a company to write a blog that will be published on your website. This can benefit brand awareness and fresh content.
Today at Techie Youth I learned the best way to jot down ideas as an author is by carrying a notebook with you constantly. Inspiration strikes at unexpected moments and you want to jot whatever you’re thinking before you forget. According to Hank Green, plotting stories out of chronological order is still plotting your story. You can always go back and fill the remainder gaps of plot. I also learned that as a traditional publisher you get 10% of royalties. As a self-publisher you can get up to 70% of royalties.
Today I learned about the difference between magazines and journalism. Magazines are more about summarized info that isn’t political. It can controversial and uses pictures and illustrations in the media. Journalism is educational and factually accurate media. It lacks pictures and does not focus on gossip or tabloids. No illustrations but pictures are fine. It is harder to get published solo without getting in touch with a publisher.
Today at techie youth I learned that mental and physical health is important to productivity in the work place and in daily life. For a good mental health mindset it is best not to multitask and to focus on finishing one thing at a time with a deadline in mind. It’s best to think of the closer you get to a deadline as a fire that is spreading. Once you overstep the deadline the fire is going to be too big to control. It is best to stop the fire before it spreads to bigger areas, meaning to finish your prioritized work in a timely manner. Physically working out is also a practical way to be healthy and productive. Going to the gym will make your heart stronger, help you focus your attention on your personal goals, make you feel confident during your progression and increase stamina.
Today I learned about the difference between Net and Gross pay. Net pay means the pay you receive after taxes are taken out. Gross pay refers to the full pay you receive before taxes are taken out. I also learned about networking and the best places to do that. At the bar you can be more social and talk to people more naturally over a few drinks. At the office you can get to know your coworkers and build personal but professional connections. I also learned about consumables. This is all about needs over wants. This the extreme form of low-resale value. Resale value is the value an item will have when you’re done using it. If you could potentially sell this item for a price and what the buyer would be willing to pay.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about building strong connections as a team. Scheduling a virtual coffee break or lunch with coworkers builds morale and forwards communicating. Asking for support is a great way for teamwork utilization. Goal setting and achieving at work should be something you strive for constantly. Scheduling regular check-ins keeps communication open. You can discuss your current status with your boss and how you can reach that promotion or excel better in your position. I also learned to say no. In a work setting bosses will often take advantage of novice employees like making them stay after hours instead of letting them clock out on time or trying to guilt trip them to stay longer. This is bad boss behavior. Saying no is always ok in instances like this. Just say no.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to get hired through the use of a resume, cover letter and social media presence on Linked-in. Linked-in is a professional social media site for people looking for work. You have to have a professional personality and behavior when networking because everyone can see your digital footprint. This will tell future hiring managers if you are a good fit for their company or not. Cover letters should be created and tailored to every new job you apply for. This is important because it shows recruiters more about the person their hiring rather than just restating everything that they stated in their resumes. You should never use “I” in your resume because you are supposed to show examples of your skills, not just tell people about them. You are marketing yourself in a professional manner.
Today at Techie Youth I learned how to be a digital nomad. Digital nomads are people who have a living abroad lifestyle that is funded through remote work opportunities. Becoming a virtual assistant is one way to support the traveling and adventure seeking lifestyle. Virtual assistants have varying duties like scheduling appointments and making calls for clients. You can also choose to stay abroad for free in exchange for work like babysitting, cleaning and farming agriculture.
Today at Techie Youth I learned about crypto currency and how most businesses do not accept it as payment so it needs to be changed into fiat currency. Crypto currency is volatile and puts people at risk. I learned that people prefer to get paid in cash because of confidentiality and it leave no formal record so you have the ability to avoid paying taxes. You also have the 100% certainty of getting paid as opposed to verifying it at a bank. The cons to this are the payment can’t be reversed or disputed which leaves you at risk if your money is stolen. Storing a large amount of cash leaves you heavily at risk of being robbed. You could also lose all your money in a situation of a fire breaking out or natural disasters like a tsunami, tornado, hurricane or a earthquake to name a few. If your job doesn’t collect your social security number or EIN from you before they pay you then the IRS is unlikely to be aware that you got paid.
Yesterday I learned about slogans. The best companies have slogans to represent their brand or product and it communicates the key benefit you want customers to associate with your business. For examples Nike has the slogan “Just Do It.” The mission statement let’s people know what your company stands for and serves as framework for your employees. It sets the company apart from the competition without limiting the business purpose. The key elements of a vision statement is value, inspiration, Plausibility and Specificity. (I forgot to do the daily entry yesterday, sorry)
Today I learned about how to make a letterhead. A letterhead consists of the company logo, brand name, slogan at the top of your page and company contact info down below or at the bottom of the page. It’s occasionally used for formal correspondence letters. MVP is a product with enough features to attract early adopter customers and validate a product idea early in the product development cycle. An example of an MVP is Air b&b which involves peer to peer rental housing. Another thing I learned today is the difference between checking and savings in bank accounts. Savings holds your money with low interest but generally more than is offered for checking. For a checking account you pay little to no interest but for a savings account you pay a low interest. Writing a check or e check, using an ATM, debit card or auto transfer are a couple way to access your money. I also learned that the average overdraft fee is $34.
Today I learned the factors for a revenue model. The first factor is marketing. You have to appeal to your audience and advertise and entice your demographic. Second factor is competition. What sets you apart from the competition. Competition gives you an idea of industry standards and needs that need to be met. Third is Value proposition. Value proposition is a statement of what’s different and highly valuable about your product. It must convey the reason people should choose you over anyone else. It must express benefits.
In order to have a successful business you must come up with a strong team. Ideally this team should be made up of people who have honed the skills required for the job. Requires 2 - 3 business partners but never just 1. MVP stands for the minimum viable product. There are multiple resources you will need. Human, outsourcing, and financial resources are crucial to your business. Business models must solve a problem or provide happiness to customers needing a solution. There are 4 profit model types. Production which is sold to consumers or wholesalers directly, Rental/Leasing, Advertising (which charges customers for exclusive rights over a fixed amount of time) and commission.
Being an Entrepreneur means providing 90% effort and 10% talent. There are small or medium enterprises that provide a service on a local scale. Whereas Innovation driven enterprises work on a global scale and require more cash. In order to be a successful Entrepreneur you must provide people with something they need. I learned about the six myths that are often used to describe a successful entrepreneur. Smartness, Individualism, the idea that entrepreneurs are born not made, taking high risks, charisma and discipline. False. Entrepreneurs take calculated risks that provide future benefit in improving marketing. Obtaining skills means making more money. If you no longer have to rely on someone else’s skill set you don’t have to spend more money for the value of that skill. A successful business is built through good leadership, being money savvy and having good management. Entrepreneurship can’t be done alone. You need to establish a solid team.
Today I learned that in order to sell your art you have to think of yourself as a business person. I learned about the 4 p’s which are promise, picture, proof and pitch. These are needed in order to convince someone to buy what you are selling. Promise sets the tone for what you are about to sell. Picture means to leave an impression and make sure it conveys your business deal. You can use emotion to entice your audience. Proof means to give specific examples of how your product is so great. The last P is pitch and it’s used to give your audience a call to action. One thing you want them to do at the end of selling that entices them to want your product.